Claire’s Race
Online Resource
By Nancy Wilcox Richards
Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use only
Claire’s Race Online Resource
1
© 2007 Curriculum Plus
By Nancy Wilcox Richards
Editor: Sylvia Gunnery
We acknowledge the financial support of The Government of Canada
through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program
(BPIDP) for our publishing activities.
Curriculum Plus Publishing Company
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Georgetown, ON L7G 5S4
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Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use only
Claire’s Race Online Resource
Table of Contents
Teacher Background Information
T
4-5
Plot Synopsis
5
Before Reading
6
During Reading
7
After Reading
8-9
Cross Curricular Links
9 - 10
Other Links
10
Black Line Masters
BLM 1 - 7
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Dear Colleague,
I hope this teacher’s resource helps to provide some insight into the kinds of activities you might do in your classroom with Claire’s Race.
Just as the story about Claire is a deeply personal one for me, the resource is also personal in that it is a reflection of the kinds of learning
experiences you might see in my grade two classroom.
In reality, I would pick and choose from the activities in this resource, selecting the ones that appeal to me and meet the needs of the children I teach. There is a fairly wide range of ideas, from the actual guided reading lessons to opportunities for cross-curricular links. I hope
you will find many of them useful and that they will inspire you to guide your children through their own learning experiences.
Teacher Background Information
Claire’s Race is the true story of a young girl who was diagnosed
with a very rare form of epilepsy called Rasmussen’s Encephalitis.
This syndrome usually affects only one hemisphere of the brain and
it typically occurs in children under the age of ten. The exact causes
of Rasmussen’s Encephalitis are unclear. Claire was diagnosed with
this syndrome when she was only five years old.
Epilepsy, a neurological condition, affects 1% - 2% of the population
or a little over four million people in North America. It is characterized by the sudden burst of energy in the brain (comparable to an
electrical storm), causing a seizure. Many children outgrow it.
There are several possible causes of epilepsy. They include head injury, brain tumor and infections affecting the brain. In a small percentage of cases, the condition may be inherited; but for over 50%,
there is no known cause.
Epilepsy may take on many forms, including a blank stare, muscle
spasms, uncontrolled movements, convulsions and altered awareness. Often no first aid is required when a person experiences a
seizure.
Treatment usually involves anti-seizure medication, and approximately three quarters of the population respond well to this. The
remaining quarter of the population often experience difficulty
controlling their seizures. Brain surgery is used when medication
fails and in cases where the seizures are located in only one area of
the brain.
4
Other treatments might include a ketogenic diet — a diet high in
fat, low in carbohydrates or using a vagus nerve stimulator. This is
a device that is surgically implanted and delivers a mild electrical
current to the vagus nerve.
Anti-epileptic drugs are not effective for seizure control for someone
diagnosed with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis. Surgery is normally
performed. Most times, as in Claire’s case, it involves major brain
surgery. Afterwards, extensive rehabilitation is required. Depending
on the side of the brain that was affected, some children need to
relearn how to talk. Others, such as Claire, have to learn how to walk
all over again.
Today, Claire wears a brace on her left leg. She also lost the use of
her left arm and hand and must perform many simple, everyday
tasks being ‘one handed’. Her vision is impaired — she lost the left
visual field in both eyes. Her cognitive skills are affected. For
instance, mathematical skills such as geometry and sequencing are
challenging, and orientation (making a decision to turn left or
right) is difficult. The simple task of locating a specific room in her
school or finding a friend’s home on the street had to be relearned
and practiced. The effects of Rasmussen’s Encephalitis are often
devastating to the family.
Educating the public is paramount in order to dispel many of the
myths surrounding epilepsy. All of the author’s royalties from Claire’s
Race are being donated to help facilitate educational programs
about epilepsy for grade five students in Nova Scotia. To educate
your students, you might find it useful to develop lessons around
Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use only
Claire’s Race Online Resource
this printable seven-page activity book for children. It is called
Let’s Learn about Epilepsy, and it can be viewed at the following
website:
www.epilepsyns.com/kids.html
It is interesting to note that many famous people have had epilepsy,
including: Julius Caesar, Agatha Christie, Joan of Arc, Ludwig van
Beethoven, Vincent Van Gogh and Sir Isaac Newton.
