BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 4

Shantel Ivits

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Cover image:  Community March Against Racism (https://www.flickr.com/photos/caelie/6852290940/) by Caelie Frampton (https://www.flickr.com/photos/caelie/) is used under a CC-BY 2.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/).

BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 4 by Shantel Ivits is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Contents

- About the Book

- Acknowledgments

- Notes to the Instructor

- The Story of Our Human Rights

- The Story of Viola Desmond

- The Story of Nellie McClung

- The Story of Tommy Douglas

- The Story of Joy Kogawa

- The Story of Jim Egan

- The Story of Elijah Harper

- The Story of Gabor Maté

- Standing Up For Your Human Rights

- Appendix 1: Graphic Organizers

- Appendix 2: Writing Assessment Checklists

- Appendix 3: Level 4 Scope and Sequence

- Appendix 4: Recommended Films

- Bibliography

- About the Author

About the Book

BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English – Course Pack 4  was created by Shantel Ivits. This creation is a part of the B.C. Open Textbook project.

The B.C. Open Textbook project began in 2012 with the goal of making post-secondary education in British Columbia more accessible by reducing student cost through the use of openly licensed textbooks. The B.C. Open Textbook project is administered by BCcampus and funded by the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education.

Open textbooks are open educational resources (OER); they are instructional resources created and shared in ways so that more people have access to them. This is a different model than traditionally copyrighted materials. OER are defined as teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others (Hewlett Foundation).

Our open textbooks are openly licensed using a Creative Commons license, and are offered in various e-book formats free of charge, or as printed books that are available at cost.

For more information about this project, please contact opentext@bccampus.ca.

If you are an instructor who is using this book for a course, please let us know.

Acknowledgments

These books were developed on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Huy tseep q’u! Chen kw’enmántumiyap! Kw’as hoy!

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on this project alongside a dedicated team of basic education instructors from across British Columbia. This series was shepherded by Leanne Caillier-Smith (College of the Rockies) and benefited enormously from the insight and encouragement of Julia Dodge (University of the Fraser Valley), Chandra McCann (Okanagan College), Jan Weiten (Vancouver Community College), and Melinda Worfolk (College of New Caledonia). The above five mentioned are representatives of the BC Adult Literacy Articulation Committee and were the advisory committee members for this project. It has been a pleasure to scaffold my own learning among such brilliant and passionate educators.

Huge thanks to Lauri Aesoph of BCcampus for introducing me to the exciting open textbook movement and managing all aspects of the publication of these books  — from layout and image selection to copyediting and print –so adeptly.

I am incredibly lucky to work with and have the support of the Basic Education Department at Vancouver Community College: Cynthia Bluman, Andrew Candela, Lynn Horvat, Alayna Kruger, Jo Lemay, Edie Mackenzie, Rene Merkel, Tara Mollel, Linda Rider, Mary Thompson-Boyd, Jan Weiten, our Program Assistant, Nadia Kawas, and our Dean, David Wells. I am also deeply grateful to the basic education students at Vancouver Community College for all that you teach me about dreams, resilience, and perseverance.

A special thank you to my partner, Marria, for always lending my words an eager ear, and for keeping the world around me turning even though my head was perpetually stuck in these books.

Notes to the Instructor

As a basic education instructor, I find that my students crave reading materials that lead to deeper understandings of, and connections to, the world that we live in. My students tend to have plenty of knowledge of human rights issues from lived experience. These issues are often closely linked to the reasons they find themselves in my classroom.

My goal with this course pack is to provide examples of everyday people who took a stand in everyday ways: refusing to go along with an unfair situation, writing letters, sharing their story, voting, using humour, and starting conversations in the name of social change. These are things we can all do to restore hope, advocate for ourselves, and build the kind of world we want to live in.

This theme-based, integrated skills course pack is designed to meet the learning outcomes for Adult Literacy Fundamental English Level 4, as outlined in the ABE in BC 2014/2015 Articulation Handbook. This is roughly equivalent to grades 4.5 to 6 in the K-12 system.

The curriculum in this course pack is based around the readings found in BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English – Reader 4. The reader includes nine level-appropriate, high-interest readings of 400-500 words. Convenient links to the readings are embedded in each chapter of this course pack.

Each chapter of the course pack contains:

- Pre-reading questions that can be used for individual reflection, journalling, or class discussion

- Vocabulary-building exercises

- Word Attack Strategies

- Comprehension questions

- Grammar lessons and practice exercises

- Writing tasks

For detailed information, please refer to the Level 4 Scope and Sequence.

This course pack makes use of a number of graphic organizers to help students organize their thoughts in a visual way. You can download the complete set of graphic organizers from Appendix 1. Students can also download and print them as needed, through the links embedded throughout the course pack.

In Appendix 2, you will find checklists to score the writing tasks assigned at the end of each chapter.

You may wish to use this program online, or you may wish to print it for your students by downloading it as a PDF. This program was designed to suit both options. Font size and line spacing can be adjusted in the online view, and have been enhanced for the print and PDF versions for easier reading. (In addition, both epub and mobi files are offered for students with e-readers and Kindles.) This course pack has been reviewed by subject experts from colleges and universities.

I hope these pages help learners to reach their individual literacy goals, while building capacity to create positive social change in our communities.

-Shantel Ivits

The Story of Our Human Rights

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Explain what uni- and pro- mean at the beginning of a word

- Find the topic and main idea of a text

- Find the subject and verb in a sentence

- Correctly use some common homonyms

- Summarize a paragraph

- Discuss your long-term goals

People from around the world

Get Ready to Read

- What rights do you think everyone should have?

- Is everyone in Canada always treated like they have the same rights?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. The United Nations made a list of human rights that all people need to live with freedom and respect.

a. Being unable to agree

2. Our government did not always believe in equal rights. In the history of Canada, people have often been treated as less than human.

b. The same for each person

3. The world has big cities, powerful governments, and rapid trade.

c. Treating someone in a way that shows they are important

4. History has shown that people’s differences can lead to conflict and war.

d. Fast

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write an answer for each question. Use the word in bold and write in complete sentences.

1. How do you deal with conflict?

2. Have you ever stood up for someone who was not being treated with respect? What happened?

3. Do you know anyone who has stood up for equal rights? What did he or she do?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

A prefix is a beginning part of a word.

- The prefix uni– means one or all together.

- The prefix pro– means to put forward.

Here are some words with the prefix uni-.

united

Made of people who share one goal

unique

One of a kind

universe

All of space and everything in it, like the planets and the stars

universal

Done by or available to everyone

unit

One part of something larger

uniform

Clothing worn by all members of a group

union

A group of workers that come together to protect their rights

Use the words above to fill in each blank.

1. Do you think there is life somewhere in the _____________________ besides planet Earth?

2. Our class is starting a _____________________ on human rights.

3. The _____________________ decided to go on strike.

4. Every snowflake has a _____________________ shape.

5. The _____________________ Nations is made of countries that share the goal of world peace.

6. A man once said, “Live your life as though every act were to become a _____________________ law.”

7. Should children have to wear a school _____________________?

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Here are some words with the prefix pro-.

progress

To make something better over time

project

A task with a goal

protest

To argue against something

propose

To put forward an idea for a plan

process

A way of making something happen

provide

To give something

protect

To keep something safe

promote

To go up in rank, make more of something, or make something well known

Use the words above to fill in each blank.

8. She helped her kids with their science _____________________.

9. What is the _____________________ for passing a law?

10. Libraries _____________________ many programs for families.

11. He is going to _____________________ marriage to his partner tomorrow.

12. My boss might _____________________ me next week.

13. I am not done yet, but I am making _____________________.

14. The mother bear will do anything to _____________________ her cubs.

15. Lots of students came out to _____________________ the new fees.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Our Human Rights in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

The topic of a text is the person or thing that the text is written about. To find the topic, start by looking at the title of the text. The title The Story of Our Human Rights tells us that the topic of this text is human rights.

The main idea is the point the writer is making about the topic. A text is usually written for one main purpose:

Purpose

Example

To describe something

What is the town of Fernie, BC, like?

To explain how to do something

How do you bake salmon?

To tell a story about something

What’s the story of how Raven stole the sun?

To compare different things

Do you prefer biking or taking the bus? Why?

To explain the advantages or disadvantages of something

What are the advantages of waking up early?

To summarize something

What was the movie Smoke Signals about?

We can figure out the main idea by looking for the point of each paragraph.

1. Re-read the first paragraph of The Story of Our Human Rights. Choose the best summary of the paragraph.

a. This paragraph describes the ways human beings are different.

b. This paragraph is about the disadvantages of being a human being.

c. This paragraph compares human beings to other animals.

2. Re-read the second paragraph of The Story of Our Human Rights. Choose the best summary of the paragraph.

a. This paragraph is about the disadvantages of the United Nations.

b. This paragraph compares the United Nations to Canada.

c. This paragraph explains that the United Nations created a list of human rights to help everyone get along, even though we are all different.

3. Re-read the list in the third paragraph. Choose the best summary of the paragraph.

a. This list is about the advantages of voting.

b. This list compares human rights in different countries.

c. This list summarizes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

4. Re-read the fourth paragraph. Choose the best summary of the paragraph.

a. This paragraph explains how to stand up for your rights in Canada.

b. This paragraph explains that Canadians have the rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but we didn’t always.

c. This paragraph tells the story of a Canadian who stood up for human rights.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Summarize

The best way to make sure you understand a text is to summarize it. A summary:

- is written in your own words

- does not give your opinion

- begins with a topic sentence that shows what you are summarizing and who wrote it

- includes the main idea of each paragraph

- does not include the details that explain the main ideas

Flags

Here is an example of a summary. Fill in the blanks with words that makes sense.

The Story of Our Human Rights was written by Shantel Ivits. It describes the many ways (1)________________ beings are different. These differences have led to (2)________________, so the United (3)________________ created a list of human rights to help everyone get along. The writer summarizes this list, which is known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, (4) ________________ have the rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but we didn’t always.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Read for the Details

Complete the sentences. Write your answer on the lines.

1. Human beings like us have been around for 7,000 years, right?

No, they haven’t. Human beings __________________________.

2. The United Nations was started after World War I, right?

No, it wasn’t. It ______________________________________.

3. The UN wrote something called the Universal Declaration of Freedom, right?

No, it didn’t. It _______________________________________.

4. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that we should have to pay fees for basic education, right?

No, it doesn’t. It says we have the right to _____________________.

