With Thanksgiving just days away, the holiday season is officially here! I’ve listed some great Thanksgiving books to share with your students next week.

Little Tom Turkey
by Frances Bloam
Little Tom wants nothing more than to grow into a big, colorful turkey. Learn all about wild turkeys as Tom grows into the turkey he always wanted to be.

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Sarah Hale went on a 38-year-long letter-writing campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Read about her heroic efforts to bring the country together.

Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy
by Kate Waters
Take readers back to Pilgrim times with this photo-illustrated essay, which depicts a day in the life of a young boy at Plimouth Plantation.

How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story
by Eve Bunting
A Caribbean family from an unnamed country flees its home when faced with political uncertainty. They risk their lives traveling by boat to America, finally landing on Thanksgiving Day. Comparisons between the family’s thanks for freedom and that of the original Pilgrims help readers reflect on the true meaning of this American holiday.

The Pilgrims of Plimoth
by Marcia Sewall
Leaving behind their homes, Pilgrim men, women, and children undertook the treacherous journey across the Atlantic to a land where they could worship freely. Vivid illustrations and first-person narratives impart the daily struggles and joys in the close-knit community of Plimoth.

On the Mayflower
by Kate Waters
What was life like aboard the Mayflower? Full-color photographs and historically based text tell the tale of ship apprentice William Small.

Have you read any of these titles with your students? What other books do you traditionally read in your classroom?

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What makes The Mailbox magazines and books so great? YOU DO! Our editors are always on the lookout for great teaching ideas from teachers like you to publish in our books and magazines. While you are off for the holidays, why not earn some gift certificates for The Mailbox!

Click the different grade levels below to find out what types of ideas the editors are looking for this month. Then fill out the submission form to send your ideas directly to the editor. For each idea we accept for publication, we’ll send you a $20 gift certificate good toward any purchase from The Mailbox Books catalog (view online) or a subscription to one of our magazines.

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As I was going through some old photos, I ran across a picture of my fifth-grade class from my very first year of teaching. I tried to imagine what some of those students, now in their midtwenties, might be doing. I’m sure they’ve changed so much that I may not recognize them. Then I started reflecting on all the changes I’ve seen in teaching over the years. There have been many of them!

So here’s a question for all the veteran teachers out there: how has teaching changed since you started your career?

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Fun, independent practice can be hard to find. That is why I chose the Super Simple Independent Practice series to share with you this month.

Each book features 4 activities for every week of the school year that are a breeze to read, require only minimal materials, and take just minutes to set up. That’s 144 activities you can easily add to your existing plans for students to do at their seats, at a center, or even as homework. I think they are great for differentiating activities to meet the needs of all learners.

These books are some of the newest from The Mailbox Books so I’m not sure whether you’ve had a chance to try them yet. I’ve included sample pages and the table of contents for each book. Try them out and let me know what you think.

Congratulations, Margie from Franklin Regional Middle School in Pittsburgh, PA! She is the winner of a Super Simple Independent Practice: Language Arts Grs. 4-6 book!

Independent Practice Series

Preschool Practice sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Language Arts Gr. K sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Language Arts Gr. 1 sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Language Arts Gr. 2 sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Language Arts Gr. 3 sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Language Arts Gr. 4-6 sample pages table of contents

Independent Practice: Math Gr. K sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Math Gr. 1 sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Math Gr. 2 sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Math Gr. 3 sample pages table of contents Independent Practice: Math Gr. 4-6 sample pages table of contents

Independent Practice Series

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If I could peek into all the elementary school classrooms around the country, I’m sure I would find some sort of learning center in every one. Whether it was a traditional center set up in a particular area of the classroom, a collection of file folder centers in a file box, or a pair of students playing a partner game on the floor, almost every classroom would have one. And why not? Learning centers encourage children to work independently (or with a small group) while they practice skills and provide a variety of activities to keep them engaged. They offer a great way to differentiate for your students’ individual ability levels or interests, and, if managed properly, can provide you the time to pull a few students to work with you in a small group.

So, if I peeked into your classroom, would I see learning centers? If so, what kind? Do you have any tricks for making the most of centers with your students? Share with us!

Here are a few ideas from The Mailbox for using learning centers in your classroom.

Personal Passport

Guide students through their learning centers journey with these simple organizers. Have each child fold a sheet of 12″ x 18″ blue construction paper in half and label it “Centers Passport.” If desired, have him add a photo of himself to the cover. Laminate the folder for durability. Program a copy of the “Places to Go” form with the name of each center activity and place a copy in each student’s passport folder. After completing each center, the student stamps the box next to the center’s name and places his work in the folder.

Cleanup Captains

Here’s a tip to put your students in charge of keeping centers in order. After signaling students to begin cleanup, select a hardworking child from each center to be the captain. Have her inspect the center and dismiss her group to the next activity when she thinks the center is neat and tidy. Remind students that if the captain excuses a group with a messy center, the captain must finish the work herself.

Color-Coded Centers

To prevent overcrowding at centers, color-code them and obtain matching inexpensive plastic bracelets. Have each student choose a bracelet and go to the corresponding center. When all of the bracelets of one color have been taken, the students know that center is full.

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