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Reading by: Corey Muench
www.TheWestcoastReader.com©2012 The Official Westcoast Reader
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Monthly Archives: January 2013
Pikas are tiny farmers
Pikas live in rock piles high in the mountains.
Photo by Alice Weber, Parks Canada
Written by Alice Weber – Glacier National Park
Level 1
What is a pika?
Pikas are part of the rabbit family.
They are the size of a very large mouse.
Their ears are big and round.
Their legs are short and their tails are very small.
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Beluga whale mimics human speech
Beluga whale
Photo by Jason Pier in DC, Flickr
Adapted from The Vancouver Sun
Level 3
We know humans can change the sounds they make.
They change these sounds to copy other sounds that they hear.
This skill is called mimicking. It is also called vocal learning.
The ability to mimic is important
when learning a new language.
Some people can also mimic animal sounds.
In the past, people did this while hunting for food.
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A Beanpod from Fernie goes to London
Cacao pods ripening on a tree
Photo: Public domain
Adapted from The Vancouver Courier
Level 3
Fernie is famous for skiing.
The city calls itself a mountain town.
In the winter there is plenty of snow.
The Rocky Mountains are on all sides of Fernie.
Fernie is in southeastern B.C.
Beanpod Chocolate makes its home in Fernie.
Maybe now, Fernie will be famous for chocolate.
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Family Literacy Day – January 27th, 2013
Photo credit: Jonathan Warner (Brimley – Flickr)
Family Literacy Day was created by ABC Life Literacy Canada 14 years ago, to raise awareness about how important it is to read to our children. This special day is on January 27th, but some events and activities take place on January 26th.
If you have the chance, stop by a Family Literacy Day event in your area, and you can learn facts on literacy in Canada and get advice on how to make reading time fun for your family. Check the link below to find out where your nearest event is.
The Westcoast Reader will be at Family Literacy Day at the West Vancouver Memorial Library, on January 26th, between 10:30 am – 11 am. CLICK HERE for event details.
www.TheWestcoastReader.com©2012 The Official Westcoast Reader
Hungry snowy owls return to Tsawwassen
Snowy owl
Photo by Arpingstone, Public domain
Adapted from The Province
Level 2
Bird lovers are excited. About two dozen snowy owls
have come back to B.C.’s Lower Mainland for the winter.
The owls are in Boundary Bay in the Tsawwassen area.
People have seen them on Vancouver Island, too.
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How old is a lobster?
Lobster
Photo by Roberto Rodriguez, Public Domain
Adapted from The Vancouver Sun
Level 1
Now scientists know
the age of a lobster.
They count the lobster’s rings.
We do this with trees.
We count the rings in the wood.
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Read for the Top: from Canada to Kenya, a Literacy success story
Girls at Shiango Primary preparing for the R4T competition
Photo by Patricia Crossley
Level 3
Read for the Top (R4T) was created in Victoria, Canada.
A teacher in an inner-city school wanted to
encourage his elementary children to read.
Some of his students did not come from a reading culture.
They had few books and other reading materials.
Many of them were learning English as a second language.
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Family, the first school for young children – Audio
Photo credit: Andrew Malone (andrewmalone: Flickr)
Reading by: Jessica Heafey
CLICK HERE for the text version of this article.
www.TheWestcoastReader.com©2012 The Official Westcoast Reader
Family, the first school for young children
Darius is teaching his nephew Ronnie to read English. Studies show that children who are read to learn language skills quickly.
Photo by Nancy Carson
Adapted from The Vancouver Sun
Level 2
How does a child become a good reader?
How does a child become a good speaker?
The answer is simple.
The family is the first school for a child.
A child becomes a good reader because
people at home read to him. And read often.
A child learns to speak when family members talk with him.
Talk with him often. Young children learn language
from older members of the family.
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