Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Level 2 Written by Nila Gopaul. Originally posted to The Westcoast Reader, March 2015 St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday. On this day, people celebrate the life of St. Patrick. St. Patrick was born in the year 387. He brought Christianity to Ireland. Experts believe St. Patrick died on March 17, 461. So this is the day…

The Word of the Year

The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a pictograph: 😂. This is the first time Oxford chose a pictograph as the Word of the Year. The ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ is the name of the emoji. In 2015, this emoji was used more than other emoji in the U.K and in the U.S. The word emoji comes from…

Andong Song

Adapted from The Province and NHL.com by Nila Gopaul Level 1 Listen to “Andong Song”– Level 1 Reading by Jessica Heafey Andong Song is 18 years old. In June 2015, he became the first Chinese player in the NHL. “I am the first,” he says. Andong started to play ice hockey in China. He was six years…

Woman, 80, lands plane

  “Cessna Grand Caravan” by PinCheck is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0  Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 1 Helen Collins flies to Florida with her husband. They enjoy eating and sitting by the ocean at Easter. John Collins, 81, is a pilot. They start to fly home.

Crisis in Syria

Crisis in Syria Adapted from The Vancouver Sun, CBC News, CNBC, and Aljazeera America by Nila Gopaul Listen to “Crisis in Syria”– Level 3 Reading by Corey Muench Civil war started in Syria in 2011. The war continues today. Over 100,000 people have died. Syria is a country in western Asia. Its population is 22.5 million. About 5,000 Syrians…

Aboriginal veterans honoured

Adapted from The Province and CTV News by Nila Gopaul On Sunday, November 8, about 100 people marched through Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The marchers sang and beat on native drums. The event was the city’s 10th annual National Aboriginal Veterans Day March. The march started at Carnegie Centre and ended at Victory Square. At Victory Square,…

Buy a poppy

People honour soldiers and veterans Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Remembrance Day is on November 11. Every November, plastic poppies are made and sold. Canadians wear these poppies on their left lapels, close to their hearts. They wear poppies to remember Canadians who died in wars. Poppies are a symbol of Remembrance Day.

Diamond Poems

We are a class of LINC 4 students with the Immigrant Welcome Centre in Nanaimo B.C. Every month we study The Westcoast Reader, and we noticed that there was a poetry contest last month. We would like to submit some poetry of our own done in the ‘diamante format’. These poems are in the shape of…

Movember is here!

Story adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul In November, men and women join together. They talk about men’s health. They call November “Movember”. Mo means moustache. Many men do not talk about health issues. Movember encourages* men to talk about issues, such as prostate cancer and depression. *encourages (en-KER-re-jez) – gives hope to someone

Halloween is on October 31

Halloween safety tips Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Listen to “Halloween safety tips” Reading by Nila Gopaul Halloween is on October 31. Trick-or-treating is a Halloween custom in Canada. On this day, many children dress in costumes. In the evening, children go to houses.* They knock on doors or ring bells. Children say “trick or…

Bike education

Bike education Story by Jafar Eshraghi, LINC student Illustrations by Nola Johnston Windsor Neighbourhood Learning Centre, in collaboration with HUB Cycling, http://www.bikehub.ca, organized two biking events this past summer. All LINC students and their families were eligible, so my wife, my daughter and I decided to join the “How to Ride Safely on the Road”…

A young inventor

A young inventor Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 3 Listen to “A young inventor” – Level 3 Reading by Corey Muench Ann Makosinski is a young inventor. She and her flashlight are famous. The Victoria, B.C., teenager won a top prize at the 2013 Google Science Fair. She has been in Time Magazine and on…

A good business

A good business Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level one Listen to “A Good Business”– Level 1 Reading by Jessica Heafey Jason Vanderveen has a very good business. Vanderveen Hay Sales is in Surrey, B.C. Every day, it gets many calls. Farmers call to buy hay. They use the hay to feed their…