Plot Synopsis
Chapter One: Disappointment
Seven-year-old Claire longs to ride a bike, like her best friend,
Rachael. The reader realizes that Claire has a physical disability
— she wears an arm splint- but this wasn’t always the case. Claire
has a flashback to a happier time.
Chapter Two: Spiders Wearing Sneakers
Claire is disappointed for the second time when she is unable to join
the neighborhood kids roller blading. This time, another aspect of
her disability is highlighted — she wears a leg brace. Once again,
she has a flashback to a time when she didn’t require a leg brace.
Chapter Three: Claire’s Decision
For the third day in a row, Claire faces disappointment. Unable to
participate in riding a scooter like her friend, Kristopher, she
becomes angry.
Chapter Six: The Big Day
Seventy-nine prepared runners are at the Lunenburg County Meet.
The air is charged with excited and bystanders eagerly watch Claire
who has a strong start to the race. Soon all the runners return but
there is no sign of Claire. There is an anxious feeling throughout
the crowd. Then, at the far end of the field, Claire appears. The
crowd roars its enthusiasm as she crosses the finish line. Although
she places seventy-ninth, everyone recognizes that she is truly a
winner.
Chapter Seven: Can She Do It?
There is an anxious feeling throughout the crowd. Finally, at the far
end of the field, Claire appears. The crowd roars its enthusiasm as
she crosses the finish line. Although she places seventy-ninth, everyone recognizes that she is truly a winner.
Chapter Four: Unwelcome News
Although Claire’s mother worries about all the disappointments her
daughter has faced lately, she is dismayed to learn that Claire is
determined to participate in cross country running. Claire’s parents
express great concern for her safety if she does the run.
Chapter Five: Training for the Meet
Claire’s parents give her permission to try cross country running. An
enthusiastic Claire starts to train with the other children.
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Before Reading
Ask the children if they have ever heard of epilepsy. Discuss it in
simplistic terms. (Refer to “Teacher Background Information”.)
Remember to always handle a topic, such as epilepsy, with sensitivity. There may be a child in your class with epilepsy or there may be
children who have a family member with the condition.
Have a general discussion about what might happen if they encountered a child having a seizure. Together complete a KWL
chart.
Invite the children to keep one hand behind their backs. Try printing
on paper and then erasing it. Try to cut out a shape from construction paper. Try to zipper a coat or tie shoelaces.
Read the blurb on the back of the book. Make a prediction about
what might happen in the novel.
Highlight the feature, Author’s Note. Discuss why an author might
include this in a novel.
WORDS TO INTRODUCE
• diagnosed (pg 5)
• characterized (pg 5)
• mind boggling (pgs 5-6)
• visually impaired (pg 6)
• inspiration (pg 6)
FOCUSED READING
Read to discover what challenges Claire faced after her operation. It
is helpful to write these statements on the board.
GUIDED QUESTIONS
• Why do you think Claire had a special ‘hop-skip-hop’ walk?
• In the Author’s Note, the author says that Claire “is an
inspiration to all of us.” What do you think this means?
How might Claire inspire others?
You may want to watch a brief video clip at the following website:
www.epilepsyns.com
Explain to them that Rasmussen’s Encephalitis is a very rare form
of epilepsy. Medications usually don’t help the syndrome. In most
cases the child needs to have a serious operation. This operation
often leaves the child with physical and mental disabilities. Invite
the children to come up with a list of things that would be difficult
to do with the use of just one arm. Responses might include tying
shoes, zippering a jacket, putting hair in a braid or ponytail.
This may be as far as you go for the initial experience of reading
Claire’s Race. Depending on the needs and interests of your students, you might find it helpful to break the guided reading activities into several sessions. Further suggestions which you may want
to follow can be found at DURING READING.
Tell the children that they are going to read a true story called
Claire’s Race. It is about a seven-year-old girl, named Claire, who
was diagnosed with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis. Before she became
sick, she could do everything other healthy children could do.
Imagine having your life change so drastically.
6
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During Reading
Ask the children to read Chapter One.
FOCUSED READING
Read to find out what activity Claire is unable to do.
After the children have read Chapter One, discuss the use of italicized text to indicate a flashback. Explain that a flashback occurs
when a character thinks back to another time.
