All About Turkeys by Jim Arnosky - Teaching Ideas

Jim Arnosky does a great job introducing his readers to the turkey. By the end of this nonfiction book the reader will have learned many facts about the turkey, such as its predators, where they sleep, how far and how high they can fly, what they eat and where they lay their eggs. By the end of your read aloud your students will be able to go home and tell their parents all about turkeys.

I have come up with some information to help you create a great nonfiction lesson about turkeys.

If you would like some nonfiction activities about turkeys without having to create them yourself then take a look at the packet I created to go with this book.

Reading level: 4.7

Topic: turkeys

Genre: nonfiction - informational

Suggested Vocabulary and phrases: hardy birds, wary, iridescent, bronze, caruncle, wattle, edge land, flocks, poults, predators, roost

Reading skills and strategies:

• purpose for reading – to find out more about turkeys
• author's purpose – inform {evidence} list a few facts about turkeys.
• organization
• ideas or topics – the author wrote the book by topics – where they live, what they are called, what they eat, where they sleep, etc.
• classify & categorize – things about turkeys – body parts, food, predators, names, etc.
• compare & contrast – Turkey Toms and Turkey Hens
• fact & opinion - {facts} Turkeys are birds. Turkeys have feathers. Turkeys eat nuts and seeds. Turkeys travel in flocks. Turkeys make a gobbling sound. {opinions} I love to eat turkey. Turkey is delicious. Turkeys are scary birds. I don't think turkeys scan fly very good. I think turkeys would make good pets.
• main idea & details - {main idea} The text is about turkeys {details} Turkeys sleep in roost trees. Turkey babies are called poults. Turkeys can fly.
• predict – How many eggs do they lay? Where do they lay their eggs? How heavy do they get? Where do you think they sleep? Where do turkeys sleep? What are baby turkeys called?
• story elements - list title, author, topic, organization, KWL
• summarize main idea – {author}Jim Arnosky wrote {book title} the book All About Turkeys {author’s purpose} to inform us {statement about topic} about turkeys. {at least 2 detail} The book tells us that male turkeys are called Toms and female turkeys are called Hens.

Happy reading!