The eTAP
HOMESCHOOLHELPLETTER
Volume 1, Issue 2   November 24, 2004

A monthly newsletter designed to educate, enlighten, encourage and entertain
America's Homeschool parents, teachers & students.
Published by eTAP electronic teaching assistance program.

www.etap.org

GIVING THANKS: WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

Welcome


Welcome to the second issue of The eTAP Homeschool Helpletter, a monthly newsletter specifically designed for America's Homeschool parents, teachers and students.

Your response to our first issue was very gratifying. Thank you for your compliments -- and even more for your suggestions. We'll try to incorporate as many as we can as quickly as possible.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the Helpletter and would like to call your attention to the story on the new courses we offer to help students pass their GED, SAT or HSEE exams.

All the best to you and your family and warm wishes from eTAP for a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.

Blaise Subbiondo, EDITOR

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GIVING THANKS: WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE FIRST THANKSGIVING


Many people think that the first Thanksgiving feast took place in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in 1621 and that Thanksgiving has been a national holiday ever since.

That isn't quite how it happened.

The Pilgrims who settled Plymouth Colony in 1620 were very devout. To them, every day was a day for giving thanks, which meant fasting and prayer -- not feasting.

The feast of 1621 was a special one-time event celebrating both the Colony's survival and a bountiful harvest.

In other words, it was a Harvest Festival.

Throughout history, many cultures have set aside special days to reflect on life's blessings and give thanks for a good harvest. Plymouth Colony was no exception.

First-person accounts of the event tell us that there was plenty of food for all, including the Colony's Wampanoag guests. The menu is thought to have included duck, goose, wild turkey, swan, pumpkin and a molasses-sweetened corn-meal mush sometimes called Indian Pudding.

The celebrants ate, socialized and conducted games and "entertainments," including "exercising our arms." Here is how colonist Edward Winslow described the festivities:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered in the fruit of our labors. Then four men in one day killed as much fowl as served the company for almost a week. Many of the Indians came amongst us and among the rest was their greatest King Massasoit, with some ninetye men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted and they went out and killed five deer which they brought to the plantation."


 

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This was definitely a one-time event, although it did set the tone for later celebrations.

The dream of an annual nationwide celebration was not realized until 1789, when President George Washington proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving. President Lincoln revived the tradition during the Civil War, and Thanksgiving has been Thanksgiving ever since (held every year on the fourth Thursday of November).

Incidentally, rumor has it that both Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin wanted the main dish from those first festivities, the wild turkey, to become the national symbol of the United States instead of the bald eagle. The pro-eagle proponents prevailed.

Every year, the President issues an official Thanksgiving proclamation. To
read President George W. Bush's 2003 proclamation, click
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/20031121-10.html

To learn more about Plymouth Colony (spelled "Plimoth" by the colonists), visit eTAP Social Studies Instruction 4-1 (Grade 5) at
http://www.etap.org/newsletter/newsletter_11_04/histg5l4/lesson4/lesson.htm

For an interesting exploration of the Plymouth Harvest Festival and Thanksgiving, visit http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving

Indian Pudding is still a favorite treat in the Northeast, although it has become more elaborate than the original sweet corn-meal mush. It's delicious served warm with whipped cream or ice cream. For the recipe, click http://www.christmas-joy.com/recipes/indpud.htm or to buy a tasty version in a can, click http://www.mainegoodies.com/food/canned/barharbor/indianpudding.htm

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A PLYMOUTH PRIMER

This month, as you read and hear about the Plymouth celebration, remember these words.
pilgrim A person who journeys to foreign lands, often in search of religious freedom.
Pilgrims A group of English settlers who sought religious freedom in America (many of whom arrived on the Mayflower and landed in 1620 at Plymouth Rock).
plantation An Old English word for "the place where the Pilgrims planted themselves." You will often see references to Plymouth (Plimoth) Plantation as well as to Plymouth Colony, but they mean the same thing. This "plantation" has little to do with the tobacco or cotton plantations of the Old South.