GUIDED QUESTIONS
• Why didn’t Claire notice that it was a beautiful spring day?
• What did Claire recall in the flashback?
Tell the students to continue reading Claire’s Race until they reach
Chapter Four.
GUIDED QUESTIONS
Chapters Four to Seven:
• What is Claire excited about?
• What concerns do her parents have about Claire running a
cross country race?
• Describe the job each runner had to do. What would have
happened if they didn’t do this job?
• How did Claire run differently at the beginning of the race?
• Why is everyone concerned about Claire?
• How did the crowd show Claire that they were supporting and
encouraging her?
• Although Claire placed 79th in the race, she was truly a winner.
Why?
GUIDED QUESTIONS
Chapters Two to Four:
Claire had a second flashback. Describe what she remembered.
• How does Claire’s mother’s smile change when she tells her
daughter she can’t participate in activities that the other
children are doing? Why do you think her smile changes?
• What did the author mean by “but the smile did not seem to
reach her eyes” or “but this time the smile did not even reach
her lips”?
• How do you know that Claire is becoming upset?
While the children are reading, I find it helpful to have a brief
conversation with individual students. I usually initiate the discussion with statements like, “Tell me a bi t about what you are
reading.” or “Tell me what’s happening in your book right now.”
This is a quick indicator as to whether or not the child understands
the book.
Depending on your students’ interests and abilities and your own
time schedule, you may wish to stop the guided reading at the
beginning of Chapter Four and finish the novel another day. When
this is done, it is helpful to begin the next reading by recapping what
had already happened in the book. Have the children predict what
will happen next.
Ask the children to finish reading Claire’s Race.
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After Reading
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Text to Self
Example: Claire’s Race reminded me of the race I competed in last
spring.
Text to Text
Example: Claire has the same problem that I read about in a book
last week.
Text to Real World
Example: I saw a movie on Terry Fox and he had the same kind of
walk as Claire.
RETHINKING
Revisit the question asked prior to reading the novel. “How is Claire
an inspiration to all of us?” Are your thoughts the same? If not,
how have they changed?
DECODING UNFAMILIAR WORDS
Provide each child with some sticky notes. Tell the children to use
them to mark any unfamiliar words they encountered while
reading. This can be used for a guided reading or independent
reading practice. When the children have finished reading, discuss
the reading strategies they used when faced with an unfamiliar
word in the text.
Here are some questions which you might like to use to help guide
your students’ thinking:
• Did the illustration help you with your unfamiliar word?
• Is there a smaller word inside the word that you already
know?
• Did you skip the word, read ahead and then try a word that
would make sense?
• Can you ‘chunk’ the word?
• Did you use what you already know about the topic?
• Can you take off any beginning or ending sounds, such as
re or ly?
• Did you backtrack?
• Did the punctuation of the sentence help you to make sense
of what you were reading?
• Did you make a link between a word you already know and
the new word?
Once students have decoded the unfamiliar word, they need to ask
themselves, “Does this make sense?” If it doesn’t, they will need to
try it again.
8
Encourage the readers to expand on their answers by asking themselves, “How did this strategy help me?”
CHARACTERIZATION
Discuss how we get to know characters in books just like we get to
know people in our class. We get to know people based on what they
say and do, as well as what others around them say and do.
Complete the chart “Pleased To Meet You”. (BLM 1)
You may wish to choose from some of these additional activities:
TEACHER TIME-SAVING BOOK RESPONSE
This activity can be reused with any books the children have read,
whether it is for guided reading or independent reading practice.
Once the Reading Dice are made, it is a real time saver in a teacher’s
busy day. Also, it is an active and valid way for students to respond to
a book.
Each group of children will need a Reading Die. In my classroom,
the children are in groups of four. I use a wooden block with one
typed question glued on each face. (a pattern [BLM 2] is included
for a cut-out paper one.) One child from each group rolls the Reading Die to determine the question to which the entire group will
respond. Children take turns responding to the question with other
members of their group. It is helpful to circulate among the groups,
listening to the conversations the children are having. Then ask a
student from each group to tell the class what question they
responded to on the Reading Die and give a sample answer.
