November’s holidays and observances can facilitate deep and engaging learning opportunities across all subject areas. While Election Day and Native American Heritage Month can lead to rich discussions in history, social studies, and ELA classrooms, National STEM/STEAM Day is a great opportunity to engage students in math and science classrooms!
Here, you will find lesson plans for all of these observances and more, each created by Master BetterLesson Teachers!
Election Day (the first Tuesday in Nov.)
Lesson Plan: U.S. Presidents Web Quest
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students research facts and trivia about U.S. Presidents.
Lesson Plan: A discussion of the story “So You Want to be President”
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students closely examine former Presidents of the USA and their roles, responsibilities, and importance in history as they discuss the story “So You Want to Be President?”
Lesson Plan: Cast Your Vote: Debating Character Traits for a President
Grade Level: Upper Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students determine an opinion about the topic of “what makes a good president” and identify reasons that support the opinion.
Lesson Plan: A Tuesday in November: Election Day
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students compare and contrast presidential candidates in an election year and participate in election-themed activities.
Lesson Plan: Day One: Using Textual Evidence to Analyze its Development of Voting Rights
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students identify and evaluate evidence in text to develop a theme on women’s voting rights.
Lesson Plan: Write to Right: Writing an Introduction and Casting the “Right” Vote in “The Most Dangerous Game”
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students evaluate characters’ advantages by participating in an online poll.
Lesson Plan: Environmental Policy
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students describe how governments can guide the environmental practices of corporations and citizens through subsidies and green taxes.
National STEM/STEAM Day (Nov. 8)
Lesson Plan: STEM Lab: Building Models with Earth Materials
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this two-part lesson, students plan and build a model of a termite mound or mud dauber’s nest using Earth materials.
Lesson Plan: STEM, Animals, and Biomimicry
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this two-part lesson, students plan and design a solution to a human problem using nature.
Lesson Plan: STEM & Light – Day 1
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this two-part lesson, students research how light energy can help us to communicate with others!
Lesson Plan: Science Technology Engineering and Math Integration
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students research how inventions and innovations are a result of the integration of science, technology, engineering and math.
Lesson Plan: Collaboration and Competition: STEM Extensions
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students explore science, technology, engineering and math projects for fun and extended learning.
Lesson Plan: Intro to 3D Figures and Cross-Sections – What shape do you see?
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students will be able to correctly name prisms and pyramids with varying base shapes, and identify the 2D shape formed by the intersection of a plane and prism or pyramid.
Lesson Plan: Using STEM to Improve Our Local Community
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students experience first-hand how an interdisciplinary team of experts is needed to address many real-world issues.
Lesson Plan: Using Technology to Deepen Student Learning of Ecology Themes
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students investigate the biotic and abiotic ecological factors in each of the major biomes.
Veterans’ Day (November 11th)
Lesson Plan: A Salute to Soldiers
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students write a letter thanking a soldier for his or her service.
Lesson Plan: November 11th Veterans Day
Grade Level: Upper Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students write letters to Veterans and brainstorm other thoughtful ways to honor these heroes.
Lesson Plan: How do Poetic Elements Tell a Soldier’s Story in WWII Poems?
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students infer from images and symbols in poems to understand a soldiers’ perspective on death.
Lesson Plan: Internet Research Reveals Different Opinions of the War
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students research and gather facts to determine different opinions of the Revolutionary War.
Lesson Plan: The Controversy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Design
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students gain understanding of the artist’s intent in designing a memorial wall by reading her proposal and identifying what may have caught the juror’s attention.
Lesson Plan: Imagining the War Draft
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In preparation for reading Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River,” students imagine they have just received a draft letter and weigh options.
Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in Nov.)
Lesson Plan: Thanksgiving Patterns
Grade Level: Lower Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students build and re-create various Thanksgiving patterns.
Lesson Plan: ABC Thanksgiving- 1st Read
Grade Level: Lower Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students read with the teacher an ABC Thanksgiving book to build vocabulary and practice the reading of learned sight words in context.
Lesson Plan: Thanksgiving Play
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson, students echo-read a Thanksgiving play and identify who is telling the story at different points in the text.
Lesson Plan: 4th Thursday in November: Thanksgiving
Grade Level: Upper Elementary/Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students think critically about the origin of Thanksgiving by analyzing point of view from multiple accounts.
Lesson Plan: Thankful for Chemistry
Grade Level: Middle
Big Idea: In this lesson, students identify real world applications of chemistry as they relate chemistry terms to their favorite Thanksgiving foods.
Lesson Plan: Turkeys & Thanksgiving Traditions: Developing Cultural Literacy Through Analysis & Discussion
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students propel a whole-class discussion by reacting to examples of established and personal holiday traditions.
Lesson Plan: More Than Turkey Legs & Buckled Hats: Puritan Background & Poetic Analysis
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students determine theme and its development through analyzing the impact of diction in Anne Bradstreet’s poetry by using SOAPSTone as their analysis tool.
Native American Heritage Month
Lesson Plan: Gathering Around the Fire: An Introduction to Native American Folktales
Grade Level: Elementary
Big Idea: In this lesson series, students study various Native American folktales.
Lesson Plan: Introduction to Native American Literature
Grade Level: Middle/High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students explore issues that have impacted the Native American community and that are addressed in the literature by collaborating to examine federal U.S. policy.
Lesson Plan: Juxtaposing Mainstream Lit and Native American Lit
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students gain an understanding of important elements of Native American literature by defining and discussing elements and comparing it to mainstream literature.
Lesson Plan: Researching Background Knowledge for “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” Using Voice Thread.
Grade Level: High School
Big Idea: In this lesson, students demonstrate background knowledge on setting and theme by researching Native American Reservations and using Voice Thread to illustrate images and text to share with peers.
Lesson Plan: Native Tribes Along the Eastern Coast
Grade Level: All Levels
Big Idea: In this lesson, students will understand that Native Peoples inhabited the coast of North America during colonization
