Teacher's Resource
It Takes Courage
Sample Lessons:
Focus on Reading: Visualize and Make Connections
Understanding Reading Strategies: Over the Edge
Applying Reading Strategies: Small Inspiration
Focus on Genre: Identify the Elements of Persuasive Text
Understanding Genre: The need to heed avalanche alerts
Applying Genre: Panic at Playland
BLM 25: Homophones
BLM 30: Sentence Types
ISBN-13 : 978-0-17-611671-2
ISBN-10 : 0-17-611671-0
9 780176 116712
FOCUS ON
READING
Visualize and
Make Connections
How to
STUDENT BOOK, Pages 4–5
Materials
● Student Book pages 4–5
● Modelling Selection 1
● BLM 2
About these Pages
These pages provide an opportunity to review the reading
strategies Visualizing and Making Connections, modelled using
Modelling Selection 1: Teenager Leaps to the Rescue. These same
pages can also be used as a reference by students, throughout the unit
and across the curriculum.
Curriculum Expectations
O: Oral Communication R: Reading and Literature Studies W: Writing M: Media Studies
R Extend understanding by making connections to self/texts/world
R Identify helpful strategies for before, during, and after reading
What the Research Says
“The term visualizing implies
seeing pictures. Proficient readers
create images from all their senses
when they read.”—Stephanie
Harvey
“Readers pay more attention
when they relate to the text. Readers naturally bring their
prior knowledge and experience
to reading but comprehend
better when they think about the
connections they make between
the text, their lives, and the larger
world.”—Stephanie Harvey and
Anne Goudvis
Modelling the Strategy/Shared Reading
Visualizing and Making Connections
Use Modelling Selection 1 and its accompanying Teacher Notes in
the Selections for Modelling and Demonstration to model the reading
strategies Visualizing and Making Connections.
Focus on Reading
Visualizing and Making Connections
Have students refer to Focus on Reading, SB (Student Book) pages 4
and 5. Read the text on how to visualize while reading, and about
the three basic types of connections. Ask students how the cycle of
visualizing/making connections can help them to better understand a text.
Have students read the Transfer Your Learning box, SB page 5.
Students should work in pairs to engage in the visualizing activity.
As a class, create a list of helpful hints for making connections in
Geography.
Encourage students to refer to these Focus pages throughout the unit
and when applying these strategies in other subjects.
Assessment for Learning
Ongoing Observation
Assessment
Students who understand will:
● Use BLM 2: Observation Tracking Sheet to monitor
● explain how visualizing and making connections
and make notes on students as they work.
helps the reader understand what is read
NEL
Focus on Reading : Visualize and Make Connections
1
UNDERSTANDING
Over the Edge
READING
STRATEGIES
Student Book, Pages 6–9
▼ ▼
Visualizing
Making Connections
About the Selection
●
●
Materials
Form: nonfiction article
Summary: The article describes a man’s courageous efforts to help
four teenagers involved in a serious car accident.
● Student Book pages 6–9
● BLMs 2, 5, 6, 25
● Audio
Curriculum Expectations
ACCESSIBILITY
O: Oral Communication R: Reading and Literature Studies W: Writing M: Media Studies
EASY
AVERAGE
CHALLENGING
The article is engaging. Setting
and events are described vividly.
Varied sentence structure holds the
reader’s interest.
VOCABULARY
frantically
perched
hazardous severed
illumination
submerged
O Extend understanding by connecting the ideas in oral texts to
self/texts/world
R Extend understanding by making connections to self/texts/world
W Identify helpful strategies to improve as writers
M Identify and explain overt and implied messages in media texts
legendary Assessment for Learning: Overview
Ongoing Observation
Assessment
Students who understand
will:
Key Assessment Questions
● visualize and make
connections of various
types
● explain how
visualizing and making
connections helps the
reader understand
what is read
● What details in the text helped you visualize the setting where the accident
took place?
● What parts of the text reminded you of things that you have experienced?
● What kinds of connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world) did you make most
often? What does that tell you about yourself as a reader?
● How did using strategies such as visualizing and making connections help you
understand the text?
Assessment Tools
BLM 2: Observation Tracking Sheet
BLM 5: Rubric: Visualizing and Making Connections
BLM 6: Class Tracking Sheet
Differentiated Instruction
If students do not understand the strategies, use Differentiated Instruction (DI)
Readiness, page 4.
2
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
BEFORE
Speaking/Listening
what do you think?
Ell
This selection may conjure up
painful memories for English
language learners who have
come from war-torn countries.
Prior to reading the passage, look
at the pictures and talk about
the ruggedness of the coastline.
Describe what happens when the
tide comes in and out. Suggest
that visualizing the setting will
help them to understand an
experience that will be described
in the story. Partnering ELLs with
strong students for the activities
supports their English language
development.
Have partners share their experiences of working really hard to achieve
a personal goal such as studying hard to do well on a test. Then ask
them to share their experiences of putting in a lot of effort to achieve
something, but not accomplishing their goal. Have small groups
discuss answers to the What do you think? question on SB (Student
Book) page 6, “What is more important, what you achieve or what
you attempt?”
Making Predictions
We Predict
On the board, print these quotations from the article:
covered in blood
pounding surf, rocky cliffs, and a winding road
no first-aid experience
I felt very alone and helpless
how treacherous the drive can be
no vital signs
Explain that they are in random order. Have groups sequence them in
a way that makes sense. Ask them to write a “We Predict” sentence by
completing “We predict this selection will be about …” Have groups
share their sentences. Ask students to discuss whether they agree or
disagree with the predictions.
During
Reading “Over the Edge”
Visualizing and Making Connections
Encourage students to use sticky notes to identify places in the text
where they made a connection or visualized.
Read aloud the first prompt on SB page 6 and the first three
paragraphs of the selection. Have students view the photos. Ask:
• Visualizing involves using details and ideas from the text to create a
mental picture. How do the photos in this text help you to visualize
the scene? What text details add to the picture you created in
your mind? (Possible responses: the photos show how rugged and
steep the cliffs are and how powerful the surf is; words such as
“pounding,” “rocky,” “winding,” “dangerous,” and “treacherous”
suggest what the article might be about)
Read the last paragraph and prompt on SB page 7 aloud. Ask:
• How do you think this selection will end? How did making
connections to other texts that you have read or viewed influence
your predictions? (I’ve seen a lot of movies in which people don’t
survive car accidents or falls from steep cliffs; my expectation is that
Corey and Heather will save the victims)
NEL
Over the Edge
3
What the Research Says
“Readers … comprehend better
when they think about the
connections they make between
the text, their lives, and the larger
world.”—Stephanie Harvey and
Anne Goodvis
Connection symbols
Students might like to use an
abbreviation or a simple doodle
when identifying different types
of connections. Here are some
possibilities.
text-to-self: TS; the student’s
initials; a mirror; a face
text-to-text: TT; a book; a DVD
case; a magazine cover
text-to-world: TW; a globe; a
newspaper; a computer
Ask students to read the two paragraphs and prompt on SB page 8
independently. Have partners work together to sketch a diagram of
where Corey found each of the victims.