WRITTEN BOOK RESPONSES
Have the children complete a book response from the list. Remind
them to explain “why”.
• My favorite part of the story was…
• I was most surprised/disappointed/afraid/ etc. / when…
• If I could ask the author one question, it would be…
• I would recommend this book to _____________
because…
• The story made me feel…
• When I read the story, I visualized…
• I think the story…
• If I could give one character in the story some advice, it
would be….
• This story reminded me of…
Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use only
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CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS
Select a cross-curricular way for your students to respond to Claire’s
Race.
Assessment
Have each student complete the Student Self-Assessment. (BLM 3)
Cross-Curricular Links
LANGUAGE ARTS
DRAMA
Role Play #1:
Claire’s parents were worried about her safety when she trained for
and participated in the run. Some concerns would be the same for
every runner while others would apply only to Claire.
Have the children work with a partner. One student will act in the
role of a cross country runner and the other will be Claire’s mother.
The runner will try to persuade Claire’s mother that it is a good idea
for Claire to participate in the meet.
(This activity is also a good lead-in to persuasive writing.)
Role Play #2:
Imagine the cross country race was televised. The race is now over.
Have one student act in the role of a TV reporter, another student
can be Claire, and a third student can be Mrs. Brine, the coach.
POETRY
There are some wonderful selections of sports poetry at the following website:
www.bpr.com/triathlon/poetry.htm#Tri-mantra
WRITING
• Imagine that you are Claire. Write a diary entry the day before
the race. Now, write one after the race.
• Imagine that the race ended differently. Write a new ending.
• Create a class book called “I am Special”. Each child creates
a page in the book and highlights how s/he is unique.
• Imagine that you are a reporter for the local newspaper. Write
an account of the cross country race.
ART
Cartoons
Imagine you participated in the cross country race with Claire. What
might you say to her? Draw a cartoon showing your conversation
and Claire’s response.
Friendship Wreath
Rachael and Claire are best friends. They have fun together and they
do this while supporting each other’s dreams. Our class also offers
support to one another.
Create a “Friendship Wreath”. Have each person in the class trace
his or her hands on assorted colors of construction paper. (Remember,
you may need to help a friend do this!) Cut them out and lay them
in a circular pattern to form a wreath, making sure the hands overlap. Add a decorative bow.
Tri-mantra by Olivier Blanchard is especially relevant to Claire’s
Race.
Read the poem together. Look at the kind of language the poet used;
the structure of the poem and the effectiveness of the short, concise
lines. Discuss how the runner is like Claire. What does the poet
mean when he says, “In my world, Victory is not weighed in gold,
But in determination and courage”? How does this remind us of
Claire?
The children might enjoy writing their own free verse poem about
a particular sport or a time when they needed to have courage and
determination.
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9
SOCIAL STUDIES
The Terry Fox Connection
Terry Fox is considered a hero. Just like Claire, he too ran a race.
However, his was in a marathon to raise awareness about cancer. It
was called “The Marathon of Hope”. Research Terry Fox.
Complete a Venn Diagram (BLM 4) showing the similarities and
differences between Claire and Terry Fox. Below are some links
which you and your students might find helpful.
Terry Fox Run website
www.cbc.ca/news/background/fox_terry/
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Hands-On Activity: Build a Racing Model
Remind the children that when Claire competed in the cross-country
race, she had physical disabilities that no other runner had. Not
only did she wear a leg brace, but her left arm no longer functioned.
She needed to wear an arm splint at night. On top of all this, Claire
was visually impaired. She was able to clearly see things directly in
front of her, but not those things in her peripheral vision. Ask them
to think about how this affected her ability to run.
Tell the children that they will design a different kind of race — one
that is fair to everyone. Have the children work with a partner or in
small groups. The “Design a Race” activity (BLM 5) provides ideas
that you might like to use.
Internet Research
Research one of the following famous people who had epilepsy:
Julius Caesar, Agatha Christie, Joan of Arc, Ludwig van Beethoven,
Vincent Van Gogh and Sir Isaac Newton.
Measurement
During the first part of the race, Claire ran over 100 metres before
she settled back to her familiar hop-skip-hop run. Have the children
estimate how far 100 metres might be. Measure it. How many centimetres is that? The entire race was approximately one kilometre.
