In these pages, you will take a walk into the history of British Columbia. You will read about some of the great mysteries of our province. Along the way, you will learn many new skills that will help you be a stronger reader and writer.

Learning Strategy: Know Your Strengths

A strength is something you are good at. Everyone has something they are good at. Learners who know their strengths and use them are more likely to do well.

Living outside

Read this story about Mitch. He has lived through some hard times. But he uses his strengths to get by. What are Mitch’s strengths?

My name is Mitch. I am from the Ojibway Nation. When I was a kid, I got a head injury. It made it hard to read and write. So I left school when I was 9. Even though I was just a kid, I went to work. I got jobs cleaning, fixing fences, and digging holes. There was no job I couldn’t do. One day when I was 16, the police said I stole a car. I didn’t. But they put me in jail anyway. I felt so angry. When I got out, it was hard to find work. I have lots of skills. I am good with tools. I can build and fix just about anything. I’m friendly and honest. But it’s hard to find work when you can’t read and write. So these days I live outside. I tried to stay in a shelter once. But it felt too much like jail. At night, I sleep in a tent in the park. In the summer, it’s not so bad. In the winter, the nights are long and cold. One day, I will be a carpenter. I won’t just build houses. I will live in one. In the meantime, I go to school twice a week. I am learning how to read and write. My teacher says I have a positive attitude. My positive attitude is how I get by.

In this unit, you will read about some mysteries in British Columbia’s history. As you go through each chapter, think about ways you can use your strengths to do your best work.

Attribution

Living outside
Saturday Night Lights by Luke Detwiler is used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.

Reading Strategy

In this unit, you will learn some strategies you can use before you read. These are called pre-reading strategies. One pre-reading strategy is called Connect.

First you ask: What is the subject of the reading? Subject is another way of saying “main topic.”

Then you ask: What does this subject remind me of?

Here is why this strategy works:

The subject of the reading in this chapter is the sasquatch. Another name for the sasquatch is Bigfoot.

When you think of a sasquatch, what are you reminded of? You will make a web to show the different ways your mind connects to the word sasquatch.

Make a web

1. Ask your instructor for the Make a Web sheet, or open and print one from the link. For this task, use a marker or pen.

2. Write sasquatch — the subject — in the big shape in the middle.

3. In each of the smaller shapes, write one of these questions:

a. What does it look like?

b. Where does it live?

c. Why do people think it is real?

d. Where have I heard about it?

4. Add your ideas to the lines around each question.

You will return to your web after you read Searching for Sasquatches.

Word Attack Strategy

Sometimes we see a word that we do not understand. Knowing lots of word attack strategies helps us make sense of the word. One word attack strategy is to study word patterns. Here are helpful word patterns to know.

Practice reading these words

You will see these patterns in the reading for this chapter.

Use Your Strategies

Read Searching for Sasquatches in your reader. When you have finished, try the tasks below.

Finish your web

1. After you have read the text, close your eyes and ask: When I think of the word sasquatch, what new things come to mind?

2. Get a different colour of marker or pen. Add your new connections to the web you made at the beginning of this chapter.

Now look at all of your new connections! What do you think about the Connect strategy? Did it help you make sense of what you read? Rate this strategy in your notebook. How many stars would you give it?
One star means it did not help you. Five stars mean it helped you a lot.

Check Your Understanding

Write true or false for each statement

1. The sasquatch is two metres tall.

2. The sasquatch can run very fast.

3. The sasquatch uses its hands and feet to walk, like an ape.

4. The sasquatch does not have a good smell.

5. People in British Columbia are allowed to hunt sasquatches.

Answer these questions

Who

6. …told a judge he was kidnapped by a sasquatch?

7. …was the reporter who researched sasquatches?

8. …has told stories about sasquatches for thousands of years?

Where

9. …is the Land of the Sasquatch?

When

10. …do scientists say a beast like a sasquatch once lived?

Use your vocabulary

11. Here are some vocabulary words from the reading. Try writing your own sentence for three of the words.

Grammar

Let’s get ready to do some writing. When you write, it helps to know about subjects and verbs. This will help you know whether the sentences you write are complete sentences.

You know that a sentence begins with a capital and ends with a period, question mark or exclamation mark. Here is another rule about what every sentence needs.

Use the sentences above to answer these questions

1. Which statement is true?

a. In each statement, the subject comes before the verb.

b. In each statement, the subject comes after the verb.

