As Thanksgiving Day comes closer, children are excited about so many aspects. For instance, they cannot wait to see their family celebrating together. Additionally, they cannot wait to sit at the table and eat so much delicious food.
However, one aspect that some are most excited about involves Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade! Since it only occurs once a year, children anxiously await for it to finally arrive. That is exactly why celebrating the Thanksgiving Day Parade with Balloons Over Broadway is the perfect read-aloud for November! Readers will love to learn all about the parade before watching it!
This true story and free Read Aloud Activities will help every student stay focused as they eagerly await Thanksgiving!
Celebrating with Balloons Over Broadway
Author and illustrator Melissa Sweet designed an incredible story filled with amazing illustrations and fascinating information!
On the big day of the Thanksgiving Day parade, young and old all wake up early. There is something so special about watching the giant balloons fill the sky as they travel down the streets. However, many people do not know the story behind the balloons. Luckily, this story changes that! Readers will meet Tony Sarg, the puppeteer extraordinaire! Since the massive balloons are a parade trademark, students will love to see who created them and how the idea originated!
Read Aloud Activities
Students often ask “why” over everything. They are so curious and want to know how things work and why certain things happen. This is exactly the case with the giant balloons that fill New York City! Students want to know how people design them, how they float, and who controls them through the packed streets. Luckily, they receive these answers while celebrating the Thanksgiving Day Parade with Balloons Over Broadway!
Since teachers have so much to prepare as it is, there is a teacher guide to outline the entire unit. Specifically, this contains all of the lesson plans needed. Additionally, it includes an introduction to help prepare students and sets the purpose for the story. Likewise, it has essential vocabulary words.
When celebrating the Thanksgiving Day Parade with Balloons Over Broadway, students will love to share their favorite one. Likewise, they will love to share their family traditions over Thanksgiving! Thankfully, there are higher-level thinking questions and talking points to help guide and support student discussion. This is a great way to tie in the book to student experiences! There are even page numbers to help teachers know where in the story to stop for students to respond in meaningful ways.
While students love to discuss, it is also essential to have personal reflection. They will love working on response and activity sheets to build connections with the text Additionally, this helps students develop their knowledge behind the fantastic parade! Since every student learns at a different level, there are multiple sheets for differentiation.
Furthermore, there is hands-on craftivity! Students will love how the craft connects the story to their lives.
Thanksgiving Day Parade Scavenger Hunt
Watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade is often a family tradition. Therefore, there is a scavenger hunt that students can take home. They will use a checklist to see how many things they can find while watching. Then, they can write about their favorite aspect! Families will love working on the scavenger hunt together!
No Prep Resource
Teachers have to handle so much. Thankfully, the Read Aloud Activities are all no prep! Teachers just need to print the resources.
Students will love celebrating the Thanksgiving Day Parade with Balloons Over Broadway! Honestly, these Read Aloud Activities will be the perfect way to keep students engaged leading up to Thanksgiving break. They will absolutely love learning how the big day came about and how hard people work to bring the parade to life.
Save This Read Aloud
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to this lesson plan when you are ready to read it aloud with your students.
