Mrs. Dingman!! Please!!
How About Something ELSE
for Thanksgiving This Year?? 
November 2010
    We continued our exploration of different types of creative writing by reviewing friendly letters, using a persuasive format. Children created two paragraphs, written from a turkey's point of view. They included vivid descriptions and persuasive arguments for me to choose something else for my Thanksgiving dinner menu. 

Pennsylvania State Academic Standards continued to be met with this writing project:
1.2.5 Reading Critically in All Content Areas
1.3.5 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
1.4.5 Types of Writing
1.5.5 Quality of Writing
3.2.5 Inquiry and Design
3.7.5 Technological Devices
Not ME!!
Not ME!!
November 2, 2010
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
My name is Hans the German Turkey. I'm from a farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where they keep fat cows and plush chickens. A sneaky coyote comes sometimes to get the brown chicks. It's very nice around here. It smells bad sometimes but I could smell the fresh pie baking, the honeysuckle in the yard, and the mountain laurel in the woods. I hear lots of things too like the noisy sheep next door, the junky tractor in the field, and a flock of talkative geese sometimes. I taste wonderful things like the nutty bread the farmer makes, the sweet raspberries in the bush near my pen, and the tiny bluberry shrub. I feel feathery but I can't fly because the farmer clips my wings. The spiny fence pokes me sometimes, but it doesn't hurt all the time. And the dirt feels like a feather pillow because the feathers are on the ground.
May I please ask you something? Can you please eat something else for your Thanksgiving dinner? Here are some of my great suggestions. Eat Italian food that's soft 'cause I'm as rotten as a spoiled salmon. Eat Chinese take-out at Ming Ho's restaurant for the upper class because I'm very hard to cook, hard as a big bolder on El Capitan Mountain. Or, eat at a place that doesn't serve turkey to support the turkey rights group so I could live a long life as a middle class business owner. If you follow my letter I thank you for sparing the life of a handsome turkey.
Sincerely,
Hans the German TurkeyAKA Tyler
Not ME!!
November 3, 2010
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
Hello, Mrs. Dingman, I'm Gobbles Jr. or G.B. for short. I'm on Turkey Ranch Farms in Charlotte, North Carolina. You are probably wondering what it's like in North Carolina. Well, first I'll tell you what I see right now. I see lots of food lined out as if it was a buffet, and my friends Rodger, Kelvin, and Justin. I also see a cow or that's my mom. I'll go see if that is my mom. "MOM!!! Is that you?" "Yes, Gobbles. What is it, my little Thanksgiving gift?" "Will you stop with that name? You're embarrassing me Mom." That's my mom. She is so annoying. Now do you want to know what I smell? I smell delicious kibble, stuffing, and roasting turkey. Do you want to know what I hear? Well to be honest, I hear gobbles from other turkeys on the farm, screeches from the farmer's 4-wheeler, and a hot skillet sizzling as if it had bacon on it frying. Now for what I taste. I taste tasty kibble fresh out of the box. Yum! I also taste the left-over lasagna. Don't forget cheeseburgers fresh out of the package. What am I walking on you want to know next? I'm not sure what I'm walking on. Rocks maybe. Or leaves.
So for Thanksgiving, instead of me, try the fresh homemade cranberry sauce. It's great! I'm on my third serving. Or maybe when you get tired of that, try the corn bread stuffing. Maybe try the eggplant Parmesan. It's delicious. Or, how about the sweet potato puree in almond butter? I'm making myself hungry giving you suggestions. So anyway, back to the Thanksgiving thing. I heard the calamari is great. Thank you for not eating me for Thanksgiving. I hope I helped you try something else.
Sincerely,
Gobbles Jr.
AKA Anthony
Not ME!!
November 4, 2010
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
My name is Redbeard, and I am a turkey. I live on a turkey farm named Turkey Hill, a peaceful and wonderful place. On this turkey farm, I wake up to the smell of fresh grass and begin my blueberry breakfast. After my breakfast, I visit the pond for a drink. Next, I always take a walk around the boundaries of the farm. Then, I go up to my hill for a snack. That's when I realized a deer ate it for me. I guess I should tell you that I'm not good at being angry at someone for very long. So I just sighed and moved on. That's pretty much it for a regular day at Turkey Hill.
Now, let's get on to business. I wanted to talk to you about, you know, that certain holiday. Okay, I'm only going to say this one time. Th- Th- Thanksgiving! There, now never make me say it again. So, how do I put this gently? CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE FOR YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER! Come on, you made me say it again! Do you know how scared turkeys get in November? How come you can't have something like... like... like pig! Do you see pigs being shot in the head with a gun on hunting TV shows? Everybody likes bacon right? Okay, you don't like bacon. I get it. I hear people like sweet food. Have a dessert for dinner why don't you? Right, I get it. You got your sweet tooth pulled out. Hey, I got an idea! My cousins, the chickens, probably won't mind being your dinner! No? Wow, you're amazingly hard to please! If you don't like meat or sweet food, then maybe you should become a vegetarian, like me! It will help you stay away from greasy, fat food. Just please don't eat me! I think I'm starting to calm down. Blueberries always make me hyper. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I would really appreciate it very much if you would eat something else for dinner. Thanks for listening, and remember, choose something else for dinner.
Sincerely,
Redbeard
   AKA Harlan

Not ME!!
November 4, 2010
Dear Mrs. Dingman,
I'm an innocent turkey. I'm smelling all the turkey stuff that randomly comes out of giant turkeys. You do not want to know what it is or where it is coming from. The reason this is is because they are horrified of Thanksgiving that is coming up. I am SICK of the stinkful smell. Even if I do it myself. It is worse than the cow barn!!! There is another smell I am dreading... people! They are looking at everybody everywhere! I wonder why! Believe me... there is one more stink that is the worst. THE WHOLE FARM!!!! There are cows, sheep, goats, pigs, etc., you name it! This farm has something stinkfully wrong. Get me out of here. I am no match for stinkyness. Just do not eat me.
Why don't you choose a different Thanksgiving dinner? That would be fine with me and my turkey friends. Oh, I know what you could have for your Thanksgiving dinner! You could have a vegetarian meal! Yes... NO MEAT! With that you could have stuffing. Isn't that good? Everyone likes stuffing! And you can have salad also. A total vegetarian meal! Sounds good to me. By the way, don't you hate turkey? Isn't turkey disgusting? I don't get that humans even like turkey. Turkeys didn't do anything to people, just saying. Thank you for your kindness.
Signed,
Turkey-Bob
AKA Sara
Not ME!!
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