CLASS 16 ENGLISH 3

CLASS 16 ENGLISH 3

by Yadhira Tellez

​Who were the Pilgrims?

​The Pilgrims came to America in 1620 to be free. At that time in England, they couldn't practice religion the way they wanted to. They asked the King of England if they could set up their own church, and he said no.

​The Pilgrims moved to Holland, but things did not work out well there. They returned to England and found 2 ships to rent. They set sail for the New World on the Speedwell and the Mayflower. After a very short time the Speedwell started to leak, so they went back to England and set out again in the Mayflower.It was very crowded on the ship and the weather was bad. After more than two long and difficult months, the Mayflower reached America in the fall of 1620.

​The Pilgrims searched along the coast of New England for a good place to settle. They decided on Plymouth where the waters were calm and the land was flat. Plymouth Rock, where they landed, has become a Massachusetts historical site. Over the years, people have chipped off so many little pieces of the rock, that it is now about 1/3 the size that it was in 1620.The first winter in America was very hard for the Pilgrims. More than half of them died. In the early spring of 1621, the Pilgrims got much needed help.

​The Native Americans who lived near Plymouth were the Wampanoag. They set up a peace treaty with the Pilgrims and helped them work the land. One Wampanoag named Squanto showed them how to fish for seafood and grow corn. That fall, in 1621, the Pilgrims held a feast after their first harvest. They invited some of the Wampanoag people to join them. This feast is sometimes called the First Thanksgiving.

Multiple Choice

Which of these was NOT one of the Pilgrims' ships?

• Mayflower

• Plymouth

• Speedwell

Multiple Choice

When did the Pilgrims land in America?

• 1620

• 1621

Multiple Choice

When was the first Thanksgiving?

• 1620

• 1621

• 1861

Multiple Choice

What Native American group helped the Pilgrims?

• Mohawk

• Squanto

• Wampanoag

Multiple Choice

What time of year was it when the Pilgrims arrived in America?

• Winter

• Spring

• Fall

​The first Thanksgiving

​Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621.

The Pilgrims sailed from England to North America to find religious freedom. Their ship, the Mayflower, landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts in late fall, 1620, just as winter was beginning.

​The winter was very hard for the Pilgrims. They didn't have enough to eat and many of them were very sick. By the time the winter of 1621 was over, almost half of the Pilgrims had died. In the spring, the Wampanoag Indians helped the Pilgrims get the land ready for planting. They taught them how to grow wheat, barley, corn, and some vegetables.

​After the summer growing season, in the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest by having a 3-day feast. They invited their Native American friends to join them. Without the help of the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year.

Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday until 1863. That year, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as a day to remember the first Thanksgiving. But it wasn't until 1941 that Congress made Thanksgiving Day, the 4th Thursday in November, an official national holiday.

Multiple Choice

When was the first Thanksgiving? 

• 1620

• 1621

Multiple Choice

Which president was the first to make Thanksgiving a national holiday?

• Abrahan Lincoln

• George Washington

• Woodrow Wilson

Multiple Choice

Where is Plymouth Rock?

• England

• New York

• Massachusetts

Multiple Choice

When did the Pilgrims land in America?

• 1620

• 1621

• 1861

Multiple Choice

When did Thanksgiving Day become an official national holiday?

• 1621

• 1863

• 1941

Open Ended

Listen the thanksgiving vocabulary and write a list with the vocabulary that appears on it (10 words).