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…

Vancouver students climb highest African mountain

Vancouver students climb highest African mountain Adapted from cbc.ca by Nancy Carson Level 3 Some students in East Vancouver are in a special school at Britannia Secondary School. This school is called Streetfront. Students take classes in math, science, Social Studies and English. They also go camping and hiking. They must be in a running…

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…

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…

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…

Tourists love B.C.

Tourists love B.C. – Level 3 Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and The Province by Nila Gopaul B.C. is beautiful. And the world is noticing. In fact, tourism in B.C is up 39 per cent since 2001. In 2014, there were about nine million overnight stays in Metro Vancouver. In 2016, tourists may bring $18 billion…

Norooz with Saha

Submission by Saha Mousavi  Saha is now in Grade 8 at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver. She wrote this story while she was a Grade 6 student at Vancouver’s Lord Roberts School in 2013. The word Norooz means “the new day” in the Persian language. Norooz is the name of the important Iranian or Persian New…

Canada’s first aboriginal arts hotel

Canada’s first aboriginal arts hotel Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 3 Skwachàys* Lodge in Vancouver is Canada’s first aboriginal arts hotel. The lodge has 18 rooms. *say:  skywatch-eyes Six aboriginal artists and six designers worked on the rooms. Each room tells a different story. Rooms start at $99/night. Guests can experience…

Transit tax – yes or no?

Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Are you a Canadian citizen? Do you live in Metro Vancouver?* (See a map on the next page.) Are you a resident of B.C. (for at least six months on or before May 29, 2015)? Are you 18 years of age or older, (on or before May 29, 2015)? Are…

Artist paints family stories

Artist paints family stories Adapted from The Vancouver Courier by Nancy Carson Level 3 Jazmin Sasky is an artist. And she loves stories. Recently she listened to the stories of single mothers. Then she painted one large picture about each family. The paintings show each family story with beautiful, bright colours.

Legal Aid BC: Getting a divorce – Part 6

Submitted by Nate Prosser and Alex Peel, Legal Aid BC, Edited by Nila Gopaul • Illustrations by Danette Byatt Legal Aid BC – Getting a divorce, Part 6/6 Sally was in an abusive relationship. Sally and her children left home. They stayed somewhere safe. A few months have passed. A lot has happened. Now Sally is telling her friend Marsha…

Policewoman

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 3 Phyllis Mortimore joined the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in 1943. At that time, only a few women were police officers. In 1943, none of the women were allowed to carry guns. Women also did not get the same pay as men. One day, Phyllis saw Police…

Artificial hand can feel

Artificial hand that can feel Adapted from CBC News by Nancy Carson Level 3 Igor Spetic of Ohio lost his right hand four years ago in an industrial accident. Spetic had phantom pain after losing part of his arm. Limb is gone, pain is real Phantom pain feels like it is coming from a body part….

Marwa and Wissam, a love story

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Marwa O’da Burnaby, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read the story.

February is Black History Month

Canada Post has issued this special stamp to acknowledge the history of Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley. What is Black History Month? During this month, we honour the achievements and contributions of black people, past and present. Many of these men and women have fought for equal rights.

Legal Aid BC: Dealing with separation – Part 5

Submitted by Nate Prosser and Alex Peel, Legal Aid BC, Edited by Nancy Carson • Illustrations by Danette Byatt Dealing with separation – Part 5/6 Sally left an abusive relationship. Her husband hit her. She took her children and went to stay with a friend. Sally wants to be sure that she will be safe. She needs help, so…

Meet a library champion

Submitted by the Vancouver Public Library Meet Shu Ming Chen:  Doctor, recent newcomer to Canada, and proud library champion. Her mission: Support her community and help immigrants discover their local library and all that it offers. Q: Why did you become a library champion? A: When newcomers have just landed, they feel isolated and anxious…

Fun fact about B.C. – neon

Adapted from The Province by Nila Gopaul Neon signs are electric signs. They contain neon and other gases. The signs are made of glass tubes. These tubes are bent and made into interesting shapes with different colours. In the 1950s, Vancouver had 19,000 neon signs. This means that there was one sign for every 18 people!…

Canada Winter Games – 2015

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Level 3 Listen to “Canada Winter Games”– Level 3 Reading by Corey Muench Prince George, B.C., will host the Canada Winter Games in February 2015. The city will also celebrate its 100th birthday.