5. In this book, you’ll read about the United Nations, right?

No, I won’t. I will read the stories of _________________________.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Grammar

Subjects and Verbs

Read this text about Lester Pearson. Lester Pearson was Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968.

Lester Pearson and the Peacekeepers

Lester Pearson fought in World War I as a pilot. He was deeply upset by what he saw. He wanted to help prevent future wars. So after World War II, he helped create the United Nations. Pearson came up with the idea of a UN peacekeeping force. Peacekeepers go into areas that are in conflict. They keep the peace while the two sides work toward a solution. For his idea, Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. To this day, thousands of Canadians serve as peacekeepers around the world.

Grammar Rule

Every sentence needs to have a subject and a verb.

- The subject is the part that tells who or what the sentence is about.

- The verb shows what the subject is or does.

In this sentence, the subject is underlined. The verb is in bold.

- Lester Pearsonfought in World War I as a pilot.

- Hewas deeply affected by what he saw.

- Hewanted to help prevent future wars.

- So after World War II, hehelped create the United Nations.

For each sentence, underline the subject and circle the verb.

1. Pearson came up with the idea of a UN peacekeeping force.

2. Peacekeepers go into areas that are in conflict.

3. They keep the peace while the two sides work toward a non-violent solution.

4. For his idea, Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.

5. To this day, thousands of Canadians serve as peacekeepers around the world.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Homonyms

Homonyms are two words that sound the same but mean different things. The box below has some words from The Story of Our Human Rights, along with their homonym.

right

peace

clothes

would

write

piece

close

wood

Choose the best homonym to complete each sentence.

1. The United Nations works for world _____________________.

2. Do you want a _____________________________ of cake?

3. I chopped some _____________________________ for the fireplace.

4. _____________________________ you pass me the butter?

5. Basic education is a basic _____________________________.

6. He likes to _____________________________ short stories.

7. I’m cold. Can you _____________________________ the window?

8. Some people say, “The _________________________ make the man.”

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Writing

At the end of each chapter, you will have one or two writing assignments to complete. Talk to your instructor about setting due dates for each assignment. Keep track of these due dates using the My Writing Assignments sheet or an agenda.

Write a Summary

Writing Task

Write a summary of the paragraph about Lester Pearson. Keep it short, with no more than three sentences.

Use this checklist to edit your work:

- Did I write it in my own words?

- Did I avoid giving my opinion?

- Did I begin with a topic sentence that says what I am summarizing and who wrote it?

- Did I include the main ideas?

- Did I leave out the less important details?

- Do all of my sentences have a subject and a verb?

- Is my summary the right length?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Write about Long-Term Goals

A long-term goal is something you want to do in the future. It takes a lot of time and planning. It is something that you cannot do this week, this month, or even this year. For example, the long-term goal of the United Nations is world peace.

Let’s make some long-term goals using a medicine wheel. The medicine wheel is found in many First Nations cultures. It teaches us many things. One teaching is that we are all equal within the circle. Another teaching is that we are all spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical beings. Here are some of the needs we have:

spiritual

We need to connect with the world and serve the greater good through friendship, love, volunteering, and celebrating.

emotional

We need to connect with our feelings, respect ourselves, feel joy, and have time for play.

physical

We need to take care of our bodies. We need clean air, food, exercise, rest, safety, and shelter.

mental

We need to learn and understand through listening, speaking, reading, remembering, reflecting, and reasoning.

Writing Task

Think of at least one long-term goal for each part of the medicine wheel. Write it down.

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

b

3

d

4

a

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

universe

2

unit

3

union

4

unique

5

United

6

universal

7

uniform

8

project

9

process

10

provide

11

propose

12

promote

13

progress

14

protect

15

protest

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

a

2

c

3

c

4

b

Summarize

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

human

2

conflicts or wars

3

Nations

4

Canadians

Read for the Details

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

have been around for 100,000 years.

2

was started after World War II.

3

wrote something called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

4

free basic education.

5

Canadians who dared to stand up for our human rights.

Grammar

Subjects and Verbs

QUESTION

SUBJECT

VERB

1

Pearson

came or came up with

2

Peacekeepers

go

3

They

keep

4

Pearson

won

5

thousands of Canadians

serve

Homonyms

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

peace

2

piece

3

wood

4

would

5

right

6

write

7

close

8

clothes

Attributions

Different people
Photo Montage by geralt is in the public domain.

Flags
Flags by wbwolfgang is in the public domain.

The Story of Viola Desmond

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Read words ending in -le

- Summarize a text

- Change two simple sentences into a compound sentence

- Use irregular verbs

- Discuss your short-term goals

Different water coolers for people of colour

Get Ready to Read

- What is racism?

- Have you seen or experienced an example of racism?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. Viola had her own line of beauty products.

a. Responsible for carrying out a crime or doing something wrong

2. The police had to drag her. “I just sort of went limp,” Viola said. “I didn’t want to make it easy for them.”

b. A person who helps people with the law

3. She was found guilty of paying for a balcony ticket and sitting on the main floor.

c. Something that is sold in stores

4. Nobody had told her she could call a lawyer, so she had to argue for herself in court.

d. Not firm or stiff

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Answer each question with a complete sentence. Use the word in bold.

1. What are your favourite products from the grocery store?

2. Some people think that the prison system does not help people who are guilty of crimes to act differently in the future. What do you think?

3. Would you want to be a lawyer? Why or why not?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

A syllable is a beat in a word. Each syllable has one vowel sound. For example, cat has one syllable. Catnip has two syllables: cat + nip. Syllables follow different patterns. In this chapter, you will study the consonant –le pattern.

Word Patterns

Look at these words:

- table

- little

- able

- single

They all end with a consonant followed by the letters –le. These three letters make one syllable:

- ta-ble

- lit-tle

- a-ble

- sin-gle

Every syllable needs a vowel. The e is just there to be a vowel. The e is silent.

Break these words into syllables.

1. cuddle = _______ + _______

2. giggle = _______ + _______

3. staple = _______ + _______

4. ankle = _______ + _______

5. puddle = _______ + _______

6. candle = _______ + _______

7. handle = _______ + _______

8. sprinkle = _______ + _______

9. paddle = _______ + _______

10. sample = _______ + _______

11. middle = _______ + _______

12. battle = _______ + _______

13. bottle = _______ + _______

14. title = _______ + _______

15. example = _______ + _______ + _______

Join two syllables to make a word.

16.

fid

ple

cat

dle

ap

tle

17.

sim

cle

un

dle

cra

ple

18.

strug

ble

puz

gle

ca

zle

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Viola Desmond in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Sum Up the Main Idea

1. What is the topic of this text?

a. Viola Desmond

b. Beauty products

c. Movie theatres

2. What is the main idea of this text?

a. This text explains what to do if you get arrested.

b. This text is about the history of movie theatres in Nova Scotia.

c. This text tells the story of how Viola Desmond stood up for the rights of black people in Nova Scotia.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

3.  Open and print this Sum It Up sheet. Fill it in with the main idea.

Writers support their main ideas with details. A detail could be a fact or an example. What details support the main idea? In other words, what did Viola do to stand up for the rights of black people in Nova Scotia?

4. Add supporting details to your Sum It Up sheet. You do not need to fill all the boxes.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Understanding Cause and Effect

Read the words in 1, 2, 3, and 4. Choose the best ending to complete each sentence: a, b, c, or d.

1. Viola went to see a movie at the Roseland Theatre _____

2. Viola was taken from the theatre by police _____

3. Viola had to defend herself in court _____

4. The province got rid of its racist laws _____

a. because her car broke down and she was waiting for it to get fixed.

b. because Viola’s case brought people together to fight for equality.

c. because she refused to sit where the black people were supposed to sit.

d. because nobody told her she could call a lawyer.

Grammar

Compound Sentences

We can make our writing more interesting by using a variety of sentence types. So far, you have learned about simple sentences. A simple sentence has one subject and one verb. In this lesson, you will study compound sentences.

A compound sentence joins two simple sentences together with a comma and one of these words:

and

used to add information

but

used to show contrast

or

used to show options

so

used to show the effect of something

These words are called conjunctions. Conjunctions are joining words.

Turn each pair of simple sentences into one compound sentence. Remember to add a comma and a conjunction. The first one is done for you as an example.

1. Viola had some free time. She decided to go to a movie.

Viola had some free time, so she decided to go to a movie.

2. Viola wanted to sit on the main floor. The staff told her she could not.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3. Viola went back to the ticket booth. She asked for a ticket for the main floor.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. She was told that the main floor was for white people. The balcony was for black people.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

5. Viola could not see from the balcony. She sat on the main floor.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

6. The police said, “You must move now. We will arrest you.”

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

7. Nobody had told her she could call a lawyer. She had to defend herself.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

8. She did not know how courtrooms worked. She was found guilty.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Irregular Verbs

Grammar Rule

To make the past tense form of most verbs, add an –ed ending:

• Viola dreamed of having her own beauty product business.

• She decided to go see a movie while she waited for her car to be fixed.

• She asked for a ticket for the main floor.

• The police grabbed her by the arms and took her from the theatre.

• Her husband begged her to forget about what had happened and move on.

Some verbs break this rule. These verbs are called irregular verbs. You have to memorize the past tense form of irregular verbs.

Match each present form verb to its irregular past tense form.

Present Tense Form

Past Tense Form

1. say

did

2. make

left

3. go

told

4. take

began

5. come

brought

6. see

wrote

7. know

thought

8. get

kept

9. fight

became

10. find

felt

11. do

said

12. think

saw

13. tell

made

14. become

got

15. leave

found

16. feel

fought

17. bring

took

18. begin

went

19. keep

knew

20. write

came

Fill in the blanks. Use the past tense form of the verb in brackets.

Oscar Peterson was one of the most famous jazz musicians in the world. But as an African Canadian, he faced a lot of racism. He (begin) _______________(21) his career as a musician at age 14. People (call) ______________(22) him “boy” even after he grew up. His fame (take) _____________(23) him many places, so he often stayed in hotels. Some hotels (tell) _____________(24) him to leave because of the colour of his skin. There were restaurants where he (play) _____________(25) for white crowds but then had to go eat in his car. White people (do) _____________(26) not eat with black people. He (say) _____________(27) that sometimes he lost his temper over these things. But later on, he just (feel) _____________(28) sorry for racist people. He (keep) _____________(29) on making music. He (write) _____________(30) a song called Hymn to Freedom. The song was inspired by the people who (fight) _____________(31) for equal rights. Hymn to Freedom was played during the ceremony in which Barack Obama (become) ______________(32) America’s first black president.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Oscar Peterson

Writing

Write a Summary

Writing Task

Look back at the Sum It Up sheet you wrote about Viola Desmond. Write a summary of the text. It should be between 5 and 10 sentences.