Canada has a new prime minister

Canada has a new prime minister Adapted from cbc.ca by Nila Gopaul Canada has a new prime minister. Justin Trudeau is the leader of the Liberal Party. Justin Trudeau’s Liberals won 184 seats of the 338 seats in parliament. The Liberals will form a majority government. The Conservatives will form the Official Opposition. Trudeau, 43, was a…

October is National Anti-bullying Awareness Month

Bullying Adapted from bullyingcanada.ca; thebullyproject.com; and The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 2 Bullying happens when a person or people hurt or scare another person, again and again. Bullying is wrong. Bullies want to make a person feel small and powerless. Here are four examples of bullying:

October 1 is National Senior’s Day

A House of Baba Yagas Adapted from CBC.caradio by Nancy Carson Level 1 Thérèse Clerc is in her 60s. She lives in Paris, France. She knows she is getting old. She thinks where will I live? How will I live? Who will live with me?

Help for single parents on welfare

Help for single parents on welfare Adapted from the Province of B.C. and The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 3 Listen to “Help for single parents on welfare”– Level 3 Reading by Nila Gopaul Free tuition for 12 months of training. Training must be in 60 in-demand jobs, such as cooking, baking, retail, office support work, early…

Wilbur the pig

Wilbur the pig Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 1 Listen to “Wilbur the pig” – Level 1 Reading by Nila Gopaul Wilbur has a good life now. He lives at a dog day care in Vancouver. The day care is called Canine Adventure Den. His owner, Kirsty MacGregor, found Wilbur on the Internet. Wilbur lived in Edmonton, Alberta….

Father of Haida manga

Story adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 2 March 2010 Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a Haida artist. He was born in Prince Rupert, B.C. in 1954. But Michael was raised in Haida Gwaii The old name for Haida Gwaii is Queen Charlotte Islands*. Why did Michael start drawing manga? One day, some Japanese…

World Peace Day is September 21

Watch the full film The Day After Peace below. The International Day of Peace is sometimes called World Peace Day. It is celebrated on September 21 every year. This special day is dedicated to world peace. The UN* General Assembly started the International Day of Peace in 1981. “On this day, in the lead-up to the Day of Peace, I am asking…

Lawyer loves law

Lawyer loves law Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 1 Listen to “Lawyer loves law”– Level 1 Reading by Jessica Heafey Constance Isherwood is a lawyer. She lives in Victoria, B.C. Constance is 95 years old. She has 100 clients. She enjoys going to court. She likes to prepare cases for the judge. “No…

Rosh Hashanah begins

We wish a happy Rosh Hashanah to our readers and their families! Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. It is a special occasion for prayer and reflection. It is also a day of celebration. Links: Learn more about Rosh Hashanah here. Read about how Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in Canada.

Too much homework?

Too much homework? Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 2 Listen to “Too much homework?”– Level 2 Reading by Nila Gopaul Last year, Arieanna Shaughnessy was in grade 4. She was nine years old. Each week, Arieanna got 10 hours of homework. Arieanna’s mother said her daughter was very tired and stressed. “She can’t sleep…

Digital Storytelling: A pleasant experience

Digital storytelling: A pleasant experience Story by Heng Bian, LINC student at Collège Éducacentre College Last month our class did digital story presentations using a program called Brainshark. Do you know Brainshark? It not only has a cool name, but it is a software program. It lets you tell a story using pictures and audio.