2. Which statement is true?

a. The subject is always at the beginning of the sentence.

b. The subject is not always at the beginning of the sentence.

3. Which statement is true?

a. The subject is always just one thing.

b. The subject can be one thing or a group of things.

Copy these sentences, underline the subject, circle the verb

4. John Green researched stories about the sasquatch.

5. The sasquatch stands three metres tall.

6. Harrison Hot Springs is a place in the Fraser Valley.

7. The government of Harrison Hot Springs started a search party to look for the beast.

8. Scientists know an ape three metres tall did exist 200,000 years ago.

Seeing subjects and verbs in your sentences

9. Now write two or three sentences of your own. Write about whether you think the sasquatch is real. Give your reasons.

10. Underline the subject in each sentence. Circle the verbs.

Writing

Reading Strategy

In the last chapter, you learned a pre-reading strategy called Connect. You connected what you already knew about a topic to what you were reading.

In this chapter, you will use a pre-reading strategy called Predict. Predict means guess.

Try this

1. In your reader, look at the title of the next reading.

2. Look at the pictures that go with the reading.

3. Look at these words from the story:

4. Ask your instructor for the Predict sheet, or open and print one from the link. Under I predict…, answer each question below.

a. When do you think the story takes place?

b. What job did Ginger Goodwin do?

c. How did Ginger Goodwin die?

d. Who might want Ginger Goodwin dead? Why?

 You will look back at your guesses after you read The Shooting of Ginger Goodwin.

Word Attack Strategy

One way to learn to read harder words is to study word families. A word family is a group of words with the same ending. In this chapter, you will look at words that end with –ight, –ound, and –ain.

Practice reading these words

Watch out! Here are some –ai words that make a different sound. The a is silent in these words:

Use Your Strategies

Read The Shooting of Ginger Goodwin in your reader. When you have finished, return to the tasks below.

Try this

Finish filling in your Predict sheet. Under The text says…, write the real answers from the text.  Were your guesses right?

What do you think about the Predict strategy? Did it help you make sense of what you read? Rate this strategy in your notebook. How many stars would you give it? One star means it did not help you. Five stars mean it helped you a lot.

Check Your Understanding

Match the sentence beginnings with the correct endings

Rewrite the complete sentences in your notebook.

Sentence  beginnings:

1. Albert Goodwin was called Ginger because…

2. Coal was important because…

3. Coal mining was dangerous because…

4. The coal miners went on strike because…

5. Ginger fled to Alone Mountain because…

6. The police came after Ginger because…

7. All the workers in British Columbia went on strike because…

Sentence endings:

…it was illegal for fit men aged 20 to 35 not to go to war.

…they wanted to be safe at work.

…gas and coal dust made workers sick.

…they were mad that Ginger was killed.

…it was used to fuel trains and steamboats.

…he had red hair.

…he did not believe in war.

Grammar

Copy these sentences, underline the subject, circle the verb

1. Coal mining was not a safe job.

2. The coal dust made people sick.

3. Sometimes gas made the workers sick, too.

4. Sometimes mines caved in.

5. Ginger Goodwin spoke out for workers’ rights.

These sentences are not complete

Write what is missing — a subject or a verb.

6. Did not believe in war.

7. Had many health problems.

8. Said he was fit for war.

9. People in the nearby town.

10. A police officer named Campbell.

11. Found Ginger’s dead body.

12. All the workers in British Columbia.

Are these sentences complete?

Write yes if they are complete and no if they are not complete. Rewrite the incomplete sentences to make them complete.

13. His family called him Ginger.

14. Went on strike.

15. Made a law that all men aged 20 to 35 must fight in the war.

16. The doctor said Ginger was fit to go to war.

17. Escaped to a cabin on Alone Mountain.

18. Miners and friends.

Writing

Was Ginger Goodwin a lawbreaker or a hero? You will share what you think in a paragraph.

Before you write, it helps to brainstorm as many ideas as you can. The web you used in the last chapter is a great tool for brainstorming.

Make a web

1. Ask your instructor for a Make a Web sheet, or open and print one from the link.

2. Write Ginger Goodwin in the big shape. He will be the subject of your paragraph.

3. In one of the smaller shapes, write lawbreaker. On the lines outside of that shape, brainstorm reasons Ginger was or was not a lawbreaker.

4. In another of the smaller shape, write hero. On the lines outside of that shape, brainstorm reasons Ginger was or was not a hero.