Use this checklist to edit your work:

- Did I write it in my own words?

- Did I avoid giving my opinion?

- Did I begin with a topic sentence that says what I am summarizing and who wrote it?

- Did I include the main ideas?

- Did I leave out less important details?

- Do all of my sentences have a subject and a verb?

- Did I use regular and irregular verbs correctly?

- Is my summary the right length?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Write a Postcard to Your Future Self

Look back at your Long-Term Goals Medicine Wheel. Choose one long-term goal. Make a list of small steps you could take this week to move toward that goal. These are called short-term goals. For example:

Long-Term Goal

Short-Term Goals

Get a job as a carpenter.

- Attend all my classes.

- Get to school on time.

- Do all my homework.

- Ask questions when I don’t understand something.

- Eat and sleep well so I can focus.

Have a stronger body.

- Ask a friend to be my workout buddy.

- Get a gym pass.

- Work out at the gym four times a week.

- Eat healthy food.

Writing Task

Imagine yourself 10 years from now. You have reached your long-term goal. On the A Postcard from My Future Self sheet (also shown below):

1. Write a message to yourself about what you did to reach your goal. Use your list of short-term goals to help you.

2. Describe what you like about your life.

3. Choose a picture for the front of your postcard. You can draw one or find one to glue on.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

d

3

a

4

b

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

cuddle = cud + dle

2

giggle = gig + gle

3

staple = sta + ple

4

ankle = an + kle

5

puddle = pud + dle

6

candle = can + dle

7

handle = han + dle

8

sprinkle = sprin + kle

9

paddle = pad + dle

10

sample = sam + ple

11

middle = mid + dle

12

battle = bat + tle

13

bottle = bot + tle

14

title = ti + tle

15

example = ex + am + ple

16

fid-dle, cat-tle, ap-ple

17

sim-ple, un-cle, cra-dle

18

strug-gle, puz-zle, ca-ble

Check Your Understanding

Sum Up the Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

a

2

c

Understanding Cause and Effect

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

a

2

c

3

d

4

b

Grammar

Compound Sentences

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

so (answer given)

2

but

3

and

4

and

5

so

6

or

7

so

8

so

Irregular Verbs

QUESTION

ANSWER

1 say

said

2 make

made

3 go

went

4 take

took

5 come

came

6 see

saw

7 know

knew

8 get

got

9 fight

fought

10 find

found

11 do

did

12 think

thought

13 tell

told

14 become

became

15 leave

left

16 feel

felt

17 bring

brought

18 begin

began

19 keep

kept

20 write

wrote

21

began

22

called

23

took

24

told

25

played

26

did

27

said

28

felt

29

kept

30

wrote

31

fought

32

became

Attributions

Different water coolers for people of colour
“Colored” drinking fountain from mid-20th century with african-american drinking by Ilmari Karonen is in the public domain.

Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson by Tom Marcello is used under a CC BY SA 2.0 license.

The Story of Nellie McClung

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Read words ending in -able

- Decide if a statement is fact or opinion

- Use capital letters for proper nouns

- Organize a paragraph

- Fill out a Voter Registration form

Symbol for women

Get Ready to Read

- What is sexism?

- Have you seen or experienced an example of sexism?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. She starred in a play where she debated men’s right to vote.

a. Expressed different viewpoints about something

2. They talked about how unfair it was that women were not allowed to sit in the Senate.

b. Became worse

3. Even as she grew older and her health declined, she kept writing and speaking for equal rights.

c. One of the groups that helps make laws in Canada

4. “Because I’ve got a bad heart my doctor has told me not to write. I assume he meant books so I keep busy writing letters, editorials and messages.”

d. An article in a newspaper or magazine that shares the opinion of the editors

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write an answer for each question. Write in complete sentences and use the word in bold.

1. Do you watch the debates around election time?

2. Why do you think Ottawa’s hockey team in the NHL is called the Senators?

3. Do you ever read the editorials in the newspaper?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

A suffix is an end part of a word. The suffix –able means “can be.”

For example: Reading is enjoyable.

Enjoyable describes something that can be enjoyed.

Match the word to the correct definition.

Word

Meaning

1. reasonable

Describes something that can bring comfort

2. fashionable

Describes something you can notice

3. comfortable

Describes something you can love

4. affordable

Describes something that is in fashion

5. loveable

Describes someone who can use reason

6. noticeable

Describes something you can afford

Break these words into syllables. Remember that every syllable has a vowel and -ble is a separate syllable.

7. comfortable = __com__ + _______ + __ta___+ _______

8. affordable = _______ + _for___ + _______+ __ble__

9. loveable = _______ + ___a___+ _______

10. noticeable = _______ + __tice__ + _______+ _______

11. reasonable = __rea__ + _______ + _______+ _______

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Nellie McClung in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

1. What is the topic of this text?

a. Picnics

b. Women’s rights

c. Nelly McClung

2. What is the main idea of this text?

a. This text tells the story of how Nellie McClung helped change Canadians’ views about the role of women.

b. This text is about the disadvantages of allowing men to vote.

c. This text compares Nellie McClung to other women who fought for women’s rights.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Open and print a Sum It Up sheet. Write down the main idea. Add one supporting detail for each box (Think: What did Nellie do to help change Canadians’ views about the role of women?)

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Identify Sequence

Readers need to understand the different ways that writers organize texts. In texts about history, writers often explain the events in the same order that they happened in real life.

Match the events and the dates. Copy the sentences in the correct order.

1. 1882 __________________________________________________

2. 1918 __________________________________________________

3. 1921 __________________________________________________

4. 1929 __________________________________________________

5. 1951 __________________________________________________

a. White women got the right to vote.

b. Women were allowed to sit in the Senate.

c. Nellie died.

d. Nellie was told girls should not run in races.

e. Nellie became an MLA.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Understanding the Difference Between Fact and Opinion

A fact is something that can be proven. People can usually agree on the truth of facts. An opinion is a judgment about what is right and wrong, or what is better or worse. Different people have different opinions.

Look at each statement. Which one is a fact? Which one is an opinion?

1. Girls should not run in races.

2. Nellie McClung was not allowed to run in races when she was a child.

3. Men are more reasonable than women.

4. Before 1918, women were not allowed to vote or be in government.

5. It is wrong to use violence to fight for your rights.

6. Nelly used humour instead of violence to fight for women’s rights.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Grammar

Compound Sentences

Turn each pair of simple sentences into one compound sentence. Remember to add a comma and a conjunction (and, but, or, so).

1. Some activists used violence to get their point across. Nellie used humour.

2. Men were seen as reasonable. Women were seen as emotional.

3. Nellie pointed out that most of the people in prison were men. Men made up only a small number of the people who went to church.

4. Women of colour were treated even worse than white women. Nellie called for an end to racism.

5. Nellie’s health declined. She kept fighting for women’s rights.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Capital Letters

Grammar Rule

To understand the rules about capital letters, it helps to know that there are two kinds of nouns — common nouns and proper nouns.

A common noun is a general person, place, thing, or idea. Common nouns do not need capitals.

A proper noun is a specific person, place, thing, or idea. Proper nouns need capitals.

Examples:

Common Nouns

Proper Nouns

woman

school

country

city

ocean

book

month

event

Mary

Douglas College

Canada

Kamloops

Pacific Ocean

Anne of Green Gables

June

New Year’s Eve

Edit these sentences by adding capital letters where needed.

1. Nellie was born in chatsworth, ontario.

2. Her first book was called sowing seeds in danny.

3. Nellie married a man named wes. They had five children together.

4. She started the women’s political equality league, which fought to give women the right to vote.

5. She went on speaking tours in canada and the united states. She even crossed the atlantic ocean to give speeches in england.

6. She died on september 1, 1951, near victoria, british columbia.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Answer these questions in complete sentences. Use capitals where needed.

7. What is your favourite restaurant?

8. What is the title of the last movie you saw?

9. What month were you born in?

10. What country would you most like to visit?

11. What is the name of your favourite singer?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Writing

Organize a Paragraph

A paragraph is a group of sentences about one topic. A paragraph should include:

- A topic sentence that explains the main idea or point you want to make

- Supporting details that back up your point

- A concluding sentence that reminds the reader of your main idea

Decide what order these sentences should go in.

a. Second, our government may not make decisions that are good for us if we do not vote. We could lose important rights and freedoms.

b. In conclusion, Canadians should always take time to mark a ballot on election day.

c. Everyone in Canada over the age of 18 should vote.

d. First, our country will not be healthy if people do not vote. Voting is how we make decisions together.

e. Third, voting does not take a lot of time or effort. It will likely take less than an hour of your day once every few years.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Writing Task

Rewrite the sentences above in the correct order and in paragraph form. Do not start a new line for each new sentence. Each sentence should follow the one before it.

Fill Out a Voter Registration Form

In order to vote, you must fill out a form to get on the government’s voters list. This is called registering to vote.

1. Look at Nellie McClung’s Voter Registration form.

2. Open and print your own Voter Registration form. Follow Nellie’s example but use your own information.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

3. If you are not registered to vote and you would like to be, mail your form to the address at the bottom of the sheet.

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

a

2

c

3

b

4

d

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

reasonable – describes someone who can use reason

2

fashionable – describes something that is in fashion

3

comfortable – describes something that can bring comfort

4

affordable – describes something you can afford

5

loveable – describes something you can love.

6

noticeable – describes something you can notice

7

com + for + ta + ble

8

af + for + da + ble

9

love + a + ble

10

no + tice + a + ble

11

rea + son + a + ble

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

a

Identify Sequence

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

1882 – d

2

1918 – a

3

1921 – e

4

1929 – b

5

1951 – c

Understanding the Difference Between Fact and Opinion

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

opinion

2

fact

3

opinion

4

fact

5

opinion

6

fact

Grammar

Compound Sentences

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

but

2

and

3

and

4

so

5

but

Capital Letters

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

Chatsworth, Ontario

2

Sowing Seeds in Danny

3

Wes

4

Political Equality League

5

Canada, United States, Atlantic Ocean, England

6

September, Victoria, British Columbia

Writing

Organize a Paragraph

c, d, a, e, b

Attribution

Symbol for women
Female Symbol by geralt is in the public domain.

