Thanksgiving

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Known as a day to give thanks for all good things given to us, THANKSGIVING is primarily celebrated in the UNITED STATES and CANADA. With roots in religious and cultural traditions, it is celebrated in a slightly different way depending on the region or culture. A day set aside for “thanks” can also be found in the Australian territory of NORFOLK ISLAND, LIBERIA, GERMANY, and JAPAN.

Spell: THANKS    CELEBRATE     CULTURE

What are we talking about today? THANKSGIVING

What do we give thanks for on Thanksgiving? GOOD THINGS ARE GIVEN TO US

Which two countries are considered prime celebrants of Thanksgiving? UNITED STATES, CANADA

Name one country, in addition to the U.S. and Canada, that also sets aside a day for “thanks.” NORFOLK ISLAND, LIBERIA, GERMANY, and JAPAN

Name another holiday.

The most familiar NARRATIVE about Thanksgiving is one of the shared meals with family and new friends. The story goes that in 1621 Governor WILLIAM BRADFORD invited the local WAMPANOAG tribe to join a meal in celebration of their harvest. However, this meal was not formally known as “Thanksgiving” until 1623, when a long period of drought was cured by rain. The PILGRIMS of PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, are considered the founding fathers of Thanksgiving.

What is the most familiar narrative about Thanksgiving? SHARED MEAL WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

What year was the first Thanksgiving meal held?1621

According to this story, who did Governor William Bradford invite to Thanksgiving? WAMPANOAG

What year did Thanksgiving receive its formal name? 1623

Why did they call it Thanksgiving?

Who are considered the founding fathers of Thanksgiving? PILGRIMS of PLYMOUTH

The Wampanoag people tell the story from a different PERSPECTIVE. They did not consider the white men who had arrived with wives and children a threat but viewed them from a distance. They had witnessed 46 of the 102 settlers died from starvation and cold. A Wampanoag man named TISQUANTUM, known as SQUANTO, learned English and taught the settlers to fish, plant corn, and gather edible nuts and berries. This friendship led to a PEACE TREATY between the settlers and the Wampanoag chief. In the Fall, after a BOUNTIFUL (abundant, plentiful) crop, the English decided to have a traditional FEAST.

SPELL:  SETTLER    FEAST   DISTANCE

The Wampanoag people have a different ____ about Thanksgiving. PERSPECTIVE

Define perspective.

Why didn’t the Wampanoag perceive the pilgrims as a threat? ARRIVED WITH WIVES AND CHILDREN

How many settlers died of starvation or from the cold? 46

How many settlers survived (show the equation) 102-46 = 56

Who was the Wampanoag man who learned English? TISQUANTUM

What was his nickname? SQUANTO

Name one thing that Squanto taught the Pilgrims. FISH, PLANT CORN, AND GATHER EDIBLE NUTS AND BERRIES.

What did the friendship between the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims lead to? PEACE TREATY

According to CHEROKEE historian TIM TURNER, the Wampanoag were not invited to the feast but heard gunfire coming from the Pilgrim settlement. The Wampanoag chief feared the camp was under attack and came to their aid with 90 of his WARRIORS. When the warriors arrived at the settlement, the pilgrims invited them to join the feast. Since there was not enough food to feed the 90 additional guests, the Wampanoag warriors returned with five deer to contribute to the feast. Historians indicate that since there was no flour, the feast did not include the pies and bread many have come to expect at Thanksgiving. It is likely that there would be plenty of VENISON. (deer) and poultry (not necessarily turkey), fish, clams, lobster, berries, and pumpkin. The first Thanksgiving most likely looked something like the picture below.

Who is the historian offering a different perspective? TIM TURNER

To what Native American tribe does Tim belong? CHEROKEE

Why did the Wampanoag show up at the feast? Heard gunfire; feared attack

What did the Wampanoag contribute? DEER

What was probably NOT food at the first Thanksgiving? PIES, BREAD

Name a food at the first Thanksgiving. VENISON POULTRY, FISH, CLAMS, LOBSTER, BERRIES, AND PUMPKIN

Which version of the first Thanksgiving story do you think is more likely to be true?

In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of NOVEMBER, an ANNUAL (yearly) tradition by presidential proclamation since 1863. This year Thanksgiving will be celebrated on November 26. Most people have the day off from work and gather with family to take in local parades, attend religious services, enjoy bountiful meals, play flag football, or even watch football on television! The DALLAS COWBOYS and DETROIT LIONS are guaranteed to play each Thanksgiving, a tradition that dates back to 1920!