Wampanoag A tribe of eastern North American Indians who lived near Plymouth Colony and taught the settlers many survival skills, including how to grow corn.
Goodman The Pilgrim word for "master" or "mister" -- as in "Goodman John Smith."
Goodwife The Pilgrim word for "lady of the house" or "Mrs." -- often shortened to "Goody," as in "Goodwife Smith" or "Goody Smith."

The study of words and language can be very interesting. For a brief history of the English language (including Old English, where the Pilgrim word "plantation" came from) visit eTAP Language Arts Lesson 1 Instruction 1 (for Grades 9-12) at http://www.etap.org/newsletter/newsletter_11_04/langartg7l1/langart1/lesson.html

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HARVEST FESTIVALS THROUGHOUT HISTORY:
INCLUDING ONE NAMED FOR THE GODDESS OF CEREAL

Thankgiving is a Harvest Festival.

About 10,000 years ago, some of our hunter-gatherer ancestors settled down and began to practice agriculture, which changed the world forever. And almost as soon as they began to have harvests, they began to have Harvest Festivals.

Harvest Festivals are special days set aside to pray for, or give thanks for, a bountiful harvest. Some of the most famous include:

Sukkot

Sukkot is a Harvest Festival that's been celebrated by Jewish families for over 3000 years. It lasts for 8 or 9 days and begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri. In 2004 it began on September 29 (at sundown) and in 2005 it will begin on October 17.

Families and congregations build temporary huts or shelters outside their homes or gathering places. These huts are covered with branches and leaves and symbolize the movable shelters in which the Israelites lived as they wandered the desert with Moses.

Each hut is called a sukkah (sukkot is the plural). These sukkot also hark back to the huts that farmers lived in during harvest. They are decorated with apples, grapes, corn and pomegranates and, during Sukkot festivities, families gather to eat and even sleep in them (if possible).

Sukkot is the most public and joyous of all Jewish festivals. It is not just a Harvest Festival but also commemorates the Israelites' journey out of Egypt. Each day during the festival a special ceremony is held to remember Hebrew ancestors and thank God for a good harvest.

Cerelia

The Romans celebrated a Harvest Festival called Cerelia, dedicated to Ceres, their Goddess of Corn. Her name is where our word "cereal" comes from.

Cerelia was held every October 4 and an offering to the Goddess was made of pigs and the first fruits of the harvest. The celebration included music, parades, games and sports and a lavish feast of thanksgiving.

Others

The Egyptians celebrated their spring harvest with a festival dedicated to Min, their God of vegetation and fertility. The festival featured a parade in which even the Pharaoh took part. After the parade, a great feast was held with music, dancing and sports.

The ancient Greeks held a festival every autumn to honor Demeter, their Goddess of all Grains. Offerings of seed corn, cakes, fruit and pigs were made to guarantee a good harvest.

Early Native Americans held many ceremonies to express thanks to a greater power for food and for life itself. In Latin America, many native Indian cultures have special days of gratitude and thanksgiving. And in modern Brazil, a public day of thanksgiving and prayer is held on the fourth Thursday of each November, the same day on which Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States.

If you'd like to learn more about ancient festivals and rituals, eTAP has a number of Lessons on early cultures. Check out the Instructions in Social Studies Lesson 4 (for 6th Grade). Visit http://etap.org/newsletter/newsletter_11_04/histg6l1/lesson1/lesson.htm

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NEW ON eTAP: THREE COURSES DESIGNED TO HELP STUDENTS PASS THE GED, SAT OR HSEE EXAMS


eTAP announces 3 new courses specifically designed to prepare students for the HSEE (High School Exit Exam), SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and GED (General Educational Diploma) exams.

These courses are available online at www.etap.org The cost is just $75 a year or $8.95 per month and includes unlimited use of eTAP's regular K-12 curriculum.

Each course provides a list of test topics directly connected to the appropriate eTAP Instruction. Fifty thousand pages of Instruction and Practice Exercises for Mathematics, English, Science and History are included, as well as pre-test and post-test questions and answers so students can practice to increase their test scores. All content is aligned with State Standards and satisfies the No Child Left Behind requirements. Click on the button below to see the f

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Here are some specifics:

For the GED, eTAP provides instructional materials, practice exercises and practice tests. For detailed information about test requirements, visit GED Testing Services at http://www.acenet.edu/clll/ged/index.cfm. To find a local GED testing site and learn how to take the GED test in your area visit
http://www.acenet.edu/clll/ged/area-contacts-A.cfm.