The Story of Tommy Douglas

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Read words ending in -ism and -ist

- Use commas to separate items in a list

- Write a paragraph that tells a story

Hospital

Get Ready to Read

- Is free health care important to you? Why or why not?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. Tommy joined a socialist party called the CCF because he believed that really important things should be run by government, not business.

a. Someone who believes the government should own everything. People and companies should not own property, like houses or cars.

2. People tried to scare voters by saying Tommy was a communist.

b. The leader of a province

3. Tommy became premier of Saskatchewan in 1944.

c. Someone who believes the government should run health care, schools, and other major services

4. In 1961, Tommy was voted into the federal government. The federal government put many of Tommy’s ideas in place for the rest of Canada.

d. The level of government responsible for things that affect the whole country

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write a complete sentence to answer each question. Use the word in bold.

1. Do you like the premier of your province?

2. Would you ever vote for a socialist party?

3. Would you ever vote for a communist party?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

A suffix is an end part of a word.

- A word that ends with –ism is a name given to a set of ideas.

- A word that ends with –ist means “a person who.”

Fill in the blanks with the best words from the box.

racism

ageism

classist

sexism

classism

sexist

racist

ageist

1. __________________ is the set of ideas that one gender is better than another.

2. __________________ is someone who believes in sexism.

3. __________________ is the set of ideas that rich people are better than poor people.

4. __________________ is someone who believes in classism.

5. __________________ is the set of ideas that some races are better than others.

6. __________________ is someone who believes in racism.

7. __________________ is the set of ideas that young people are better than old people.

8. __________________ is someone who believes in ageism.

Note: Not all words ending in –ism and –ist are negative. An artist is someone who makes art. A pianist is someone who plays piano. A scientist is someone who works in the sciences.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Tommy Douglas in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

1. What is the topic of this text?

a. Health care

b. Saskatchewan

c. Tommy Douglas

2. What is the main point of this text?

a. This text explains why it is wrong that people who fight for their rights are sometimes beaten and killed.

b. This text explains the disadvantages of letting cats be in politics.

c. This text tells the story of how Tommy Douglas stood up for the rights of working class people.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

3. Open and print a Sum It Up sheet. Fill in the main idea and supporting details.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Understanding Sequence

1. Put these events in the correct order.

a. Tommy became a minister to help people.

b. Tommy made lots of changes in Saskatchewan to help working families, such as free health care.

c. Many of Tommy’s ideas were put in place for all of Canada.

d. Some striking miners in Tommy’s town were killed.

e. Tommy Douglas saw some workers on strike get shot by the police.

f. Tommy became premier of Saskatchewan.

g. Tommy joined the CCF.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Understanding the Difference Between Fact and Opinion

A fact is something that can be proven. People can usually agree on the facts. An opinion is a judgment. People can disagree on whether an opinion is right or wrong.

Look at each statement. Which one is a fact? Which one is an opinion?

1. Socialism is evil.

2. Tommy Douglas was a socialist.

3. Tommy Douglas was premier of Saskatchewan.

4. Tommy Douglas was the best premier that Saskatchewan ever had.

5. The police shot two protesting workers in Winnipeg in 1919.

6. Guns should be banned.

7. Tommy made a law that bosses must give workers two weeks of paid vacation.

8. Workers should have at least four weeks of paid vacation.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Grammar

More Capital Letters

Edit these sentences by adding capital letters where needed.

1. tommy was born in falkirk, scotland.

2. he moved to canada in 1910.

3. he studied at brandon college to become a minister.

4. he married a woman named irma in 1930.

5. tommy began working in politics in saskatchewan.

6. tommy told a famous story about a place called mouseland.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Tommy Douglas

Commas in a Series

Grammar Rule

Use commas to separate items in a list.

Examples:

- Tommy Douglas enjoyed public speaking, acting, and boxing.

- Tommy worked as a paperboy, factory worker, minister, and premier.

Add commas to these sentences.

1. In a boxing match, Tommy broke his nose lost some teeth and hurt his hand.

2. Tommy could speak English Spanish and Portuguese.

3. Tommy lived in Winnipeg Regina Burnaby and Nanaimo.

4. Tommy beat Terry Fox Pierre Trudeau and Frederick Banting to be named Greatest Canadian in 2004.

5. Tommy has three grandchildren named Keifer Thomas and Rachel.

6. As premier of Saskatchewan, Tommy made a bill of rights gave everyone two weeks of paid vacation and made health care free for everyone.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Writing

Writing Task

Have you ever been to a hospital or visited a doctor? If it had cost money, would you have been able to pay? Write about a time you were really glad Canada has free health care for everyone.

1. First, use the Tell a Story sheet to think about the details of the story.

2. Then, write your story in paragraph form.

3. Next, edit your paragraph with the checklist below.

4. Finally, hand in your paragraph to your instructor.

Checklist:

- Does my story have a beginning, middle, and end?

- Did I use linking words: first, then, next, finally?

- Are the events in the story clear?

- Is the story in a logical order?

- Have I used complete sentences, starting with capital letters and ending with a period (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!)?

- Have I used irregular verbs correctly?

- Are words spelled correctly?

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

a

3

b

4

d

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

sexism

2

sexist

3

classism

4

classist

5

racism

6

racist

7

ageism

8

ageist

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

c

Understanding Sequence

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

e, a, d, g, f, b, c

Understanding the Difference Between Fact and Opinion

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

opinion

2

fact

3

fact

4

opinion

5

fact

6

opinion

7

fact

8

opinion

Grammar

More Capital Letters

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

Tommy, Falkirk, Scotland

2

He, Canada

3

He, Brandon College

4

He, Irma

5

Tommy, Saskatchewan

6

Tommy, Mouseland

Commas in a Series

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

In a boxing match, Tommy broke his nose, lost some teeth, and hurt his hand.

2

Tommy could speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

3

Tommy lived in Winnipeg, Regina, Burnaby, and Nanaimo.

4

Tommy beat Terry Fox, Pierre Trudeau, and Frederick Banting to be named Greatest Canadian in 2004.

5

Tommy has three grandchildren named Keifer, Thomas, and Rachel.

6

As premier of Saskatchewan, Tommy made a bill of rights, gave everyone two weeks of paid vacation, and made health care free for everyone.

Attributions

Hospital
Image by Eloisa is in the public domain.

Tommy Douglas
Tommy cropped by Samuell is in the public domain.

The Story of Joy Kogawa

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Know what an antonym is

- Read words beginning with im- and in-

- Think about how some characters in a story might learn and grow

- Spell the plural form of many words

- Write a descriptive paragraph

A soldier

Get Ready to Read

- Have you or someone you loved lived through a war? Did they survive? How did they get by?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. Joy Kogawa remembers her childhood home fondly.

a. The army, navy and air force

2. The RCMP said the decision to put all Japanese people in work camps did not make sense.

b. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also known as Mounties

3. The military said the decision to put all Japanese people in work camps did not make sense.

c. In a loving way

4. Joy Kogawa’s house stands as a reminder of the injustice of racism and war.

d. Unfair treatment

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write an answer for each question using the word in bold. Write complete sentences.

1. Do you have an old friend you think of fondly? Who is she or he?

2. If you were going to be in the military, would you rather be a soldier, sailor, or pilot?

3. Have you seen any injustices in the news lately?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

The prefixes in– and im– mean not.

For example, incomplete means not complete.

Complete and incomplete are antonyms, or opposites. Match the word to its antonym.

Word

Antonym

1. patient

incorrect

2. moral

impolite

3. possible

impossible

4. correct

imperfect

5. perfect

impatient

6. polite

immoral

Fill in the blanks with an im- or in- word from above.

7. Only two of my answers on the test were ________________.

8. It is __________________________ not to say thank you.

9. Some people find beauty in things that are __________________________. These things are more interesting.

10. Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems __________________________ until it is done.”

11. I sat in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, feeling ________________.

12. Ernest Hemingway said, “I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is __________________________ is what you feel bad after.”

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Joy Kogawa in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

1. What is the topic of this text?

a. Japanese Canadians

b. Joy Kogawa

c. A book called Obasan

2. What is the main idea of this text?

a. This text tells the story of how Joy Kogawa worked for justice for Japanese Canadians who were forced to live in camps during World War II.

b. This text is about the advantages of Joy Kogawa’s house.

c. This text is about why Obasan is a great book.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

3. Open and print a Sum It Up sheet. Use the sheet to plan a summary of this text. In the details boxes, list two things that Joy did to stand up for the Japanese Canadians who were put in camps.

4. Using your answers above, write a short summary of this text. Include the topic, main idea, and one or two supporting details.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Understanding Characters

Characters are the people in a story. Events in the story often cause characters to learn and grow.

Answer these questions with a sentence.

1. At first, Joy thought of herself as a white person. What event caused Joy to accept herself as Japanese Canadian?

_________________________________________________________________

2. At first, the Government of Canada thought Japanese Canadians could be spies. What events helped the Government of Canada realize this was wrong?

______________________________________________________________________

3. At first, most white Canadians stood by while Japanese Canadians were forced into work camps. What helped white Canadians to realize this was wrong?

______________________________________________________________________

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Waiting to be sent to a camp

Grammar

Review Commas in a Series

Add commas to these sentences, as needed. (Not all of these sentences need commas.)

1. The walls were covered with paintings photos and bookcases.

2. The sounds of music storytelling and laughter sailed through the air.

3. Her bedroom had toy boxes filled with cars dolls and games.

4. Joy’s mother father and brother were forced to move to a work camp in Slocan.

5. Joy missed her friends her books and the cherry tree in her yard.

6. When Joy grew up she wrote books poems and letters.

7. She helped Canadians understand the injustice of racism and war.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Plural Nouns

Grammar Rule

A singular noun refers to just one person, place, or thing.

A plural noun refers to many people, places, or things.

Here are some rules for making nouns plural:

Singular

Plural

Rule

One dog

One cup

One ear

Two dogs

Two cups

Two ears

To make most nouns plural, add –s.

One dish

One branch

One bus

One fox

Two dishes

Two branches

Two buses

Two foxes

For nouns ending in –sh, –ch, –s, or –x, add –es.

One baby

One cherry

Two babies

Two cherries

For nouns ending in a consonant + y, change the y to an i and add –es.

Make these words plural.

1. toy

2. match

3. book

4. spy

5. box

6. shack

7. farm

8. field

9. letter

10. kiss

11. story

12. bush

13. boy

Choose a word from the list to complete each sentence. The word might be singular or plural.

