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Bear cubs need help

Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul In Smithers, B.C., 30 hungry bear cubs* play and live at an animal shelter. The cubs are orphaned. This means each cub has lost its mother. Most mothers were killed by accident – by cars and trucks. *cubs – a young bear, fox, lion

Nature
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Artist weaves pictures of cities

Adapted from The Province by Nancy Carson Level 1 Sola Fiedler,78, is a fiber artist. She makes beautiful pictures. She makes pictures of cities, like Vancouver. She makes these pictures with yarn. No paint She does not use paint to make her pictures. Paint is expensive. She uses old sweaters! Where does she find them? She goes…

Life Stories
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Students write to a newspaper

Submitted by: Jennifer Partridge, West Point Grey United Church, ESL teacher Jennifer Partridge’s students wrote letters to a newspaper. They wanted to write about Vancouver’s traffic problems. The learners also wanted to talk about solutions. Here are three of their letters: Think about what issues affect your community. Write to your mayor or city council or local…

Social Issues
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Vancouver chocolate bar wins gold medal

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Level 3 Marc Lieberman is a very happy man. He started a chocolate company in Vancouver. He opened Mink Chocolates eight years ago. Now he has two stores. The other one is in Surrey, B.C. Read the PDF: Vancouver’s chocolate bar wins gold medal” “Going nuts” A few…

Food
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Legal Aid BC: What is abuse? Part 2

Submitted by Nate Prosser, Legal Aid BC, Edited by Nila Gopaul • Illustrations by Danette Byatt What is abuse? Part 2/6 Sally and her children are not living in their home. They are staying with a friend. They left because Sally’s husband hits her. Sally is visiting Lisa. Lisa is a community worker. That means that Lisa helps…

Social Issues
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Trans-Canada dog

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 2 Pollux the dog escaped through an open gate in 2010. Her owners were heartbroken. Pollux left Montreal and travelled 4,500 km to Kamloops, B.C. Pollux made new friends in Kamloops. “She was really well-behaved,” said one family. The dog had a microchip…

Life Stories
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Halloween costumes … for your dog

This Halloween, man’s best friend, the dog, can dress up, too. Once there were four costumes for pets. Now there are over 20 costumes.

Holidays
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Fall Festival of Chocolate

The story of chocolate   Level 3 Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Chocolate comes from the beans of a cacao* fruit tree. The cacao bean is the seed of the fruit. (say: ka-kow) Cacao trees can grow 15 metres high. The trees grow in tropical rain forests.  

Food
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Elephants know the voices of their enemies

Level 3 Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Can you recognize different languages? Do you say, “Oh, that sounds like Spanish,” or “That sounds like French.” Can you do it when you do not understand the words? Elephants can! Listen to the story Elephants know the voices of their enemies. Reading by Nila Gopaul-Level 3 Read…

Nature
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Get to know BC: rain

Did you know? The Canadian record for the most rain on a single day was set on October 6, 1967: 489 millimetres fell in Ucluelet, BC that day! In BC, we love to talk about the weather, especially about the rain. Each region in BC has its own climate patterns. So many rainy days can…

Nature
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Why can’t girls play baseball?

A girl from Vancouver becomes part of history. Adapted from The Province by Nancy Carson Level 2 South Vancouver’s Little League baseball team was in the U.S. for two weeks this summer. The team won the Canadian championships in Quebec, in early August. So, they won the chance to go to the Little League World Series. The series…

Social Issues
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Legal Aid BC: Getting help with abuse – Part 1

Submitted by Nate Prosser, Legal Aid BC, Edited by Nila Gopaul • Illustrations by Danette Byatt Getting help with abuse – Part 1/6 WCR and Legal Aid BC co-publish a series offering readers information about their legal rights in Canada. Sally and Marsha are friends. One day they meet. They sit and talk. Then Sally talks…

Social Issues
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Monkey business: A monkey selfie starts a fight

Adapted from CBCnews by Nancy Carson Level 1 Everyone knows what a selfie is. It is a photo you take of yourself. Teenagers take many selfies. President Obama and the Pope took selfies. Some animals take selfies – if they can touch a camera. A nature photographer David Slater takes photographs. He photographs life in…

Life Stories
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October is Foster Family Month

Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul October is Foster Family Month in B.C. Foster care is a way to give a family life to children and teens who cannot live with their own parents. There are about 3,200 foster parents in B.C. They care for 5,900 children and teens in B.C. Many of these parents are reaching…

Holidays
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Salute to Salmon (Oct 3 – 26)

Adapted from CBC News by Nila Gopaul Celebrate the salmon run in October The salmon run is the time when salmon return to the rivers and lakes to spawn (lay eggs). Salmon swim. Why do we call it a “run”, you ask? A run means a route or a journey, especially on a regular basis. The biggest salmon…

Nature
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Get to know BC: islands

“Get to know BC” is a new occasional feature with fun facts about the province. Did you know BC has about 40,000 islands? There are islands of many different sizes. The largest is Vancouver Island. Some are mid-sized islands, like Salt Spring Island. Ivory Island and Entrance Island are very small islands. Some islands are for sale….