5. Leave the other shapes blank.

6. Think about your web. Decide if you think Ginger was more of a lawbreaker or more of a hero.

Now you are ready to put your thoughts into a paragraph.

Reading Strategy

In the last chapter, you learned a pre-reading strategy called Predict. You looked at the title, pictures, and words from the story to guess what it was about.

In this chapter, you will use a pre-reading strategy called Question. Asking questions about the topic in the reading helps stir up our interest. When we read with questions in mind, it helps us make sense of what we read.

Here are some question words:

Try this

1. Find The Gentleman Bandit in your reader. Look at the title and pictures. Use a dictionary to look up any words in the title that you do not know. What is the subject of the reading?

2. Ask your instructor for the Question sheet, or open and print one from the link.

3. Under I wonder…, make a list of five questions you have about this subject.

Example: What was the bandit’s real name? What did he steal? Did he get caught?

Word Attack Strategy

Split these big words into smaller words

Then guess what they might mean. Match the word to each picture.

1. newspaper

2. campfire

3. gunfight

a	b	c

 Match each set of two words to just one picture

4. train bandit

5. wanted poster

6. passenger car

7. police officer

8. British Columbia

d	e	f	g	h

Use Your Strategies

Read The Gentleman Bandit in your reader. Look for the answers to your questions as you read.

Try this

When you have finished reading, write down the answers in your Question chart, under I learned…

What do you think about the Question strategy? Did it help you make sense of what you read? Rate this strategy in your notebook. How many stars would you give it? One star means it did not help you. Five stars mean it helped you a lot.

Check Your Understanding

Put these events from Bill Miner’s life in the right order

1. His friends dug a hole under the prison fence.

2. He came to British Columbia.

3. He robbed a train near Kamloops.

4. He escaped back to the United States.

5. He robbed a train near Mission.

6. He only made $15.50.

7. The police put him in prison.

8. He got $7,000 in gold. 

Grammar

 Copy these sentences and circle the simple past verbs

1. In the days before cars, people and goods travelled long ways on horses and trains.

2. Bill needed to escape.

3. He slipped across the border into Canada.

4. He played the fiddle.

5. He showed people how to dance.

Find the verbs in these sentences

Change these sentences to simple past by adding –ed to the end of the verbs.

6. The bandits climb onto the train.

7. They unhook the passenger car.

8. They grab the gold.

9. They wish the train workers a good night.

10. They walk off into the night.

11. They share their money.

 Write down the subjects and verbs from these sentences

12. Horses and trains were easy targets for bandits.

13. Bill Miner was one of the most infamous train bandits.

14. George Edwards was the name he gave people.

15. He was a charming man.

16. The robbery was in all of the newspapers across British Columbia.

Try this

Pick three words from the words below. Write one sentence about Bill Miner for each word.

Writing

How do you think Bill Miner got out of British Columbia without anyone seeing him? Create a paragraph telling the story of how he got away.

Make a web

Just like last time, plan out your ideas using a web.

1. Ask your instructor for a Make a Web sheet, or open and print one from the link.

2. In the big shape, write Bill Miner. He is the subject of your story.

3. In each of the smaller shapes, write one of these questions:

a. Who helped him escape?

b. How did he travel across the border?

c. Where did he go?

d. How did he spend the rest of his life?

4. Brainstorm answers for each question. Be creative!

Now you are ready to put your ideas into a paragraph.

Attributions

Photo a by BrokenSphere is in the public domain.

Photo b by Jon S is used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.

Photo c by unknown is in the public domain.

Photo d by unknown is in the public domain.

Photo e by unknown is in the public domain.

Photo f by RadtasticBxtch is used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.

Photo g by unknown is in the public domain.

Photo h by amandaelizabeth84 is in the public domain.

In these pages, you will walk alongside some of the people of British Columbia. You will read a bit about arts and culture in our province. Along the way, you will learn many new skills that will help you be a stronger reader and writer.

Setting Goals

Everyone has dreams. Setting goals is the first step to making our dreams come true.

Read this story about Sara. Sara is an adult learner in British Columbia. What are Sara’s goals?

