The Pedagogical Planner

My students are having a blast with the turkey picture books that we have been reading aloud in the classroom this week as we get ready for Thanksgiving break. One of their favorite Thanksgiving picture books that we’ve read so far is A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman.

Not only is this book so much fun for the kids, but there are also plenty of teaching points to go with it! We practiced retelling, inferring character traits, and identifying plot elements including problem and solution.

Turkey Retell Craft

We also made plump and perky turkeys that showed problem and solution as well as beginning, middle, and end of the story. This craft was the perfect mix of purposeful reading skill practice and Thanksgiving fun! This A Plump and Perky Turkey Book Companion and Craft is available in my store.

There are two options for the turkey craft. The first is to print my template on white paper and allow students to color. Option two is the print each part of the turkey on colored paper for students to cut and glue together. Either way, your students will have fun retelling beginning, middle, and end of A Plump and Perky Turkey and identifying the problem and solution.

Character Traits

My Book Companion also includes practice for identifying character traits of Pete. Students must use text evidence of the character’s thoughts, feelings, actions, and dialogue to infer character traits of Pete. Aside from the teaching character traits, this activity is great practice for getting kids to use details from the story to support their answers!

We also practiced inferring character traits of Ebenezer Beezer. Using an interactive anchor chart, we added evidence from the story to show that Ebenezer is tricky and smart.

Assessing Comprehension

This book companion also includes comprehension printables, featuring multiple choice questions, short answer, and a writing response. These worksheets feature purposeful questioning, and they can be used in a variety of ways. The comprehension printables are great for small group instruction, assessments, partner activities, interactive read aloud whole group discussions, and more! These comprehension printables are also available to purchase separately if you choose.

Using A Plump and Perky Turkey in the Classroom

Practicing character traits, retelling, and identifying plot elements were skills that came easily to the kids after reading this fun, engaging story. I could tell my students were big fans of this book by how eager they were to participate in our discussions and activities. This is such a fun turkey story. I highly recommend it for any age!

Below is a brief summary of the story. I hope it helps you in determining whether or not A Plump and Perky Turkey is a good fit for your class.

In this story, the people of Squawk Valley struggle to find a turkey for Thanksgiving. The turkeys are getting smarter and know better than to come around during Thanksgiving time. The people of the town decide they must trick a turkey by hosting an art fair. They advertise for a plump and perky turkey model wanted for this art fair, which Pete is the perfect fit for!

Pete is accepted at Squawk Valley’s turkey model and poses nicely as the townspeople create turkey artwork out of soap, rope, spuds, and more. Pete is a very clever turkey and knows just the right time to escape. He disguises himself among the variety of turkey artwork and makes his way out! The poor townspeople of Squawk Valley are left with shredded wheat for Thanksgiving dinner. This fantastic picture book is available on Amazon.

I hope your students enjoy this story as much as mine did!

More Turkey Books to Consider

Below are a few more of my favorite turkey books.

Turkey Trouble! by Wendi Silvano

Turkey Trouble is a classic and must-read for elementary students. Pair with your favorite disguise a turkey craft!

Turkey Claus by Wendy Silvano

With the Christmas season right around the corner, consider this fun follow up story to Turkey Trouble.

Run, Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr

Run, Turkey, Run is another fun story of a turkey’s attempt to hide and avoid becoming part of the Thanksgiving meal. My sequencing activity for this book is available here.

A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting

Mr. and Mrs. Moose are hosting Thanksgiving. They invite all of their friends only to realize Turkey is missing.

Thanksgiving Crafts

Cornucopia Thanksgiving Craft

A Plump and Perky Turkey Craft

Make a Thankful Turkey Craft from PBS Kids

Huge List of Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids of All Ages from Good Housekeeping

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I hope you enjoy!