Community
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Anti-bullying

  Adapted from bullyingcanada.ca; thebullyproject.com; and The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Illustrations by Nola Johnston” Level 2 In June, 2012, Premier Christy Clark announced the B.C. government will spend $2-million to help stop bullying in schools. Did you know? About one in seven children in Canada (aged 11 to 16) is bullied. There are many…

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On This Day: Terry Fox received the Order of Canada

Terry Fox is a Canadian hero. He ran the Marathon of Hope. Terry inspired many people. On September 19, 1980, he was honoured. He received the Companion of the Order of Canada. This is the most important award in Canada. Terry Fox was the youngest person to get this award. Watch the news video of…

History
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B.C. First Nation wins land claim

Level 3 [stextbox id=”audio”]Listen to the story B.C. First Nation wins land claim – Level 3 [/stextbox]Reading by: Corey Muench Watch a video of this news story: Visit the links Read more about this landmark case (with video). For more background on this case, read this CBC article (with map).

Social Issues
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Get to know BC: the World’s Largest Paddle

“Get to know BC” is a new occasional feature with fun facts about the province. The small town of Golden, BC is home to the world’s largest hand paddle/oar. The Guinness Book of World Records listed the entry earlier this year. This paddle is 13 times larger than an actual oar. It is over 2.8 metres (9…

Life Stories
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Duke and Sophie are best friends

Level 1 Adapted from Castanet.net Duke lives on an organic farm near Armstrong, B.C. He is a big brown dog. He is five years old. The Quiring family owns the farm. They raise pigs and cows. Duke is the family’s pet. An interesting story A pig on their farm has babies. She has 12 baby…

Animals
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Olga, “Super Senior”

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 1 Listen to the story Olga, ‘Super Senior’” – Level 1 Reading by: Jessica Heafey Olga Kotelko had an interesting life. She was born on a farm. Alone, she raised two children. Later, she became a school teacher. For 30 years, she taught in Burnaby, B.C. Olga…

Sports
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Celebrate International Literacy Day

[pullquote]September 8 is International Literacy Day. Learn more at UNESCO.org[/pullquote] This story, “Family, the first school for young children,” first appeared on WCR online in January, 2013. 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…

Holidays
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Dorothy Arey, a champion for 23 years

Level 3 Adapted from the CBC website For 23 years, Dorothy Arey was a CBC radio announcer-operator. She worked in a town called Inuvik, which is in the western Canadian Arctic, in Canada’s North. Arey helped people keep in touch. The main language in Inuvik is English. But Arey was a champion of her own…

Community
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Mary makes chapatis in Kenya

Level 1 Mary lives in Kenya. Kenya is in east Africa. She has a son and two daughters. Mary has many friends. She likes them to visit her. I live in a small apartment in Mary’s yard. I am in Kenya for a few months to help teachers. I like to watch Mary cook. Sometimes…

Life Stories
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Summer stories: Participation for wellness

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Thompson River University Life Skills Reading Class Kamloops, BC: Kenzi Ceccon, Cody Chase, Dean Cummings, Kayla Finney, Cody Harmon, Brad Harrison, Adam Kenoras, Clayton Ralph, Alona Shoemaker This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Life Stories
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Beaver tails

I Speak Canadian is a new occasional feature. We will introduce words and phrases often used by Canadians. A beaver tail is the name of a Canadian pastry. It was first introduced in Ottawa. It is a flat, flaky, fried pastry. The dough is stretched into the shape of a beaver tail. Then, it is…

Food
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Osgemeos paint a monster mural in Vancouver

Did you know? “Monster” has several meanings, including: a) something large; b) a strange animal Vancouver is going to have new public art soon. Osgemeos is an artist duo from Brazil. Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo are twins. Together they paint giant murals and public art. They are going to paint six concrete silos on Granville Island. It…

Culture
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Summer stories: My first car

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Nageb Sulaiman Surrey, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Life Stories
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Lucy the emu is found

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and Wikipedia by Patty Bossort Level 1 Lucy is an emu. An emu is a large bird. Emus do not fly. Lucy lives on a farm near Cassidy, BC. Lucy ran away from home. Lucy was gone several days. She walked about 20 km to Nanaimo. Searchers found Lucy at Vancouver…

Animals
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Summer stories: Arriving in Vancouver

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Sonia Wang Vancouver, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Life Stories
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Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Patty Bossort. Level 2 Chris Hadfield is an astronaut. He is the first Canadian to walk in space. He flew into space three times. He commanded the International Space Station for five months. He orbited the earth 16 times every day. He watched the earth during the day and at night….