My name is Sara. I am from Sudan. In Sudan, I had a friend named Ben. Ben was gay. When he walked, he moved his hips like a woman. Some men did not like Ben’s walk. These men did not like gay people. So they killed my friend Ben. I miss him so much. In 1998, I moved to British Columbia. One of the women in my neighbourhood had a gay son. When she found out her son was gay, she felt ashamed. She kicked him out of the house. These days, I invite her son to my house. I cook for him. He eats with my family. Some of my friends say I should not let this boy near my kids. They say he might turn my kids gay. I know that’s not true. The boy will always be welcome at my house. I take basic education classes four days a week. I want to learn to read and write. My goal is to make the world a better place. My goal is to stand up for human rights. This would have made my friend Ben happy.

In this unit, you will learn about some different faces of culture in British Columbia. As you go through each chapter, think about your goals. Let your goals move you toward doing your best work.

Reading Strategy

In Unit 1, you learned about pre-reading strategies. Another way you can build your reading skills is to build your vocabulary. In this chapter, you will learn to build your vocabulary. Your vocabulary is the group of words that you know.

You can build your vocabulary by keeping track of words that are new to you. You might see new words in newspapers or hear them on TV. Find out what they mean. Then remember and use your new words.

Learning new words helps you because:

• You will understand more difficult readings.
• You will be able to express yourself more clearly.
• You will be able to retell things in your own words.

Try this

Here are some vocabulary words. Which ones are new for you?

1. Rate each word based on how well you know it. Give it a…

1 – if you do not know it

2 – if you sort of know it

3 – if you know it well

2. Now ask your instructor for a Vocab Builder sheet, or open and print one from the link.

3. Choose three words that you rated a 1. Add each word to the middle of its own Word box.

4. Look up your three words in the dictionary. Sometimes a word has more than one meaning. The most common meaning will be given first. Under Dictionary Definition, write down the most common meaning for your three words.

5. For each word, complete all the other boxes in the Vocab Builder.

Word Attack Strategy

Often we can figure out a new word without looking in a dictionary. We can use our word attack skills.

One word attack strategy is to look for a suffix. A suffix is part of a word. It is put at the end of the word to change the meaning. In this chapter, you will learn about these suffixes: –er,  –or,  –ar, and  –est.

Answer these questions

1. What is a visitor?

A visitor is a person who ____________________.

2. What is a racer?

A racer is a person who ____________________.

3. What is a sculptor?

A sculptor is a person who ____________________.

Answer these questions

4. What does longest mean?

Longest means the most ______________.

5. What does oldest mean?

Oldest means the most _______________.

6. What does largest mean?

Largest means the most _______________.

Use Your Strategies

The title of the next reading is All Together Now: BC Festivals. Think about any festivals you have been to. What did they celebrate? What kinds of events were there? Guess what festivals will be talked about in this reading. When you are ready, begin reading.

What do you think about the Vocab Builder worksheet? Did it help you make sense of what you read? Rate this worksheet in your notebook. How many stars would you give it? One star means it did not help you. Five stars mean it helped you a lot.

Check Your Understanding

The subject of the reading in this chapter is festivals of British Columbia. The reading is divided into six paragraphs. Each paragraph is about a different, but closely related topic.

Find the topic

1. What is the topic of the second paragraph?

a. Whales

b. Festivals in British Columbia

c. The Pacific Rim Whale Festival

2. What is the topic of the third paragraph?

a. Bathtubs

b. Nanaimo’s World Championship Bathtub Race

c. Vancouver Island

3. What is the topic of the fourth paragraph?

a. The Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver

b. Dragons

c. China

4. What is the topic of the fifth paragraph?

a. The Vernon Winter Carnival

b. Sculptures

c. The Rocky Mountains

Fill in the blanks with a word that makes sense

5. The Pacific Rim Whale Festival celebrates the _____________________ of the grey whale.

6. The World Championship Bathtub Race started as a silly event but is now a _________________________  sport.

7. The Dragon Boat Festival celebrates the many different ______________________ of the people in Vancouver.

8. At the Vernon Winter Carnival, people are put in ______________________ to raise money.

Grammar

If we learn the rules about capital letters, we can help our readers understand what we write. You already know to use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. This helps our readers understand that we are starting a new idea. Here are some more rules about capital letters.

Why do these words have capital letters?

Match each word to the correct capital letter rule using the number from the box above. The first one is done for you.

1. Arctic      Answer: 3

2. Mexico

3. Expo 86

4. Rocky Mountains

5. Nanaimo

6. March

7. Vernon Winter Carnival

8. Dragon Boat Festival

9. China

10. February

11. Pacific Rim National Park

These sentences are missing capital letters

Rewrite these sentences and add capital letters where needed.

