Disguise a Turkey Class Book: A Fun Shared Writing Thanksgiving Activity

Hey there, teacher friend, let’s talk about November! You know the stretch I’m talking about—Halloween sugar rush has finally worn off, and now we’re racing toward Thanksgiving break. Kids are buzzing, schedules are all over the place with assemblies, and you’re just trying to squeeze in meaningful writing without losing your mind. Been there. Honestly, I think every teacher has.

That’s exactly why I’m always on the hunt for activities that keep students engaged, sneak in real writing practice, and feel fun. Because let’s face it—if you say, “We’re going to write another paragraph today,” you’ll get groans. But if you say, “We’re going to disguise a turkey and make a class book?” Suddenly, pencils are flying, the chatter is excited, and you’ve got buy-in. That’s the magic right there.

Why writing in November is hard!

Let’s be real. Writing with primary students is tough any time of the year, but November comes with its own set of challenges:

• Engagement dips. The holiday energy makes focusing on regular lessons tricky.
• Stamina struggles. The kiddos are still building up their writing muscles, and long projects can feel overwhelming.
• Sentence writing woes. We want them to write more descriptive, detailed sentences, but many are still stuck in the “I like my turkey.” zone.
• Time crunch. Between conferences, short weeks, and schedule changes, who has time for a big writing project?

If you’re nodding your head right now, same. These were exactly the struggles I had in mind when I created my Descriptive Sentence Writing: Disguise a Turkey Class Book Thanksgiving Activity.

Small Steps, Big Results: Making Sentence Writing Manageable

Before I jump into my resource, let me share what’s worked for me in the past—because honestly, there are lots of ways to tackle November writing:

• Shared writing on chart paper (I love doing this with turkey disguises as a whole class first—kids shout out ideas, and together we build a model sentence or two).
• Journaling prompts that connect to Thanksgiving—things like “If I were a turkey…” or “My favorite Thanksgiving food is…”
• Quick partner writing or oral storytelling—kids tell a buddy their turkey disguise idea before they ever pick up a pencil.

Those things are wonderful and work well. But sometimes, you need structure. A little system that helps kids write more descriptive sentences one manageable piece at a time.

That’s where my Disguise a Turkey Class Book comes in. Using just a sentence a day, students practice writing, editing, and adding details until they’ve built a whole page describing their turkey’s clever disguise. At the end, all those pages come together into a hilarious and heartwarming class book that your students will LOVE reading over and over again.

And bonus—it doubles as a Thanksgiving activity that’s festive without being overwhelming.

Sentence a Day = A Class Book by Friday

Inside this super fun resource, you’ll find:

• Mini anchor charts to guide your shared writing and independent practice.
• Student writing pages with daily prompts (so simple, but so effective).
• Teacher notes and extension ideas (because I know you want options).
• A class book cover so you can bind it all together and have a keepsake to read year after year.

Honestly, there’s just something so satisfying about watching your students’ sentences grow across the week. First, a topic sentence. Then a detail. Then another. And by Friday? You’ve got a polished page filled with descriptive writing that shows off their creativity and sense of humor. It’s one of those projects that feels both fun and purposeful.

And if you’re like me and love having activities ready to go—no overthinking, no reinventing the wheel—you’ll love how this one takes the guesswork out.

Your New Go-To November Writing Project

To sum it all up, here’s why the Disguise a Turkey Class Book Thanksgiving Activity is such a winner:

• Keeps students engaged during a tricky time of year.
• Practices sentence writing in small, doable steps.
• Encourages descriptive, detailed writing.
• Results in a class book your students will treasure.
• Saves you time and sanity (huzzah for that!).

Ready to bring some festive fun (and sneaky writing practice) to your classroom? Grab the Disguise a Turkey Class Book Thanksgiving Activity here.

And hey—don’t forget to pin the image below so you’ll have this idea saved for next year too. Trust me, future-you will be grateful.

Happy Teaching,