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1Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use onlyClaire’s Race Online Resource

Claire’s RaceClaire’s RaceOnline Resource

By Nancy Wilcox Richards

2 Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use onlyClaire’s Race Online Resource

© 2007 Curriculum PlusBy Nancy Wilcox Richards

Editor: Sylvia Gunnery

We acknowledge the fi nancial support of The Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program(BPIDP) for our publishing activities.

Curriculum Plus Publishing Company100 Armstrong AvenueGeorgetown, ON L7G 5S4

Toll free telephone 1-888-566-9730Toll free fax 1-866-372-7371E-mail [email protected]

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http://www.curriculumplus.ca


Table of Contents

Teacher Background Information 4 - 5Teacher Background Information 4 - 5T

Plot Synopsis 5

Before Reading 6

During Reading 7

After Reading 8 - 9

Cross Curricular Links 9 - 10

Other Links 10

Black Line Masters BLM 1 - 7


Claire’s Race is the true story of a young girl who was diagnosed with a very rare form of epilepsy called Rasmussen’s Encephalitis. This syndrome usually affects only one hemisphere of the brain and it typically occurs in children under the age of ten. The exact causes of Rasmussen’s Encephalitis are unclear. Claire was diagnosed with this syndrome when she was only fi ve years old.

Epilepsy, a neurological condition, affects 1% - 2% of the population or a little over four million people in North America. It is character-ized by the sudden burst of energy in the brain (comparable to an electrical storm), causing a seizure. Many children outgrow it.

There are several possible causes of epilepsy. They include head in-jury, brain tumor and infections affecting the brain. In a small per-centage of cases, the condition may be inherited; but for over 50%, there is no known cause.

Epilepsy may take on many forms, including a blank stare, muscle spasms, uncontrolled movements, convulsions and altered aware-ness. Often no fi rst aid is required when a person experiences a seizure.

Treatment usually involves anti-seizure medication, and approxi-mately three quarters of the population respond well to this. The remaining quarter of the population often experience diffi culty controlling their seizures. Brain surgery is used when medication fails and in cases where the seizures are located in only one area of the brain.

Teacher Background Information Other treatments might include a ketogenic diet — a diet high in fat, low in carbohydrates or using a vagus nerve stimulator. This is a device that is surgically implanted and delivers a mild electrical current to the vagus nerve.

Anti-epileptic drugs are not effective for seizure control for someone diagnosed with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis. Surgery is normally performed. Most times, as in Claire’s case, it involves major brain surgery. Afterwards, extensive rehabilitation is required. Depending on the side of the brain that was affected, some children need to relearn how to talk. Others, such as Claire, have to learn how to walk all over again.

Today, Claire wears a brace on her left leg. She also lost the use of her left arm and hand and must perform many simple, everyday tasks being ‘one handed’. Her vision is impaired — she lost the left visual field in both eyes. Her cognitive skills are affected. For instance, mathematical skills such as geometry and sequencing are challenging, and orientation (making a decision to turn left or right) is diffi cult. The simple task of locating a specifi c room in her school or fi nding a friend’s home on the street had to be relearned and practiced. The effects of Rasmussen’s Encephalitis are often devastating to the family.

Educating the public is paramount in order to dispel many of the myths surrounding epilepsy. All of the author’s royalties from Claire’s Race are being donated to help facilitate educational programs about epilepsy for grade fi ve students in Nova Scotia. To educate your students, you might fi nd it useful to develop lessons around

Dear Colleague,I hope this teacher’s resource helps to provide some insight into the kinds of activities you might do in your classroom with Claire’s Race. Just as the story about Claire is a deeply personal one for me, the resource is also personal in that it is a refl ection of the kinds of learning experiences you might see in my grade two classroom.

In reality, I would pick and choose from the activities in this resource, selecting the ones that appeal to me and meet the needs of the chil-dren I teach. There is a fairly wide range of ideas, from the actual guided reading lessons to opportunities for cross-curricular links. I hope you will fi nd many of them useful and that they will inspire you to guide your children through their own learning experiences.


Chapter One: DisappointmentSeven-year-old Claire longs to ride a bike, like her best friend, Rachael. The reader realizes that Claire has a physical disability — she wears an arm splint- but this wasn’t always the case. Claire has a fl ashback to a happier time.