14. The Canadian government thought that Japanese Canadians could be ____________________.

15. Joy’s belongings were packed into _____________________ and sold.

16. Joy had to go live in a _______________________.

17. She missed her __________________________.

18. Her family had to work in a beet ______________________.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Adjectives make our sentences clear and creative.

Compare the sentences with and without adjectives. Which is better?

1. Viola spent a night in a jail cell.

2. Viola spent a lonely night in a dirty, grey jail cell.

1. Nellie McClung gave speeches.

2. Nellie McClung gave bold, lively speeches.

Rewrite the sentences with adjectives to make them more clear and creative.

1. My sister bought a truck.

2. We could see the cabin up ahead.

3. Our holiday was cut short by a snowstorm.

4. A crowd gathered to watch the fireworks.

5. The children took swimming lessons at a pool.

6. My son showed off his wedding ring to the family.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Writing

Describing Home

1. Re-read the first paragraph of the reading.

The topic of this paragraph is Joy’s childhood home. To bring the description to life, the writer described how it looked, sounded, and smelled.

2. Describe some things you might see in Joy’s childhood home.

_____________________________________________________________

3. Describe something you might smell in Joy’s childhood home.

_____________________________________________________________

4. Describe some things you might hear in Joy’s childhood home.

_____________________________________________________________

Now think about the places you have called home — even if it was only for one night. What place did you like the best? Try to use your senses to describe it.

5. What did it look like?

_____________________________________________________________________

6. How did it smell?

_____________________________________________________________

7. Describe the sounds you often heard there.

_____________________________________________________________

8. Was there any furniture you really liked? What did it feel like?

_____________________________________________________________

Writing Task

Use your answers above to write a paragraph describing your favourite home. Use adjectives in your paragraph. For an added challenge, try using commas as well.

When you are done, use this checklist to edit your paragraph:

- Did I begin with a topic sentence that says what I am writing about?

- Did I include supporting details about how the home looks, smells, sounds, and made me feel?

- Did I end with a concluding sentence?

- Are all of my sentences complete?

- Did I use commas correctly?

- Did I use adjectives correctly?

- Did I spell plural words correctly?

Hand in your paragraph to your instructor.

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

b

3

a

4

d

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

patient – impatient

2

moral – immoral

3

possible – impossible

4

correct – incorrect

5

perfect – imperfect

6

polite – impolite

7

incorrect

8

impolite

9

imperfect

10

impossible

11

impatient

12

immoral

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

b

2

a

Understanding Characters

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

Writing her book, Obasan

2

The Government of Canada changed its mind because Canadians held meetings, wrote letters, and organized rallies.

3

Joy’s book, Obasan, helped white Canadians realize that what had happened to Japanese Canadians was wrong.

Grammar

Review Commas in a Series

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

The walls were covered with paintings, photos, and bookcases.

2

The sounds of music, storytelling, and laughter sailed through the air.

3

Her bedroom had toy boxes filled with cars, dolls, and games.

4

Joy’s mother, father, and brother were forced to move to a work camp in Slocan.

5

Joy missed her friends, her books, and the cherry tree in her yard.

6

When Joy grew up, she wrote books, poems, and letters.

7

no commas required

Plural Nouns

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

toys

2

matches

3

books

4

spies

5

boxes

6

shacks

7

farms

8

fields

9

letters

10

kisses

11

stories

12

bushes

13

boys

14

spies

15

boxes

16

shack

17

toys

18

field

Writing

QUESTION

ANSWER (answers may vary)

2

The house had walls covered with paintings, photos, and bookcases. The bedroom had lots of toys. The yard had a cherry tree.

3

The house smelled like the wood burning in the fireplace.

4

The sounds of music, storytelling, and laughter filled the house.

Attributions

A soldier
Soldier by babtisteh is in the public domain.

Waiting to be sent to a camp
A young evacuee of Japanese ancestry waits with the family baggage by US National Archives bot is in the public domain.

The Story of Jim Egan

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Read words that end with -tion and -sion

- Think about how to describe characters in a text

- Spell the plural form of more words

- Use an apostrophe to show who owns what

- Write another paragraph that tells a story

Rainbow flag

Get Ready to Read

- What is homophobia?

- Have you seen or experienced homophobia?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. At one time, the word queer was an insult. Today, it is a word many people proudly use to describe themselves.

a. To unfairly treat a person differently from other people

2. “The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.”

b. The government

3. Jim returned to queer activism — and this time, Jack was right by his side. They helped run an AIDS organization. They also ran a drop-in group for queer people out of their home.

c. Someone whose gender or romantic relationships are outside of what is traditional

4. The courts made it illegal to discriminate based on who people are attracted to.

d. Doing things that support change in the world

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write an answer for each question using the word in bold. Write in complete sentences.

1. Can you think of any TV or movie characters you like who are queer?

2. Do you know anyone who is involved in activism? Who?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

The suffixes –tion and –sion are pronounced /shun/.

Sound out the word. Match it to the best picture.

1

lo – tion

2

va – ca – tion

3

gas  sta – tion

4

ac – tion

5

lo – ca – tion

6

vi – sion

7

de – ci – sion

8

di – vi – sion

9

na – tion

10

re – la – tion – ship

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

h.

i.

j.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Jim Egan in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

1. What is the topic of this text?

a. AIDS

b. Queer people

c. Jim Egan

2. What is the main idea of this text?

a. This text tells the story of how Jim Egan stood up for the rights of queer people in Canada.

b. This text describes how the media used to talk about queer people.

c. This text is about how to take the government to court.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

3. Fill in a Sum It Up sheet for this text. In the details boxes, write down three ways Jim Egan stood up for the rights of queer people in Canada.

4. Using your answers above, write a short summary of this text. Include the topic, main idea, and your supporting details.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Understanding Characters

A person’s actions can tell us something about their personality.

Think about the characters’ actions below. Match the character with an adjective from the box below. Use a dictionary for any words you do not know.

open-minded

brave

active

determined

careful

Character’s Actions

Adjective

1. Jim spoke up about gay rights at a time when no one else would.

2. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau got rid of the law that made queer relationships illegal.

3. Jack and Jim helped run an AIDS organization and a drop-in group.

4. Jack and Jim spent eight years fighting the government in court for equal rights.

5. Jack thought Jim should give up his activism in case he got arrested.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Grammar

Plural Nouns

In the last chapter, you learned some rules for making words plural. Here are some more rules for making words plural.

Singular

Plural

Rule

One hero

One potato

Two heroes

Two potatoes

If a word ends in a consonant + o, add –es.

One life

One knife

One wife

One wolf

Two lives

Two knives

Two wives

Two wolves

For most words ending in f, change the f to v and add –es.

One child

One woman

One person

One foot

Two children

Two women

Two people

Two feet

Some plurals are irregular. They do not follow a pattern.

Make these words plural.

1. man

2. loaf

3. half

4. scarf

5. radio

6. leaf

7. tooth

8. tomato

9. goose

10. elf

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Using an Apostrophe to Show Who Owns What

Look at these phrases:

- Joy’s house in Vancouver was going to be torn down.

- Gay men’s names were printed in newspapers.

- Tommy stood up for workers’ rights.

Why is there an apostrophe (’) in each phrase? The apostrophe shows who owns what.

- The house belongs to Joy.

- The names belong to the men.

- The rights belong to the workers.

Grammar Rule

Here are the rules for adding an apostrophe:

If…

Example

Add

The owner is singular

Joy’s house

’s

The owner is plural and does not end in s

men’s names

’s

The owner is plural and ends in s

workers’ rights

’

Add apostrophes as needed.

1. A large number of First Nations cultures traditionally believed in many genders. Some peoples spirits were seen as a mix of male and female. Today, these people refer to themselves as Two-Spirit.

2. In the past, Two-Spirit people wore a mix of mens clothing and womens clothing.

3. Two-Spirit people also had special roles. If a childs parents were not raising him or her well, a Two-Spirit person was often asked to raise the child. Two-Spirit people were also teachers, artists, and healers.

4. Two-Spirit people challenged Europeans belief in only two genders: male and female. For this, Europeans killed many Two-Spirit people.

5. Canadas laws were written to make First Nations people more like white people. As a result, the tradition of Two-Spirit people was almost lost.

6. In 1990, there was a large gathering of Two-Spirit people in Manitobas capital, the city of Winnipeg. They began a movement to relearn their traditional roles.

7. Two-Spirit people have shown great strength as they work to find acceptance in todays world.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Writing

Writing Task

All of the people whose stories you have read have at least one thing in common — they were all brave. Think of a time when you were brave and write a paragraph to tell your story. Follow these steps:

1. Use the Tell a Story sheet to plan your paragraph.

2. Then, write a first draft. For an extra challenge, try using at least one possessive apostrophe and some adjectives.

3. Next, edit your paragraph using the checklist below.

4. Finally, give your paragraph to your instructor.

Checklist:

- Does my story have a beginning, middle, and end?

- Did I use linking words: first, then, next, finally?

- Are the events told in an order that makes sense?

- Did I use complete sentences, starting with capital letters and ending with a period (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!)?

- Did I use irregular verbs correctly?

- Did I use apostrophes correctly?

- Are words spelled correctly?

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

b

3

d

4

a

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

e

2

g

3

i

4

a

5

f

6

b

7

d

8

h

9

c

10

j

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

a

Understanding Characters

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

brave

2

open-minded

3

active

4

determined

5

careful

Grammar

Plural Nouns

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

men

2

loaves

3

halves

4

scarves

5

radios

6

leaves

7

teeth

8

tomatoes

9

geese

10

elves

Using an Apostrophe – Possession

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

people’s spirits

2

men’s clothing, women’s clothing

3

child’s parents

4

Europeans’ belief

5

Canada’s laws

6

Manitoba’s capital

7

today’s world

Attributions

Rainbow flag
Rainbow flag and blue skies by Ludovic Bertron is used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Photo a by OpenClips is in the public domain.

Photo b by Nemo is in the public domain.

Photo c by OpenClips is in the public domain.

Photo d by kerr63 is in the public domain.

Photo e by Nemo is in the public domain.

Photo f by Nemo is in the public domain.

Photo g by OpenClips is in the public domain.

Photo h by Nemo is in the public domain.

Photo i by Nemo is in the public domain.

Photo j by Nemo is in the public domain.

The Story of Elijah Harper

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Use synonym clues to understand a text

- Make inferences about a text

- Write contractions

- Use some common homonyms

- Write a paragraph that describes your strengths

Totem pole

Get Ready to Read

- Do you know whose traditional land you are on?

