Activities for busy minds
November 16, 2021
Fall 2021 Issue 13
Weekly activities and lessons to keep your child thinking and progressing throughout the school year.
"Nobody's a natural. You work hard to get good and then work to get better.”
The McManus Files
Fall 2021 Issue 13

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope this week's palette of learning activities brings joy, creativity, and discovery to your family. I'm going to be taking next week off, but I will return with an updated and rebranded Winter version of the McManus Files on Tuesday November 30th. Enjoy your time away from school and with your friends and families. Remember to be grateful for all you have :-) Thank you or all your support!

Please share this flyer with your friends and encourage them to join our mailing list by following the links on this page.

Mr. McManus :-)
Great Read of the Week
The Dreamer
by Pam Munoz Ryan and Peter Sis
This is a lovely, well crafted book, but let me say that I am a biased. I am a fan of Pam Munoz Ryan and of Pablo Neruda... I like/love what these two people have contributed to the literary world, each in their own way. When I finished The Dreamer, I couldn't wait to talk about the story and Neftali (the protagonist) with my wife and daughter. This books is full of imaginative language about an imaginative boy who struggles with a speech impediment and a domineering father. Neftali's journey is one of self discovery and finding the power of language. I was enraptured with Neftali's evolution from a timid bullied boy to one of the most powerful voices in his country! Since finishing this book, I have been revisiting some of the poems of Pablo Neruda, arguably one of the world's greatest! Enjoy!
Inquiry Quest
The First Thanksgiving
Take a virtual tour of the Plimoth Plantation and discover what it was like to be present at the first Thanksgiving. Watch some videos and a slideshow, meet some of the people who were at the original celebration, and read some actual letters about the harvest festival. While visiting this interactive website, you will learn about the Mayflower, the Pilgrim's community and their daily life, the Wampanoag Nation and their interactions with the Pilgrims, and so much more. This is an awesome website to learn about the origins of an awesome celebration.
If you feel your child might benefit from a group or individual tutoring program to close the gap created during summer vacation and to prepare them for the next phase of their education, please contact McManus Tutoring.

Programs are structured so that students learn independence, accountability, and self-possession and they develop a repeatable structure that can be used to build success in the future.

McManus Tutoring has all Summer 2021 issues of The McManus Files posted in the library.

You can visit the site by clicking the link mcmanustutoring.com
or simply scanning the QR Code
3 Writing Prompts

These prompts and questions will help jump-start your daily writing. Just as it's important to read for at least 30 minutes each day, you should also write for 30 minutes a day. Don't worry about your organization or spelling, just write!


"The magic pen made everything I wrote come to life, so I..."



"It was the longest game of Rock, Paper, Scissors ever until..."



"It was the worst first day at school..."


Problem(s) of the Week

Solve the problems and complete
Parts A & B
Part A: What is your answer to the problem? 

Part B: Explain your thinking in complete sentences. How did you come up with your final answer?
Part A: What is your answer to the problem? 

Part B: Explain your thinking in complete sentences. How did you come up with your final answer?
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