12. albert ostman said he was kidnapped by a sasquatch.

13. ginger goodwin hid on alone mountain near comox lake.

14. there is a movie about bill miner called the grey fox.

15. are you going to the kamloopa powwow?

16. yes, i am leaving on friday, and i will be back on sunday.

Writing

Reading Strategy

In the last chapter, you learned how a bigger vocabulary can help you read. One way to build your vocabulary is to study synonyms.

Synonyms are words that have nearly the same meaning. Think about the word strange. This circle shows some synonyms for strange:

Some dictionaries give you a synonym along with the definition. Dictionaries often put SYN before the list of synonyms for a word.

Try this

1. Look up wonderful in your dictionary. Does it give a list of synonyms? If not, ask your instructor for a thesaurus to do this task. A thesaurus is a book that gives synonyms for words.

2. Ask your instructor for a SYN Circles sheet, or open and print one from the link.

3. Choose four words from the box below. Put each of your words into a circle.

4. Find three synonyms for each word that you chose. Choose synonyms that you can sound out. Add them to the correct circle.

5. Write a sentence for each word you picked from the box.

Word Attack Strategy

In the last chapter, you learned about the suffixes –ar, –or, –er, and –est. In this chapter, you will learn about the suffixes –less and –ful.

 Complete these sentences

1. Hopeless means ______________________________.

2. Powerless means ______________________________.

3. Tasteless means ______________________________.

Complete these sentences

4. Joyful means ______________________________.

5. Restful means ______________________________.

6. Tearful means ______________________________.

Complete the sentence with the best word from the box

7. People who skydive are ______________________________.

8. The ____________________ child raced down the hill on her sled.

9. The sunset is ______________________________.

10. My day off work was very ______________________________.

11. I was being _____________________________ and I broke a glass.

Use Your Strategies

Now it’s time to read Bold and Bright: Sook-Yin Lee. You will come across many of the synonyms and suffixes you looked at in this chapter. Use what you have learned to help you make sense of and enjoy the text.

What do you think about the SYN Circles task? Did it help you make sense of what you read? Rate this task in your notebook. How many stars would you give it? One star means it did not help you. Five stars mean it helped you a lot.

Check Your Understanding

Put these events from Sook-Yin’s life in order

1. She grew up in North Vancouver.

2. She became a radio show host on CBC.

3. Her sister died.

4. CBC almost fired her for being in a movie called Shortbus.

5. She ran away from home with her sister.

6. She became a VJ on MuchMusic.

7. She kept her job.

8. People spoke out for her right to express herself.

9. She joined a band called Bob’s Your Uncle.

Try this

10. What does “Jill of all trades” mean?

11. Why is Sook-Yin Lee called a “Jill of all trades”?

Grammar

When we talk, we often blend our words together. We do not say, “What is going on?” We say, “What’s going on?” This is called a “contraction.”

Look at these sentences from the reading

Find the contractions. Rewrite the sentences without contractions.

1. She’s a musician, actor, writer, filmmaker, and broadcaster.

2. She says stories are how she makes sense of a world that’s both strange and wonderful.

3. She became the lead singer of a Vancouver-based punk band called Bob’s Your Uncle.

4. What makes Sook-Yin different is that she doesn’t hold back.

5. So CBC didn’t fire her after all.

Try contractions

Choose two of the contractions from the Grammar Rule box above. Write a sentence for each one.

Writing

Listen to the first 12 minutes of this podcast of Definitely Not the Opera with Sook-Yin Lee.

Reading Strategy

In the last chapter, you learned how to build your vocabulary with synonyms. In this chapter, you will learn to build your vocabulary with antonyms.

Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. For example, old and young are antonyms. Dead and alive are antonyms.

Find the pairs of antonyms in this list

Words can have many antonyms. The antonyms for renew are in the grey parts of the circle.

Try this

1. Ask your instructor for an ANT Circles sheet, or open and print one from the link.

2. Create an Antonym Circle for each of the words below. Use a thesaurus to find antonyms. Choose words you can sound out.

Word Attack Strategy

When you first began to read, you mostly learned words with three letters, such as hop, pin, and cod.

The first letter is a consonant. The second letter is a vowel. The third letter is a consonant. These words are called consonant-vowel-consonant words. We call them CVC words for short.

