Turkeys - A Math Craft

Bulletin Boards are a big thing in elementary school. Last year I focused on Keeping It Simple with bulletin boards. I made it a point to display items that could stay up for several months. You can check out those posts here and here. I did not alway have a keep it simple mantra. There were many a year where I changed out my bulletin boards every month.  These turkeys were a particular November favorite.

As my district embraces the guided math model in grades K - 8, I am reevaluating all of my lessons/activities. Although this turkey activity would not be considered a traditional center activity, I see no reason why it couldn't be used during the week leading up to Thanksgiving. 

When we created these turkeys, we were learning about order of operations. But you could use them for just about any topic. You could put a fraction on the body and equivalent fractions on the feathers. You could use it during a measurement unit. Have the students write a number of meters on the body and the equivalent centimeters, kilometers, etc on the feathers. The possibilities are endless. 

Then instead of hanging them up, send them home. What better way to show parents what their children are learning than to send home a craft that highlights the current math topic. These turkeys could also be used as a formative assessment. They clearly show each child's level of understanding of the order of operations. 

Do you use seasonal guided math centers? I would love for you to share below.