Have students read the first two paragraphs and first prompt on
SB page 9 independently. Ask:
• Visualize the location, events, and key people. How does the
picture you created in your mind change as you read the details
and emotions described by the author? As you picture Corey Wood
trying to free the boy, what expression do you see on Corey’s face?
What colour are you visualizing the surf to be? (I imagine that
Corey’s face shows frustration and worry that he’s not going to be
successful; I see the surf as dark as motor oil)
Have students read the last two paragraphs and the prompt on
SB page 9 independently. Ask:
• Make connections to the parts of the text that remind you of
things you’ve experienced. The author describes Corey’s reaction to
fireworks after his experience. Are there sounds or smells from this
text that you associate with particular memories? (the sound of the
surf reminds me of a family vacation in Prince Edward Island)
DI
readiness
To support: For students who are struggling with visualizing, read
a statement that will cause students to visualize. For example, say
“I have a cat.” Ask each student to describe, or make a sketch, of
what they see. Ask why all the pictures can be different (we all have
different experiences with cats). Then say another sentence—“I have a
mean Siamese cat”—and ask how the picture changes. Point out that
it is our own text-to-self connections to “mean cat” that can change
the picture.
Continue with another example that is related to courage. Say
“Here is a sentence in one of the frames of a graphic novel.” On the
board, write “You can’t make me do that!” Ask students to describe,
or sketch, what might have happened in earlier frames. Discuss
the different scenarios that students come up with. Explain that in
visualizing different scenes, they have made text-to-self and text-totext connections.
Language Conventions
Homophones
Spell-checking
The most common spelling errors
are homophones. Warn students
that a computer’s spell-check
won’t catch a homophone that is
spelled correctly but has the wrong
meaning.
4
Say the word “weight.” Ask students to visualize its meaning. Then say
“heavy weight.” Have students raise their hands if this fits with what
they visualized. Repeat the process, saying “wait” and “long wait.”
Explain that homophones are words that sound the same but have
different meanings and spellings (e.g., principal/principle).
Ask partners to scan the selection to find words that have
homophones and list them on the board (been/bean, two/to/too,
climb/clime, metres/meters, heard/herd, I/eye, not/knot, die/dye, their/
there/they’re, etc.). Have partners write sentences that show the
different meanings of the homophones.
Refer to BLM 25: Homophones for additional practice in identifying
and using homophones.
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
After
Responding
DI Learning style
Students with a preference for
visual learning might benefit from
opportunities to develop a graphic
text of the events described in
the article. They can share their
representations with small groups,
or the class, and make revisions
based on peer feedback.
NEL
(SB page 9)
What Do You Think Now? “What is more important, what you
achieve or what you attempt?” How would you answer this question
now that you've read this magazine article?
(what you achieve: Corey stayed and helped the boy die peacefully,
rather than leaving when the firefighters arrived; what you attempt: at
great danger to himself, Corey tried to save the boy's life)
Making Connections: What connections did you make to this
selection?
(I recall how scared I was when I fell down a small hill, so I
understand how brave Corey was in climbing down the cliff and
bobbing around in the Pacific Ocean in the darkness; I saw a movie
in which the family was very angry with the volunteer rescuer for not
doing more to remove their son from harm, even though she did her
best to save him)
Visualizing: How did the connections that you made to your prior
knowledge or prior experience help you visualize?
(I can relate to how scary an undertow can be from my own
experience of swimming in the ocean; my cousin crashed her vehicle
into a tree so I can picture what the upside down Ford truck looks
like)
Making Inferences: How does Corey feel about his experience? What
evidence in the text supports your answer?
(Corey felt guilty because he failed to rescue the boy and is haunted
whenever he hears fireworks, which remind him of the surf at the crash
site; his emotions are mixed because he appreciates the recognition for
bravery but regrets that his efforts were unsuccessful)
Critical Literacy: How might have the selection of images and the use
of quotations have been different if this had been a newspaper report?
(more graphic photos of the accident scene and victims; more quotes
from the survivors, Heather, rescue crews, media, bystanders, and
families)
Evaluating: How effective were the photos chosen to illustrate this
article? What did they add to your understanding of the selection?
(the photos show the ruggedness of this stretch of California coastline;
they helped me visualize the challenges Corey faced trying to rescue the
boy)
Metacognition: Which reading strategy—visualizing or making
connections—better supported your learning style as you read the
selection? Why?
(visualizing, because the images and descriptive words helped me paint
pictures in my mind; making connections, because my sister had Search
and Rescue training so I know something about it)
Over the Edge
5
Activities Choice Board
The following literacy activities provide opportunities for students to respond to the text. Teachers may select specific
learning tasks based on student needs or interests.
Speaking/Listening: Acceptance Speech
Have students think about the connections they made
to Corey, his courage, and his feelings. Use these
connections as the basis for writing an acceptance
speech that Corey might give on receiving the Award
for Bravery. What details of might he include or leave
out? What might he say about the rescue team? What
emotions might he express? What message might he give
to the victims’ families and friends? Have students share
their draft speeches with others, noting similarities and
differences, and revise their drafts based on the feedback.
Prompt students to discuss how making connections to
Corey helped them write the speech.
Writing: Travel Blog
Have students reread the article and review all the details
the author has included that allowed them to create vivid
pictures in their mind. Ask them to think back and recall
the details of a memorable experience that they had
during a family trip or vacation. Have students plan and
write a blog entry, describing the experience in such a
way that a reader can use the details to vividly visualize
the experience. Small groups of students can share their
blog entries, discuss the similarities and differences, then
write comments for each entry. Encourage students to
focus on how well they were able to visualize from the
details the blog writer included.
Media Studies: A Danger Poster
Inform students that the purpose of a Danger poster is
to communicate a potentially dangerous situation to
the public. Have partners share the connections they
made to the dangers described in the article as the basis
for designing a poster about a hazard in their own
community (spring flooding at the river, an abandoned
construction site, etc.). Partners should decide on an
image and caption that help viewers visualize the danger,
then make a mockup of their design to share with
another pair. Prompt students to respond to the designs:
Did the caption and illustration help you visualize the
potential danger enough to heed the warning?
Media Studies: Illustrating an Article
Have partners identify details of the text that allowed
them to visualize while reading. Ask them to brainstorm
graphics that would help readers visualize more easily
(map of location of accident; drawing showing distance
Corey went from top to bottom of cliff; cutaway diagram
showing height of surf and tide). Partners should sketch
their graphics and share them with another pair; the
viewers should make connections between the graphics
and the selection (Which graphic really added to my
understanding of the accident scene? Which one best fit
with how I visualized the scene?). Partners can use the
feedback to revise their illustrations.
Assessment for Learning
Criteria
Checking Progress
Next Steps
● visualize and make connections
Key Assessment Questions
● If students do not understand
of various types
● explain how visualizing and
making connections helps the
reader understand what is read
Record individual progress on
BLM 5: Rubric: Visualizing and
Making Connections, or on
BLM 6: Class Tracking Sheet.
