Columbus Day




Recently, we had off from school for Columbus Day. Columbus Day is a national holiday celebrating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in America on October 12, 1492. Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer. A very long time ago, in the year 1492, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in a ship called the Santa Maria. He sailed alongside 2 other ships called the Niña and the Pinta. Columbus was hoping to find a new route to India. When Columbus finally found land, he believed he was in india, however, it was really America; this is how Christopher Columbus discovered America. Due to the fact that he thought he was in India, Columbus called the people he met "Indians". Many people believe that the holiday should be called "Indigenous People's Day", instead of Columbus Day. This is to bring attention to the losses suffered by the Native American peoples ('Indians') and their cultures through diseases, wars, and forced assimilation. 
Vocabulary
National (adjective)- relating to a nation; common to or characteristic of a whole nation (country).
Anniversary (noun)- the date on which an event took place in a previous year
Arrival (noun)- the action of entering some
Explorer (noun)- a person who travels/discovers an unfamiliar area
Route (noun)-  a way or course taken in getting from a starting point to a destination
Indigenous (adjective)- originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; the first people to live in a place
Cultures (noun)- the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group
Assimilation (verb)- the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a dominant group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group

Vocabulary Exercise
Fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary word.
  1. Today is my parents' first _____________, they got married one year ago today.
  2. Native Americans are the _____________ people's of the United States.
  3. Christopher Columbus was an Italian ____________ looking to find a new way to India.
  4. The bus driver took a different __________ to get to school today.
  5. The students waited patiently for the teacher's ___________ to class.
  6. In many ___________, people pray to their ancestors every day.
  7. The immigrant family found it difficult to __________________ to new customs because they were vastly different than their own culture.
  8. The singer's performance was broadcasted on ____________ television; the whole country was watching her.

 Grammar Point
The passage above often uses apostrophes for ownership. An apostrophe is a small punctuation mark ( ’ ) placed after a noun to show that the noun owns something.

For Example: "Christopher Columbus' arrival in America..."
"Indigenous People's Day"

The apostrophe will always be placed either before or after an s at the end of the noun owner.


Grammar Exercise
Punctuate the following sentences with apostrophes according to the rules for using the apostrophe.

  1. Our neighbors car is old, and I told him the other day that it looks like it is about to fall apart.
  2. My fathers pants ripped while he was working on the car.
  3. Nicholas phone dialed the wrong number while he was at work.
  4. She did not hear her childrens cries.



_________________________________________________________________________

Indigenous People's Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CISeEFTsgDA

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