Teacher Activity Guide: Milly and the Macy's Parade

Use these quick learning activities and thought-provoking printables to enhance the experience of reading Milly and the Macy's Parade with your class.

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This guide supports the Milly and the Macy's Parade Book Activity Set. The culminating activity is the illustrated book report.

Find all the printables for teaching this title in our quick guide.

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This book is historical fiction and explores themes including:

• New York City landmarks and history
• Immigration
• Feeling homesick
• Holiday traditions
• Kids' empowerment

Use this guide to get information on all the book, author, and illustrator materials offered in the book activity set and to find the best activities for your students.

Before You Read
While You Read
After You Read
Author & Illustrator Information

Before You Read

Students get warmed up for reading by exploring vocabulary and themes featured in the book.

Vocabulary Quiz
This quiz presents words from the book in context with a choice of three definitions. The words are:

1. trinkets
2. homesick
3. caroling
4. festive
5. twinkle
6. tradition

Access the answer key here.

Students can use the Flash Card Maker to make and print their own vocabulary flash cards.

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Connections
Use these three PDFs to think about themes from the book.

Feeling Homesick (PDF)
Students are asked to write two sentences or more describing a time when they felt homesick and what they did to feel better.

Holiday Traditions (PDF)
Students are asked to write one sentence or more describing a special holiday tradition that they enjoy.

A Marvelous Idea (PDF)
Students are asked to think of an idea they've had for an invention, a new way of doing things, or a big, new event. They complete three sentences:

1. My marvelous idea is...
2. Here's how it would work...
3. It's a marvelous idea because...

While You Read

By completing a graphic organizer as they read, students collect information they'll need to make an illustrated book report.

Story Map (PDF)
With this graphic organizer, students record:

• The title and author of the book
• The setting
• The main characters and supporting characters
• The main problem and solution from the story

Suggestion: Students may type directly into the fields and then print out the Story Map or print the map out first and then down their answers.

Here's an example of a completed story map (PDF).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simile Sheet (PDF)
In the story, Milly says Macy's department store "was like a giant present waiting to be unwrapped!" Use this charming simile as a jumping off point to explore the figure of speech. On this worksheet, students will draw a line connecting five simile beginnings to their appropriate endings:

e.g. The lion purred like a kitten.

Then they will complete three simile starters.

e.g. It was as cold as...

 

 

 

 

After You Read

Students can use the book report maker to create and print their illustrated book reports. They can test their reading comprehension with an eight-question quiz.

Illustrated Book Report
In each book report:

Page 1: Students create a cover page with illustrations and photos.

Page 2: Students complete a text page with the information from the Story Map (PDF) plus a one-sentence summary of the story.

Page 3: Students tell their favorite character and their favorite part of the story, and say whether they would recommend the book to a friend and why.

Reading Comprehension Quiz
This quiz tests students' reading comprehension on

• book facts like the story setting and why Milly understands what it's like to feel homesick,
• as well as interpretative information like what Milly means when she says, "Macy's was magic" and why the parade was a success.

Access the answer key here.

Read and Reflect
Use these three PDFs to highlight significant moments from the book and to inspire students' imaginations.

How Would You Feel? (PDF)
Students are asked to put themselves in Milly's shoes and write one sentence or more answering how they would feel walking into Mr. Macy's office.

Mr. Macy's Reaction (PDF)
Students are asked to compare and contrast how Mr. Macy and Mr. Snidely react to hearing Milly's idea.

Milly's Marvelous Idea (PDF)
Students use their imaginations — and their senses — to transport themselves back in time to the very first Macy's Parade. They complete six sentences:

1. At the parade, I look around and see...
2. I listen and hear...
3. If the parade had a taste, it would taste like...
4. I breathe in through my nose and smell...
5. I reach out my hand and touch...
6. Being at the parade makes me feel...

Author & Illustrator Information

Here you'll find a wealth of information for author studies, as well as inspiration for aspiring writers and artists.

Get to know the author, Shana Corey:

• Read her bio.
  
• Read her author's note with photos.
• See her photo slideshow.

 

 

 

Author Booklists

• Books I Love Reading With My Kids
  Here are ten titles, spanning grades K–4, that the author recommends.

• Books That Step Into the Past
  Find seven books covering grades PreK–6 for exploring historical fiction.

• More Books by Shana Corey

Get to know the illustrator, Brett Helquist:

• Read his bio.

• See his in-progress sketches.

• Explore his Q&A session.

• See more books illustrated by Brett Helquist.

 

Find all 11 printables for teaching this title in our quick guide.

Milly and the Macy's Parade PDF Guide
Use these 11 printables to support sharing the charming holiday picture book, Milly and the Macy's Parade in your classroom.

Character Scrapbook Teacher's Guide
Use this activity to help students analyze a book's characters and create a scrapbook to print and save.

Beth Newingham: Classroom Tips & Strategies
Adopt creative solutions for test review, year-long themes, and classroom management through reading workshop from one of the star teachers of Teaching Matters.

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