Chapter Two: Spiders Wearing SneakersClaire is disappointed for the second time when she is unable to join the neighborhood kids roller blading. This time, another aspect of her disability is highlighted — she wears a leg brace. Once again, she has a fl ashback to a time when she didn’t require a leg brace.

Chapter Three: Claire’s DecisionFor the third day in a row, Claire faces disappointment. Unable to participate in riding a scooter like her friend, Kristopher, she becomes angry.

Chapter Four: Unwelcome NewsAlthough Claire’s mother worries about all the disappointments her daughter has faced lately, she is dismayed to learn that Claire is determined to participate in cross country running. Claire’s parents express great concern for her safety if she does the run.

Chapter Five: Training for the MeetClaire’s parents give her permission to try cross country running. An enthusiastic Claire starts to train with the other children.

Plot SynopsisChapter Six: The Big DaySeventy-nine prepared runners are at the Lunenburg County Meet. The air is charged with excited and bystanders eagerly watch Claire who has a strong start to the race. Soon all the runners return but there is no sign of Claire. There is an anxious feeling throughout the crowd. Then, at the far end of the fi eld, Claire appears. The crowd roars its enthusiasm as she crosses the fi nish line. Although she places seventy-ninth, everyone recognizes that she is truly a winner.

Chapter Seven: Can She Do It?There is an anxious feeling throughout the crowd. Finally, at the far end of the fi eld, Claire appears. The crowd roars its enthusiasm as she crosses the fi nish line. Although she places seventy-ninth, every-one recognizes that she is truly a winner.

this printable seven-page activity book for children. It is called Let’s Learn about Epilepsy, and it can be viewed at the following website:www.epilepsyns.com/kids.htmlwww.epilepsyns.com/kids.html

It is interesting to note that many famous people have had epilepsy, including: Julius Caesar, Agatha Christie, Joan of Arc, Ludwig van Beethoven, Vincent Van Gogh and Sir Isaac Newton.

http://www.epilepsyns.com/kids.html


Before ReadingAsk the children if they have ever heard of epilepsy. Discuss it in simplistic terms. (Refer to “Teacher Background Information”.) Remember to always handle a topic, such as epilepsy, with sensitiv-ity. There may be a child in your class with epilepsy or there may be children who have a family member with the condition.

Have a general discussion about what might happen if they en-countered a child having a seizure. Together complete a KWL chart.

You may want to watch a brief video clip at the following website: www.epilepsyns.comwww.epilepsyns.com

Explain to them that Rasmussen’s Encephalitis is a very rare form of epilepsy. Medications usually don’t help the syndrome. In most cases the child needs to have a serious operation. This operation often leaves the child with physical and mental disabilities. Invite the children to come up with a list of things that would be diffi cult to do with the use of just one arm. Responses might include tying shoes, zippering a jacket, putting hair in a braid or ponytail.

Tell the children that they are going to read a true story called Claire’s Race. It is about a seven-year-old girl, named Claire, who was diagnosed with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis. Before she became sick, she could do everything other healthy children could do. Imagine having your life change so drastically.

Invite the children to keep one hand behind their backs. Try printing on paper and then erasing it. Try to cut out a shape from construc-tion paper. Try to zipper a coat or tie shoelaces.

Read the blurb on the back of the book. Make a prediction about what might happen in the novel.

Highlight the feature, Author’s Note. Discuss why an author might include this in a novel.

WORDS TO INTRODUCE • diagnosed (pg 5) • characterized (pg 5) • mind boggling (pgs 5-6) • visually impaired (pg 6) • inspiration (pg 6)

FOCUSED READINGRead to discover what challenges Claire faced after her operation. It is helpful to write these statements on the board.

GUIDED QUESTIONS • Why do you think Claire had a special ‘hop-skip-hop’ walk? • In the Author’s Note, the author says that Claire “is an inspiration to all of us.” What do you think this means? How might Claire inspire others?

This may be as far as you go for the initial experience of reading Claire’s Race. Depending on the needs and interests of your stu-dents, you might fi nd it helpful to break the guided reading activi-ties into several sessions. Further suggestions which you may want to follow can be found at DURING READINGto follow can be found at DURING READINGto follow can be found at .

http://www.epilepsyns.com


Ask the children to read Chapter One.

FOCUSED READING Read to fi nd out what activity Claire is unable to do.