Students may respond to the key
assessment questions in writing, or
orally in a conference.
● What details in the text helped
you visualize the setting where
the accident took place?
● What parts of the text
reminded you of things that
you have experienced?
● What kind of connections
(text-to-self, text-to-text, textto-world) did you make most
often? What does that tell you
about yourself as a reader?
● How did using strategies
such as visualizing and
making connections help you
understand the text?
6
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
the strategies, use DI Readiness,
page 4.
● If students need more support
in visualizing and making
connections, use one or more
of the following selections for
teacher-supported reading:
“Not Ever Again," easy, (short
story)
“Small Inspiration,” average,
(personal anecdote)
“Speak Your Mind,” averagechallenging, (poetry)
● If students understand
visualizing and making
connections, use one or more of
the above selections as practice
in independent reading.
NEL
UNDERSTANDING
APPLYING
Small Inspiration
READING
STRATEGIES
Student Book, Pages 19–21
▼ ▼
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Connections
About the Selection
●
Materials
●
● Student Book pages 19–21
●
● BLMs 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
ACCESSIBILITY
EASY
Form: Personal anecdote
Summary: A teen writes about her admiration of her younger
sister’s resilience during a tense time at home.
About the Author: Jacyntha Cassidy is a high school student living
in Toronto.
Curriculum Expectations
AVERAGE
CHALLENGING
Narrator engages readers with
personal details. Descriptive
vocabulary helps readers visualize
events.
VOCABULARY
bickering
subtle
bounded
tantrums
jibes
wavered
O: Oral Communication R: Reading and Literature Studies W: Writing M: Media Studies
O Extend understanding by connecting the ideas in oral texts to
self/texts/world
R Extend understanding by making connections to self/texts/world
W Identify helpful strategies to improve as writers
M Identify and explain overt and implied messages in media texts
Assessment for Learning: Overview
Ongoing Observation
Assessment
Students who understand
will:
Demonstration Task, page 11
● visualize and make
● How did using strategies such as visualizing and making connections help you
connections of various
types
● explain how
visualizing and making
connections helps the
reader understand
what is read
Key Assessment Question
understand the text?
Assessment Tools
BLM 2: Observation Tracking Sheet
BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Goal Setting
BLM 5: Rubric: Visualizing and Making Connections
BLM 6: Class Tracking Sheet
BLM 7: Demonstration Task: Visualizing and Making Connections
Differentiated Instruction
If students need more support in applying the strategies, use DI TeacherSupported Reading, page 8.
If students do not understand the strategies, use DI Readiness, page 9..
NEL
Small Inspiration
7
BEFORE
Speaking/Listening
what do you think?
Ask small groups of students to share a big change that a friend or
relative had to make, such as moving to Canada or changing schools.
Have students describe problems that the friend/relative had with the
change and how they learned to accept it. Then have small groups
discuss answers to the What Do You Think? prompt on SB page 19,
“Accepting change takes courage.”
Making Predictions
Probable Passage
Write on the board these words from the selection: kitchen, screaming,
parents, optimistic, dad’s girlfriend, protecting, my room, divorce, little
sister. Ask students to draw four boxes on a sheet of paper and label
them Characters, Setting, Problem, and Outcomes. Have small groups
discuss the most appropriate boxes to write the words in. Note: Each
word can go into one box only. Then have groups use the words to
write a statement that predicts what the selection might be about. The
class can compare and discuss the predictions.
During
Reading “Small Inspiration”
Visualizing and Making Connections
Have students review the information on the Focus On pages or,
for those students who need more support, use a teacher-supported
reading approach.
DI
ELL
There may be syntactical issues
that could slow down the reading
for ELLs, and interfere with
comprehension. Select three or four
sentences from the passage that
use phrases, clauses, signal words
(but, and), colons, and dashes.
Write these on the board. Explain
that writers often use signals
that help the reader know that
there is more information coming.
Use these sentences to illustrate
these signals, and discuss how
the information contributes to
understanding.
8
TEACHER-SUPPORTED reading
Encourage students to use sticky notes to identify places in the text
where they made a connection or visualized as they read this selection.
Read aloud the first two paragraphs on SB page 19. Ask:
• Visualizing involves using details and ideas from the text to create
a mental picture. How does the description in these paragraphs
help you to visualize the scene? (Possible response: I can picture the
narrator sitting anxiously in the kitchen drinking tea and waiting
nervously for the garage door to break the silence)
Read the next three paragraphs on SB pages 19–20 aloud. Ask:
• When you make connections to a text, you’re making links to what
you already know. What text-to-self or text-to-text connections
did you make that helped you understand how the character was
feeling? (my cousin is exactly like the 11-year-old sister so I can
picture her exactly; I saw a movie in which a girl was so jealous
of her younger sister that she ignored her completely, which may
explain why the narrator feels she doesn’t know her sister very well)
Have students read the next three paragraphs on SB page 20
independently. Ask:
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
What the Research Says
“Students’ prior levels of
knowledge and motivation
determine how much learning
will occur, and the content of
learning depends on the quantity
and quality of social interactions
around learning topics.”—Louise
Wilkinson and Elaine Silliman
• Visualize the personal and family problems the narrator experienced.
Using the details and emotions described by the author, how do you
picture the narrator before and after the divorce? (when she and her
parents are fighting before the divorce I see her crying with very red
eyes; after the divorce I see her depressed because she can’t accept
the change or make things return to the way they were before)
Have students read the paragraphs on SB page 21 independently. Ask:
• Make connections to the parts of this section that remind you
of things you’ve experienced. The author describes her sister as
her source of inspiration. Are there people you admire who have
inspired you? How about people you might not typically think of
as a source of inspiration, say, an older brother inspired by a sister?
(my grandmother is always very positive and makes me feel that
she’s interested in what I do and think and always encourages me to
do my best and be kind to people)
DI
readiness
To support: For students who are struggling with visualizing, tell
them they can enjoy their favourite meal at their favourite restaurant
for free. Have students describe the physical characteristics of the
restaurant (location; size; colours; seating; flooring; tables; plates;
cutlery), and their favourite meal (smell; colours; portion size; taste).
Ask them to look down at their desks and see themselves in their
mind’s eye entering the restaurant, sitting, and enjoying their favourite
meal. Talk about why using this strategy can help them when they are
reading—for example, by putting themselves in the scene.
For students who are struggling with making connections, read
the Unit title “It Takes Courage.” Have them discuss what courage
means to them. Ask them to describe people who have demonstrated
courage: perhaps people they know, or characters in books or movies,
or real people in the news. Explain that they have made text-to-self,
text-to-text, and text-to-world connections. Talk about why making
connections can help them when they are reading—for example, by
understanding how the character is feeling.
Language Conventions
Combining Sentences to Add Variety
Write the following sentences on the board:
Every day it was the same. I would get up after my dad’s girlfriend left.
