Turkey disguise teacher pack

To run a turkey disguise project, send families a letter with the dates, hand out a template, then score each turkey with a short rubric.

Class letter to families

Copy this into your own newsletter, or get it as a print-ready page in the pack. Fill in the blanks for your dates.

Dear families,

Our class is taking on a Thanksgiving favourite: disguise a turkey. The turkey would like to stay off the dinner table, so your child will help it hide by dressing it up as something that is definitely not a turkey. A chef, an astronaut, a pile of leaves: it is up to them.

What comes home

A paper turkey, this letter and a short writing sheet. Everything else is up to you and what you have around the house.

Goes home on: ____________________
Due back at school on: ____________________
Sharing day, when each child tells the class how their turkey is hiding: ____________________

How you can help

Let your child choose the disguise and make most of it. Ask questions ("What will it wear on its head?") rather than fixing things.
A grown-up can hold the scissors steady or do the hot-glue part. The ideas and the decorating should be your child's.
Use what you already have: paper, felt, fabric scraps, cardboard, leaves. Nothing needs to be bought.
Please leave out candy and food, and go easy on glitter, so every classroom stays safe and tidy.
Keep it small enough to carry to school in a bag.

Writing part

Please help your child write one sentence on the back or on the sheet: "My turkey is disguised as ______ because ______." Spelling does not need to be perfect.

Thank you for making this fun. We are looking forward to seeing the disguises.

Warmly,

______________________________

Rubric

Four levels, five skills. Score each from 1 to 4.

Skill	4 Wow	3 Solid	2 Getting there	1 Not yet
The disguise	The turkey is clearly someone or something else, with several details that tell you who.	The disguise is clear and has a few details.	The disguise is hard to tell, or has one detail.	The turkey still looks like a plain turkey.
Creativity	An idea that is the child's own, with a surprising touch.	A good idea with some personal choices.	A common idea copied closely from an example.	No clear idea yet.
Effort and care	Neat, finished and thoughtfully put together.	Mostly finished, with care in most places.	Partly finished or rushed in places.	Barely started.
Writing	The sentence says what the turkey is and gives a reason.	The sentence says what the turkey is.	A sentence with missing parts.	No sentence.
Sharing	Explains the disguise clearly in a loud voice.	Explains the disguise.	Says a little with help.	Not ready to share.

Writing prompt

K-1: “My turkey is disguised as ___.” Use the dotted handwriting lines.
Grades 2-3: “My turkey is disguised as ___ because ___. It hopes nobody will notice its ___.”
Stretch: Write a short story called “The Great Turkey Escape”.

The pack has a printable sheet for each of these, with a box for a drawing.

Two free packs, free this year

Free Teacher Class Pack

A class letter to families, a four-level rubric, a writing prompt sheet and three template variants, as one PDF.

Class instructions letter to families (fill in the dates)
Four-level rubric
Writing prompt sheet
Three template variants: fan tail, simple and big full-page

Enter your email and the PDF downloads straight away in your browser. Letter or A4.

Free Costume Pack

Every costume on its own coloring page, cut-and-paste pieces sheets for each costume and three writing prompt sheets, as one PDF.

A coloring page for every costume
Cut-and-paste pieces sheets with cut lines
Three writing prompt sheets, one with K-1 dotted lines
Letter or A4, your choice at download

Enter your email and the PDF downloads straight away in your browser. Letter or A4.

Questions

What is a turkey disguise project?

It is a classic Thanksgiving school activity. The turkey wants to avoid being eaten, so the child decorates a paper turkey to look like something else, such as a chef, an astronaut or a pile of leaves. Many classes add a short piece of writing about the disguise.

What is in the Teacher Class Pack?

A class letter to families with blanks for your dates, a four-level rubric, a writing prompt sheet and three template variants: fan tail, simple and big full-page. It is one PDF on Letter or A4.

How should I grade a turkey disguise?

Grade the thinking, not the polish. The rubric scores the disguise, creativity, effort, the writing and sharing, so a child who made a simple turkey with a clear idea can score as well as one with more help at home.

What do you do with my email?

We use your email only to send next year's new costumes and reminders if you tick the box below; we never share it. The box to hear from us is unticked until you tick it, and you can get the pack without it. No email is sent when you download.

Are there pilgrim or Native American costumes?

No. All costumes are everyday jobs, animals, foods and fantasy characters we made up, so they work in any classroom. If your class wants a different idea, the blank turkey is there for anything you can imagine.