Words and syllables with this pattern often have a short vowel sound. Read these words. See if you can hear the short vowel in each list.

Now read these words. Make sure you read them with a long vowel sound.

Practice reading these CVC and CVCE words together

The words in the box are from the reading for this chapter

1. Make a list of the CVC words.

2. Make a list of the CVCE words.

Underline the CVCE pattern in these words

3. white

4. these

5. place

6. stage

The CVCE rule is also useful for reading words with more than one syllable.

Underline the CVCE pattern in these words

7. rewrite

8. alive

9. taken

Use Your Strategies

Now you are ready to read Spread the Word: First Nations Languages in BC. You will come across many of the antonyms you have looked at. You will also read many CVCE words, which will be in bold. Use what you have learned to understand and enjoy the text.

What do you think about the ANT Circles task? Did it help you make sense of what you read? Rate this task in your notebook. How many stars would you give it? One star means it did not help you. Five stars mean it helped you a lot.

Check Your Understanding

Choose the best answer

1. What is the subject of this reading?

a. First Nations people in Canada

b. First Nations languages in British Columbia

c. Skwomesh language

2. What is the main idea of this reading?

a. First Nations languages are at risk, but together we can keep them strong

b. Khelsilem is a good person.

c. Hardwood forests renew themselves.

3. How many First Nations languages are spoken in British Columbia?

a. 10

b. Over 30

c. 102

4. Why are First Nations languages at risk?

a. The government tried to get rid of First Nations languages through laws and schools.

b. Language is not important to First Nations people.

5. Why does Khelsilem want Skwomesh culture and language to be like a hardwood forest?

a. He wants the Skwomesh culture and language to reach a point where it renews itself.

b. He thinks forests are very beautiful.

Write a short answer to these questions

6. Name two ways Khelsilem is helping to keep the Skwomesh language strong.

7. What are some ways First Nations people can learn their language?

8. What is a settler?

9. How can settlers help First Nations languages stay strong?

Grammar

Look at this quote from Spread the Word: First Nations Languages in BC. Is it talking about the past, present, or future?

First, the flowers will come back. Then the grasses and weeds will return. Then the shrubs and berry bushes will grow. Next, the softwood trees will come. Finally, the hardwood trees will return. Now the hardwood forest will renew itself. Each stage made way for the next stage. Khelsilem hopes to set up the next wave of Skwomesh people so they will be like that hardwood forest.

This quote is talking about the future.

Which of these sentences are written in future tense?

1. Khelsilem is 24 years old.

2. Khesilem learned his traditional language.

3. Khelsilem will build a school.

4. Khelsilem will help others learn Skwomesh.

5. He is like a shrub.

6. One day, the shrub will become a forest.

Writing

Khelsilem hopes to set up the next wave of Skwomesh people so their language will be like a hardwood forest. Their language will not be at risk. It will renew itself. To do this, he lives in a house where Skwomesh is spoken every day. He will also build the Skwomesh Language Academy.

In your life, what will you do to help your community?

In these pages, you will take a walk along the forests, mountains, and oceans of British Columbia. You will read about some of the animals of our province. Along the way, you will learn many new skills that will help you be a stronger reader and writer.

Talking about Time

A big part of being a good student is learning how to use your time well.

Read this story about Gus. Gus is very busy. How does he get by?

My name is Gus. I am 22 years old. I am a very busy guy. I work in a kitchen all day. I am a really good cook. One day, I want to go to college to become a chef. So after work, I go to night school where I learn to read and write. I have a learning disability. I went to high school in British Columbia, but I fell through the cracks. Sure, going to work and school at the same time is hard. I won’t give up, though. I just have to plan my time well. I always leave for work and school earlier than I need to. That way, I will always be on time. I make to-do lists to keep track of my homework and chores. I set myself deadlines for each task on my list. Thinking about my dream of being a chef helps me meet my deadlines, even when I don’t feel like it. And I make sure to leave lots of time for sleep, so that I’ll be at my best during the day. Like I said, I’m a busy guy. I’ve got big dreams.

In this unit, you will read about three different animals that call British Columbia home. As you go through each chapter, think about ways you can use your time well.

Reading Strategy

People often try to change the way we think. Sometimes they want to sell us things. Sometimes they want us to support a cause. It is important that we can make up our minds for ourselves.

One way people try to change the way we think is by making their opinion sound like a fact. Can you tell the difference between fact and opinion? If you can, you will be better able to make careful decisions.