I would leave the moment she came home.
Have partners combine these sentences into one sentence that connects
the ideas. Write their combined sentences on the board for students to
assess. Ask students to compare their versions with the original in the
second paragraph, SB page 19.
Repeat the activity with the following examples:
• My little sister pranced into the kitchen. She was happy to find me.
I was still sitting there.
• She plopped herself into the seat. It was across from me. She began
to chat. It was at a million miles per hour.
Have students discuss the value of combining short sentences to add
clarity and variety to their own writing.
NEL
Small Inspiration
9
After
Responding
DI challenge
Challenge students to write a
profile of someone whom they
find inspirational. They can give a
brief biography of the person and
then explain why this person is a
source of inspiration for them and
how this person has changed their
lives or thinking. They can share
their profiles with other students or
store them in their writing folders.
(SB pages 19–21)
What Do You Think Now? The narrator’s sister quickly accepted the
changes in her family. Did this take courage? Why or why not?
(it took courage for the sister to try to protect the narrator when she
and her parents were fighting; the narrator thinks her sister was brave
to accept the changes with a positive attitude, which helps her cope
with them as well)
Visualizing: How did you picture the author at the beginning of the
text? How did your visualization change as you read?
(at the beginning she was very stressed and lonely; as I read on, I saw
her as very emotional and upset by her parents fighting, the divorce,
and the girlfriend and baby; near the end I see her as calm, almost
happy, and in love with her sister)
Making Connections: What aspects of this personal essay were easiest
for you to connect with?
(I have seen a lot of TV shows in which families argue a lot, but not as
much or as violently as this family did; my friend’s family is divorced,
so I know how hard it is on her and her brothers to alternate living
with their mom one week and their dad the next)
Summarizing: What are the three most important points you would
include if you were summarizing this text?
(screaming and yelling makes people more upset rather than solving
problems; really getting to know someone is very important; a positive
attitude is needed to accept change)
Critical Literacy: Think about how the father's new girlfriend would
feel after reading this essay. What might she say in response?
(she might feel that the narrator blames her for destroying her family,
so she might defend herself by saying the family already had problems
before she arrived on the scene; she might ask the narrator to sit down
with her so that they can work out any feelings of resentment toward her)
Metacognition: Prior to reading this text, you thought about the
statement, “Accepting change takes courage.” How did that help you
to better understand the essay?
(it helped me to understand why the narrator admires her younger
sister’s courage to turn the page and start a new family life; I think
the narrator realizes that she became upset, depressed, and isolated
because she was too afraid to accept the changes at home )
Student Self-Assessment
Encourage students to think back to their learning with “Over the
Edge” and “Small Inspiration” and reflect on their ability to visualize
and make connections as reading strategies. Ask them to describe,
while conferencing with you or a peer, how they might use these
strategies when reading in other subjects. Have them use
BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Goal Setting.
10
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
Activities Choice Board
The following literacy activities provide opportunities for students to respond to the text. Teachers may select specific
learning tasks based on student needs or interests.
Oral Communication: Role-Play
Have students work in pairs to plan a role-play in
which the narrator and her dad’s girlfriend sit down to
talk openly about their relationship and the problems
in their home. Partners should determine how the
characters might use the strategies of visualizing and
making connections to make their communication with
each other more effective. Have partners choose roles
and enact the scenario. Ask them to then share their
role-play with another pair and discuss how making
connections allows them to better portray the characters.
Partners can then switch roles and re-enact the role-play,
incorporating feedback from the discussion.
Writing: Personal Essay
Have students select a vivid text-to-self connection they
made to the essay. Ask them to recall an experience they
might use as the basis of a personal essay about some
big change in their lives. Have them draft the story of
the experience and then revise it by adding more specific
details and descriptive language to help readers visualize
the experience clearly. Ask students to discuss how
visualizing and making connections can help improve
their writing. Have students revise again by adding an
explanation of what they learned from the experience.
Small groups of students can share their essays and try to
make connections with them.
Media Studies: Using Connections to Visualize
Have partners share the connections they made as they
read the essay (my brother and I fought when were
kids, but now we’re really good friends). Ask partners
to discuss what they see when they visualize the
connection (I see my brother and I throwing things at
each other, trashing our room, and getting yelled at by
my father). Have partners draw four boxes on a blank
piece of paper. In each box they can draw one action that
they visualized from a connection. Partners can share
their drawings with another group, and discuss which
connection made the most vivid visualization. Students
can make revisions based on feedback.
Oral Communication: Causal Analogies
Explain to students that a causal analogy shows a causeand-effect relationship between two pairs of words,
and give examples such as A match causes fire, just as
fire causes smoke, or Hunger causes pain, just as eating
causes pleasure. Ask small groups of students to discuss
possible words to complete the following analogy:
Fighting causes ______, just as inspiration causes
________. Have groups write as many analogies as they
can based on the themes of the selection. Students can
share and compare their analogies with another group,
and discuss which causal analogy really connected with
their experiences.
Assessment for Learning
Criteria
Checking Progress
Next Steps
● visualize and make connections
Demonstration Task
Use the following resources to give
students further opportunities to
practise their reading strategies in
small groups, independently, or in
literature circles.
of various types
● explain how visualizing and
making connections helps the
reader understand what is read
Record individual progress on
BLM 5: Rubric: Visualizing and
Making Connections, or on
BLM 6: Class Tracking Sheet.
Have students complete a threecolumn chart: 1. excerpts from
the selection that sparked a
visualization or connection; 2. their
visualization or connection, coded
as TS (text-to-self), TT (text-totext), or TW (text-to-world); 3. how
the visualization or connection
helped them understand the
selection.
Other Nelson Resources
Boldprint 9: Revolution!
Literacy Power, Unit 6: A
Country Called Canada
Key Assessment Question
Students may respond to the key
assessment question in writing, or
orally in a conference.
● How did using strategies
such as visualizing and
making connections help you
understand the text?
NEL
Small Inspiration
11
FOCUS ON
Genre
How to
Identify the Elements
of Persuasive Text
STUDENT BOOK, Pages 30–31
Materials
● Student Book pages 30–31
● Modelling Selection 3
● BLM 2
About these Pages
These pages provide an opportunity to review the genre Persuasive
Text, modelled using Modelling Selection 3: Inspiring Tale of Courage.
These same pages can also be used as a reference by students,
throughout the unit and across the curriculum.
Curriculum Expectations
O: Oral Communication R: Reading and Literature Studies W: Writing M: Media Studies
R Demonstrate how text forms help communicate meaning
R Identify/describe characteristics of various text forms
What the Research Says
“Identifying the structural
organization used by an author
is an effective reading strategy
and improves comprehension and
memory.”—Lea McGee and Donald
Richgels
Modelling the Strategy/Shared Reading
Identifying the Elements of Persuasive Text
Use Modelling Selection 3 and its accompanying Teacher Notes in the
Selections for Modelling and Demonstration to model the strategy
Identifying the Elements of Persuasive Text.