Chores

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 2 November 2010 Chores are small jobs around the house, such as washing dishes and doing laundry. Chores are part of family life. Studies show that doing chores helps children to become more successful adults. Read the PDF. Try the Exercise. Chores-PDF What parents can do:

Backpack safety

Level 2 Special thanks to the BC Chiropractic Association Illustrations: Nola Johnston Choose a backpack: with many pockets, so you can balance your heavy things, such as books. with wide, padded shoulder straps: Read the PDF Backpack Safety-PDF

Bernice Gordon, a crossword pioneer

Bernice Gordon, a crossword pioneer (January 11, 1914 – January 29, 2015) Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Bernice Gordon loved to make crossword puzzles. Her first crossword was published in 1952. It was published in a U.S. newspaper, The New York Times. For over 60 years, Bernice made one crossword puzzle each day. Her crosswords went…

Residential Schools and Reconciliation Resources for teachers

Adapted from CBC.ca and The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Residential Schools and Reconciliation Resources Teachers from around B.C. are meeting at a conference in Vancouver. They are reviewing new material. The material is about residential schools and reconciliation. What are residential schools? The residential school system operated in Canada from 1875-1996. During this time, about 150,000 aboriginal…

B.C. Subway opens 400th restaurant

B.C. Subway opens 400th restaurant Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and www.wikipedia.org by Nila Gopaul, 2013, Level 2 Subway restaurants are successful in B.C. Recently, the 400th Subway store opened in Vancouver. The restaurant is near Rogers Arena. An arena is an indoor sports place. The Vancouver Canucks hockey team plays there. It is a good…

From housewife to queen: Cindy Lee sells T&T* Supermarkets for $225 Million

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and T&T Supermarket company website Level 2 October 2009 Cindy Lee came to Vancouver from Taiwan in 1972. She just wanted to have a simple life. Lee shopped in Chinatown in the rain with her three children. Shopping in Chinatown was not convenient (con-vee-nyint). There were no shopping carts. There…

Two heroes save four

Two heroes save four Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 2 June 2010 Last June, Matt and Tyler were driving on the Trans-Canada Highway to Revelstoke, B.C. A van swerves Suddenly, a van in front of them swerved (turned direction quickly). The van rolled down 20 metres into Griffin Lake. The van began to…

About birthday cakes

Adapted from cbc.ca by Nila Gopaul Level 3 Birthday cakes are delicious, say children. They are sweet and rich. Why do we celebrate birthdays with cake? Why do we put candles on birthday cakes? And why do we sing over these cakes? History During the 8th century, the people in Rome, Italy, celebrated birthdays with cake. Cakes were…

Killer whale rescued from rocks

Killer whale rescued from rocks Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 2 On July 22, 2015, cries came from a young killer whale. The calf was caught on some rocks. She could not move. She was crying in pain. It was a hot day in Hartley Bay, B.C., a First Nations community 145 kilometres south of…

Dyeing brown grass green

Dyeing brown grass green Adapted from The Province and The Vancouver Courier by Nila Gopaul Level 2 The weather is very dry this summer. Lawns are turning brown. There are water restrictions all over B.C. These lawns are not dead. They will turn green again in the fall with the rain. Some people do not like brown…

Festival of Eid al-Fitr

Festival of Eid al-Fitr  Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul More than 85,000 Muslims in B.C. will start to celebrate the end of Ramadan today, July 17, 2015. Ramadan is a month-long holy time, where Muslims get closer to God. Mohd Adli Bin Abdullah, Consul General of Malaysia in Vancouver, says Ramadan is a “joyous…

Kites

Kites Story submitted by Bob Luo Kites were invented in China. China has two perfect materials for building kites. Kitemakers use silk and bamboo. Silk is used to sail the kite. Bamboo is used to make the framework. Bamboo is lightweight but strong.

A healthy start to school

A healthy start to school Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Illustrations by Nola Johnston Level one September 2014 Listen to “A healthy start to summer school” – Level 1 Reading by Nila Gopaul Kiera Thompson and Stephanie Hai are 10 years old. They joined a cooking class last summer. They learned to make healthy foods, such…

Terry Fox’s Legacy

Terry Fox’s Legacy* (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 2 Terry Fox died 34 years ago today, on June 28, 1981. Terry is remembered for his bravery and his run across Canada. Terry called this run the Marathon of Hope. This marathon helped raise money for cancer research. *Legacy:  (say: le-ga-see) –  a gift you…

Watson Gloves

Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 2 Do you like to garden? Do you wear gloves when you garden? They are probably made by a company called Watson Gloves.