A fact is something that you know is true. You can prove it. An opinion is something that you think or believe is true. But you cannot prove it, and people might disagree. For example:

Try this

Write down fact or opinion for each statement. You do not need to go back to the reader to see if these are true or false. Just look at the statement.

Word Attack Strategy

What three sounds can y make? Look at the words in the above Word Patterns box and say them out loud.

 Make a chart like this

Fill in your chart

1. Sort these words into your chart

These words are split up into syllables

2. Put the syllables together to make a word. Write the word on the line. Then sound it out.

How many syllables are in these words?

3. A syllable is a beat in a word. Each beat has one vowel sound. Write the number of syllables for each word.

Use Your Strategies

Read the chapter called The Rare Spirit Bear. You will read some facts and opinions about this animal. You will see many words with open syllables. Try out your new strategies as you read. Enjoy!

Check Your Understanding

Sometimes people make statements that are false. These “facts” about spirit bears are false. One word is wrong.

Rewrite the sentence to make the statement true

Change the wrong word to the correct word.

1. The spirit bear is really a kind of grizzly bear.

2. The Great Bear Rainforest is a place in Alaska.

3. Spirit bears have a harder time catching salmon than black bears do.

4. In winter, spirit bears can go without food for nine months.

5. The First Nations have always hunted the spirit bear.

6. Spirit bears live to be about 50 years old.

Are these statements fact or opinion?

7. Enbridge will pay taxes to the government of British Columbia.

8. A pipeline should be built through the Great Bear Rainforest.

9. The government should not allow any more oil tankers off the coast of British Columbia.

10. Oil spills can kill plants and animals.

11. Building pipelines will create jobs.

Grammar

Knowing about compound words can help you spell bigger words. If you can spell the small words that make up compound words, you can spell bigger words, too.

Try this

1. Here are some compound words from your reading. What small words do you see inside each compound word? Write them down.

a. waterfall

b. rainforest

c. pipeline

2. Match a word from List 1 with a word from List 2 to make a compound word from the reading.

3. What small words do you see in these compound words?

Writing

Do you think Enbridge should be allowed to build a pipeline through the Great Bear Rainforest?

Make a web

1. Make a web to brainstorm your ideas. Ask your instructor for a Make a Web sheet, or open and print one from the link.

2. Look at your past webs to help you make a web for this writing task.

3. You can use ideas from the reading to fill in the web. But do not copy word for word. Find synonyms for some words instead of copying them.

Sockeye salmon

Reading Strategy

We can’t believe everything we read. In the last chapter, you learned about the difference between fact and opinion. Knowing whether the statements we read are facts or opinions helps us form our own ideas.

Which of these statements are facts? Which are opinions?

Here are some statements about salmon

Some are true and some are false. Predict whether each statement is true or false.

Word Attack Strategy

In the last chapter, you learned about syllables with the letter y. In this chapter, you will learn about r-controlled syllables.

Practice reading these words

Remember, an r-controlled syllable has the letters –er, –ir, –ur, –ar, or –or.

Underline the r-controlled syllable in each word

Use Your Strategies

Read The Journey of the Salmon. You’ll see if your predictions are right. You will also come across many words with r-controlled vowels in bold.

Check Your Understanding

Look to see whether each statement is true or false

Then look back at your predictions. Did anything surprise you?

Seeing both sides

People have different opinions about fish farms. Some people support fish farms. Others do not. Ask your instructor for the Seeing Both Sides sheet, or open and print one from the link.

Enter this question in the top box: Should people in British Columbia be allowed to farm salmon?

6. Use the good things about fish farms to fill in the Yes side.

7. Use the bad things about fish farms to fill in the No side.

Make your mind up. Write your answer to the question on the bottom line.

Grammar

Look at these sentences from The Journey of the Salmon:

• Fish farmers are keeping wild salmon safe from overfishing.
• They are making jobs for people.

These sentences are written using the continuous present tense.

Underline the continuous present verbs

Below are some more examples from the reading.

1. A few communities are building fish farms on land, rather than in the ocean.

2. They are using closed tanks, rather than nets and cages.

3. Fish farms are spreading sea lice.

4. The drugs that fish farmers give the salmon are harming other sea life.

Underline the verbs

Here are some sentences from the news clip. They are written in many tenses — simple past, simple present, and continuous present.

