ThanksgivingThanksgiving is a celebration in America on the fourth Thursday of November and in Canada on the second Monday of October every year.

The First ThanksgivingThe festival started as harvest festival giving thanks for all the food we have. This was the reason for the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621. People called pilgrims, who were religious travellers from Europe, had sailed to America in 1620. They started a new life there in a place they called New England. Their first good harvest was in 1621 when they celebrated and shared food with the Native Americans who had helped them. They ate deer, fish, lobster and goose.

Did You Know?• Thanksgiving didn’t happen every year until more than two hundred

years after the first Thanksgiving meal.

• President George Washington introduced the first National Thanksgiving holiday in 1789, but it still wasn’t every year.

• In 1989, President George H.W. Bush said that he wanted to save one turkey that year from being cooked. Every year since then, the president grants freedom to one or two turkeys.

ThanksgivingThe Woman That Made It All OfficialSarah Josepha Hale was a writer, who actually wrote ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’. She tried and tried on her own to make Thanksgiving an official annual national holiday. It took her seventeen years to do it and in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving official.

How Do People Celebrate Now?Thanksgiving is a national holiday (just like we have in the UK for Christmas Day or New Year’s Day when many shops are shut and people are not at work). Just like Christmas in the UK, families travel to be together and have a big meal, much like our Christmas Dinner, with turkey, stuffing and potatoes. There are also other dishes such as pumpkin pie.

Even though it started as giving thanks for a good harvest, people now give thanks for many things. Some say it started as a thanksgiving for a safe journey to America; others might give thanks for their family. Whatever the personal reasons, many people see it as the start to the Christmas season and there are many Americans who see it as more important than Christmas dinner.

1. When is Thanksgiving in America?

2. What is a pilgrim?

3. What happened to the pilgrims’ first harvest in 1620?

4. Who was the American president in 1989?

5. Name one of our national holidays in the UK.

6. What did Sarah Josepha Hale do?

7. Find as many adjectives as you can in the final paragraph.

8. Name three things in a Thanksgiving dinner that we might also find in our Christmas dinner in the UK.

9. In the ‘Did You Know?’ section, the author uses the word ‘didn’t’. What is this word short for?

10. If you were taking part in Thanksgiving, what would you be thankful for and why?

Thanksgiving Questions

1. When is Thanksgiving in America?Thanksgiving in America is the fourth Thursday in November every year.

2. What is a pilgrim?A pilgrim is a religious person who travels.

3. What happened to the pilgrims’ first harvest in 1620?The pilgrims’ first harvest in 1620 failed/was unsuccessful. (Actually many died, which gives more importance to the fact that they celebrated the successful harvest so much.)

4. Who was the American president in 1989?The American president in 1989 was President George H.W. Bush.

5. Name one of our national holidays in the UK.One of our national holidays in the UK is Christmas Day. (Can also have: Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Good Friday, May Day Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, August Bank Holiday.)

6. What did Sarah Josepha Hale do?Sarah Josepha Hale (wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb) and tried and succeeded in making Thanksgiving an annual national holiday in America.

7. Find as many adjectives as you can in the final paragraph.The adjectives in the final paragraph are: good, many, safe, personal, Christmas (in the context of Christmas Dinner).

8. Name three things in a Thanksgiving dinner that we might also find in our Christmas dinner in the UK.Three things in a Thanksgiving dinner and a UK Christmas dinner are: turkey, potatoes and stuffing.

9. In the ‘Did You Know?’ section, the author uses the word ‘didn’t’. What is this word short for?The word ‘didn’t’ is short for ‘did not’.

10. If you were taking part in Thanksgiving, what would you be thankful for and why?(Open ended and good for class discussion, but encourage reasons why to be explained.)

Thanksgiving Answers

ThanksgivingThanksgiving is a festival celebrated in America on the fourth Thursday of November and in Canada on the second Monday of October every year.

The First ThanksgivingThe festival has its roots in celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for all the food we have. This was the reason for the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621. Pilgrims (religious travellers) from Europe had sailed to America in 1620 on a ship called Mayflower to start a new settlement in Plymouth, New England. Their first successful harvest was in 1621 (after a failed harvest the year before) and they celebrated for three days, sharing food with the Native Americans who had helped them. This first Thanksgiving meal included deer, fish, lobster and goose.