- What do you know about the history and culture of the First Nations people where you live?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. They lived on a reserve in Manitoba called Red Sucker Lake.

a. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis

2. Elijah Harper was the first Aboriginal MLA in the history of Manitoba.

b. A small piece of land the government forced First Nations people to live on

3. Elijah Harper inspired a new wave of First Nations people to take part in politics.

c. Organized actions taken by people working together to achieve something

4. He paved the way for movements like Idle No More, which was just getting started when he passed away.

d. Affected someone in a good way

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write an answer for each question using the word in bold. Write in complete sentences.

1. Who inspires you to be your best self?

2. Do you know of any Aboriginal people in government?

3. Have you ever been part of a movement?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

When you see a word that you do not understand, look in the sentences around it for clues. Sometimes a writer will give you a definition or synonym. A synonym is a word with almost the same meaning.

Find the synonyms for the words in bold.

1. Raven tried to calculate, or figure out, how much of a tip to leave the server.

The synonym for calculate is ________________________.

2. The music was too loud for Ted to concentrate, or focus, on his homework.

The synonym for concentrate is ________________________.

3. I like TV shows that mock, or make fun of, people in government.

The synonym for mock is ________________________.

4. The Gum Chewing Club had an annual, or yearly, contest to see who could blow the biggest bubble.

The synonym for annual is ________________________.

5. I was furious, or angry, when the Canucks lost their tenth game in a row.

The synonym for furious is ________________________.

Now look at the reading for this lesson. Find the words in bold.

6. The synonym for residential school is ________________________.

7. The synonym for heathen is ________________________.

8. The synonym for MLA is ________________________.

9. The synonym for bill is ________________________.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Elijah Harper in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

1. What is the topic of this text?

a. Elijah Harper

b. First Nations people

c. The Manitoba government

2. What is the main idea of this text?

a. This text is about the disadvantages of residential schools.

b. This text tells the story of how Elijah Harper stood up for First Nations people’s rights.

c. This text is about how to become an MLA.

3. What did Elijah do to stand up for the rights of First Nations people?

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

4. Using your answers above, write a short summary of this text. Include the topic, main idea, and one supporting detail.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Making Inferences

Readers make educated guesses, based on what they know and what they have experienced. This is called making inferences.

We make inferences all the time. For example, when you go to a friend’s house and there are no lights on, you might infer that they are not home.

When a classmate comes into the classroom with wet hair and clothes, you might infer that it is raining outside.

Think about the situations below. Make an inference.

Situation

Inference

1. The next time you see your friend, she has a sunburn.

Why do you think she has a sunburn?

2. You brought salad to a potluck. It got eaten quickly.

Why do you think the salad was eaten so quickly?

Think about these parts of the text. Make an inference.

Situation

Inference

3. Many of Elijah’s classmates tried to run away from the residential school.

Why do you think many of his classmates tried to run away?

4. Elijah was holding an eagle feather when he voted against the prime minister’s bill.

Why do you think Elijah held an eagle feather?

5. The reading says that Elijah paved the way for movements like Idle No More, which was just getting started when he passed away in 2013.

What do you think Idle No More is?

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Grammar

Review Possessive Apostrophes

Idle No More is a movement that started in Saskatchewan. This movement protests many things.

There are six possessive apostrophes missing below. Can you find them?

1. People in government are not protecting the Earths wellbeing.

2. Companies get rich from fishing, logging, and mining on First Nations land. The companies profits are not shared with First Nations people.

3. The reserves schools do not have enough money to provide a good education.

4. Many reserves do not have a nearby doctors office or hospital. People cannot get health care.

5. First Nations peoples daughters, sisters, and mothers go missing in large numbers. The government has not acted to stop violence against Aboriginal women.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Contractions

In the last chapter, you used an apostrophe to show who owns what. You can also use an apostrophe to write a contraction, a short form of a word. Here are some examples from the reading:

With a Contraction

Without a Contraction

First Nations people weren’t allowed to vote or be in government.

First Nations people were not allowed to vote or be in government.

First Nations rights couldn’t be ignored any longer.

First Nations rights could not be ignored any longer.

It didn’t mention the role of First Nations people in building Canada.

It did not mention the role of First Nations people in building Canada.

Grammar Rule

This chart shows some common contractions:

Meaning

Contraction

Meaning

Contraction

I am

they are

I will

they will

I would

they have

I have

there is

you are

are not

you will

was not

you have

were not

he is/he has

will not

he will

would not

he would/had

I’m

they’re

I’ll

they’ll

I’d

they’ve

I’ve

there’s

you’re

aren’t

you’ll

wasn’t

you’ve

weren’t

he’s

won’t

he’ll

wouldn’t

he’d

cannot

she is

could not

she will

did not

she would/had

does not

we are

do not

we will

had not

we would/had

has not

we have

is not

it is/has

should not

can’t

she’s

couldn’t

she’ll

didn’t

she’d

doesn’t

we’re

don’t

we’ll

hadn’t

we’d

hasn’t

we’ve

isn’t

it’s

shouldn’t

Read this paragraph. Change the words in brackets to contractions.

The Indian Act is a law that decides who counts as an Aboriginal person. (It has) _____________(1) existed since 1876. At first, the Indian Act said that any Aboriginal woman who married a man who (was not) _____________(2) Aboriginal would lose her Indian status. This meant that she (could not) _____________(3) live on reserve anymore. She (could not) _____________(4) be a member of her band, so she (was not) _____________(5) allowed to vote on reserve. Her kids would also lose these rights. They (were not) _____________(6) allowed to go to school on reserve, either. If an Aboriginal man married a non-Aboriginal woman, he (did not) _____________(7) lose these rights. Many Aboriginal women tried to fix this injustice through the courts. This (did not) _____________(8) work. So they turned to the United Nations. The UN did a study and said Canada was guilty of ignoring many rights of Aboriginal people. The government said (they would) _____________(9) fix the Indian Act, but they (did not) ____________(10). Aboriginal women fought for change by forming groups, giving speeches, and writing letters. In 1985, the government finally changed the Indian Act. The change gave status back to all the women who were born with status and had lost it.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Homonyms

These contractions are homonyms. Remember, homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings.

you’re

he’ll

we’ll

it’s

your

heal

wheel

its

Use the best word to complete each sentence.

1. Keep both hands on the steering ___________________________.

2. At this time next week, ___________________________ be in Cuba!

3. Is this ___________________________ coat?

4. I think ___________________________ going to be a great dad.

5. Mike is coming, but ___________________________ be late.

6. I hope my burn will ___________________________ quickly.

Writing

Describe your Strengths

A sacred bundle is something carried by some Aboriginal people that holds spiritual items, medicines, and tools for helping themselves and others.

In the image of the bundle below, add words that describe some of your skills, special gifts, or talents. Think about how these help you as a learner. Think about how these allow you to help others.

Writing Task

Use your words from above to write a paragraph describing your strengths. Try to include some contractions in your writing.

When you are done, use this checklist to edit your paragraph:

- Did I begin with a topic sentence that says what I am writing about?

- Did I include details about what my strengths are?

- Did I end with a concluding sentence?

- Do all of my sentences have a subject and a verb?

- Did I use contractions correctly?

- Did I check my spelling with a dictionary?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

b

2

a

3

d

4

c

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

figure out

2

focus

3

make fun of

4

yearly

5

angry

6

boarding school

7

godless people

8

member of the government

9

idea for a new law

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

a

2

b

3

He voted against a bill that did not respect the role of First Nations people in making Canada. It didn’t protect First Nations languages and cultures.

Making Inferences

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

Maybe she just came back from a holiday somewhere warm.

2

Maybe the salad was really delicious.

3

They probably strongly disliked being at residential school and missed their families.

4

The eagle feather may have reminded him of his culture and given him strength.

5

Idle No More is a movement to get fair treatment for Aboriginal people.

Grammar

Review Possessive Apostrophes

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

Earth’s

2

First Nations’ land, companies’ profits

3

reserves’ schools

4

doctor’s office

5

people’s daughters

Contractions

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

It’s

2

wasn’t

3

couldn’t

4

couldn’t

5

wasn’t

6

weren’t

7

didn’t

8

didn’t

9

they’d

10

didn’t

Homonyms

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

wheel

2

we’ll

3

your

4

you’re

5

he’ll

6

heal

Attribution

Totem pole
Totem Pole by werner22brigitte is in the public domain.

The Story of Gabor Maté

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Read the two different sounds of g and c

- Edit sentences for consistent verb tense

- Write compound words

- Write one last paragraph that tells a story

Helping hands

Get Ready to Read

- What can your community do to help people with addictions?

Vocabulary

Figure out what the bold word means by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Match it to the best meaning.

1. The Nazis took over Hungary in World War II.

a. A feeling of wanting to help someone in trouble

2. People with addictions have lived through trauma, such as violence and loss.

b. A very difficult experience that causes someone to have mental and emotional problems for a long time

3. Gabor believes that the cure for addiction is compassion.

c. Disapproval

4. People with drug addictions face a lot of judgment.

d. A member of a German political party controlled by Adolf Hitler

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write an answer for each question using the word in bold. Write in complete sentences.

1. What are some things that can help people heal from trauma?

2. Describe a time when someone treated you with compassion.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

Some letters can make more than one sound.

For example, g can say /g/ or /j/

You can hear /g/ in these words

You can hear /j/ in these words

grab

age

flag

huge

gum

gentle

And c can say /k/ or /s/.

You can hear /k/ in these words

You can hear /s/ in these words

locate

decide

protect

spice

fact

place

Here is the pattern:

- The g says /j/ when it is followed by e, i, or y.

- The c says /s/ when it is followed by e, i, or y.

Read the pair of letters below. Write the sound the letters make.

c = /k/ or /s/

g = /g/ or /j/

1. cy – c says / __ /

2. ci – c says / __ /

3. cu – c says / __ /

4. cr– c says / __ /

5. ca – c says / __ /

6. ce – c says / __ /

7. co – c says / __ /

8. cl – c says / __ /

9. ct – c says / __ /

10. gr – g says / __ /

11. go – g says / __ /

12. gl – g says / __ /

13. ge – g says / __ /

14. ga – g says / __ /

15. gy – g says / __ /

16. gu – g says / __ /

17. gi – g says / __ /

18. Circle the words that have the /s/ sound of c.

protect

decide

crib

cent

space

cave

fact

place

force

peace

violence

difficult

continue

addiction

cry

19. Circle the words that have the /j/ sound of g.

suggest

long

judge

Gabor

Hungary

drug

wrong

stage

page

Fill in each blank with a word from the box.

violence

Hungary

peace

difficult

suggest

20. My schoolwork is ____________________, but I won’t give up!

21. When I drink a cup of tea with my cat in my lap, I feel at ___________.

22. ____________________ is the name of a country in Europe.