5. Lives are beginning — and are ending — on the Adams River in Kamloops.

6. This year is a high point in the sockeye salmon cycle.

7. Once they were just eggs in this river bottom.

8. Now they are returning home.

9. They are dying because they are so old.

10. I saw a dead one on the beach.

11. This is a male and this is a female.

12. Every four years, a large push of fish comes in.

13. Five years ago, it was a different story.

14. Only some fish arrived.

Try this

Which of the above sentences use continuous present tense?

Choose one of your favourite places in the world. For example, you might choose a lake or a city or your kitchen. Describe what is happening there right now using continuous present. Think of at least three things.

Example: In Snug Cove, the otters are swimming. The boats are bobbing in the water. The seagulls are resting on the dock.

Writing

Attributions

Sockeye salmon by Epipelagic is in the public domain.

Orca whales jumping

Reading Strategy

You are getting better and better at telling the difference between fact and opinion. Let’s practice one more time.

Which of these statements are facts? Which are opinions?

Predict whether these statements are true or false

You will return to your predictions after you read Spy-Hopping with Orca Whales.

Word Attack Strategy

Try this

Look quickly at Spy-Hopping with Orca Whales in your reader. Don’t read it, just find the words fluke, spy-hop, and breach. Read the paragraph that contains these words.

Write definitions for fluke, spy–hop, and breach in your own words.

4. Look at these sentences from the reading. Make a guess about what word goes in the blank. Does your guess sound right? Does it make sense? Write down your words.

a. When a baby is born it comes out tail first. The mother brings it to the _____________ of the water. The baby takes its first breath of air.

b. The biggest _________________ to orca whales is people. People build dams on rivers. The dams kill many salmon. With fewer salmon to eat, orca whales die, too.

c. In British Columbia, orca whales do something we do not understand. They come onto some beaches and rub their bodies on the smooth, round ________________.

d. Their two flippers help them steer. Their fin keeps them ________________ when they go fast.

Use Your Strategies

Now it’s time to read Spy-Hopping with Orca Whales. You will see some bold words. If you do not know the word, look at the guess you wrote for the task above. Does it help you figure out the word?

Check Your Understanding

Are these statements true or false?

Look back at the reading to find the answer. Then see if your guesses at the start of the chapter were right.

1. A male orca whale can live up to 90 years.

2. Orca whales hunt by sending out sound waves and listening as the waves come back.

3. If a whale’s fin flops to one side, it is a sign that the whale is stressed out.

4. Orca whales mate for life.

5. Orca whales can hold their breath underwater for up to one hour.

The reading talks about three ways that people are a threat to orca whales

6. What are the three ways? Write a summary paragraph. Then check your spelling and grammar. Follow this format when you write your paragraph:

a. Topic sentence.

b. Details of the three ways people are a threat to orca whales. Use your own words.

c. Concluding sentence.

Grammar

It is important to know which words are homonyms so that you can learn to spell the word that you mean. This way, your reader will understand what you are saying.

Spy-Hopping with Orca Whales has lots of homonyms.

Try this

Tale and tail sound the same. But they have different meanings. Look at these sentences:

a. In some tales, orca whales take people from canoes and turn them into whales, too.

b. Orca whales have tails called flukes. Their flukes give them power when swimming.

1. Which word means “story”? Tale or tail?

2. Which word means “the back part of an animal’s body”? Tale or tail?

No and know sound the same. But they have different meanings. Look at these sentences:

a. Did you know that orca whales cannot breathe underwater?

b. In British Columbia, orca whales do something no one understands.

3. Which word means “not any”? No or know?

4. Which word means “to have learned something”? No or know?

There and their sound the same. But they have different meanings. Look at these sentences:

a. Their fin keeps them stable when they go fast.

b. Up north, they tip floating sea ice so that seals, walruses, and sea lions will slide into the mouth of another whale who has been waiting there.

5. Which word means “in that place”? There or their?

6. Which word shows that “something belongs to someone”? There or their?

Two, to, and too sound the same. But they have different meanings. Look at these sentences:

a. Their two flippers help them steer.

b. Often the fins of whales that are kept in pools flop to one side.

c. The dams kill many salmon. With fewer salmon to eat, orca whales die, too.

7. Which word means “as well.”

8. Which word has to do with “the direction something is moving”?

9. Which word means “the number 2”?

Writing

Attributions

Orca whales jumping by skeeze is in the public domain.