Hello, Turkey! Lesson Plan

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What We Are Learning

 

Science Focus:

animal characteristics

 

Theme Vocabulary:

beak, wings, feathers, hatch

 

Skills We’re Practicing:

group discussion, critical thinking, vocabulary, gross-motor skills, number recognition

  • 10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston follows a group of goofy turkeys as they play on a fence. Use the book to practice counting backward from 10. The rhyming wordplay and alliteration also help build phonological awareness.

Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint

Materials: Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint skill sheet, paint (brown and other colors), plates for paint, paintbrushes, black

  • Families will love receiving this adorable Thanksgiving keepsake.
  • To prepare, set out paints on different plates. Print one copy of the skill sheet for each child.
  • One by one, have the children get one of their hands painted. You can have teachers do it or have children paint each other’s hands! The palm and thumb should be brown, and the other fingers can be any color children like.
  • Have each child make a handprint mark in the space next to the poem on their skill sheet. Then have them use marker or crayon to add legs, feet, and a beak to their turkey, and write their name on the line below the poem.
  • Practice saying the poem aloud together. That way, children can recite it to their families when they present them with the keepsake! fine-motor skills/memory

Materials: play dough, feathers or pipe cleaners, one die

  • This fun math game lets children practice counting—and make cute dough turkeys!
  • In advance, prepare a play dough turkey for each child playing. Each turkey is composed of two parts: a medium ball for the head and a flat semicircle for the body. Attach the heads to the bodies, and make 10 small indentations in the body for feathers to go in.
  • To play, children will take turns rolling the die and placing the correct number of feathers into their turkey. Have them continue rolling until their turkey has 10 feathers. Then they can remove the feathers and play again! counting/fine-motor skills