The Journey of the Salmon
Reading Strategy
We can’t believe everything we read. In the last chapter, you learned about the difference between fact and opinion. Knowing whether the statements we read are facts or opinions helps us form our own ideas.
Which of these statements are facts? Which are opinions?
| 1. A fish farm is a place where fish are bred and raised for food. | fact or opinion? |
| 2. Many salmon are bred in fish farms in British Columbia. | fact or opinion? |
| 3. Salmon are tasty. | fact or opinion? |
| 4. Fish farms should not be allowed in British Columbia. | fact or opinion? |
Here are some statements about salmon
Some are true and some are false. Predict whether each statement is true or false.
| 5. Salmon act like food for trees. | true or false? |
| 6. Salmon change colour at the end of their life. | true or false? |
| 7. It is illegal to fish salmon in British Columbia. | true or false? |
| 8. Salmon can leap up waterfalls. | true or false? |
| 9. Salmon return to their birthplace to lay eggs and die. | true or false? |
Word Attack Strategy
In the last chapter, you learned about syllables with the letter y. In this chapter, you will learn about r-controlled syllables.
Word Patterns
An r-controlled syllable is a syllable that has a vowel followed by the letter r. The r changes the vowel sound. The vowel sound is neither short nor long.
Read these words:
- her
- bird
- burn
The –er, –ir, and –ur in the middle of these words all make the same sound. That means there are three ways to spell this sound: –er, –ir, and –ur. The –er is the most common.
The letters –ar can make many sounds. For now, think of their sound as the one you hear in car.
The letters –or can also make many sounds. For now, think of their sound as the one you hear in horn.
Practice reading these words
|
her serve nerve fern |
bird first shirt birth skirt |
burst burn nurse surf curl |
park farm arm far harm |
horn thorn pork storm short corn |
Remember, an r-controlled syllable has the letters –er, –ir, –ur, –ar, or –or.
Examples |
|
| Ginger: | The second syllable – ger – has the letters –er so it is r-controlled. |
| charming: | The first syllable – charm – has the letters –ar so it is r-controlled. |
| morning: | The first syllable – morn – has the letters –or so it is r-controlled. |
Underline the r-controlled syllable in each word
| 1. water | 2. forest | 3. over | 4. starting |
| 5. farming | 6. river | 7. return |
Use Your Strategies
Read The Journey of the Salmon. You’ll see if your predictions are right. You will also come across many words with r-controlled vowels in bold.
Check Your Understanding
Look to see whether each statement is true or false
Then look back at your predictions. Did anything surprise you?
| My guess | The text says | |
| 1. Salmon act like food for trees. | true or false? | true or false? |
| 2. Salmon change colour at the end of their life. | true or false? | true or false? |
| 3. It is illegal to fish salmon in British Columbia. | true or false? | true or false? |
| 4. Salmon can leap up waterfalls. | true or false? | true or false? |
| 5. Salmon return to their birthplace to lay eggs and die. | true or false? | true or false? |
Seeing both sides
People have different opinions about fish farms. Some people support fish farms. Others do not. Ask your instructor for the Seeing Both Sides sheet, or open and print one from the link.
Enter this question in the top box: Should people in British Columbia be allowed to farm salmon?
6. Use the good things about fish farms to fill in the Yes side.
7. Use the bad things about fish farms to fill in the No side.
Make your mind up. Write your answer to the question on the bottom line.
Grammar
Look at these sentences from The Journey of the Salmon:
- Fish farmers are keeping wild salmon safe from overfishing.
- They are making jobs for people.
These sentences are written using the continuous present tense.
Grammar Rule
To write a verb in continuous present:
1. Begin with am, is, or are.
2. Add your verb.
3. Add an –ing ending to your verb.
The continuous present tense is used to talk about events that are happening right now.
Underline the continuous present verbs
Below are some more examples from the reading.
1. A few communities are building fish farms on land, rather than in the ocean.
2. They are using closed tanks, rather than nets and cages.
3. Fish farms are spreading sea lice.
4. The drugs that fish farmers give the salmon are harming other sea life.
Underline the verbs
Here are some sentences from the news clip. They are written in many tenses — simple past, simple present, and continuous present.
5. Lives are beginning — and are ending — on the Adams River in Kamloops.
6. This year is a high point in the sockeye salmon cycle.
7. Once they were just eggs in this river bottom.
8. Now they are returning home.
9. They are dying because they are so old.
10. I saw a dead one on the beach.
11. This is a male and this is a female.
12. Every four years, a large push of fish comes in.
13. Five years ago, it was a different story.
14. Only some fish arrived.
Try this
Which of the above sentences use continuous present tense?
Choose one of your favourite places in the world. For example, you might choose a lake or a city or your kitchen. Describe what is happening there right now using continuous present. Think of at least three things.
Example: In Snug Cove, the otters are swimming. The boats are bobbing in the water. The seagulls are resting on the dock.
Writing
Writing Task
Write a poem in continuous present tense. Use this sentence frame again and again. Pick a new subject and verb for each line.
Somewhere in British Columbia, a_________ is __________-ing.
Examples:
Somewhere in British Columbia, a cedar tree is touching the stars.
Somewhere in British Columbia, a mountain is being climbed.
Somewhere in British Columbia, we are laughing in the rain.
Would you like to find an interesting synonym for any of your words?
- If yes, ask your instructor for a thesaurus.
- Check your spelling and grammar carefully.
- Hand your poem in to your instructor.
Answer Key
| Reading Strategy | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | fact |
| 2 | fact |
| 3 | opinion |
| 4 | opinion |
| Word Attack Strategy | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | water |
| 2 | forest |
| 3 | over |
| 4 | starting |
| 5 | farming |
| 6 | river |
| 7 | return |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| Check Your Understanding | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | true |
| 2 | true |
| 3 | false |
| 4 | true |
| 5 | true |
| 6 Under Yes |
|
| 7 Under No |
|
| Grammar | |
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| 1 | A few communities are building fish farms on land, rather than in the ocean. |
| 2 | They are using closed tanks, rather than nets and cages. |
| 3 | Fish farms are spreading sea lice. |
| 4 | The drugs that fish farmers give the salmon are harming other sea life. |
| 5 | Lives are beginning – and lives are ending – on the Adams River in Kamloops. |
| 6 | This year is a high point in the sockeye salmon cycle. |
| 7 | Once they were just eggs in this river bottom. |
| 8 | Now they are returning home. |
| 9 | They are dying because they are so old. |
| 10 | I saw a dead one on the beach. |
| 11 | This is a male and this is a female. |
| 12 | Every four years, a large push of fish comes in. |
| 13 | Five years ago, it was a different story. |
| 14 | Only some fish arrived. |
| The sentences that use continuous present tense are 5, 8, and 9. | |
Attributions
Sockeye salmon by Epipelagic is in the public domain.
