CHAPTER 25 – THANKSGIVING
Situation: Tom and Mary are on their way to their grandparent’s home to celebrate Thanksgiving with the rest of their family.
Mary: Mom, are we almost there yet? I am so hungry I could eat this whole dish of cornbread!
Mom: Not quite, Mary. We have about another hour of driving before we reach Grandma’s house. I know both of you are very hungry, so how about some apples? I cut some into slices before we left this morning.
Tom: What about the cornbread, Mom? Can we each have a piece? They look so good!
Mom: Not yet Tom. Don’t you want to wait until you get to Grandma’s house and share the cornbread with everyone? Remember, Thanksgiving is a holiday to celebrate with family.
Tom: OK, Mom. I suppose I can wait until we get there then. Mary, do you want to share some of these apple slices with me?
Mary: Yes, please! I am so hungry—I cannot wait to eat Aunt Grace’s yams, Grandma Patty’s mashed potatoes, Uncle Joe’s steaks…
Tom: Uncle Tom’s turkey, or Aunt Sue’s pumpkin pie!
Mom: Stop it you two! I am getting hungry now too!
Mary: Mom, why do we always eat these types of foods on Thanksgiving? What is so special about these dishes?
Mom: Actually, the food is not the focus of Thanksgiving. We eat these dishes because they are traditional Thanksgiving dishes; however, the main focus of this holiday is really to praise and give thanks to God for all our blessings. And what better way to celebrate God’s blessings than to gather with our family, the biggest blessing of all?
Tom: I learned in History class that Thanksgiving does not happen on a specific date like Christmas does every December 25th. Instead, Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year.
Mary: Ahhhh! So Thanksgiving is like Tet? There is no specific date for Tet. Tet just starts on the first day of the new moon.
Tom: I suppose you could say that Thanksgiving and Tet are similar in that manner. But they are two completely different holidays! Didn’t you learn anything about Thanksgiving in your class? Do you remember the Pilgrims or the Native Americans?
Mary: Yes, I remember learning about Squanto, the Native American who taught the Pilgrims how to grow corn when they first came to America. He was a big help to the Pilgrims, and without him, they might not have survived.
Tom: So, to show their appreciation, the Pilgrims hosted a feast and invited the Native Americans to eat with them. This is probably another reason why our family comes together for Thanksgiving.
Mom: That is right, Tom. Families also come together to appreciate one another.
Mary: Does that mean that Dad will make it to Grandma’s house in time for Thanksgiving dinner then?
Mom: Of course he will! Dad shortened his business trip a few days just so he could make it to
Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, so you see how important Thanksgiving is? I called Uncle Joe before we left home to ask him to pick up Dad from the airport. He might even be at Grandma’s house already, waiting for us to get there!
Mary: Great! I really wish we were already at Grandma’s house! I cannot wait to see Dad!
Tom: Yeah, and then we can all eat together! What a great Thanksgiving!
Questions/Answers Practice
| Q: What are you thankful for this year? | A: I am thankful for having my whole family with me this year, especially my youngest son who was away for so long. I have really missed him, and now I am completely happy. |
| Q: What do you usually do on Thanksgiving? | A: I always spend time with my family on Thanksgiving. |
| Q: What does your family do on this day? | A: We cook a big dinner and enjoy it together as a family. |
| Q: What do you usually cook? | A: We always have turkey, the traditional food for this holiday, among many other dishes. The holiday itself is often nicknamed Turkey Day. |
| Q: Is it difficult to cook a turkey? | A: It is not difficult, but it does take a long time to cook a turkey. We usually bake it. However, some people fry theirs. |
| Q: Are there any other traditions besides eating turkey? | A: Yes, each year the President of the United States pardons a turkey at a White House ceremony. |
| Q: What happened to the turkeys? | A: From 1990 to 2004, the turkeys were given to a zoo in Virginia. However, in 2005 and 2006 they were flown to Disneyland in California for Disneyland’s Thanksgiving Day parade. |
| Q: Are there any other traditions regarding these turkeys? | A: Yes, they were usually given a name. In 2007, the two pardoned turkeys were named May and Flower. |
| Q: Is it a legal holiday in America? | A: Yes, it is. Some companies give their employees one day off. Others give two. |
| Q: Do you get one or two days off? | A: I am one of those lucky persons who get two days off. So, a total of four days off in a row this week. |
3) Comprehension test
- Why are Tom and Mary going to their grandma’s house?