Education
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Summer stories: My favourite memory

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Harlei Kelliher Osoyoos, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Life Stories
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On This Day: A world record flight

On August 7, 1982, two pilots from Canada made a world record flight. They flew around the world in six days and 7½ hours in a single-engine plane. They flew 36,500 kilometres in a Cessna 210. Don Muir was 26 years old. He was a bush pilot from Sioux Lookout, Ontario. André Daemen was 22 years….

Life Stories
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Nora the piano cat

Nora is a smart cat. She plays the piano! She is very popular on the Internet and has her own website. You can watch Nora playing the piano here. Visit Nora’s website, Nora the Piano Cat. Do you have a talented pet? (Source: norathepianocat.com)

Life Stories
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Ride for a good life

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Patty Bossort. Level 2 Bicycling is good for your health. It is good for the economy. It is good for the environment. Six good reasons to bicycle: It is good exercise. A fit body is a healthy body. Children learn better after a walk or bike ride to school. A…

Health
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Survivors Totem Pole

Skundaal is a carver. She is Haida and Coast Salish. She is carving a special totem pole. The log is 980 years old. It will honour survivors from the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. A survivor is someone who has had a difficult life but has remained strong. The totem pole will be raised in Fall 2014. There…

Culture
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Bike polo is a wild ride

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Patty Bossort  Level 2 What is bike polo? Bike polo is played by six people on bicycles. They chase a hard orange ball. They hit the ball with mallets. Players cover the wheels. This keeps the ball out of the spokes. The sport is getting more popular. Everyone is welcome to…

Sports
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The business of time

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 1 Meet Vahid. Vahid was born in Iran. He came to Canada 30 years ago. He sells and fixes clocks and watches. His business is called It’s About Time. It’s About Time is in Langley, B.C.

Business
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Tough jobs in B.C.

Tough jobs in B.C. Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 3 Bronwyn Barter is a paramedic in Nelson, B.C. Paramedics help people in emergency medical situations. They help people before they get to the hospital. Bronwyn wanted to be a paramedic at five years old. At the time, she was with her sister and father. It…

Employment
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You can text 911 for help

Adapted from The Province by Patty Bossort Level 3 Are you deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech impaired? Now you can text for help. The new service is called T911. You can text police, ambulance and fire emergency services for help. The service is available in: •  Southwestern BC •  Metro Vancouver •  Squamish •  Whistler •  Pemberton •…

Health
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Summer stories: The nature of wilderness

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Rick Edmonds Prince George, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Life Stories
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Canada Post honours C.D. Hoy

Level 3 Canada Post has seven new stamps. A famous Canadian photographer is on each stamp. See the stamps here. C.D. Hoy is on one of these stamps. Hoy was a famous photographer. He lived in Quesnel, B.C. B.C. road trip The Westcoast Reader editor and Nancy Carson drove to Quesnel, B.C. in 2012. It was summer. They went to the Quesnel and District…

Life Stories
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Immigration problem worries Maria

Submitted by Nate Prosser, Legal Aid BC Level 3 Maria is a refugee from Mexico. Maria is scared. She thinks she might have to leave Canada. In 2005, Maria came to Vancouver from Mexico with her two kids. She claimed refugee status. Maria and her children stayed in Canada as refugees. They became permanent residents….

Social Issues
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A big hug

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Stella Kong Vancouver, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read the story.

Life Stories
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A childhood phase

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Bobbi Earl Summerland, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read the story.

Life Stories
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The real me

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Alberto Holz Osoyoos, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read this story.

Life Stories
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Mini-farms sprouting at Delta schools

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 3 Students in Delta schools are learning about farming. They grow, harvest, cook, preserve and distribute their own produce. Project Pickle makes pickles. Project Pickle started at Pebble Hill Elementary School in 2012. Their mini-farm was five raised garden beds. Students planted 200 cucumber plants in June. They harvested 35…

Education
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The outdoor car show season is here

Adapted from The Province Level 1 Owning an old car can be fun! Old cars are called classic cars. The car show season begins the first weekend in May. There are car shows almost every weekend until September. Show and Shine is a common name for classic car shows. Read the PDF and do the…

Community
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Edythe Culling shops for shoes

Adapted from The Province Level 1 Edythe Culling is shopping for shoes. It is a special shoe sale. The shoe sale happens every year. Read the PDF and do the exercise Edythe Culling shops for shoes Visit the link Look at these photos of the sale.

Life Stories
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