Word of the Year – 2014

Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year is … vape. Vape means to inhale and exhale the vapour from an electronic cigarette (e-cig). Vape is short for vapour (noun) or vaporize (verb). People also use vape as an adjective, such as a vape pen and a vape shop. Why vape? E-cigs have become more common in the world. E-cigs give off vapour, not smoke. People used the word twice as…

Legal Aid BC: Sally goes to court – Part 4

Submitted by Nate Prosser and Alex Peel, Legal Aid BC, Edited by Nila Gopaul • Illustrations by Danette Byatt Going to court, Part 4/6 WCR and Legal Aid BC co-publish a series offering readers information about their legal rights in Canada. Sally was in an abusive relationship. Her husband hit her. She took her kids and left…

Coconut Boys from Kelowna

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nancy Carson Level 3 Two men from Kelowna are friends. Kevin Carta and Ryan Geni both wanted to start a business. Carta likes healthy, organic food. So, he thought about making a special pasta. It would be gluten-free. Geni is a vegan. He wanted an “ice cream” without using…

Legal Aid BC: Applying for legal aid – Part 3

Submitted by Nate Prosser and Alex Peel, Legal Aid BC, Edited by Nila Gopaul • Illustrations by Danette Byatt Applying for Legal Aid, Part 3/6 WCR and Legal Aid BC co-publish a series offering readers information about their legal rights in Canada. Sally was in an abusive relationship. Her husband hit her. Sally left her home….

Seven-year-old wants to help

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Nila Gopaul Joshua Smith is only seven years old. But he plans to feed over 500 homeless people this Christmas Eve. Joshua and his mother, Traci Smith, have helped feed homeless people for two years. “He’s an average kid,” says his mother. “He’s bratty. He’s sassy. Doesn’t want to…

Don’t eat the marshmallow … yet!

Adapted from CBC News by Nancy Carson Level 3 (Video, recipe and slideshow on next page) In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Walter Mischel designed an experiment. Mischel is a psychology professor. He wanted to study self-control in young children. The children were ages four to six. Read the PDF. Don’t eat the marshmallow…yet

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…

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…

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…

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.  

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…

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…

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…

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: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4tptaN3Fio Visit the links Read more about this landmark case (with video). For more background on this case, read this CBC article (with map).

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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 •…

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.

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…

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….

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.

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…

The Virgin of Guadalupe – Patron Woman Saint of Mexico

Submitted by Javier, Hastings Learning Centre, Hastings Racecourse, Vancouver The Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego for the first time on December 9th, 1531. She appeared on the mountain of Tepeyac when he was walking in the direction of the church to visit his uncle, Juan Bernardino, who was gravely ill and was not…

Today’s cheerleaders

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 3 Cheerleaders are athletes. Cheerleaders can start training in elementary school. Cheerleaders train in dance, tumbling and gymnastics. The sport is dangerous. Read the PDF and do the exercise Today’s cheerleaders Visit the links View the photo gallery at Vancouver Sun.

The Sun Run is 30 years old

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 3 The Vancouver Sun Run is an annual event. It is held every spring. This year will be the 30th Sun Run. People walk and run 10 km. Thousands of people participate. There is food, music and fun for all. The BC Sports Hall of Fame is honouring the Sun…

Successful foster kids: Chris Tait

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 3 Chris Tait lived in foster care from the age of one. Tait is 22 years old now. He is an aboriginal youth. He lived in one foster home until he was 13 years old. His five brothers and sisters lived with him. At age 13, Tait moved to…

Foster care and education in BC

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun Level 3 Who graduates from high school in BC? About 80 percent of kids graduate from high school. Only 32 percent of kids in foster care graduate from high school. How long do young people get help from their parents? Many young people live with their parents until they are…