Every Thanksgiving, New York City has a parade. Huge balloons float down the streets. You can see Snoopy, Spider-Man, Bluey, and more.
Last year, there was almost a balloon disaster! Here’s what happened.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Pop Goes Bluey
By Meg Richardson
From the October/November 2025 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will identify three key details in a short informational text about the Bluey balloon in a Thanksgiving parade.
Lexile® measure: 410L
Featured Skill:
Key Details,
Topic:
Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
POP!
Derek French/Shutterstock
Bluey had popped!
It was the day before the parade. Workers were blowing up the Bluey balloon. Bluey was getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger.
Then . . . there was a loud BOOM! Everyone heard a WHOOSH!
The Bluey balloon had popped! There was a hole in one of her paws. Would workers be able to fix Bluey before the parade?
Workers Fix Bluey
Workers didn’t have much time. They rushed to save Bluey. They patched up the hole. Bluey was saved!
On Thanksgiving, Bluey flew in the parade. Go, Bluey!
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Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Implementation
- Small group; whole group; independent reading
1. Use the Before-Reading Resources
- Watch Making Macy’s Parade Balloons Video (5 minutes)
Students can watch a short, fun video about how the balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are brought to life.
- Watch Bluey Balloon Video (5 minutes)
You can also show students a short video that shows the Bluey balloon in the parade!
Students can watch a short, fun video about how the balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are brought to life.
You can also show students a short video that shows the Bluey balloon in the parade!
2. Read the Article
Reading Focus: Find key details (30 minutes)
- As students read, ask them to pay attention to details in the story. When does the story take place? What were the workers doing when the Bluey balloon popped? How did they save Bluey? Students can underline these key details in the text.
3. After-Reading Skills Practice
(All pages below can be printed from our website.)
- Nosey’s Fact File: (15 minutes)
Students will fill in three key details about the article. You can even help them send their answers in to Nosey!
You can use this skills page to practice other skills. (15 minutes)
- Quiz: Comprehension check
- Nonfiction Text Feature Hunt: Identify nonfiction text features.
Text-to-Speech