Thanksgiving Facts:• Surprisingly, Thanksgiving didn’t become an annual tradition until more

than two hundred years after the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621.

• President George Washington introduced the first national Thanksgiving holiday in 1789, but it still wasn’t an annual event.

• A more recent traditional came in 1989, when President George H.W. Bush granted a pardon to save one turkey that year from being cooked. Every year since then, the president grants a pardon to one or two turkeys.

ThanksgivingThe Woman That Made It All OfficialSarah Josepha Hale was a writer, probably best known for writing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’. She ran a one-woman campaign to make Thanksgiving an official annual national holiday. Amazingly, it took her seventeen years and four presidents to make it happen, but she did and in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln made the annual Thanksgiving holiday official.

How Do People Celebrate Now?Thanksgiving is a national holiday (just like we have in the UK for Christmas Day or New Year’s Day when many shops are shut and people are not at work). Just like Christmas in the UK, families travel to be together and have a big meal, similar to our Christmas dinner, with turkey as the main meat. Along with the traditional potatoes and stuffing that we might recognise, there are also other dishes such as pumpkin or pecan pies.

Even though its roots are in giving thanks for a good harvest, people now give thanks for many things. Some say its roots are in meals to celebrate a safe journey to America, others now simply give thanks for their family. Whatever the personal reasons for celebration, many people see it as the start of the festive season and there are many Americans who see it as more important than Christmas dinner.

1. What was the first Thanksgiving giving thanks for?

2. Why do you think the first Thanksgiving included deer, fish, lobster and goose?

3. What happened to the Pilgrim’s first harvest in 1620?

4. How many years from President George Washington declaring a national Thanksgiving holiday to President George H.W. Bush introducing the pardon for Turkeys?

5. Why do you think the area the Pilgrims settled is named ‘New England’?

6. How many people helped Sarah Josepha Hale with her campaign and how do you know?

7. Find all the fronted adverbials in the text.

8. What is a national holiday?

9. In the ‘Thanksgiving Facts’ section, what is a ‘pardon’?

10. If you were taking part in Thanksgiving, what would you be thankful for and why?

Thanksgiving Questions

1. What was the first Thanksgiving giving thanks for?The first Thanksgiving gave thanks for a good/successful harvest.

2. Why do you think the first Thanksgiving included deer, fish, lobster and goose?I think the first Thanksgiving included deer, fish, lobster and goose as these were the animals available at that time in that area. (This was before supermarkets.)

3. What happened to the Pilgrim’s first harvest in 1620?The Pilgrim’s first harvest in 1620 failed/was unsuccessful. (Actually many died, which gives more importance to the fact that they celebrated the successful harvest so much.)

4. How many years from President George Washington declaring a national Thanksgiving holiday to President George H.W. Bush introducing the pardon for Turkeys?It was 200 years from President George Washington declaring a national Thanksgiving holiday to President George H.W. Bush introducing the pardon for Turkeys.

5. Why do you think the area the Pilgrims settled is named ‘New England’?New England was named after England as the settlers came over from Europe to start their own new settlement in a new country.

6. How many people helped Sarah Josepha Hale with her campaign and how do you know?No one helped Sarah Josepha Hale with her campaign. I know this because the author has written that it was a one-woman campaign which means it was just her.

7. Find all the fronted adverbials in the text.The two fronted adverbials in the text are: ‘surprisingly’ and ‘amazingly’.

8. What is a national holiday?A national holiday is an event celebrated across a country and it is also when most people do not have to work with most shops, businesses and banks closed.

9. In the ‘Thanksgiving Facts’ section, what is a ‘pardon’?A pardon is an official ruling for someone/something to be freed. It also means to be let off doing something.

10. If you were taking part in Thanksgiving, what would you be thankful for and why?(Open-ended and good for class discussion, but encourage reasons why to be explained.)

Thanksgiving Answers

ThanksgivingThanksgiving is a religious and non-religious (secular) festival celebrated annually in America on the fourth Thursday of November and in Canada on the second Monday of October.

The First ThanksgivingThe festival originated as a harvest celebration, giving thanks for all the food we have. This was the reason for the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621. Pilgrims from Europe had sailed to America in 1620 on the Mayflower to start a new colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts in an area now called New England. Their first successful harvest was in 1621 following a failed harvest the previous year. Their celebrations lasted for three days and they shared food with the Native Americans who had helped them learn how to hunt and fish. This first Thanksgiving meal would have included deer, cod, lobster and goose.