Estimate that distance. (This could be done in trips around the
soccer field or trips around the school. A trundle wheel will be a
helpful tool to use.) Measure the distance of the race. Is it best to
measure in centimetres, metres or kilometres. Why?
Problem Solving: Where Did Everyone Else Place in the Race?
We know that Rachael won the race. Use the clues (BLM 6) to solve
where the other children placed. Ben, Ashley and Drew also
competed in the race. Drew was ahead of Ashley but not ahead of
Ben. Claire came last. What was the order of these five children?
HEALTH
Prior to the big race, Mrs. Brine, the coach, had the runners walk the
field and remove any objects that could cause a runner to trip or fall.
Items that were too large to be removed were spray painted. Make a
list of safety rules and practices for cross-country runners to follow.
Or, design a poster showing the same information. Make sure you
have a catchy slogan to go with your list or your poster.
Healthy food plays an important role in how we feel physically and
mentally. Runners often need to eat nutritious food that is high in
energy. They also need to keep hydrated. Fill the lunch box (BLM 7)
with healthy food choices. Compare your choices with a partner’s
choices.
This is a natural connection to other curriculum areas such as
music (Beethoven), art (Van Gogh) and history (Caesar). Students
might research some basic facts such as when and where they lived
and one important or interesting fact.
A fairly easy website to do a search is:
www.askforkids.com
Other Books by Nancy Wilcox Richards
MATH
Data and Graphing
Ask the children to survey members of the class or their family. Have
them generate a question such as, “What is your favorite sport?”
Have the children collect the data, organize it and present the findings. It might include tallies, a pictograph or a bar graph. Remind
them to give the graph a title and labels. Tell them to write three
questions they could ask a friend. Then they should write three
statements using the information from the graph.
10
Other Links
Lost in the Blizzard
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Claire’s Race Online Resource
DuringPleased
Reading
to Meet You
We are able to know and understand Claire by the things she says
and does. We also get to know her better because of what others
around her say and do. Complete the chart to show what you know
about the main character, Claire.
Character
Says
Actions
Coach Brine
“Try not to worry.”
frowns
What we know
about Claire
For Claire, this is a
very difffiicult race
to run.
Claire’s Father
Rachael
Claire
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Claire’s Race Online Resource - Black Line Master
BLM 1
Cube Pattern
(cut on solid lines
fold on dotted lines)
Find a tricky
word.
Explain
what your book
is about.
How did you
figure it out?
What did you
learn about
yourself
as a reader
today?
Read your
favourite part
of the book.
Who would you
recommend this
book to?
Why?
Make a
connection
to the story.
BLM 2
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Student
Self
Assessment
During Reading
Name:
Draw a
after the statement, if you did something well.
Draw a
after the statement, if you didn’t do the activity well.
Draw a
after the statement, if you did a so-so job.
1. I stuck to the job and read quietly to myself.
2. If I had a tricky word, I tried to figure it out.
3. I re-read the words if they didn’t make sense.
4. While I was reading, I made pictures in my mind.
5. I understood this book.
Rate this book using stars
Your Rating
Not very good
Pretty good
Good
Awesome
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BLM 3
Venn Diagram
BLM 4
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Design a Race
Design a race that is fair to all the runners. It does not
have to be a running race. Perhaps it involves a machine
like a hot air balloon, a rocket or a go-cart.
• Find things to use such as elastics, springs,
Lego, blocks of wood, etc.
• Create a plan.
• Draw it on paper.
• Build your miniature model.
• Test it out.
Record your findings by measuring, drawing, making
charts and writing about it.
Put different materials in your model.
Try adding a heavy material. Is it the same as a lighter
material?
Share your findings.
Claire raced over grassy fields, rocks, even pavement.
What happens to your model if it is raced on carpet?
Compare this to when it is raced on tile or sand.
Can you change your model to make it better?
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BLM 5
Where Did Everyone Else Place
in the Race?
We know that Rachael won the race. Use the clues to solve
where the other children placed.
Ben, Ashley and Drew also competed in the race.
Drew was ahead of Ashley but not ahead of Ben.
Claire came last.
What was the order of these five children?
BLM 6
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Fill the Lunchbox
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BLM 7