WRITING ASSIGNMENT

In class we have learned a lot about the Thanksgiving tradition and the history of the pilgrims. For your writing assignment you will be writing a short letter to a friend pretending you are a pilgrim boy or girl. You can tell them about your voyage on the Mayflower, your lifestyle, or about your first Thanksgiving dinner as a pilgrim. Exact details of the assignment will follow the short story that we will read together. Lets read the story.

ThanksgivingFourth Thursday in November

Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It is often thought of as a particularly American holiday because of the story of the Pilgrims and the Indians. You will find, however, as you go through this book that most cultures, religions, and/or countries have some kind of a holiday that involves giving thanks. Many of them are associated with harvest time. Some of them are still celebrated as separate holidays. Some of them provide background for the United States’ Thanksgiving.

In ancient times the Hebrews had a feast at which they gave thanks to God for their harvest. It was called Sukkot and Jews still celebrate it today. The ancient Greeks had a harvest festival in honor of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. They brought gifts of honey, fruit, and grain to her shrines. The Romans honored Ceres, the goddess who protected their crops. They called the festival the Cerelia, and that is where the word “cereal” is derived.

For hundreds of years the Chinese have celebrated a festival of the harvest moon. This brightest moon of the year shines on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival is called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Vietnamese call this festival Tet Trung Thu. Koreans celebrate it as Chu-Sok.

People in southern India celebrate at least two harvest festivals, Onam in the fall and Pongal in midwinter. Onam is a harvest festival associated with the legendary King Mahabalia. Pongol is the celebration of the rice harvest, the biggest festival of the year.

In England, the thanksgiving celebration was called Harvest Home. It took place when the last field was harvested and the crops were brought safely to the barns. Thanksgiving has also been celebrated in Canada for a long time. It was probably begun many years before the Pilgrims landed in America.

So when the Pilgrims did land in their new home on December 21, 1620, they already knew about ceremonies of thanksgiving. They had, of course, come from England and were familiar with the custom of giving thanks after the harvest. So, one year later, after a year of terrible hardship and frighteningly little success, Governor William Bradford proclaimed the first day of Thanksgiving in the Plymouth Colony. This was the feast day that many think of when we hear “the first Thanksgiving.” It was the one shared with the Indians, who had helped the Pilgrims and introduced them to the native foods and strange farming practices of the New World.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS

You are a pilgrim boy or girl You must incorporate at least 6 spelling words

from week 1 on your spelling list – a link is provided on the wiki page (Writing Sheet) for language arts.

Underline or bold each spelling word that you use.

I have provided a prompt for you to get started. You are required to write at least 6 sentences.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS

Write a letter to a friend pretending that you are a pilgrim boy or girl and living their experience as they have traveled on the Mayflower and you are now on land and have celebrated the first Thanksgiving.

Try to describe your surroundings, feelings, what type of food did you eat, what games do you play, your home, and anything else we have discussed or you can imagine.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT GRADING

You will be graded on letter forms that have been practiced.

Sentence Structure and Grammar – Capitol letters, correct sentence endings, correct spelling of known words.

Does your story contain characters, setting, plot, solution, a beginning, middle, and ending.

Does your story make sense?

Sign into our wiki space for language arts and complete your writing assignment. You will have 30 minutes to complete this assignment. I’m looking forward to reading some unique and creative stories. Bring out your inner writer and get started!

I will be here for questions if you need assistance.

REFERENCES

• http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/TCR/0615_75-76.pdf

• http://www.google.com/search?q=thanksgiving+clip+art&hl=en&tbo=u&rlz=1C1RNPM_enUS428&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=LZ6kULTzN-_K0AGX3YHgAw&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=674