Hungry snowy owls return to Tsawwassen

Adapted from The Province by Nancy Carson 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. Visit the links: Video story about the owls that have…

Family, the first school for young children

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…

Grade 4 kids in B.C. are top readers

Adapted from The Vancouver Courier by Nancy Carson Level 2 Grade 4 students in B.C. are very good readers. Nine provinces in Canada were in a reading study. There were 45 countries in the same study. Visit the link: Vancouver Sun’s Raise-a-Reader program with videos of local children’s authors Video: Read for the Top Canadian Reading…

Throw like a girl

Adapted from The Courier Level 2 At one time, people thought boys and girls had different arms and shoulders. These people noticed that boys could throw a ball well. They noticed that girls did not throw well. “You throw like a girl” meant your throw was weak. It meant you could not throw far.  And…

Winter driving

Adapted from ICBC Level 2 In B.C., heavy rain, fog, snow and ice can make driving difficult. Here are some ideas for driving in the winter: Buy good wipers, so you can see well. Fill fluids such as antifreeze and wiper fluid. Make sure that you have good winter tires if you are driving on roads…

Aging in a changing world

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Level 2 In October, more than 750 people met in Vancouver. These people study gerontology. Gerontology is the study of old age. These people talked about how people grow old. They also talked about the problems of old people. Visit the links: Dream On Seniors Wish Foundation: information,…

I feel happy when I dance

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 2 Jesula McCallum lives in Chilliwack, B.C. She is ten years old. And she loves to dance. Visit the links: The story of Jesula Irish dance concert

Stand-up bike puts runners on wheels

  Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 2 It has no seat. So, you cannot sit down. You must stand up to ride it. It has no pedals. So, you have to push or pump the foot platforms up and down. Then the bike moves. People look at Christy Lynn on the bike. They are…

Toola, first foster mother

Adapted from Monterey Bay Aquarium website by Nancy Carson Level 2 Toola is lying alone on a sandy beach. She is very sick.  And she is pregnant. Volunteers find her on the sand. They take Toola to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, in California. The staff at the aquarium think Toola is about six or seven…

The kid and the pipeline

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson 2012 Level 2 Her name is Ta’Kaiya Blaney. She is 11 years old and in Grade 5. Ta’Kaiya lives in North Vancouver. Del, her Dad, and her mother, Anne live with her. Anne is a teacher. She teaches Ta’Kaiya at home. Visit the links: Ta’Kaiya’s song “Shallow Waters” with…

Toy of the Century

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 2 They are small plastic bricks. They are different colours. And they have studs on them. Some have six studs. Others have four or eight studs. Millions of kids play with the bricks. They call these bricks “Lego”. Visit the links: Story of how LEGO is built Yo-yos with…