Story Preview: A turkey proposes a new law that would change a Thanksgiving tradition.
Roles: Narrators 1-2, Senators 1-4, Trevor, Tonya, and Teddy Turkey, Reporters 1-2, Spectators 1-2, Television
Reporter
Setting: Present day, a few weeks before Thanksgiving.
Additional Resources
* The Meal Must Go On!-A Lesson in Cooperation This ThinkQuest skit highlights conversations by a family celebrating Thanksgiving and foods in a refrigerator and. The activity includes suggestions for costumes, makeup, and staging the play.
* How do we really create laws? Explore How Laws are Made from Kids in the House, a section of the United States government's Office of the Clerk Web site. This resource provides step-by-step explanations of the law-making process.
* Share with students some fascinating turkey trivia from Factmonster's Turkey Facts and Turkey FAQ for classroom fun!
Theme: Holidays
Vocabulary:
abolish: to end, stop, or get rid of
gavel: small hammer or mallet used to signal for attention or order
official: allowed, approved, recognized
plight: usually a troublesome or unfortunate situation; a problem
proposal: plan, suggestion, request
senator: an elected representative; a lawmaker
spectator: viewer, watcher, observer
Props: (Optional) long table or several desks placed next to each other in row; chairs; a gavel or something to represent a gavel, such as a toy hammer, for Senator 1; toy microphones or student-drawn paper microphones for Reporters 1-2 and Television Reporter; store-bought or student-drawn feathers for Trevor, Tonya, and Teddy Turkey.
Follow-Up Questions:
Why did Trevor Turkey want to change the way Thanksgiving is celebrated?
What did Trevor do to try to change a Thanksgiving tradition?
What reasons did Trevor give to make his point known to the lawmakers?
Why do you think the senators voted the way they did?
Suppose you were one of the senators on the panel. How would you have voted? Explain your answer.
What do you think happened next? Write another scene for the play.
Follow-Up Activity:
Explain the meaning of the term "point of view." Ask students to find examples of a turkey's point of view about Thanksgiving in the play. Then organize students into small groups to complete the Education World Writing Bug A Turkey's Last Plea. Print and distribute a copy of the writing activity to each group. When completed, invite groups to read their stories to the class.
A Turkey 