Focus on Genre
Identifying the Elements of Persuasive Text
Have students refer to Focus on Genre, SB (Student Book) pages 30
and 31. Read about the different kinds of persuasive text; refer to the
chart that identifies its organization. Ask students how being able to
identify persuasive text can help them better understand a text.
Read the Transfer Your Learning box, SB page 31. In response to the
Speaking/Listening prompt, partners should write a beginning for the
presentation. For the Technology prompt, small groups should identify
elements of persuasive text that can make a blog more effective.
Encourage students to refer to these Focus pages throughout the unit
and when applying this strategy in other subjects.
Assessment for Learning
Ongoing Observation
Assessment
Students who understand will:
● Use BLM 2: Observation Tracking Sheet to monitor
● explain how identifying the elements of persuasive
and make notes on students as they work.
text helps the reader understand what is read
12
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
UNDERSTANDING
The need to heed
avalanche alerts
READING
Genre
STRATEGIES
▼ ▼
Persuasive Text
Asking Questions
Student Book, Pages 32–33
Materials
About the Selection
● Student Book pages 32–33
●
● BLMs 2, 9, 10
●
Form: editorial
Summary: The editorial maintains that avalanche alerts must be
heeded.
ACCESSIBILITY
Curriculum Expectations
EASY
AVERAGE
CHALLENGING
The facts of the incident are
interesting. Argument is well
developed with factual information.
Paragraphs are short, easy to read
and comprehend.
VOCABULARY
beckon
venture
close-knit
vibrant
grandeur
wrath
O: Oral Communication R: Reading and Literature Studies W: Writing M: Media Studies
O Identify the ways in which oral texts communicate ideas and
influence listeners
R Explain how text forms communicate meaning
W Write for different purposes and audiences using a range of forms
M Explain how media texts are created for specific purposes and
audiences
Assessment for Learning: Overview
Ongoing Observation
Assessment
Students who understand
will:
● What elements of persuasive text did you identify while reading “The need to
● identify the elements
of persuasive text: clear
opening statement;
supporting arguments;
logical structure with
transition words;
definite conclusion
that repeats the main
purpose
● recognize that
persuasive text may
contain a call to action
● explain how knowing
the elements of
persuasive text helps
the reader understand
what is read
NEL
Key Assessment Questions
heed avalanche alerts”?
● Which arguments to support the thesis did you think were the strongest?
Explain.
● Which arguments did you think were not strong enough to persuade the
reader? Explain.
● How does knowing the elements of persuasive text help the reader
understand what is read?
Assessment Tools
BLM 2: Observation Tracking Sheet
BLM 9: Rubric: Persuasive Text
BLM 10: Class Tracking Sheet
Differentiated Instruction
If students do not understand the strategy, use Differentiated Instruction (DI)
Readiness, page 15.
The need to heed avalanche alerts
13
BEFORE
Speaking/Listening
what do you think?
Ask small groups of students to share their experiences (or the
experiences of others) of putting themselves in dangerous situations.
Have students read the What do you think? prompt on SB page 32,
“Putting yourself in danger should be a crime.” Students should work
in small groups: half of the groups plan arguments and examples to
support the statement and the other half plan arguments against it.
Have the groups present their arguments.The class can decide which
arguments are the most persuasive.
Making Predictions
Anticipation Guide
Read the following statements to the class. Ask each student to think
for a moment and then to agree or disagree with each statement. Tally
and record the results for each statement.
1.Most avalanches occur in winter.
2.Most avalanches occur after a heavy snowfall.
3.The probability of surviving an avalanche is 86%.
4.Suffocation is the chief cause of avalanche deaths.
Have small groups of students share and discuss their reasons for their
responses to each statement. (Note: All statements are true.)
During
Reading “The need to heed avalanche alerts”
Understanding Genre: Persuasive Text
ELL
A brief discussion about the setting
establishes background information
for ELLs who may have little or
no knowledge about conditions
in the Rocky Mountains and the
inherent dangers (avalanche,
wilderness, back country). The
before-reading discussions and
analysis of the text are good
strategies for providing ELLs with
support for reading comprehension.
However, instructional language
can impede understanding of the
text and reading tasks. Explain and
give examples of terms like thesis,
editorial, formal/informal voice, and
call to action.
14
Have students review the information about identifying the elements
of persuasive text on SB pages 30–31. Read aloud the first paragraph
and prompt on SB page 32. Ask:
• A persuasive text has a thesis. What is the thesis the author is
trying to prove? How does the first paragraph introduce the thesis?
(Possible response: the thesis is that people must pay attention to
avalanche warnings; the first paragraph uses six short sentences to
introduce the problem and give the solution very bluntly)
Read aloud the next seven paragraphs and second prompt on
SB page 32. Ask:
• A persuasive text offers support for its thesis with facts or
arguments. What facts does the editorial present to support its
thesis? (the public was warned in advance; the weather conditions
were ripe for an avalanche)
• What connections can you make with this news story? (text-to-self:
stupidly, I have put myself in danger more than once and lived to
regret it; text-to-text: I have seen movies about people trapped in
avalanches or while mountain climbing and vowed to stay away
from those activities; text-to-world: I have heard about skiers killed
by avalanches recently in Canada)
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
Have students read the third paragraph and first prompt on
SB page 33 independently. Ask:
• Authors of persuasive text can choose either a formal or informal
voice. What voice is this author using? Find examples of word choice
in the article that support your answer. (the author uses a formal
voice because of the seriousness of the situation, which the author
does not want to happen again in the future; words that support
this include: “needlessly,” “condolences,” “alas,” “miraculous,”
“unfortunately,” “peril,” “predictability,” “died,” “grieve”)
Have students read the last four paragraphs and second prompt on
SB page 33 independently. Say:
• Persuasive text usually contains a call to action. State this call to
action in your own words. (people engaging in recreational activities
during avalanche season should pay very special attention to the
avalanche warnings and not go into potentially dangerous places)
• Does the use of statistics make the opinion more persuasive? (yes,
because when I see numbers I can visualize the seriousness of the
situation; no, because the numbers are low)
DI
readiness
To support: For students who are struggling with identifying the
elements of persuasive text, show them a print ad (power foods,
extreme sports) that targets a teen audience. Have them state the
message of the ad and identify the various ways the ad seeks to appeal
to the target teen audience. Give students different ads and have them
repeat the process independently. Have students join with a partner
and explain their analysis of the ads. Repeat the process, using an
editorial. Make a chart to record the thesis, supporting details, and
conclusion. Ask students how choosing powerful supporting details can
make an opinion more persuasive; how a strong conclusion can cement
a persuasive argument in the reader’s mind.
Language Conventions
Dashes for Sentence Breaks
dashes
One dash marks a strong break in
a sentence: I felt—well, there
are no words to describe it.
Two dashes set off a phrase or
a clause: It wasn't until Monday
night—or it may have been
Tuesday—that I found the note on
the fridge.
NEL
Write this sentence from the selection on the board: Heavy dumps of
snow followed by wild swings in temperatures—from –30ºC to 1ºC in
a short period of time—is a recipe for unstable snow on hilly terrain.
