---
title: Patricia Polacco Continued... The Keeping Quilt Activities
description: "Use \"The Keeping Quilt Activities\" to foster a classroom community and create a special quilt for your classroom walls!"
---

[English Language Arts Blog | Free Language Arts Worksheets | English Lesson Plan Template | Vocabulary Building Activities ](https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog)

# [Patricia Polacco Continued... The Keeping Quilt Activities](https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/patricia-polacco-the-keeping-quilt-activities)

 Written by [Erin Lynch](https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/author/erin-lynch) | Sep 9, 2015 9:31:00 AM

You may have read a previous post of mine when I mentioned how much I enjoyed when Patricia Polacco came to visit my school. She spoke about two of her books, the first book was the very first book she published, *Meteor*, the second book was *The Keeping Quilt*, which happens to be one of my personal favorites, so I was thrilled.

If you have never read this book, it is the true story of a very special family quilt. *“We will make a quilt to help us always remember home,” Anna’s mother said. “It will be like having the family back home in Russia dance around us at night.”** And so it was. From a basket of old clothes, Anna’s babushka, Uncle Vladimir’s shirt, Aunt Havalah’s nightdress, and an apron of Aunt Natasha’s become The Keeping Quilt, passed along from mother to daughter for almost a century. For four generations the quilt is a Sabbath tablecloth, a wedding canopy, and a blanket that welcomes babies warmly into the world.*

Patricia Polacco brought the actual quilt with her! She shared with us how as a child she pretended to be superman with it and a bullfighter. Then as an adult she stood under the quilt when she got married and then brought her daughter home from the hospital wrapped in it. I honestly got tingles as I sat there listening to her reminisce about this quilt that I have been reading about with my students for over 15 years. Meeting her and listening to her speak was an unforgettable experience. Her visit inspired me to share my *The Keeping Quilt* Activities.

## The Keeping Quilt Activities

Use *The Keeping Quilt* by Patricia Polacco to foster a classroom community and discuss traditions. Use my [**Interactive Read Aloud Lesson**](https://go.sadlier.com/school/interactive-read-aloud-the-keeping-quilt) to read *The Keeping Quilt* as a class and then have students complete one of the activities below.

<https://go.sadlier.com/school/the-keeping-quilt-classroom-activity>  

## **Classroom Keeping Quilt Option 1**

Using the stationary template below, have your students draw a picture of a special clothing item that they would include on a quilt and explain why they selected that article of clothing. These activities are great for the start of the school year so students can get to know their classmates better.

**Example:** I* would include a swatch from my softball Little League All-Star jersey. This jersey would help me never forget the softball game in which I stole second base and scored the only and winning run for our team. Winning this game allowed our team to move on to the next round of the softball tournament! *

## **Classroom Keeping Quilt Option 2**

Using the stationary template below, have your students write an acrostic poem using the letters in their name.

**Example:** **E**nergetic, **R**ational, **I**nsightful, **N**eat

Once your students have completed [**The Keeping Quilt Activity**](https://go.sadlier.com/school/the-keeping-quilt-classroom-activity), use a hole punch to punch out the circles in the corner of the stationary template. Then tie the papers together with yarn to make a classroom quilt. Hang the finished quilt on a classroom wall for all to admire!

 

 

 

 

[View full post](https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/patricia-polacco-the-keeping-quilt-activities)

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