23. I don’t think ____________________ should be used to solve a problem, because it will just lead to more problems.

24. I asked the vet to ____________________ a kind of food to feed my dog.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read The Story of Gabor Maté in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

1. What is the topic of this text?

a. Addiction

b. Insite

c. Gabor Maté

2. What is the main point of this text?

a. This text tells the story of a doctor who says we should treat people with addictions with compassion.

b. This text is about the disadvantages of drug addiction.

c. This text tells the story of Insite, the place where people can safely use drugs.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

3. Using your answers above, write a short summary of this text. Include the topic, main idea, and two or three supporting details.

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Gabor Maté

Making Inferences

In the last chapter, you learned that readers make educated guesses, based on what they know and what they have experienced. This is called making inferences.

Look at these statements from the text. Make an inference.

The text says…

Make an inference

1. Gabor’s aunt was missing.

What do you think happened to his aunt?

2. Gabor still struggles to feel at peace.

Why do you think he still struggles to feel at peace?

3. Drug users can get clean needles at Insite.

Why would Insite give out free needles?

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Grammar

Review Contractions

Read these famous quotes. Change each underlined word into a contraction.

1. “What is right is not always popular. What is popular is not always right.” — Albert Einstein

2. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind do not matter, and those who matter do not mind.” ― Bernard M. Baruch

3. “If you do not stand for something you will fall for anything.” ― Gordon A. Eadie

4. “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that will not work.” ― Thomas A. Edison

5. “You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one. I hope someday you will join us. And the world will live as one.” ― John Lennon

6. “What you are supposed to do when you do not like a thing is change it. If you cannot change it, change the way you think about it. Do not complain.” ― Maya Angelou

7. “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I am possible’!” ― Audrey Hepburn

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Consistent Verb Tense

Look at these sentences. Can you figure out what is wrong?

A man was walking down the street. He heard a car honk. He looks up to see what is happening.

The writer changed from past tense to present tense for no reason.

Grammar Rule

When you are telling a story or describing something, be sure to use the same tense — unless you have a good reason not to. This is called using a consistent verb tense.

Fix these sentences so that they have a consistent verb tense.

1. The air was filled with the smell of popcorn with extra butter. The crowd went quiet as the room went dark. Suddenly, lights splash across the silver screen.

2. The sailboat floats slowly over the still blue sea. It creaks and groans. Seagulls cry from above. Then, a clap of thunder rang out from above.

3. She was now so deep in the cave that she could not see any daylight. She turned on her flashlight. That’s when she sees there is a great big grizzly bear right in front of her. He is fast asleep, but for how long?

4. The bank robber smiled as he walked into the bank safe. Inside, it had a million dollars — at least. He didn’t see the bank teller behind him. The bank teller slammed the door of the safe shut, locks the robber inside, and called the police.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Compound Nouns

A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. Compound nouns can be written:

As one word

As two words

As two words with a hyphen

- rainbow

- newspaper

- prime minister

- human rights

- co-worker

- left-handed

Here are some compound nouns from The Story of Gabor Maté. Should they be written as one word, two words, or three words?

1. drug/users

2. world/wide

3. North/America

4. British/Columbia

5. over/dose

6. spoke/out

7. talk/shows

8. World/War/II

9. grand/parents

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

= ______________________________

Writing

Writing Task

Gabor works to create a world filled with compassion. What were the kindest words ever said to you? How did they affect you? Once you remember some kind words that stand out, get ready to write a paragraph that tells your story.

1. First, fill out the Tell a Story sheet with the details.

2. Then, write a first draft of your paragraph.

3. Next, edit your paragraph with the checklist below.

4. Finally, hand in your paragraph to your instructor.

Checklist:

- Does my story have a beginning, middle, and end?

- Did I use linking words: first, then, next, finally?

- Are the events in an order that makes sense?

- Have I used complete sentences, starting with capital letters and ending with . ? or !

- Did I use irregular verbs correctly?

- Did I use verb tenses consistently?

- Are words spelled correctly?

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

d

2

b

3

a

4

c

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

cy – c says /s/

2

ci – c says /s/

3

cu – c says /k/

4

cr – c says /k/

5

ca – c says /k/

6

ce – c says /s/

7

co – c says /k/

8

cl – c says /k/

9

ct – c says /k/

10

gr – g says /g/

11

go – g says /g/

12

gl – g says /g/

13

ge – g says /g/

14

ga – g says /g/

15

gy – g says /g/

16

gu – g says /g/

17

gi – g says /j/

18

decide, cent, space, place, force, peace, violence

19

suggest, judge, stage, page

20

difficult

21

peace

22

Hungary

23

violence

24

suggest

Check Your Understanding

Find the Topic and Main Idea

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

a

Making Inferences

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

Maybe she was killed by the Nazis.

2

He grew up during a war and it still affects him.

3

To prevent people from sharing needles and spreading diseases.

Grammar

Review Contractions

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

what’s, isn’t, what’s, isn’t

2

don’t, don’t

3

don’t, you’ll

4

haven’t, I’ve, won’t

5

I’m, I’m, you’ll

6

you’re, don’t, can’t, don’t

7

I’m

Consistent Verb Tense

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

change splash to splashed

2

change rang to rings

3

change sees to saw, change is to was

4

change locks to locked

Compound Nouns

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

drug users

2

worldwide

3

North America

4

British Columbia

5

overdose

6

spoke out

7

talk shows

8

World War II

9

grandparents

Attributions

Helping hands
Hands by johnhain is in the public domain.

Gabor Maté
Gabor Maté by Gabor Gastonyi is used under a CC BY SA 2.0 license.

Standing Up For Your Human Rights

Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

- Understand and use new vocabulary words

- Read words with double vowels ou, ow, and oo

- Apply the grammar rules you’ve learned in this book

- Create and write a plan to stand up for a human rights issue

Human rights

Get Ready to Read

- Think of a time you stood up for yourself. What happened? How did you feel?

Vocabulary

1. The government will give more money to people on income assistance.

a. A company, business, club, or group that was put together for a special purpose

2. Always try to speak to the person who has responsibility for the problem you face.

b. Having the job of taking care of something or someone

3. What might get in your way? Be creative to find ways to deal with these challenges.

c. A feeling that good things will happen in the future

4. Find an organization that tries to solve problems like yours. See if they have someone who can help you learn more.

d. Money that the government gives people who are out of work, sick, disabled, or old

5. Jack Layton called for more hope and optimism.

e. Something difficult

6. Jack Layton called for less fear and despair.

f. A feeling of no hope

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Write an answer for each question using the word in bold. Write in complete sentences.

1. What is the biggest responsibility you have ever had?

2. What sport do you think is the most challenging?

3. If you had one million dollars to give to one organization, which one would you give it to?

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Attack Strategy

Word Patterns

Some words have double vowels — two vowels side by side. The double vowels ow, oo, and ou are tricky because they each have two different sounds.

- ow can make a long /o/ sound like in snow

- ow can also make an /ou/ sound like in plow

- ou can make the sound /ou/ like in trout

- ou can also make a long /u/ sound like in soup

- oo can make a long /u/ sound like in school

- oo can also make the vowel sound in book

Notice that both ow and ou can make the /ou/ sound.

Notice that both ou and oo can make the long /u/ sound.

Fill in the blanks with the double vowels that will make a real word.

1.

ou           ow

d___n

t___el

l___d

2.

ou          ow

cl___d

s___th

f___nd

3.

ou          ow

v___el

t___n

disc___nt

4.

ou          ow

sh___t

fl___er

all___

5. Write the words above in the boxes below. Read the words.

ou

ow

6. Read these words. Do the letters ow make a long /o/ sound or an /ou/ sound? Circle the correct choice.

a. follow

b. shower

c. flower

d. snow

e. window

f. arrow

g. rainbow

h. below

i. power

j. grow

k. tomorrow

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/              /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

long /o/               /ou/

7. Fill in the blanks to make a sentence using the words below.

mushroom

balloon

shampoo

afternoon

cartoon

rooster

a. Do you go to school in the __________________ or at night?

b. I love this __________________ soup!

c. I got this chicken so I could have eggs, but it turns out it is a __________________.

d. Do you have a favourite __________________ character?

e. I wash my hair with __________________ three times a week.

f. There is a __________________ at my desk because it is my birthday.

8. Read the words. Does the oo make a long /u/ sound, or does it make the same sound you hear in book? Circle the correct choice.

a. fool

b. room

c. pool

d. took

e. moon

f. good

g. shook

h. stood

i. broom

j. raccoon

k. football

l. looking

m. understood

n. mushroom

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                    same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

long /u/                     same vowel sound as book

9. Read the words below and sort them into the boxes below.

around

rainbow

know

our

powerful

grow

stood

how

food

shown

you

cloud

houses

about

group

arrow

a. What says /ou/ like trout?

b. What says long /o/ like snow?

c. What says long /u/ like soup?

d. What has the same vowel sound as book?

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Use Your Reading Skills

Read Standing Up for Your Human Rights in your reader. Return to this page when you are done.

Check Your Understanding

1. What is the main point of this text?

a. To explain how to send an email

b. To describe Martin Luther King Jr.

c. To explain how to stand up for your rights

2. The steps for standing up for your rights are written below. They are in the wrong order. Put them in the right order. Look back at the text to help you.

a. Know who you can turn to for support.

b. Figure out the right person to talk to.

c. Make a back-up plan.

d. Decide what things you can use to make your point.

e. Set a goal.

f. Predict what challenges might get in your way. Come up with ways to deal with them.

g. Write down the problem.

h. Choose how to speak up — in an email, on the phone, in person, or by letter.

3. Think about these human rights problems. Write down a goal that would solve the problem.

Human Rights Problem

Goal

a. The women in my workplace get paid less than the men, even though they do the same job.

b. My landlord just raised my rent by an extra $200 a month. This is illegal — and I can’t afford to pay that much.

c. My kid’s school will not let the queer students start a club to fight homophobia.