Ask students what the impact of separating the information in the
middle by using dashes (—) might be. (gives specific temperatures to
emphasize “wild swings”)
Repeat the activity with the following sentences:
• There were about 100 people snowmobiling in the backcountry
near Fernie where these avalanches initially buried 11 men—three of
whom thankfully survived.
• And yet, year after year, hundreds—if not thousands—of outdoor
enthusiasts boldly proceed into areas of considerable risk during the
winter, obviously believing Nature will not turn its wrath toward them.
Ask students to take a piece of writing from their portfolios and find
one place were dashes would add to the meaning or style of their
writing. Have students read it with the dashes and without to see how
it changes.
The need to heed avalanche alerts
15
After
Responding
DI interest
Students with an interest in
avalanches might visit the
Canadian Avalanche Centre
website, where they can find the
actual bulletin issued on December
27, 2008 for Fernie B.C. in the
South Rockies archive. They can
also view the International Danger
Scale and find information about
the causes of avalanches, safety
practices, and rescue procedures.
They could give a brief oral report
of their findings to a small group
or the class.
16
(SB page 33)
What Do You Think Now? Should putting yourself into danger be a
crime? Would the author agree? Find evidence from the text to support
your answer.
(I disagree because the avalanche was an accident the snowmobilers
could have avoided but couldn’t control; the author wouldn’t agree
because she says “This is a free country and we are not likely to ever
outlaw people from entering dangerous wilderness areas.”)
Analyzing Persuasive Text: Identify the main arguments that support
the author’s thesis.
(the weather conditions made an avalanche likely; a “considerable”
risk warning should be taken seriously; the snowmobilers ignored the
warnings; the rescuers were placed at great risk)
Reading for Detail: What warnings is the author talking about in the
first paragraph?
(I think the author is referring to the warning given by the avalanche
authorities that the area was a “considerable risk”; maybe the deaths
of the snowmobilers is a warning to others to be more careful)
Critical Literacy: This editorial appeared two days after an avalanche
claimed the lives of eight snowmobilers from Sparwood, B.C. How
might people from Sparwood respond to this article? Is there another
side to the argument that is not present in the text?
(the residents of Sparwood, which is a close-knit community, might
find the editorial harsh because it seems to blame the snowmobilers;
another side to the argument is that mountain towns depend on
tourism and money spent by people who like to ski, snowboard,
snowmobile, and hike, so the editorial should be careful not to scare
tourists away)
Metacognition: How did thinking about how the author organized the
editorial help you to better understand the text?
(the author alternates giving opinions and stating facts that help make
the argument convincing; the thesis is stated strongly at the beginning
and in the body, along with lots of facts to support it, and reinforced
at the end along with a call for action)
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
Activities Choice Board
The following literacy activities provide opportunities for students to respond to the text. Teachers may select specific
learning tasks based on student needs or interests.
Speaking/Listening: A Panel Discussion
Give groups these roles: ski resort owner, snowmobiler,
editorial writer, Search and Rescue team member,
and member of Canadian Avalanche Centre. Each
group plans the argument they will make to the panel
discussion at a town hall meeting about the dangers of
snowmobiling during avalanche season. Remind students
to review the elements of persuasive text from SB pages
30–31. What might their perspectives be? Whose interests
might be threatened? What arguments will they present?
What solution will they propose? Have groups share
their arguments. Which arguments had the best support?
Writing: Opinion Paragraph
Tell students that an opinion paragraph is a type of
persuasive text. It includes a topic sentence that clearly
states an opinion. Provide students with an issue, such
as the dangers of cellphones or smoking. Have students
form an opinion about whether or not the item should
be banned. Ask students to write their paragraphs for a
teen audience, providing at least two reasons or facts and
a strong conclusion. Have students share their opinion
pieces. Students can respond using a prompt such as:
What details provided the best support for the position
taken by the writer of the opinion piece?
Media Studies: A Public Service Announcement
Tell students that a Public Service Announcement (PSA)
is an ad on TV or radio that tries to raise awareness in
the public about an important issue. Ask them to create
a PSA that will warn the public of potential safety issues
regarding a defective product. Have partners choose a
product they are familiar with, and brainstorm reasons
to convince consumers to be cautious. Partners should
share their draft with another pair, noting similarities and
differences and using feedback to make revisions. Groups
should then discuss what were the most powerful reasons
given to support the position.
Writing: A Letter to the Editor
Have students write a letter to the editor of the Calgary
Herald. They might write as themselves, as one of the
victims’ friends or family, the resort owner, or one of
the rescue team. The purpose of the letter is to express
an opinion about the editorial. They might be outraged
or calm, supportive or opposed. Partners can share their
drafts and use feedback to make revisions. Ask partners
to discuss how the arguments presented reflect the
perspective of the character writing the response. For
example, in taking on the role of a family member, were
the arguments convincing from that point of view?
Assessment for Learning
Criteria
Checking Progress
Next Steps
● identify the elements of
Key Assessment Questions
● If students do not understand
persuasive text: clear opening
statement; supporting
arguments; logical structure
with transition words; definite
conclusion that repeats the
main purpose
● recognize that persuasive text
may contain a call to action
● explain how knowing the
elements of persuasive text
helps the reader understand
what is read
Record individual progress on
BLM 9: Rubric: Persuasive Text, or
on BLM 10: Class Tracking Sheet.
NEL
Students may respond to the key
assessment questions in writing, or
orally in a conference.
● What elements of persuasive
text did you identify while
reading “The need to heed
avalanche alerts”?
● Which arguments to support
the thesis did you think were
the strongest? Explain.
the strategy, use DI Readiness,
page 15.
● If students need more support
in identifying the elements
of persuasive text, use one or
more of the following selections
for teacher-supported reading:
“Death Does Not Ask,” easy,
(letter to the editor)
● Which arguments did you think
“Panic ay Playland,” average,
(pep talk)
were not strong enough to
persuade a reader? Explain.
“What's Courage?,”average,
(persuasive essay)
● How does knowing the
elements of persuasive text help
the reader understand what is
read?
● If students can identify the
elements of persuasive text,
use one or more of the above
selections as practice in
independent reading.
The need to heed avalanche alerts
17
APPLYING
Panic at Playland
Genre
Student Book, Pages 36–39
▼
Persuasive Text
About the Selection
●
Materials
●
● Student Book pages 36–39
● BLMs 2, 4, 9, 10, 16, 30
●
Form: pep talk
Summary: In this tongue-in-cheek pep talk, the author persuades a
friend to ride a roller coaster.
About the Author: Arwa Kimferdeen is a pseudonym of a writer
and editor living in Toronto.
ACCESSIBILITY
EASY
AVERAGE
CHALLENGING
Readers might be able to identify
with location and emotions, and
the need for the pep talk. Vivid
descriptive details help readers
visualize context.