For the SAT, eTAP provides instructional materials, practice exercises and practice tests. Visit the official SAT site http://www.collegeboard.com/ for requirements and test dates. Your local High School can also provide detailed information about the SAT.

For CAHSEE (the California Exit Exam), eTAP also provides instructional materials, practice exercises and practice tests. Visit the California Department of Education at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/index.asp for requirements. The CAHSEE test is administered by local school districts. Check with your local High School for testing dates.

Other states have their own HSEE requirements but eTAP Instructions prepare students for any state's HSEE. Most states list their requirements on the Internet. You can find them by searching Google for HSEE with the name of the state. Your local High School should also have information on how and where to take the HSEE.

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FROM eTAP TO ET? WHAT WILL THE SPACECRAFT CASSINI FIND ON TITAN?

This October 24, after a fantastic seven-year voyage, the Cassini-Hugens spacecraft arrived just 750 miles from Titan, the Solar System's only known moon with its own atmosphere. Titan circles Saturn and represents one of the greatest mysteries of the Milky Way. Astronomers speculate that Titan may resemble early Earth, which is probably why it fascinates both serious scientists and science fiction aficionados.

Titan was discovered in 1655 and has puzzled astronomers ever since, primarily because it is covered by a huge orange hydrocarbon haze. Since Cassini-Hugens is equipped with radar as well as light-enhancing cameras, it is expected to reveal what lies beneath this haze for the very first time. For the next few months, and years, it will be sending pictures back to Earth, which can be seen (in almost real time) at http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/

One of the primary questions about Titan is whether or not its atmosphere has a "greenhouse effect," like that of Venus, Mars and Earth. This question is explored at length in eTAP Earth Science Middle School Lesson 4 Instruction 4 at http://etap.org/newsletter/newsletter_11_04/earthg612l4/es4/
instruction1tutor.html

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YOU KNOW YOU'RE A HOMESCHOOL MOM WHEN …


You change more than diapers, you change minds.

The only debate about the school lunch program is whose turn it is to cook.

Your honor student can actually read the bumper sticker you put on your car.

You ask for, and get, a copier instead of a diamond tennis bracelet for your wedding anniversary.

If your child claims the dog ate his homework, you can ask the dog.

Your children never leave the "why?" stage.

Your neighbors think you're insane.

Thanks to the National Home Education Network

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THIS MONTH AT THE MOVIES: ALEXANDER


This is a big year for historical dramas. First Troy, and now Alexander, which opened earlier this month.

Directed by Oliver Stone, Alexander is based on the true story of one of the most influential and charismatic leaders who ever lived, Alexander the Great.

Determined to outshine his father, King Phillip II of Macedonia, Alexander
conquered 90% of the known world by the time he was 27. Leading his Greek-Macedonian armies from the back of his war horse Bucephalus, Alexander first wrested Western Asia from the Persians and then marched over 22,000 miles across the Himalayan foothills to India, conquering every nation and people he encountered on the way.

Never defeated in battle, Alexander died at age 32 from a mysterious illness, having forged an empire the likes of which the world had never seen.

Alexander's personal life was as dramatic as his military career and, if portrayed with historical accuracy, may lead to a film rating which keeps younger viewers out of the theater. Be sure to check your local listings. But if you and your family can't see the movie, you can read an exciting for-every-audience version of Alexander's story on eTAP. Go to Social Studies Lesson 4 (for 6th Grade) and access Lesson 4, "Alexander the Great."

NOTE: Alexander (the movie) stars Colin Farrell as Alexander; Val Kilmer as his father, King Phillip II; Rosario Dawson as his ambitious Persian wife; Jared Leto as his lifelong friend Hephaistion and Sir Anthony Hopkins as Pharoah Ptolemy I of Egypt.

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B J Subbiondo © 2004