8th Grade Thanksgiving Thematic Unit Plans (by date, latest first)

• Thanksgiving Gratitude Toast Writing Unit with Slides and Awards
• Looking for a meaningful and engaging way to bring gratitude into your classroom this Thanksgiving season? This 4-Day Thanksgiving Toast Writing Unit has everything you need to help your students craft heartfelt toasts while building their public speaking and writing skills.
• Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Informational Texts: Central Idea & Author’s Purpose
• This resource features informational texts centered around the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Students will practice identifying the central idea and author’s purpose using guided activities, perfect for grades 4-6. Includes quizzes and engaging slides to bring the festive event into your classroom!
• Multiple Genre Thanksgiving Writing Fun: Story Starters, Centers, and Activities
  Spark creativity with these 10 engaging Thanksgiving-themed story starters! This freebie offers writing prompts perfect for centers or bell-ringers, allowing students to explore genres while creating their own holiday-inspired tales. Ideal for grades 4 and up!
• Text Features with Thanksgiving Football Text Set, Quizzes, and Slides
  Bring excitement to your lessons with this text feature set using Thanksgiving football articles. Students will analyze and identify different text features while engaging with a fun, seasonal topic. Quizzes and slide presentations are included for easy, interactive learning.
• Thanksgiving Argument Writing Unit: Debate Topics & Lesson Plans for STAAR ECRs
  Help your students master argumentative writing with this resource, complete with four Thanksgiving-themed debate prompts. Perfect for middle school, the unit includes a 75-minute lesson plan, guided notes, and templates for teaching claims, evidence, and rebuttals.
• Thanksgiving Author’s Purpose Reading Unit: Passages, Slides, Guided Notes (Grades 5-7)
  This reading unit features five double-sided Thanksgiving-themed passages that explore different author’s purposes. With interactive slides and guided notes, this resource is great for whole-group instruction, centers, or intervention activities in grades 5-7.
• Thanksgiving Digital Resource: Interactive Slides for Middle School Fall Break Vibes
  This non-academic, interactive slide deck is perfect for building community and having fun the day before Fall Break. Featuring 22 slides with thought-provoking and engaging Thanksgiving prompts, it's a fun, low-prep activity to wrap up the season.
• Thanksgiving Persuasive Writing Activity: Rhetoric for Grades 5-7 (Ethos, Pathos, Logos)
  This resource guides students through persuasive writing with a focus on rhetoric. Using Thanksgiving-themed prompts, students will practice developing strong arguments using ethos, pathos, and logos. Perfect for building writing and critical thinking skills in grades 5-7.
• Thanksgiving Text Structure Coloring Sort & Lesson
  Teach text structures in a creative and interactive way with this Thanksgiving coloring activity. Students will learn about different text structures and apply them through sorting and coloring activities, making the lesson both educational and fun.
• 10 Fall Narrative Essay Picture Prompts and Planner: Print and Go & Slides
  This resource includes 10 narrative essay prompts, each with a fall theme, designed to help students craft compelling stories. Perfect for middle school students, the resource includes both print-and-go materials and a slide deck for easy classroom use.

This bundle could cover 20-25 days of classroom instruction, depending on how the resources are paced and implemented. It offers a great variety of activities for both Thanksgiving season and beyond.

Looking for a meaningful and engaging way to bring gratitude into your classroom this Thanksgiving season? This 4-Day Thanksgiving Toast Writing Unit has everything you need to help your students craft heartfelt toasts while building their public speaking and writing skills. It's print-and-go, includes interactive slides, and is loaded with fun Thanksgiving puns to keep your students motivated and inspired!

What’s Inside:

• Day 1: Kick off with a Do Now, note-taking, and brainstorming a mind map of gratitude.
• Day 2: Plan and draft your toast using a structured planning guide.
• Day 3: Revise with peer feedback and finalize the toast.
• Day 4: Present with style in a festive classroom setting!
• Bonus: Toast Awards (e.g., "Most Heartfelt," "Funniest Toast") to celebrate your students’ creativity!

What Makes This Resource Special?

• Complete Package: Includes detailed lesson plans, printable guided notes, slides, and awards.
• Flexible & Easy-to-Use: Print-and-go resources allow you to spend less time prepping and more time enjoying the activity.
• Interactive and Fun: Engage students with brainstorming activities, video clips, and a celebratory presentation day featuring pie and sparkling juice.
• Real-World Skills: Students practice public speaking, writing, and expressing gratitude—skills they’ll use for a lifetime!

Perfect For:

• Thanksgiving week lessons
• Middle school ELA or Speech classes
• Public speaking units

Teacher Tips for Maximum Impact:

• Bring in sparkling juice and pie to create a “Thanksgiving Toast Table” for presentation day.
• Set up a festive classroom with fall-themed decorations and soft background music.
• Use the included Toast Awards to celebrate students’ creativity and confidence.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, and students can write their own "Thank You" cards using 20 designs in English and Spanish to color and make. Includes Thanksgiving related graphics, such as: Pilgrims Native American Turkeys Fall Scenes Blank Template Directions and Optional Activities Excellent assessment for grammar and writing while encouraging gratitude.