- How much longer does their mother have to drive?
- Why shouldn’t they have a piece of cornbread before reaching grandma’s house?
- What kind of foods will they have at grandma’s house?
- What is the main reason for the Thanksgiving holiday?
- Why are Thanksgiving and Tet alike?
- What kind of help did the pilgrims receive when they came to America?
- How did Thanksgiving come about?
- Why is Tom’s father not driving with his family?
4) Discussion
- Is there a holiday which is similar to Thanksgiving in your country?
- What do you do to give thanks for all the blessings that you received in your life?
- Should we take the time to help people who need help? Why? Why not?
Did you ever need help? What happened?
GRAMMAR REVIEW
PUNCTUATIONS
Semicolons
- Use semicolons to separate independent clauses in the absence of a conjunction.
Semicolons are placed between clauses to connect two closely related ideas.
Tom is very hungry; he can eat some apple slices.
Life can be very tough; get some education to help you go through life.
- Use semicolons when conjunctive adverbs such as however, therefore, otherwise, instead, then, thus are used to connect two independent clauses. A comma should be added after the conjunctive adverb.
Tom’s father is on a business trip; therefore, he cannot drive his family to grandma’s house.
He loves to eat cheesecakes; however, he decided not to have them in order to maintain his weight.
- Use semicolons before for example, namely, for instance, as when they introduce a list of things.
People cook a lot of traditional foods on Thanksgiving Day; namely, mashed potatoes, turkey, pie, and yam.
The harsh weather conditions in Alaska demand that travelers bring a lot of things; for example, boots to protect their feet, a parka to protect their upper body, and gloves for their hands.
- Use semicolons when the sentence contains a list of items separated by commas. The party for John’s retirement can be set on Friday, December 2nd; Saturday, December 3rd; or Sunday, December 4th.
The principal included Jane and John, the fifth graders; Sarah and Peter, the fourth graders; and Karen and Tim, the third graders in the ceremony.
Colons (:)
- Use colons when presenting a list.
Foods to be prepared for Thanksgiving: mashed potatoes, yams, turkey, and pies. These students deserve a prize: Jack Green, Lawrence Milton, Jennifer Houston, and Leslie Warren.
- Use colons before lengthy quotations set off by indentation rather than by quotation marks.
The movie Gone with the Wind was described as follows:
Excellent movie depicting a time of great distress and turmoil with flamboyance and accuracy. The great performance of all actors and actresses further enhances the excellence of the movie…
- Use colons between hours and minutes.
It was 12:54 PM when we arrived at grandma’s house.
- Use colons instead of commas to address a person in business letters.
Gentlemen:
Dear Mr. Commissioner:
Questions/Answers Practice
| Q: Do you celebrate holidays? | A: I love holidays; I celebrate each and every holiday with all the energy that I have. |
| Q: What do you do to celebrate a holiday? | A: In a way, holiday means joy, relaxation and sharing; therefore, I always spend my holidays doing something around the people I love. |
| Q: Who do you love to be around with? | A: Like I said the people that I love; namely, my parents, my brothers and sisters, Carol and Jim, and Tina. |
| Q: Are those all the people you want to be around with? | A: If you want the whole list, then I also want these people: Mary, Leslie, John, and Steve. |
| Q: When is the next holiday? | A: Independence Day is the next holiday; it is on July 4th of every year. |
| Q: What will you do on Independence Day? | A: It is quite hot in July; therefore, I will probably hold a barbecue at the beach. |
| Q: What kind of foods will you have? | A: Something that can be easily cooked; for example, hot dogs, hamburgers, and pasta salad. |
| Q: Will you play some music? | A: Definitely, I will play the following types of music: Country, Rock and Roll and Classical music. |