Turkey Day fun fact: Americans eat 46 million turkeys every Thanksgiving (that's roughly one turkey for every public school teacher who's ever had to explain why pilgrims didn't actually wear those buckle hats).
But here's what really gets us thinking: while families gather around dinner tables debating whether cranberry sauce should come from a can, teachers everywhere are prepping for that post-break Monday when half their students show up in food comas. The other half are still mentally stuck in grandma's basement playing video games.
This Thanksgiving, we're grateful for the educators who navigate the chaos of Q4 budget planning, holiday concert prep, and keeping students engaged when their brains are already on vacation mode.
Here’s what’s on the dashboard this week:
Today’s Deep Dive: Resharing some of our favorite playbooks from the past few months.
From Our Desk: We’re grateful for our partners!
Watch of the Week: Let’s defy gravity.
We’re so grateful for every single one of you, and our partner schools! Check out some of the resources we’ve published this year:
From pilot to partner: Students at Ferndale Schools moved away from cheating and over to self-directed learning with Subject.
Watch our team deliver scholarships to students at Lamesa high school in Texas.
Find inner peace at the piano with flowkey
Learn to play the songs that make you happy – whatever your level. flowkey gives you all you need to learn at your own pace: step-by-step courses, interactive practice tools, instant feedback, and thousands of beautiful pieces from all genres.
Our pick of the week: Wicked - For Good
Why We’re Obsessed: Wicked Part Two dropped right around the Thanksgiving break, which means if you haven’t seen it yet, you'll probably end up seeing it with your family (or escaping to the theater alone for some well-deserved peace). Oh, and your students are going to see it too. Come December, half your classroom will be humming "For Good" and the other half will be debating whether Elphaba was really the villain.
Instead of fighting it, lean into the cultural moment and turn their Wicked obsession into actual learning (because if they're going to quote Broadway songs anyway, might as well make it educational).
Recommended lesson integration:
Character deep-dive through lyrics (Grades 6-12): Students analyze how Elphaba and Glinda's personalities show up in their songs, because dissecting "Defying Gravity" beats another boring character worksheet any day.
Civil rights connections without the lecture (Grades 8-12): Explore themes of prejudice and standing up for what's right through Elphaba's story, making social justice discussions actually engaging.
Creative writing for misunderstood protagonists (Grades 7-12): Every teenager thinks they're the misunderstood hero anyway, so let them write their own "villain origin story" with deeper themes.
Physics meets Broadway magic (Grades 9-12): Turn "Defying Gravity" into an actual gravity and stagecraft lesson where students calculate the mechanics behind flying witches.
Friendship navigation masterclass (Grades 5-12): Use Glinda and Elphaba's complex relationship to teach conflict resolution and how good people can disagree without destroying each other.
Wizard of Oz cultural evolution (Grades 6-12): Trace how the story transformed from Depression-era book to movie to Broadway spectacle, and what that says about American storytelling.
Adaptation analysis detective work (Grades 9-12): Compare the musical to the original book and movie, then have students become literary investigators figuring out why changes were made.
Thank you for joining us for another edition of On The Subject. We’ll see you again in a week, with more stories from the hallways.
The Subject Team
Want to learn more about our curriculum offerings? Contact us today.
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