VOCABULARY
avid
Curriculum Expectations
O: Oral Communication R: Reading and Literature Studies W: Writing M: Media Studies
O Identify the ways in which oral texts communicate ideas and
influence listeners
R Explain how text forms communicate meaning
W Write for different purposes and audiences using a range of forms
M Explain how media texts are created for specific purposes and
audiences
envious
exhilarating
helix
Assessment for Learning: Overview
Ongoing Observation
Assessment
Students who understand
will:
Demonstration Task, page 22
● identify the elements
● How did knowing the elements of persuasive text help you understand “Panic
of persuasive text: clear
opening statement;
supporting arguments;
logical structure with
transition words;
definite conclusion
that repeats the main
purpose
● recognize that
persuasive text may
contain a call to action
Key Assessment Question
at Playland”?
Assessment Tools
BLM 2: Observation Tracking Sheet
BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Goal Setting
BLM 9: Rubric: Persuasive Text
BLM 10: Class Tracking Sheet
BLM 16: Demonstration Task: Persuasive Text
Differentiated Instruction
● explain how knowing
the elements of
persuasive text helps
the reader understand
what is read
18
If students need more support in applying the strategy, use DI Teacher-Supported
Reading, page 19.
If students do not understand the strategy, use DI Readiness, page 20.
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
BEFORE
Speaking/Listening
what do you think?
ELL
Voice is a difficult concept for
many ELLs. Discuss what is meant
by a pep talk and the use of
informal voice. After students
have shared their experiences of
backing out of something, have
groups of students select one of
these experiences and chart the
arguments that they would use to
convince them to participate. Have
them number each argument and
jot down points that they would
use to support each argument.
Invite the groups to use their charts
to dramatize a pep talk.
Ask students to share an experience of wanting to back out of doing
something (such as diving off the high board at a swimming pool)
when there is pressure from friends to do it. Have them discuss reasons
for wanting to avoid the experience. Then have small groups discuss
answers to the What do you think? prompt on SB page 36, “It’s OK to
show your friends you’re afraid of something.”
Making Predictions
Using the Title
Read the title of the selection. Ask:
• What do you think of when you see the word “panic”? (Possible
responses: anxiety; a stampede; out of control)
• What do you think “Playland” might be? (an amusement park for
kids; a playground)
Have small groups of students make predictions about what the
selection might be about, then share and explain their predictions with
the class. Ask the class to decide on the most probable predictions. Tell
students to watch for clues about their predictions as they read the
selection.
During
Reading “Panic at Playland”
Understanding Genre: Persuasive Text
Have students review the information on the Focus On pages or,
for those students who need more support, use a teacher-supported
reading approach.
DI
TEACHER-SUPPORTED reading
Have students review the information about identifying the elements
of persuasive text on SB pages 31–32. Read aloud the title, byline, and
first paragraph on SB page 36. Ask:
• A persuasive text has a thesis. What is the narrator’s thesis in
this pep talk? (that Greg should get over his fear and ride the
Corkscrew)
Read aloud the rest of page 36. Ask:
• How does Arwa try to persuade Greg in these paragraphs? (Arwa
tries to use peer pressure by referring to their friends; she tries to
sympathize with his feelings of fear and appeal to him as a longtime friend)
Have students read page 37 independently. Ask:
• A persuasive text offers support for its thesis with convincing
reasons. What reasons does Arwa give to upport her thesis? (if Greg
doesn’t get on, his friends will laugh at him or Ravi’s birthday will
be wrecked; everybody else finds the Corkscrew fun, not frightening;
this ride is safe)
NEL
Panic at Playland
19
Have students read page 38 independently. Ask:
• What connections can you make with this selection? (text-to-self:
I used to be afraid of roller coasters, so I started with small ones
and worked my way up; text-to-text: I read a short story in which a
rescuer had to coach a scared kid trapped on a cliff to climb down
safely; text-to-world: I read news stories about accidents on roller
coasters, so I have a sense of what Greg is feeling)
Have students read the last page of the selection independently.
Say:
• Persuasive text usually contains a call to action. State Arwa’s call to
action in your own words. (Stay calm, stop worrying, and enjoy the
ride)
• Find examples of word choice in the selection that support your
answer. (the author uses an informal voice because she’s 15, Greg
is her friend, and he needs to be calmed down and given some
confidence; words that support my answer include: “butt in,” “I
know you’re thinking,” “deep breath,” “Fun, with a capital F,”
“completely safe,” “OK,” “really lucky,” “not so bad”)
DI
readiness
For students who are struggling with identifying the elements of
persuasive text, write the following statements on the board:
• Fast food restaurants should be banned.
• Fast food restaurants should serve nutritious meals.
• Fast food restaurants should serve fresh, not processed, foods.
Ask students to make connections with the three statements and then
share them with the group. Focus on the statement most students
agreed with. Have students take turns sharing the reasons that support
that thesis. Let the whole group decide on the most convincing
reasons, and develop a call to action for the statement (customers
should write local politicians to enact a law prohibiting fast food
restaurants; customers should ask the manager to serve fresh food
grown locally). Have students discuss how developing powerful reasons
and an achievable call to action can make a thesis more persuasive.
Language Conventions
sentence types
Declarative: makes a statement;
ends with a period
Interrogative: asks a question;
ends with a question mark
Imperative: makes a command or
request; ends with a period or an
exclamation mark
Exclamatory: expresses emotion;
ends with an exclamation mark
20
Types of Sentences
Review the definitions and punctuation of four sentence types:
declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory.
Read each of the following sentences. Ask students in what way the
sentences sound different, and how that changes the meaning. You’re
only fifteen. You’re only fifteen! You’re only fifteen?
Write the following sentences on the board, and have students identify
the sentence types:You’re only fifteen. Weren’t they having fun? Take a
deep breath. Your heart is fine!
Have students scan the selection and find more examples of these
sentence types. Students can discuss why the author might have used
all four types of sentences, and the impact of this on the reader.
Refer to BLM 30: Sentence Types for additional practice in identifying
types of sentences.
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
After
Responding
DI learning style
Students who rely on listening
to process their learning might
benefit from hearing the pep talk
read aloud by the teacher (or by a
student) in order to appreciate the
narrator’s various persuasive tactics
and emotional appeals, as these
are expressed through the changes
in intonation, pace, and the variety
of sentence types and lengths.
NEL
(SB page 39)
What Do You Think Now? What are some of the pros and cons of
showing your friends you’re afraid?
(a pro point is that a friend might sympathize with you and help you
to become more confident; a point against the statement is that friends
might use name-calling to ridicule you so you feel worse than before,
might be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do)
Analyzing Persuasive Text: What would the thesis of this selection be if
you were to write it as a formal persuasive essay?
(confiding a fear to a close friend you trust can help you feel less alone;
family or close friends have a responsibility to help people who feel
afraid become more confident)
Drawing Conclusions: What other factors might motivate Greg to
get on the ride? In your opinion, should the narrator have tried to
persuade Greg to overcome his fear? Why or why not?