On what day and month does Thanksgiving take place in the U.S.? FOURTH THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER

What year did the president begin providing proclamations of Thanksgiving Day? 1863

What date will Thanksgiving be celebrated this year? November 26

Why don’t most people work on Thanksgiving? day off from work; holiday; spend time with family

Name one activity that families participate in on Thanksgiving. GATHER WITH FAMILY;

PARADES; ATTEND RELIGIOUS SERVICES; MEALS; PLAY FLAG FOOTBALL; WATCH FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION

Name one NFL team that is guaranteed to play football on Thanksgiving. DALLAS COWBOYS, DETROIT LIONS

Don’t forget to wish your friends in the North a Happy Thanksgiving! Wait! Has Canada already had Thanksgiving? That’s right. Canada actually celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in OCTOBER. Canadian Thanksgiving can be traced back to explorer MARTIN FROBISHER in the 16th century. In pursuit of a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean, Frobisher held a Thanksgiving celebration for simply surviving the stormy journey from England. This celebration did not involve a large meal, simply prayer and communion! While you can now find the same CULINARY trappings as the U.S. Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie), those traditions did not arrive until settlers began to flee the U.S. during the American Revolution.

On what day and month does Canada celebrate Thanksgiving? SECOND MONDAY IN OCTOBER
What century does Canadian Thanksgiving date back to? 16th
What is the name of the explorer that celebrated the first Canadian Thanksgiving? MARTIN FROBISHER
What was Frobisher trying to find? NORTHERN PASSAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN
What did Frobisher celebrate? SURVIVING THE JOURNEY FROM ENGLAND

How did Frobisher celebrate Thanksgiving? PRAYER AND COMMUNION What does culinary mean?
Name a food that is commonly served in both the U.S. and Canada for Thanksgiving.
TURKEY, STUFFING, PUMPKIN PIE
What food is typically part of YOUR Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is known, in general, as a day to give thanks for all the good things given to us. Celebrations will vary by country, region, and CULTURE (customs of a particular nation, people, or group). On the Australian territory of Norfolk Island, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Wednesday in November, when families sell produce to raise money for church upkeep. Further, they sing religious HYMNS and share a POTLUCK (a meal where each guest contributes a dish) meal of pork, chicken, and pumpkin pie. In LIBERIA, Thanksgiving is observed on the first Monday in November, dating back to 1820 and the colonization of freed black slaves from the U.S. Liberian Thanksgiving features concerts, dancing, and a meal of chicken and green bean casserole, often served spicily! In JAPAN, Thanksgiving began very much like our own, as it gave thanks for the harvest. However, it is now known as LABOR Thanksgiving, focused more on thanking workers for doing a good job. Children even make thank you cards for public servants like firefighters and hospital workers!

Why might Thanksgiving celebrations vary from your own?
CULTURE
What do citizens of Norfolk Island do on Thanksgiving? SELL PRODUCE, RAISE MONEY FOR CHURCH, SING HYMNS; POTLUCK
What year did Liberian Thanksgiving originate? 1820
What do Liberians give thanks for on Thanksgiving? COLONIZATION OF FREED BLACK SLAVES FROM THE U.S.
What does a Liberian Thanksgiving meal consist of? CHICKEN; GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
What is the holiday called in Japan? LABOR THANKSGIVING
How does Japanese Labor Thanksgiving now differ from the U.S.? THANKING WORKERS; THANK YOU, CARDS FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS. Give an example of a public servant.
Write a one-sentence thank you to a public servant.

This year, due to COVID-19, families and friends will have to get a little creative in their Thanksgiving celebrations. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommends celebrating with members of your own household or in very small gatherings or virtually. If you are getting together in small groups – make sure to wear your mask when not eating, stay 6 feet apart, and, of course, wash your hands!! Virtual Thanksgiving? Sure, invite extended family members to hop on a Zoom call to share their gratitude and eat some pumpkin pie over the internet. You could even play some online games or fun icebreakers. This year, safety and staying healthy is the main priority! At I-ASC, we sure are grateful for all of the hardworking, creative, and insightful spellers, their families, and our network of professionals and allies!

What may affect how we celebrate Thanksgiving this year? COVID19
What does the CDC stand for? CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL
What’s one way to celebrate this year? YOUR OWN HOUSEHOLD, IN VERY SMALL GATHERINGS, VIRTUALLY
How can you celebrate virtually? ZOOM CALL, SHARE GRATITUDE, EAT PIE OVER THE INTERNET, PLAY ONLINE GAMES; ICEBREAKER
What can you do to have a safe Thanksgiving? WEAR YOUR MASK; STAY 6 FEET APART;
WASH YOUR HANDS
Play one of the online games or icebreakers in the links above.

CREATIVE WRITING:
Write a letter to your family, one that you can share on Thanksgiving Day.

Write a THANK YOU acrostic poem.
T
H
A
N
K

Y
O
U

Pretend that you are TURKEY that loves to TWEET! Write tweets to your followers (friends/family) about Thanksgiving. What is a tweet? One hundred forty characters or less – one tweet is generally two sentences long.

Source:

http://www.thedailymeal.com/thanksgiving-norfolk-island

http://www.thedailymeal.com/thanksgiving-liberia

http://www.tofugu.com/2012/11/22/what-is-japans-thanksgiving/