Nam is the man!

                          Nam is the Man! Young skater, Nam Nguyen, wins gold. Adapted from the Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Level 1 In 2010, people saw a small boy skate at the Vancouver Olympics. He was only 11 years old. Everyone loved him. He…

Today is Family Literacy Day

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Find a fun way or fun ways to learn with your children. You can read together for 15 minutes every day. You can make a grocery list together or write a letter to a grandparent or grandparents. See links and video on the next page.

Shortbread cookies – easy recipe

Shortbread cookies are a treat at Christmas. Traditional shortbread has three ingredients:  sugar, butter and flour. 1/2 cup of softened butter (125 mL) Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (125 mL) Mix together. Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (if you have it)  Add 1 cup of flour (125 mL) Blend. Scoop cookies on cookie sheet (see video). Flatten…

Seniors’ stories

                          “Seniors’ Stories” is a project. It is run by The Vancouver Community Network. A team collected the stories from seniors.

B.C.’s best buildings

The Architecture Foundation of B.C. had a contest. The foundation asked people to vote online to find the top 25 buildings in four areas of B.C. People voted from around the world. Click here to see the top four winners: The Marine Building in Vancouver got the top award – in southern B.C. Seabird Island School in…

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…

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…

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….

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…

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…

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…

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…

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)

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.

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…

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.

David Booth kissed a grizzly bear

Adapted from The Province and The Vancouver Sun Level 1 David Booth plays hockey. He is a Vancouver Canuck. Booth went to Abbotsford. He visited Mark Dumas. Dumas trains animals. His animals are in movies. Dumas trained Billy. Billy is a grizzly bear. David Booth and Billy kissed. Billy weighs 600 pounds. He is a teenager. Dumas…

Doorknobs are changing

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 1 The City of Vancouver is changing the building code. The new rules start in March 2014. They are changing how we open doors. All new door handles will be levers. The round doorknob will disappear. Read the PDF and do the exercise Doorknobs are changing Visit the link…

Bunnies run and jump

Adapted from The Province Level 1 Ridge is a rabbit. Rabbits are also called bunnies. Ridge is good at sports. He loves to run and jump. The bunnies jump and run in the Abbotsford Pet Lover Show. Children cheer for the bunnies at the show. Read the PDF and do the exercise Bunnies run and jump…

Sisters go to the Olympics

Adapted from The Province Level 1 Justine is 19 years old. Chloe is 22 years old. Maxime is 25 years old. They are sisters. They are from Montreal. They are on the Canadian Olympic Team. They ski the women’s freestyle moguls at the Olympics. Read the PDF and do the exercise Sisters go to Olympics Visit the…

Henrik Sedin stays home

Adapted from The Province Level 1 Henrik Sedin plays hockey. He plays for the Vancouver Canucks. Sedin is the captain of the team. Sedin is injured. He broke a rib and a finger. He has not been able to play. Read the PDF Henrik Sedin stays home Watch the videos Watch the Canucks play here. Find out…

Valentine’s Day

Adapted from Best of the Reader Level 1 Valentine’s Day is on February 14. It is a romantic day for many adults. They buy cards, chocolates or flowers for each other. They say, “I love you.” Visit the link: Make your own Valentine’s Day card. See the seven steps to make a simple Valentine card. How…

How many bald eagles?

Adapted from The Province Level 1 Volunteers count bald eagles. They count them every year. It is an annual event. The birds gather near Brackendale, BC. Seventy people looked for the birds. Read the PDF and do the exercise Bald Eagles Visit the links See the bald eagle photo gallery from The Vancouver Sun. Watch…

Tinsel the bear cub

Adapted from The Province Level 1 Tinsel is a black bear cub. In December, he was 10 months old. He was starving to death. He weighed only 20 pounds. Tinsel found a chicken coop in Midway, BC. He moved in. Read the PDF and do the exercise Tinsel the Bear Visit the links Learn more about…

Safe outdoor ice-skating in BC

Outdoor ice-skating is healthy and fun! It is important to skate only where it is safe. Vancouver Parks Board is warning the public to stay off frozen lakes and ponds. The ice is not thick enough. Here are some links to safe outdoor ice-skating areas. You can add your favourite place to skate in the…

Shoppers plan to spend less this Christmas

Adapted from The Province Level 1 BC shoppers want to spend less for Christmas this year. Financial managers advise families to make a plan. A plan for spending is called a budget. Families should make a holiday budget. They should plan how much to spend. Spending tips for the holidays: Shop early. Shop with a plan….

Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 1 What is it like after the typhoon? The cities have little food and water. People are hungry and thirsty. People are searching for food and water. They have no shelter. Doctors are desperate for medicines. Read the PDF and do the exercise Typhoon Haiyan Watch the videos “We Are…

NASA sends LADEE to the moon

Shorter version of this story in the November, 2013 edition of The Westcoast Reader Adapted from The Province Level 1 NASA has a new spacecraft. It is the size of a small car. There are no people on the spacecraft. It is a robot. The spacecraft is called LADEE. LADEE means Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer.   Read the PDF…

Pilot crash-lands a glider

Adapted from The Province Level 1 A young cadet is lucky to be alive. He crash-landed his plane on the roof of an apartment building. Read the PDF. Try the exercise. Pilot crash-lands a glider Watch the videos: Flying in a glider 1 Flying in a glider 2 Learning to fly a glider

Olesia dances in her wheelchair

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 1 Olesia has cerebral palsy. She is 35 years old. Olesia has difficulty speaking. People thought she was not very capable. They were wrong. Olesia dances in her wheelchair. Read the PDF. Try the Exercise. WheelchairDancing Visit the links: A dancer invented a new wheelchair just for dancing. There are wheelchair dance…

