I call it our "Thanks for Giving" project!!! I start by having students choose a staff member that they want to thank. Then, we secretly set up a little white lie...they have to approach this person and tell them that we are doing a social studies project about the different people who help them at our school.
I take their photo together, print them, and then get ready for the secret writing project to begin! First, the students write a thank you letter to their special person and sign it Thanks for Giving, (student name). Then, they publish their piece by putting it on some scrapbook paper framed with construction paper. I don't do any editing on these since I want the writing to be in true kid form!
Then, we give them a special invitation with their designated time that they should be in our room. When they arrive, we give them the royal treatment! They walk down a decorated red carpet (red fleece). The child who wrote to them, greets them at the end of the carpet and reads their letter-be prepared for tears!!!!!
I have found this project to be so meaningful to the students and the recipients. It's a shout out to those unsung heros that work in the building. I still walk into the cafeteria and see the photos from the past few years hanging in the lunch lady's office. It's a wonderful feeling to make their day!
We just added this file to our Thanksgiving unit on TpT! If you already purchased this unit, please redownload!
Check it out by clicking here!
9 comments:
Wow! What a meaningful activity!! I just LOVE it!! Definitely something I could do! THANKS!
Gina
Beach Sand and Lesson Plans
I LOVE this idea! What a great way to get students to think about others.
The REAL Teachers of Orange County
Thank you so much for sharing! I wonder if I could squeeze this in!?
Wow! This really touches my heart. There are so many wonderful people who help make a school successful. This project honors all of those folks. Thank you so much for sharing this idea!
Cindy
Granny Goes to School
We are writing several different letters during the month of November. This will fit right in! Thanks for sharing such great ideas!!
Second Grade Goodies
I Love this idea! It's hard to get kids to think about people other than themselves sometimes and this is the perfect way to get them thinking about what the people around our school do for them! I can't wait to try this out! :) Hopefully I can get it all set and ready this week so we can do it before thanksgiving. I know that my kids will love it! Thanks for the wonderful idea! :)
Ashley
Primary Teacherhood
P.S. Do you have a single file for the "Thanks for Giving" on TPT? If not, do you plan to upload just that file? Just Curious because I would love to purchase this file alone :)
Hi, Ashley-
Sure! Please send us an email at teachers@lessonplansos.com and we can help you from there. Take care, Nicole :)
We did a variation of this yesterday. I didn't take their pictures and invite them to my room. But we wrote people in the building letters and walked around delivering mail. It was amazing. One janitor was almost tearful and had his laminated immediately so he could frame it. The PE Coaches hung theirs in the hall for all to see. It was such a priceless moment to watch the teachers and students faces.
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