Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! 聖誕快樂！

I haven't decided if I want my ESL classes to study all of the Thanksgiving material I prepared. Teaching about gratitude is always an important EQ lesson. But my classes are still on the previous Unit, next week their Chinese exams eat my lesson time and I do want to devote some time to reading about Christmas. 

I. ROOT 詞根 “GEO” –EARTH, GROUND

(from Greek goddess of Earth Gaea)

1. geography地理；地理學

2. geographer 地理學家

3. geology 地質學

4. geologist 地質學家

5. geometry幾何學

II. IDIOM 成語:

1. “count your blessings” 往好處想；知足

Draw literal字面的 meaning	Draw idiom成語 meaning

Write the Chinese vocabulary above the English: 感恩節, 撥出, 盡情享用, 禱文, 幸事, 喜事, 得到, 收穫節, 表示感謝的禱文, 豐富的, 莊稼, 節日, 相關的, 秋季

What is Thanksgiving感謝? : Thanksgiving Day is a day set aside in the United States and Canada for giving thanks. People give thanks with feasting and prayer for the blessings that they have received during the year. The first Thanksgivings were harvest festivals, or days for thanking God for plentiful crops. For this reason, this holiday is associated with fall - a time of harvesting the crops.

Q1: Do Taiwanese set aside a special time to remember to be grateful (感激的,表示感謝的)? When?

Read: Thanksgiving, and the poem "Thanks for all things"

Activity: Find 10 negative things you are thankful for and write them down.

For example, I am thankful for my parents yelling at me to study for tests because I know they care about my education.

I am thankful for my father’s terrible singing voice because I know I can hear.

1. I am thankful for…

Writing a Cinquain Poem

One word (title) Two words (describe title) Three words (action) Four words (feeling) One word (refer back to title)

Thanksgiving  Pilgrims, Indians  Peacefully Feasting Together  Wish The World Celebrated  Giving

Thanksgiving  Stuffing Turkeys  Gobble, Gobble, Gobble  We All Get Stuffed  Thankfully

My Cinquain Poem:

Title: ______________

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Watch the video “How to say Thank You in 31 Languages”. Write down as many as you can.

Advanced Classes Reading: The Horn of Plenty

Mural by Benton 1947

Deïanira [die-uh-'NEAR'-a] was one of the most beautiful of princesses who lived a long ago times with Greek gods and goddesses. It seemed as if all the loveliness of the world was hers. Her hair was bright with the yellow of the first spring sunshine, and her eyes were as blue as the skies of spring. Summer had touched Deïanira's cheeks with the pink of rose petals, and the colors of the autumn fruits shone in her jewels, crimson, and purple, and gold. Her robes were as white and sparkling as the snows of winter, and all the music of soft winds, and bird songs, and rippling brooks was in this princess' voice. Because of her beauty, and her goodness, princes came from all over the earth to ask Deïanira's father, Æneus [EYE-ni-us], if she might go home to their kingdoms and be their queen. But to all these Æneus replied that to none but the strongest man would he give the princess to. There were many tests of these strangers' skill and strength in games and wrestling, but one by one they failed. At last there were only two left, Hercules, who could hold the sky on his great shoulders, and Acheloüs [aw-key-LO-as], the river-god, who could twist through the fields and make them fertile. Each thought himself the best man, and it was between them which should win the princess. Hercules had powerful strength. But Acheloüs was able to slip between the huge fingers of Hercules. He was as slim and graceful as a willow tree, and dressed in the green of foliage. He wore a crown of water lilies on his fair hair, and carried a staff made of reeds. When Acheloüs spoke, his voice was like a gentle stream. "The princess Deïanira will be mine!" said Acheloüs. "I will make her the queen of the river lands. The music of the waters shall be always in her ears, and the plenty that follows wherever I flow shall make her rich." "No," shouted Hercules. "I am the strength of the earth. Deïanira is mine. You shall not have her." Then the river-god grew very angry. His green robe changed to the black of the sea in a storm, and his voice was as loud as thunder on a mountain. Acheloüs could be almost as powerful as Hercules when he was angered. "How do you dare claim the princess?" he roared, "I am a god, and the king of the waters, you are just a man! Wherever I take my way through the earth, grains and fruits ripen, and flowers bud and bloom. The princess is mine by right." Hercules frowned as he ran toward the river-god. "Your strength is only in words," he said. "My strength is in my arm. If you would win Deïanira, it must be by hand-to-hand combat." So the river-god threw off his clothes and Hercules his lions' skins, and the two fought for the hand of the princess. It was a brave battle. Neither gave up; both stood firm. Acheloüs slipped in and out of Hercules' mighty grasp a dozen times, but at last Hercules' greater strength overpowered him. Hercules held the river-god fast by his neck, choking him. But Acheloüs knew magic. He suddenly changed himself into a long, slippery snake. He twisted out of Hercules' hands, and darted out his forked tongue at him, showing his poisonous fangs. Hercules was not yet finished. He laughed at the snake. While he was still a baby, Hercules once strangled two snakes, and he had met a Hydra monster with a hundred heads that he had cut off. He was not in the least afraid of the river-god. Acheloüs could not win so he had changed into a raging bull. With its horns lowered, it charged upon Hercules. Hercules grabbed hold of the bull's horns, bent its head, grasped its neck, and throwing it down buried the horns in the ground. Then he broke off one of the horns with his strong hand, and held it up in the air, shouting, "Victory! The princess is mine!" Acheloüs returned to his own shape, and, crying with pain, ran from the castle grounds where the combat had taken place, and did not stop until he had plunged into a cooling stream. So Deïanira stood by his side, and the goddess of plenty came forward to give the winner his reward. She took the great horn which Hercules had torn from Acheloüs' head and heaped it high with the year's stores. Ripe grain, grapes, apples, plums, nuts, pomegranates, figs, and all the other fruits of the autumn filled the horn, and overflowed it. Then they carried this horn of plenty, high above their heads, and gave it to Hercules, and his beautiful queen, Deïanira. It was the richest gift the gods could make, the year's harvest. And ever since that long-ago story time of the Greeks the horn of plenty has stood for the year's blessing of us; it is full to overflowing with the fruits of the harvest. THE END