Fall is the time to eat apples

Level 1 Apples are good for you to eat. Apples taste good. Eat apples raw. Eat apples cooked. Go to the exercise. Learn how to bake an apple. Read the PDF.  Try the Exercise Fall is the time to eat apples-PDF Exercise: Make a baked apple Things you will need: One apple per person Raisins…

Young eagle rescued

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 1 A young eagle was hurt. She was caught on a tree branch. The cottonwood tree was 25-metres tall. Gordon Sasa climbed the tree. He put the eagle in a net. Read the PDF. Young eagle rescued-PDF

Volunteers help people

Level 1 April 2010 Many people volunteer in Canada. Volunteers do not get paid to work. Volunteers help people in many ways. For example: Some volunteers help newcomers with their English. Other volunteers help children learn a new sport. Volunteers sometimes work in a store such as a thrift shop. Read the PDF.  Try the…

Made in Canada

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 1 October 2011 Canadians like to make new things. A Canadian made the electric oven in 1950. Cooks were very happy. A Canadian company made a robot arm for a spaceship. They call it “Canadarm”. A Canadian company also made a new phone. They call it the BlackBerry. In…

Be-leaf it!

Adapted from The Province Level 1 January 2011 Eve Steel has the world’s biggest maple leaf. This leaf is 44 centimetres (cm) wide and 34 cm long. Eve’s mother says, “With the stem, it’s 59 cm. It’s just a huge leaf.” Eve found the leaf near her Vancouver home. Eve says, “It was really windy,…

Walked the world

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 1 December 2011 Jean Beliveau was not a happy man. He needed a change. On August 18, 2000, Jean tied his shoes and said good-bye. It was his 45th birthday. Jean decided to walk around the world for peace. And he walked, for 11 years. He travelled 75,000 kilometres…

66 years in love

Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 1 February 2012 Zoe and Bob Longshaw are in love. The two married on May 18, 1946. Bob is 87 years old.  He was a mechanic. Zoe is 86 years old.  She was a hairdresser. Together, they raised five sons. Bob and Zoe like to go out. They…

Hannah writes about Jonah

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 1 January 2012 Hannah Christensen is 12 years old. She wrote a book called Sock Wars to remember her brother. Jonah died three years ago. He was six years old. Sock Wars is a fun story about a girl and her brother. The girl washes clothes. Then she folds…

Race with a thief

Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Level 1, December 2010 Otto Haas was a famous runner in Germany. He ran 100 metres in 12.5 seconds. And over 70 years later, he raced again. Otto, his wife Josefine, and her sister, Trudy, live in Kelowna. They visited Vancouver in 2009. In a parking lot, a young…

Start a container garden

Level one April 2011 Save money Grow your own vegetables. It is a great way to save money. Start your garden You don’t need a big space. You can grow many things in a pot or a container. Plant vegetables You can plant some herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, radishes and peas this month. Put in a…

Nelson Tagoona, hip hop artist from Nunavut, Canada

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Level 1 Nelson Tagoona is nineteen years old. He is from Baker Lake, Nunavut. Baker Lake has less than 2,000 people. Nelson is a hip hop artist. But he is a different hip hop artist. Nelson learned something when he was little. He learned throat singing. Read the…

Injured bird gets a peg leg

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Level 1 Rare birds are living near a golf course in Richmond. The birds are called sandhill cranes. About 12 are in Richmond, Delta and Pitt Meadows. Years ago, many cranes lived in those places. But humans now have homes there. The cranes are losing their habitat. Visit…

The sound of bells

Adapted from The Vancouver Courier Level 1 You can make music many ways. The handbell is an old way to make music. In the 1600s, two brothers made handbells in England. People today use them, too. Read the PDF. The sound of bells-PDF Visit the links: The Bells of Shaughnessy handbell choir tour in 2009…

Climb every mountain

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and The Province by Nancy Carson Level 1 Esther and Martin Kafer are 85 and 84. They are active seniors. They hike, climb and ski. The Kafers have climbed more than 500 mountains. They have named over 73 mountains. Why?  They were the first to climb these mountains. Read the…

Hallelujah for K.D. Lang!

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and CBC Radio One Level 1 There is an award party on April 23, 2013. The party is in Regina, Saskatchewan. This party is called the Juno Awards. The Junos are Canadian music awards. On this night, a famous Canadian singer will be there. Her name is “k.d. lang”. Visit…

A new family law in B.C.

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and Statistics Canada Level 1 Every year, many couples think of love on February 14. Many couples like Valentine’s Day. They say it is romantic. Some couples go to a restaurant. Some men give women flowers. Some women give men cards. Different couples Some couples are boyfriend and girlfriend, for…

Nunavut’s first guide dog

Adapted from CBC Radio and information courtesy of B.C. Guide Dog Services and Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind Level 1 Noah Papatsie is a very happy man. He lives in Nunavut in northern Canada. Noah has a beautiful new dog. The dog’s name is Xeno. Xeno is a guide dog. Guide dogs help people…

A human library

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and The Province Level 1 A library is a place. It has books, music, movies and other things. Many towns and cities have libraries. People go there to read books and newspapers. People enjoy reading at the library. A library is a quiet place for reading. Library cards Many people…

Pikas are tiny farmers

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. Pikas like rocks Pikas live in rock piles in…

A game in Kenya

Level 1 It is one year ago. I go to a city called Kakamega. This city is in western Kenya. Visit the links: Rules of the marbles game, video Game on the street 30 games for outdoor play Hopscotch How to play jacks Work in Kenya I am going to teach teachers. English is a…