Third graders read
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet; a biography about Tony Sarg, creator of the balloons we look forward to seeing every year at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This winner of the Sibert Award for nonfiction, has a multitude of cross-curricular connections; including history and STEM connections while highlighting the themes of dedication and perseverance.
Fourth graders read
How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting. This, again, connects to their study of immigration. We discussed the various reasons for immigration and also practiced making inferences throughout the book. We looked at a map and tried to determine what country the characters in the book were immigrating from based on clues from the text and illustrations.
Fifth graders read
Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson; a book about Sarah Hale and her relentless battle to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. We discussed the difference between topic and theme and listed common themes we often see in the books we read. After reading this book, fifth graders all agreed that the prevailing theme was perseverance and standing up for what you believe!
Sixth graders read
An Outlaw Thanksgiving by Emily Arnold McCully, a great example of historical fiction about one girl's encounter with Butch Cassidy and his outlaw gang. We learned about primary information sources and actually examined an old wanted poster of Butch Cassidy!