Thanksgiving Facts:• Surprisingly, it wasn’t until more than two hundred years after the first

Thanksgiving meal in 1621 that Thanksgiving became an annual event.

• President George Washington introduced the first national Thanksgiving holiday in 1789, but it still wasn’t an annual event at that time.

• A more recent tradition began in 1989, when President George H.W. Bush granted a pardon to save one turkey that year from the dinner table. Every year since then, the current president grants a pardon to one or two turkeys.

ThanksgivingThe Woman That Made It All OfficialSarah Josepha Hale was a writer, probably best known for writing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ in 1830. She ran a one-woman campaign to make Thanksgiving an official annual national holiday. Hale was inspired by reading a diary of Pilgrim life and thought that it was an important anniversary to mark. Amazingly, it took her seventeen years and four presidents to make it happen, however in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made the annual Thanksgiving holiday official.

How Do People Celebrate Now?Just like Christmas in the UK, families travel to be together and have a big meal, akin to our Christmas dinner, with turkey as the main meat. Along with the traditional potatoes and stuffing that we might recognise, there are also other dishes such as pumpkin or pecan pies.

Even though it began by people giving thanks for a successful harvest, people now give thanks for many things. Some say its roots are in the thanksgiving for a safe journey to America, others now simply give thanks, in a non-religious way, for their family. Whatever the personal reasons for celebration, many people see it as the official start to the festive season and, surprising or not, many Americans see it as more important than Christmas Day.

1. What does the word ‘secular’ mean?

2. On what date is Thanksgiving in America this year?

3. What was the name of the ship on which the pilgrims sailed to America?

4. How many years from the first Thanksgiving to the year that Sarah Josepha Hale managed to succeed in her campaign to make it an official annual holiday?

5. What do you notice about the names of the places ‘New England’ and ‘Plymouth’ in America? Why do you think the ‘New’ was added?

6. How many people helped Sarah Josepha Hale with her campaign and how do you know?

7. Find the two compound adjectives in the text.

8. In ‘The First Thanksgiving’ section, the author uses the word ‘colony’. Write one or more synonyms for this word.

9. In the ‘How Do People Celebrate Now?’ section, the author uses the word ‘akin’. What does this word mean? (Hint: read around and use the clues if you are not sure.)

10. If you were taking part in Thanksgiving, what would you be thankful for and why?

Thanksgiving Questions

1. What does the word ‘secular’ mean?The word ‘secular’ means non-religious.

2. On what date is Thanksgiving in America this year?In 2016, the date is 24th November (it is the 4th Thursday for reference when working out other years).

3. What was the name of the ship on which the pilgrims sailed to America?The name of the ship on which the first Pilgrims sailed to America was ‘The Mayflower’.

4. How many years from the first Thanksgiving to the year that Sarah Josepha Hale managed to succeed in her campaign to make it an official annual holiday?It was 242 years from the first Thanksgiving to the end of Sarah Josepha Hale’s successful campaign.

5. What do you notice about the names of the places ‘New England’ and ‘Plymouth’ in America? Why do you think the ‘New’ was added?The place names New England and Plymouth are both based on UK place names. I think that the ‘New’ was added to ‘England’ because the Pilgrims were finding a new country in which to settle, a ‘New England’. (NB: It is an interesting extension to look at further English place names in New England and the surround areas including ‘New’ York).

6. How many people helped Sarah Josepha Hale with her campaign and how do you know?No one helped Sarah Josepha Hale with her campaign. I know this because the author has written that it was a one-woman campaign which means it was just her.

7. Find the two compound adjectives in the text.The two compound adjectives in the text are: ‘non-religious’ and ‘one-woman’.

8. In ‘The First Thanksgiving’ section, the author uses the word ‘colony’. Write one or more synonyms for this word.A synonym for the word colony is: settlement (also: district, quarter, population, community).

9. In the ‘How Do People Celebrate Now?’ section, the author uses the word ‘akin’. What does this word mean? (Hint: read around and use the clues if you are not sure.)The work ‘akin’ means like or similar to.

10. If you were taking part in Thanksgiving, what would you be thankful for and why?(Open-ended and good for class discussion, but encourage reasons to be explained.)

Thanksgiving Answers