(maybe he can be reminded that he’s already paid for his ticket to
Playland; I think Arwa should have tried to motivate him, but I don’t
think she should have made jokes about the clowns or deaths, and
talked about him being terrified or humiliated because these things are
negative reinforcements; no, Greg shouldn’t have to do something he is
afraid to do)
Critical Literacy: Do you think this selection would change if the pep
talk were being delivered to a female friend? Explain.
(Arwa sounds pretty aggressive with Greg, as if she’s trying to control
him; with a girlfriend, Arwa might appeal to her more as a sister or
equal and reveal some of her own fears)
Literary Devices: How does the author create humour in this selection?
Is humour an effective tool for delivering a serious message about
overcoming your fears?
(Arwa makes jokes about the clowns Greg is afraid of and how a few
people actually have died on roller coasters; the pep talk is an amusing
one-sided monologue in which Arwa gets pretty excited, speaking in
long and very short sentences and using repetition, so that the message
comes through loud and clear)
Metacognition: What details helped you identify the text as persuasive?
How does identifying a text as persuasive help you understand it?
(the thesis uses the word “persuade” and in the middle Arwa identifies
her three “big” supporting reasons; when I identified the purpose of
this text I knew what to watch for, such as the supporting reasons, so I
could make a judgment about whether or not I agree with the thesis)
Panic at Playland
21
Activities Choice Board
The following literacy activities provide opportunities for students to respond to the text. Teachers may select specific
learning tasks based on student needs or interests.
Oral Communication: Reader's Theatre
Have small groups of students develop a Reader’s
Theatre script for this text, breaking the text into
different speaking parts. When not speaking their
assigned roles, group members can contribute
appropriate sound effects. Encourage each group to
use vocal techniques such as variety in volume, tone,
and pitch to contribute to the persuasiveness of the
arguments. Groups can share their Reader's Theatre, and
discuss how voice and body language contributed to the
arguments supporting the thesis statement.
Writing: Changing Perspective
Remind students that the pep talk is written from Arwa's
point of view. Have students discuss what readers
learn about Greg’s character from Arwa's perspective,
and consider how they might retell the selection from
Greg’s point of view. Students can draft inserts of Greg’s
thoughts and feelings in response to key points in Arwa’s
pep talk (the thesis, three big reasons, call to action).
Students may share their writing; prompt discussion on
how feedback about the details that support a thesis
could affect the presentation of its arguments.
Media Studies: Emotional Appeals
Provide students with a print ad for a product aimed at a
teen audience. Have partners analyze how the ad appeals
emotionally to its audience: What story does the ad
tell? Can you identify with the characters? How do the
clothes and props make you feel? What dominates in the
image? Have partners conclude by rating the ad’s appeal
for the target audience. They can then share their analysis
with another pair, and discuss how the techniques used in
ads are the same as (and different from) techniques used
in print text such as editorials and opinion pieces.
Oral Communication: Rant
Explain that a rant is a very emotional speech about a
topic of personal interest. (Students may know this, from
the comedy of Rick Mercer.) Its purpose is to convince
the audience to share the speaker’s anger about the issue.
Have partners brainstorm a topic, develop a rant for
a peer audience, and present it (I should be allowed to
use my cellphone in school as a learning tool). Partners
should use the elements of persuasive text to organize
their rant. Groups can discuss when to use a rant as a
way to express one's opinion.
Student Self-Assessment
Encourage students to think back to their learning with “Over the Edge” and “Panic at Playland” and
reflect on their ability to identify elements of persuasive text. Ask them to describe, while conferencing
with you or a peer, how they might use this strategy when reading in other subjects. Have them use
BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Goal Setting.
Assessment for Learning
Criteria
Checking Progress
Next Steps
● identify the elements of
Demonstration Task
Use the following resources to
give students further opportunities
to practise their reading skills in
small groups, independently, or in
literature circles.
persuasive text: clear opening
statement; supporting
arguments; logical structure
with transition words; definite
conclusion that repeats the
main purpose
● recognize that persuasive text
may contain a call to action
● explain how knowing the
elements of persuasive text
helps the reader understand
what is read
Record individual progress on
BLM 9: Rubric: Persuasive Text, or
on BLM 6: Class Tracking Sheet.
22
Have students make a flow chart
like the one on SB page 31, and
use it to summarize the thesis,
supporting reasons, and call to
action in “Panic at Playland.” This
can be used to help answer the
key assessment question.
Other Nelson Resources
Boldprint 9: Me! Healthy Body,
Healthy Mind
Key Assessment Question
Students may respond to the key
assessment question in writing, or
orally in a conference.
● How did knowing the elements
of persuasive text help you
understand “Panic at Playland”?
Nelson Literacy 9 Teacher’s Resource Unit 1: It Takes Courage
NEL
Homophones
BLM 25
Name: _________________________________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
What to Do
• Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.
• Choose three pairs of homophones from the list below. For each pair, complete the boxes
by identifying the part of speech of the word, drawing a visual symbol to illustrate the
word, and using the word in a sentence to show its meaning.
aloud/allowed stare/stair
bored/board waste/waist
break/brake
weather/whether
heal
Part of Speech:
verb
Visual Symbol:
H
heel
Part of Speech:
Visual Symbol:
noun
Sentence:
Sentence:
The boy’s injuries from the accident will heal.
Her shoe has a high heel.
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:
Visual Symbol:
Sentence:
Part of Speech:
Sentence:
Visual Symbol:
Sentence:
Part of Speech:
Part of Speech:
Sentence:
Visual Symbol:
Sentence:
Copyright © 2010 by Nelson Education Ltd.
Part of Speech:
Sentence:
Nelson Literacy 9 Unit 1
BLM 25
Sentence Types
BLM 30
Name: _________________________________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Sentence Type
Purpose
End Punctuation
Declarative
makes a statement
period
Interrogative
asks a question
question mark
Imperative
makes a command or request
period or exclamation mark
Exclamatory
expresses emotion
exclamation mark
What to Do
• Write D for declarative, IN for interrogative, IM for imperative, or E for exclamatory before each sentence.
• Put the correct punctuation at the end of the sentence.
______ 1. Did Greg get on the Cork Screw___
______ 2. He’s still in line___
______ 3. What’s the matter with him___
______ 4. We can’t wait for him all day___
______ 5. I’m going to buy a hot dog___
______ 6. Do they have pretzels___
______ 7. How should I know___
______ 8. Where’s the washroom____
______ 9. Ask Greg____
______ 10. Hey, there’s no way you’re going to get me on the Monster Drop today____
______ 11. Me neither____
______ 12. Are you both chickens____
______ 13. I don’t want to be sick____
______ 14. Let’s go on before you eat a hot dog____
______ 15. That ride’s stupid____
______ 16. I think you’re Greg Number Two____
______ 17. What do you mean____
______ 18. Why don’t you just go to the wading pool with Greg____
______ 19. Stop arguing on my birthday____
BLM 30
Nelson Literacy 9 Unit 1: It Takes Courage
Copyright © 2010 Nelson Education Ltd.