Christmas Introduction

Reading 1: Christmastime , Christmas Crossword

Reading 2: The First Christmas (video version with  American English subtitles)

Vocabulary Matching 

Word	Meanings
1.Symbol 2.Tradition 3.Celebrate 4.Advent 5.Chimney 6.Carols 7.Eggnog 8.Holly 9.Silent 10.Holy 11.Nativity 12.Church 13.Sleigh 14.White Christmas	a. Quiet b. Christmas songs c. Sign, meaning for something d. Snowy Christmas e. The Birth of Jesus f. Giant sled g. Custom people always follow h. Where the fireplace smoke rises i. A place where Christians worship j. Green plant with red poisonous berries k. To party l. Christmas drink m. The days counted before Christmas n.  Of God, godlike, perfect

                                      

The First Christmas Vocabulary: write the English meaning.

1. Bethlehem伯利恆

2. request要求

3. spread傳播

4. goodwill善意

5. resist抵制

6. brilliance輝

7. arrive到達

8. gleaming閃光

9. radiantly容光煥發

10. offering供

11. sign標記

12. caravan大篷車

13. frankincense乳香

14. myrrh沒藥

Answer the questions:

1. Who is telling the story?

2. Who asked the star to shine brighter?

3. Why did the star need to shine brighter?

4. Where was baby Jesus born?

5. Why do we give gifts at Christmas?

6. What gifts did the 3 Wise Men give Jesus?

Reading 3 Isaiah 9:6 以赛亚书 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

6 因為有一個嬰孩為我們而生，有一個兒子賜給我們； 政權必擔在他的肩頭上； 他的名必稱為“奇妙的策士、全能的　神、永恆的父、和平的君”。

Writing a Cinquain Christmas Poem

One word (title) Two words (describe title) Three words (action) Four words (feeling) One word (refer back to title)

Decoration Golden, shiny Glowing, glittering, sparkling Twinkles on our tree Ornament

Worshipers Amazed, awed Watching, waiting, listening Hurrying to the manger Shepherds

My Cinquain Poem

Title: ______________

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Christmas Carols-Listen and Fill in the blanks. Then sing!

A. Go Tell it On the Mountain 到各山嶺去傳揚

While _________ kept their watching Over silent flocks by night, Behold throughout the ____________, There shone a ___________ light: Go, Tell It On The _______________, Over the hills and ______________; Go, Tell It On The Mountain That Jesus Christ is ___________.

副  歌 到各山嶺去傳揚，越過山崗到各地方； 到各山嶺去傳揚，說基督已降生！ 　 有牧羊人在野地，夜間看守群羊，忽然自天上照耀，極聖潔的亮光。到各山嶺去傳揚，越過山崗到各地方；到各山嶺去傳揚，說基督已降生！

B. Silent Night平安夜

1. Silent night, holy __________ All is calm, all is ____________ Round yon Virgin Mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and ______ Sleep in heavenly peace (x2) 2. Silent night, holy night! ____________ quake at the sight Glories stream from ___________ afar ___________ hosts sing Alleluia! Christ, the _________ is born (x2) 3. Silent night, holy night Son of ______, love's pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the ______ of redeeming grace Jesus, ________, at Thy birth (x2)

平安夜，聖善夜！ 萬暗中，光華射， 照著聖母也照著聖嬰， 多少慈詳也多少天真， 靜享天賜安眠 (x2) 平安夜，聖善夜！ 牧羊人，在曠野， 忽然看見了天上光華， 聽見天軍唱哈利路亞， 救主今夜降生(x2) 平安夜，聖善夜！ 神子愛，光皎潔， 救贖宏恩的黎明來到， 聖容發出來榮光普照， 耶穌我主降生(x2)

 Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. (James 1:17) 一切美好的賞賜和各樣完美的恩賜，都是從上面、從眾光之父降下來的；在他沒有改變，也沒有轉動的影子。(雅各書 1:17)

Merry Christmas! 聖誕快樂！