Every voice matters

Every voice matters Deaf and hard of hearing children find their voices. Adapted from the Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre of BC by Nancy Carson Level 2 In 1968, a mother visits a doctor. Her tiny son cannot hear well. The doctor says the boy will never speak clearly. At 14 months old, the child…

Kim Phuc is coming to Vancouver

Submitted by Jennifer Pearson Terell Chair, TEAL Charitable Foundation Kim Phuc is coming to Vancouver, B.C. in May 2015. Kim will be a keynote speaker at the 2015 B.C. Teachers of English as an Additional Language (TEAL) conference. She will speak to teachers about her life as a refugee and as an immigrant.

Taijiquan – a martial art

Story by Bob Luo Taijiquan is a Chinese martial art (Wushu). The movements are gentle and slow. Each posture flows into the next without pause. Taiji has many movements. It has a 24,42,48,88, and other routines. Taiji is a good exercise. It has many health benefits. For example, taiji helps fight stress. Taiji also increases energy. People who practise…

Letter to the Editor

Please hear us!  Dear Sir/Madam: Re V.S.B Cancellation of Outreach Programs from Florence Nightingale Adult Education Outreach Class It is too easy to cancel this class because no one hears us. We are students at the Florence Nightingale Elementary School Adult Education Outreach Class. For the past 20 years, this class has been helping parents in East…

Chinese buy B.C. businesses

Chinese buy B.C. businesses Adapted from The Province and the B.C. Ministry of International Trade by Nila Gopaul Level 2 [stextbox id=”audio”]Listen to “Chinse buy B.C. businesses”– Level 2 Reading by Nila Gopaul[/stextbox] Marco Chi and Sophie Pu are husband and wife. They come from Guangzhou, China. The couple wants to make Squamish their home. The town is “an…

Classical music calms cats

Classical music calms cats Adapted from the Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Level 3 Can our pets be affected by music? Research shows that classical music can calm cats and dogs. Music can also calm gorillas and elephants. Music and people We know that music affects humans in different ways. Yoga teachers play music with…

Signs of a stroke

Signs of a stroke, Level 3 Adapted from The Vancouver Sun, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Statistics Canada, 2012, by Nila Gopaul Illustrations by Nola Johnston Most strokes happen when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood going to the brain. Both children and adults can have strokes. Each year, there are 50,000…

B.C.’s new soccer star

B.C.’s new soccer star, Steven Beitashour Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and The New York Times by Nila Gopaul Level 2 Steven Beitashour*, 28, was born in San Jose, California. His parents are from Iran. They moved to the U.S. in the 1960s. *say: bayt-uh-shoor Growing up Steven always loved soccer. He was 11 years…

Best Mayor in the world

Best mayor in the world Adapted from CBC News by Nila Gopaul Level 1 In 2014, Naheed* Nenshi was voted the best mayor** in the world. * say:  nah-heed ** say: may-er – the head of a city or town Nenshi is the mayor of Calgary. Calgary is in Alberta, Canada. Nenshi heard the news…

A man gets a surprise

A man gets a surprise Adapted from The Westerly News by Nila Gopaul Illustrations by Nola Johnston Level 1 Listen to “A man gets a surprise”– Level 1 Reading by Nila Gopaul Ted Benson, 37, lives in Ucluelet*, B.C. It is January 2015. Ted is getting ready for bed. It is late. It is quiet. Earlier, Ted made…

Students talk about their volunteer experiences

Submitted and written by Carrie Jung, Instructor in the English for Academic Purposes Capilano University Photos by Richard Berwick • Videotaping by Hugh Soulis • Interviews by Vilien Chen Video editing and layout by Nila Gopaul Capilano University Capilano University is located in North Vancouver. Many students from different countries come to this university to study. Some…