Oh my goodness! What could be sillier than an old lady who swallows an entire Thanksgiving feast? I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson is a hilarious Thanksgiving read-aloud that will have your students giggling, predicting, and wondering what in the world she will swallow next!
And the fun doesn’t stop when the story ends!
I’ve created a collection of engaging activities that bring this delightful story to life while keeping little learners busy with meaningful reading, writing, word work, math, and creativity.
Let’s Read, Retell, and Laugh!
As the old lady gobbles up one Thanksgiving food after another, students practice predicting what might happen next, remembering story events, and exploring cause and effect.
The fun continues with sequencing activities, vocabulary picture cards, and an adorable interactive old lady story slider that lets students retell the story as the foods disappear into her mouth!
What a fun way to build comprehension!
A Feast of Literacy Activities!
There is plenty of learning on the menu!
Students can clap and sort syllables, put Thanksgiving words in ABC order, explore nouns, verbs, and adjectives, match vocabulary pictures, and see how many words they can create using the letters in THANKSGIVING.
These activities are perfect for literacy centers, small groups, partner work, or independent practice.
Pie or Cookie? Let’s Vote!
Here’s a delicious question for your class: Would you rather eat pie or a cookie?
Students vote, graph their choices, collect data, and compare results. They can even survey their classmates!
And for a little extra math fun, I’ve included two Thanksgiving partner games:
- Roll and Move! — Practice counting and number recognition.
- Roll, Add, Win! — Roll two dice, add the numbers, and race to the pie!
Watch out for those turkeys along the way!
Writing, Thankfulness, and Thanksgiving Traditions
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to encourage students to share their ideas and appreciate the special people and experiences in their lives.
Students can plan an imaginary Thanksgiving dinner, share family traditions, explore what they might see, hear, and taste, and write about the things that make them thankful.
With graphic organizers and differentiated writing pages, every little writer can experience success!
An Adorable Turkey Craft!
And just wait until you see the turkey craft!
With its colorful feathers, dangling accordion-folded legs, and oversized feet, this little turkey is sure to bring smiles!
Pair the finished crafts with students’ Thanksgiving writing for a bulletin board filled with creativity and gratitude.
Bulletin Board Idea: “Gobbling Up Gratitude!”
A Little Silliness and a Whole Lot of Learning!
Whether you have one day or several days before Thanksgiving break, this resource makes planning easy. Choose your favorite activities for a special read-aloud day, or spread the fun across literacy, writing, and math centers.
Sometimes the best learning happens when children are laughing, creating, and having fun!
So grab a copy of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, gather your little turkeys, and get ready for a Thanksgiving feast of learning!
Happy Thanksgiving and happy teaching!
Michele
First Grade Hip Hip Hooray
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