Home » TeacherWriter.co blog » Teaching Writing » The National Days in November provide you with prompts for writing across the curriculum. Do you do integrated teaching? This blog is for you.
When I see the leaves starting to fall, I don’t just think about getting out the rake. I also begin thinking about writing prompts and activities centered around the National Days in November.
Do you use any of the National Days calendars to engage your students in broad learning across the curriculum? It’s amazing how interested students are in the variety of days and topics. It doesn’t matter how old I get, my goal is to discover something new every day. These national days are a great way to engage a sense of discovery in your students. You’ll find topics ranging from food to states to outdoor activities and more.
November is Family Literacy Month.
November is also Good Nutrition Month. With a slew of food holidays, you’ll have plenty to discover about where our food comes from, and talk about what makes it a healthy food or a sometimes food.
Native American Heritage Month, also known as Indigenous Peoples Month is in November.
You can get your copy of all 32 November writing prompts with video and website links in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Writing Prompts About People and History
We know all about focusing on gratitude and kindness during November. But did you know that November 1st is National Authors Day? Now that’s something to celebrate.
You could have a great classroom discussion you can sharing favorite authors and some of their books. Then on National E-Greetings Day, your students could send a note to their favorite authors telling them why they love their books. Most authors have a contact page on their website or their publishers website.
- Forget Me Not Day – These flowers are a symbol that students will learn about and write about.
- Veterans Day – Students will learn about the significance of this day and how it’s celebrated.
- National Education Support Professionals Day – Our schools couldn’t get by without these important people in the classroom. Thank you for all you do!
- National Authors Day – Who is your favorite author and why? Leave a comment on this post. Or click on the image and leave a comment on Instagram.
Writing About Geography and the United States
What fun facts will your students discover about these four states? They’ll be reading, watching videos, and writing about what they’ve learned. You can tailor it to make it a mini-research writing project too.
- Ohio
- Louisiana
- Indiana
- Mississippi
November is the Month for Promoting Healthy Habits
- Stress Awareness Day – This prompt can be adapted to your SEL (Social Emotional Learning) for the day.
- Take a Hike Day – Your students can write about the places they like to hike or camp. If they don’t have the opportunity to get out where they can hike, take a virtual field trip to a National Park and write about it!
- National Kindness Day – Writing with intention about how you can do something kind for another person is a thoughtful exercise. Gratitude is just as important, so students could also write about a kindness they received from someone.
- World Diabetes Day – This disease is getting more attention because with our modern lifestyle it’s becoming more prevalent. Teaching children early about how to stay healthy and prevent Type 2 diabetes can be spread over the year, not just one day.
Likewise with Good Nutrition Month. You can extend the lessons, reading, and writing throughout the year to help develop a knowledge of healthy food and making healthy choices.
This leads right into the next topic.
Fabulous Foods To Write About
There are so many national days about food! If you do a quick search online you can uncover some unusual tidbits about some of these foods.
- National Cranberry Day – Cranberries are the ubiquitous ingredient in fall recipes. Do your students love them or hate them? They’ll have plenty to write about their favorite (or not so favorite) ingredient of the holiday season.
- National Cashew Day – Have you ever heard of a cashew apple? On this day, learn about the unusual way a cashew grows.
- National Sandwich Day – It’s practically a rite of passage for students to learn about the history of the sandwich. It turns into a fun writing activity, too. You can have them describe their favorite sandwich, or write directions to creating the perfect sandwich, or write a summary of what they learned.
- National Sardines Day – Who loves sardines? This writing prompt is more about the sardines in the ocean instead of those in a can.
- National French Dip Day – A tie-in to National Sandwich Day, students can learn about this type of popular sandwich.
- National Parfait Day – What is a parfait? Your students will love writing about ice cream and desserts.
- National French Toast Day – Is French toast from France? Students will find out and write about their favorite breakfast.
In November we see cornucopias everywhere. The origin of the cornucopia and its symbolism are woven into Greek mythology. You can teach your students about it with a no-prep, print and go or digital and go escape room. There’s nothing better than watching your students have so much fun they don’t even know they’re learning something, right? That’s what happens in this reading comprehension escape room about Zeus and the Cornucopia.
Even More Activities for November – Some Are Even Free
Did you know that Mickey Mouse’s Birthday is November 18? Yes! And so is Minnie’s! What student doesn’t want to know more about Mickey and Minnie Mouse?
This free resource from Homeschool Holiday has the history of the Walt Disney Sensational Six, with high level vocabulary, links to some of the first cartoon, and academic extension activities. I think you’ll like this. Best of all, it’s FREE-99. Check out the blog while you’re there. Run by a credentialed teacher, it’s full of advice and tips for creative learning in the classroom.
She also has a Paper Plate Animal Craft – Thanksgiving Turkey. It’s differentiated to an easy and an advanced level. Click on the link to see a video of it in her Teachers Pay Teachers Store. She specializes in writing, crafts, and activities based on the national holidays.
Enjoy these writing prompts and activities based on the National Days in November! Get your copy of the November Writing Prompts with video and website links to use with your students in my TpT Store.
Get your copy of all 32 November writing prompts with video and website links in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Your students will thank you.
See what other teachers are saying about the daily writing prompts journals.
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- These prompts are fun and a great motivator for my students who have a hard time coming up with ideas for writing. Thanks! —Jennifer D.
- Time saver!! I love being able to print off a daily writing prompt without having to take the time to search the internet for age-appropriate writing prompts. —Melissa B.
- My kids are really enjoying this writing journal. They love the variety of writing prompts. —Stacey G.
Before You Leave…Grab These Prompts
Check out these writing prompts I’ve curated in five different categories. These are free for you to use, so save the blog post for quick reference.
Unlock the Creativity of Your Students With More Than 52 Journal Entry Starters
P.S. What’s your favorite classroom activity in November? Let me know in the comments!