4. Name three ways you can speak up for your human rights.

______________________________________________________________________

5. Name one thing you could do if your plan does not work the first time.

______________________________________________________________________

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Grammar

1. Are these complete sentences?

a. Women’s rights.

b. She made people laugh.

c. In all of Canada.

d. The first Aboriginal person in government.

e. He told a story about Mouseland.

f. Writing a book about what her family went through.

g. Jim loves Jack.

2. Put the two sentences together to make a compound sentence.

a. There are a lot of homeless people in my town. I wrote a letter to the government to ask them to help.

b. I learned about the people running to be in government. I voted for the person I liked best.

c. It’s always important to stand up for what’s right. It’s not always easy.

3. Add capitals to these sentences.

a. joy kogawa wrote a book called obasan.

b. nellie mcclung used to live on vancouver island.

c. did you know that december 10 is human rights day?

d. did you know that canada was the fourth country in the world to make same gender marriage legal?

e. tommy douglas went to brandon college.

4. Add commas to these sentences.

a. To stand up for your human rights, you can write a letter send an email make a phone call or speak to someone in person.

b. There are lots of people who can help you stand up for your rights, including friends family your MLA your MP or an organization.

c. Let us be loving hopeful and optimistic.

5. Make these words plural.

a. right

b. life

c. man

d. baby

e. dish

6. Rewrite the underlined words as contractions.

a. Dr. Seuss said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It is not.”

b. What does not kill us makes us stronger.

c. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Believe you can and you are half way there.”

d. In three words, I can sum up everything I have learned about life: it goes on.

7. Below is a summary of a story you have read. Add an apostrophe or an apostrophe and an s to the words in brackets.

(Viola Desmond) hero was Madam CJ Walker. Madam CJ Walker was (America) first self-made millionaire. Viola started a business like (Madam CJ) beauty business. (Viola) business was doing very well, too. One day, (Viola) car broke down when she was delivering her beauty products. She went to see a movie at the Roseland Theatre while she waited for her car to get fixed. She sat on the main floor of the theatre. The (theatre) main floor was for white people only. Viola was black. The (theatre) manager told her to move to the balcony. (Viola) eyesight was poor and she could not see from the balcony. She did not move. For that, the police took her to prison. Viola stood up for herself in court. She lost, but she helped start the fight for (African Canadians) rights.

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Writing

Writing Task

Think of a human rights problem in your life, or choose one from the list below. Make a plan to take a stand. Use the tips from the text and fill in this Make a Plan sheet. Edit your work with the checklist below. Hand in a final copy of your plan to your instructor.

Human rights problems:

- homelessness

- hunger

- low minimum wage

- bullying in schools

- missing and murdered Aboriginal women

Checklist:

- Did I explain the problem clearly?

- Did I make a goal that would solve the problem?

- Did I figure out what decision-maker I should talk to?

- Did I think of at least one challenge and a way to deal with it?

- Did I decide on a way to talk to the decision-maker?

- Did I make a list of people who could help me?

Answer Key

Vocabulary

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

d

2

b

3

e

4

a

5

c

6

f

Word Attack Strategy

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

down, towel, loud

2

cloud, south, found

3

vowel, town, discount

4

shout, flower, allow

5

ou: loud, cloud, south, found, discount, shout

ow: down, towel, vowel, town, flower, allow

6a

long /o/

6b

/ou/

6c

/ou/

6d

long /o/

6e

long /o/

6f

long /o/

6g

long /o/

6h

long /o/

6i

/ou/

6j

long /o/

6k

long /o/

7a

afternoon

7b

mushroom

7c

rooster

7d

cartoon

7e

shampoo

7f

balloon

8a

long /u/

8b

long /u/

8c

long /u/

8d

same vowel sound as book

8e

long /u/

8f

same vowel sound as book

8g

same vowel sound as book

8h

same vowel sound as book

8i

long /u/

8j

long /u/

8k

same vowel sound as book

8l

same vowel sound as book

8m

same vowel sound as book

8n

long /u/

9a

around, powerful, houses, about, how, cloud, our

9b

rainbow, grow, shown, know, arrow

9c

food, you, group

9d

stood

Check Your Understanding

QUESTION

ANSWER

1

c

2

g, e, b, f, d, h, a, c

3a

Women in my workplace will get equal pay for equal work.

3b

My landlord will raise my rent by the amount allowed by law.

3c

My kid’s school will allow a club to fight homophobia.

4

Answers will vary: write a letter, send an email, make a phone call, book an appointment, join an organization, vote

5

Answers will vary: I could change my goals, speak out in a different way, talk to different people, or get help from different people.

Grammar

QUESTION

ANSWER

1a

no

1b

yes

1c

no

1d

no

1e

yes

1f

no

1g

yes

2a

There are a lot of homeless people in my town, so I wrote a letter to the government to ask them to help.

2b

I learned about the people running to be in government, and I voted for the person I liked best.

2c

It’s always important to stand up for what’s right, but it’s not always easy.

3a

Joy Kogawa wrote a book called Obasan.

3b

Nellie McClung used to live on Vancouver Island.

3c

Did you know that December 10 is Human Rights Day?

3d

Did you know that Canada was the fourth country in the world to make same gender marriage legal?

3e

Tommy Douglas went to Brandon College.

4a

To stand up for your human rights, you can write a letter, send an email, make a phone call, or speak to someone in person.

4b

There are lots of people who can help you stand up for your rights, including friends, family, your MLA, your MP, or an organization.

4c

Let us be loving, hopeful, and optimistic.

5a

rights

5b

lives

5c

men

5d

babies

5e

dishes

6a

Dr. Seuss said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

6b

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

6c

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Believe you can and you’re half way there.”

6d

In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.

7

Viola Desmond’s hero was Madam CJ Walker. Madam CJ Walker was America’s first self-made millionaire. Viola started a business like Madam CJ’s beauty business. Viola’s business was doing very well, too. One day, Viola’s car broke down when she was delivering her beauty products. She went to see a movie at the Roseland Theatre while she waited for her car to get fixed. She sat on the main floor of the theatre. The theatre’s main floor was for white people only. Viola was black. The theatre’s manager told her to move to the balcony. Viola’s eyesight was poor and she could not see from the balcony. She did not move. For that, the police took her to prison. Viola stood up for herself in court. She lost, but she helped start the fight for African Canadians’ rights.

Attribution

Human rights
Fists by Nemo is in the public domain.

Appendix 1: Graphic Organizers

Here is a list of all the graphic organizers and forms used in this book:

1. My Writing Assignments

2. A Postcard from My Future Self

3. Sum It Up

4. Tell a Story

5. Register to Vote

6. Make a Plan

Print-friendly versions of these same graphic organizers are also provided on the following pages.

Appendix 2: Writing Assessment Checklists

Click on the links below for print-friendly checklists for assessing learners’ writing progress:

Checklist: The Story of Our Human Rights

Checklist: The Story of Viola Desmond

Checklist: The Story of Tommy Douglas

Checklist: The Story of Joy Kogawa

Checklist: The Story of Jim Egan

Checklist: The Story of Elijah Harper

Checklist: The Story of Gabor Maté

Note: No checklist is necessary for The Story of Nellie McClung or Standing Up For Your Human Rights. Simply check to make sure the learner has filled in their documents legibly and correctly.

Print-friendly versions of these same writing assessment checklists are also provided on the following pages.

Appendix 3: Level 4 Scope and Sequence

For detailed information on the contents of each chapter in this course pack, please refer to the Level 4 Scope and Sequence document. A print-friendly version is also provided on the following page.

Appendix 4: Recommended Films

If you would like to learn more about the people in this book, check out these great online films and clips:

1. Long Road to Justice: The Viola Desmond Story

2. Rebel With a Cause: Tommy Douglas

3. Historica Minutes: Nellie McClung

4. The Power of Addiction and the Addiction to Power

Bibliography

Azar, B. (2003). Fundamentals of English grammar. 3rd ed. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Bothwell, R. (2015). Lester B. Pearson. TheCanadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lester-bowles-pearson/

Brant, J. (2006). The Aboriginal literacy curriculum toolbox. Owen Sound, ON: Ningwakwe.

Gould, L & J. Weiten. (1997). Ideas, activities and exercises for fundamental level English. Vancouver: Basic Education Dept, Vancouver Community College.

Hanson, E. (2009). Marginalization of Aboriginal women. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/community-politics/marginalization-of-aboriginal-women.html

Heyer, S. (2011). More true stories behind the song: A high-beginning reader. White Plains, NY: Pearson.

Laframboise, S. & Anhorn, M. (2008). The way of the two-spirited people.”Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://www.dancingtoeaglespiritsociety.org/twospirit.php

Lemay, J. (2012).  Certificate in community capacity building: Skills for strengthening community health.  Vancouver: Simon Fraser University.

Leu, D & C. K. Kinzer. (2012). Phonics, phonemic awareness, and word analysis for teachers. Toronto: Pearson.

Lovick, LD. (2015). Tommy Douglas. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tommy-douglas/

Malchiodi, C. (10 Feb 2010). Ten coolest art therapy interventions. Psychology Today. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/arts-and-health/201002/the-ten-coolest-art-therapy-interventions

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North Vancouver School District. (1999). Reading 44: Intermediate. North Vancouver, BC: Leo Marshall Curriculum Centre.

“Oscar Peterson.” (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Peterson

“Popular Quotes.” (2015). Goodreads. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes

Rainbow Resource Centre. (2008). Two Spirit people of the First Nations. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://www.rainbowresourcecentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/TwoSpirit.pdf

Reaburn, R. (2000). Roots, prefixes, & suffixes of the English language. Vancouver: Vancouver Community College.

“The Manifesto.” (n.d.). Idle no more. Retrieved on 15 March, 2015 from http://www.idlenomore.ca/manifesto.

“Two-Spirit.” (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved on 15 March 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Spirit

Wilson, B. (2014). Wilson reading system instructor manual. Oxford: MA: Wilson Language Training.

Wilson, B. (2014). Wilson reading system rules notebook. Oxford: MA: Wilson Language Training.

About the Author

Shantel Ivits is an instructor in the Basic Education Department at Vancouver Community College, on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Shantel has designed curriculum for the National Film Board of Canada, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, and many community-based projects.

Over the past decade, they have taught in literacy programs, university bridging programs, an ESL academy, and K-12 public schools.

They hold a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Trent University, as well as a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Arts in Educational Studies from the University of British Columbia.

Shantel identifies as a queer and trans person with white settler privilege. Their goal as an educator is to help people build their capacity to reach their goals and create more socially just communities.

Shantel also enjoys raising awareness that ‘they’ can be used as a singular pronoun!