Passages 11

Web Links

Unit 6 Communication

Just Fiddlin' with Stuff (short story by Jim Blake)

• Are you a liar?
  This is an online quiz from a British newspaper and so it has a few British references (like £s, grassing, and so on); however, your students will still enjoy taking the quiz as a prereading activity to the story.
• Honesty
  This Web site has an interesting article about honesty with a mini quiz at the end. Students can read the article and then take the mini quiz. Discuss other ideas or points that could have been included in the article.

• History of Haiku
  This site covers information on ten famous haikuists and their work. Divide your class into ten groups and ask each group to research one of the haikuists and present this information to the class.
• Compose a Haiku
  This Web site includes a lesson plan that teaches students how to write a haiku. They can follow the instructions to write a haiku modelled on those in the selection.

• Animal Intelligence
  This Web site leads to other articles on animal intelligence. Encourage students to read the article, and compare it to "Polly Wanna PhD?" Students can generate three meaningful questions about animal intelligence, then switch the questions with a partner.

• Author Web site
  This is the personal Web site of Allison Joseph and includes creative writing prompts, poetry lessons, and advice for teachers who want to encourage kids to write poetry. Guide your students through this site.
• Interview with Joseph
  Have your students read this interview and then read the interview about Ray Bradbury. As a class, discuss how the two writers are similar and how they are different.

• Poem Discussion Groups
  This site includes a copy of Kelk's poem along with three different comments. Have your students read the comments and decide whether or not they agree or disagree with any of them.
• Immigrant Experience
  Students can explore the various parts of this Web site (in particular, they should visit the section called Language Challenges). They can then create a brochure that would help new immigrants adjust to life in Canada.

• Photos of Timbuktu
  Encourage students to view the images of Taureg people on this page. They can choose one image they like and write a personal response to it. Note that on other pages of this Web site, the photographer has used some very insensitive captions for some of his photos (in the Mali People category for example) and some of these photos involve semi-naked figures-you may wish to direct students' use of this site. Students can examine the photos at both sites and pick the one they like best. Have them imagine that this picture is the front of a postcard. They can pretend that they are visiting Mali or the Sahara Desert and write a postcard home describing their experiences.
• The Sahara Desert
  The students may have to scroll down and click on the command that states "Click here to view this site". This site includes interesting information, but few visuals. Students can read the information on this site and then create a report about the Sahara Desert.
• Malian Photo Journey
  Encourage students to explore this interesting site and read about one group's journey through Mali and the people they met there. This is a well-planned site with many attractive images and lots of marginal information about Mali. Page six introduces information about the Tuareg and Timbuktu (also spelled Tombouctou).
• Patinkin's Life Rules
  Share some of the rules on this site with students. Discuss how these rules represent various aspects of communication.

• Bradbury Interview
  Students can read the interview and then write a paragraph entitled "Writing Advice from Ray Bradury" (Note that this interview was written over 10 years ago.)
• Bradbury Article
  Students can compare the information in this article with the information in the interview.
• What Is Science Fiction?
  This Web page presents the answer to the above question from various (male) authors in the genre. Encourage students to read the responses of authors (including Bradbury) that they have read and enjoyed. Discuss why no female authors seem to be included, and the effect this has on their response to the page.
• Bradbury Web Site
  Students can explore this Web site dedicated to Bradbury, reading his biography, examining images, reading quotations, et cetera. Encourage students to choose their favourite quotation from the site, and explain why they like it.

• Humeniuk
  At this site, students can examine Humeniuk's paintings. They can then write a paragraph describing and evaluating one painting.

• Great Big Sea Web Site
  Students can explore this site to discover more about this east coast band. They can then imagine that they work for Rolling Stones Magazine and have an opportunity to interview The Great Big Sea. Have them think of 10 questions that they would ask the band members.
• Mary Chatsworth-Nurse, Nursing Career Information
  Students can visit this site and then discuss with a partner why they think they would or would not like a career in nursing.