🎈A Thanksgiving parade, built by the class: children read the parade's history, design a balloon, build it from paper, solve parade math and write about their work — then march it down the hall. Five days or seven, in two levels, in color and black-and-white.
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This Thanksgiving parade balloon unit starts with a story and ends with a parade. Children read about the parade and its history, design a balloon, build it from paper, solve parade math and write about their balloon — and the week closes with a class parade for families. The unit runs as a 5-day Thanksgiving plan with a 7-day option, and the reading, math and writing all come in two levels.
The reading tells the story of the parade. A Level 1 parade story has 5 circle-the-answer questions, and a Level 2 article about Tony Sarg has 6 written questions. A cut-and-paste parade history timeline comes in two levels, a 'Behind the Scenes' page explains balloon handlers and helium, and 8 parade vocabulary cards with a vocabulary match teach the words of the parade.
The design work is the center of the unit. A 15-idea Balloon Menu, a 'My Balloon Ideas' page to sketch 3 designs, a Balloon Plan in 2 levels, a 12-step parade balloon checklist and a teacher Balloon Tracker lead to 15 large balloon outlines with dashed cutting lines, to cut and trace or project. A Butcher Paper Guide gives 3 balloon sizes and a supply list, and 8 picture steps show how to build a paper balloon.
Parade Math word problems come in 2 levels, 6 problems each, and the writing is opinion writing — sentence frames at Level 1, a planner and paragraph page at Level 2 — plus a parade reflection in 2 levels. Parade-day extras include a class parade invitation with a family note, a 5-Star Balloon Review, word searches in 2 levels, a coloring page and a Balloon Designer Award. The 54 pages come in color and black-and-white, and an answer key covers the reading passage, timeline, vocabulary, math and word-search pages.
📖 Teaching guide · 13 min readA Thanksgiving Parade Balloon Unit: Reading, Math and a Balloon Project for Grades 1–4Read the guide →Featured in: Thanksgiving Activities for 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade: Math, Reading, Writing and Research
A parade gives reading and math a deadline that children care about: the balloon has to be ready to march. The two levels keep the same unit in reach for 1st graders and 4th graders, and the design work — menu, sketch, plan, checklist, build — teaches planning as a real skill, not a worksheet.
It is written for grades 1st through 4th. Level 1 fits 1st–2nd grade and Level 2 fits 3rd–4th grade.
A Level 1 parade story with 5 circle-the-answer questions, a Level 2 article about Tony Sarg with 6 written questions, a parade history timeline in 2 levels, a 'Behind the Scenes' page on balloon handlers and helium, and 8 vocabulary cards with a match.
Children sketch designs from a 15-idea Balloon Menu, plan with a Balloon Plan in 2 levels, follow a 12-step checklist, and build a paper balloon using 15 large balloon outlines and 8 picture steps.
Yes. Parade Math word problems come in 2 levels (6 problems each), and an answer key covers the reading passage, timeline, vocabulary, math and word-search pages.
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