Heading into Thanksgiving can be a whirlwind in middle school classrooms. With students (and let’s be honest, teachers too!) eyeing that five-day break of feasting and sleeping in, attention in class starts to wane. It’s a challenging time for educators—do you push through with assessments when half the class is already on vacation in their minds? Not the best move. Rely on worksheets or “fluff” work? Definitely a no-go. Students can sniff out busywork faster than a turkey sandwich, and that’s a surefire recipe for classroom chaos.

Here’s a fun twist to keep those pre-holiday days productive: Enter the Holiday Shopping Madness Project. It’s a real-world application of math that’s perfect if your students have tackled percent change. They get to play detective with real or virtual sale ads, digging into the math to figure out which bargains are truly doorbusters and which are just duds disguised with big “SALE” signs.

But here’s the real treat: students design their own shopping ads. Unleash their creativity with markers and paper or digital tools—whatever they’re most comfortable with. They’ll calculate and display new and old prices, percent discounts, and percent changes, turning your classroom into the most mathematically savvy marketing firm around.

Why you’ll love this project:

1. Fresh Material: The ads students create and use will be unique each year, so you’re spared from the monotony of grading the same old assignments and seeing the same old things.
2. Time-Friendly: Designed to span two class periods, this project has your lesson planning covered for Monday and Tuesday. If you’ve got shorter periods, just tweak the project expectations to fit.

Want to skip the setup and dive right in? Grab this ready-to-go project for just $3 and make those pre-Thanksgiving classes count. Your students stay engaged, you stay sane, and everyone learns something valuable. It’s a win-win!

Check out the Holiday Shopping Madness Project and bring some math joy to the holiday hustle. Enjoy, and happy Thanksgiving!