After the children have read Chapter One, discuss the use of itali-cized text to indicate a fl ashback. Explain that a fl ashback occurs when a character thinks back to another time.

GUIDED QUESTIONS • Why didn’t Claire notice that it was a beautiful spring day? • What did Claire recall in the fl ashback?

Tell the students to continue reading Claire’s Race until they reach Chapter Four.

GUIDED QUESTIONS Chapters Two to Four: Claire had a second fl ashback. Describe what she remembered. • How does Claire’s mother’s smile change when she tells her daughter she can’t participate in activities that the other children are doing? Why do you think her smile changes? • What did the author mean by “but the smile did not seem to reach her eyes” or “but this time the smile did not even reach her lips”? • How do you know that Claire is becoming upset?

While the children are reading, I fi nd it helpful to have a brief conversation with individual students. I usually initiate the discus-sion with statements like, “Tell me a bi t about what you are reading.” or “Tell me what’s happening in your book right now.” This is a quick indicator as to whether or not the child understands the book.

Depending on your students’ interests and abilities and your own time schedule, you may wish to stop the guided reading at the beginning of Chapter Four and fi nish the novel another day. When this is done, it is helpful to begin the next reading by recapping what had already happened in the book. Have the children predict what will happen next.

Ask the children to fi nish reading Claire’s Race.

GUIDED QUESTIONSChapters Four to Seven: • What is Claire excited about? • What concerns do her parents have about Claire running a cross country race? • Describe the job each runner had to do. What would have happened if they didn’t do this job? • How did Claire run differently at the beginning of the race? • Why is everyone concerned about Claire? • How did the crowd show Claire that they were supporting and encouraging her? • Although Claire placed 79th in the race, she was truly a winner. Why?

During Reading


MAKING CONNECTIONSText to SelfExample: Claire’s Race reminded me of the race I competed in last spring.

Text to TextExample: Claire has the same problem that I read about in a book last week.

Text to Real WorldExample: I saw a movie on Terry Fox and he had the same kind of walk as Claire.

RETHINKINGRevisit the question asked prior to reading the novel. “How is Claire an inspiration to all of us?” Are your thoughts the same? If not, how have they changed?

DECODING UNFAMILIAR WORDSProvide each child with some sticky notes. Tell the children to use them to mark any unfamiliar words they encountered while reading. This can be used for a guided reading or independent reading practice. When the children have fi nished reading, discuss the reading strategies they used when faced with an unfamiliar word in the text.

Here are some questions which you might like to use to help guide your students’ thinking: • Did the illustration help you with your unfamiliar word? • Is there a smaller word inside the word that you already know? • Did you skip the word, read ahead and then try a word that would make sense? • Can you ‘chunk’ the word? • Did you use what you already know about the topic? • Can you take off any beginning or ending sounds, such as re or ly? • Did you backtrack? • Did the punctuation of the sentence help you to make sense of what you were reading? • Did you make a link between a word you already know and the new word?Once students have decoded the unfamiliar word, they need to ask themselves, “Does this make sense?” If it doesn’t, they will need to try it again.

Encourage the readers to expand on their answers by asking them-selves, “How did this strategy help me?”

CHARACTERIZATIONDiscuss how we get to know characters in books just like we get to know people in our class. We get to know people based on what they say and do, as well as what others around them say and do. Complete the chart “Pleased To Meet You”. (BLM 1)(BLM 1)

You may wish to choose from some of these additional activities:

TEACHER TIME-SAVING BOOK RESPONSEThis activity can be reused with any books the children have read, whether it is for guided reading or independent reading practice. Once the Reading Dice are made, it is a real time saver in a teacher’s busy day. Also, it is an active and valid way for students to respond to a book.

Each group of children will need a Reading Die. In my classroom, the children are in groups of four. I use a wooden block with one typed question glued on each face. (a pattern [BLM 2][BLM 2] is included for a cut-out paper one.) One child from each group rolls the Read-ing Die to determine the question to which the entire group will respond. Children take turns responding to the question with other members of their group. It is helpful to circulate among the groups, listening to the conversations the children are having. Then ask a student from each group to tell the class what question they responded to on the Reading Die and give a sample answer.

WRITTEN BOOK RESPONSESHave the children complete a book response from the list. Remind them to explain “why”. • My favorite part of the story was… • I was most surprised/disappointed/afraid/ etc. / when… • If I could ask the author one question, it would be… • I would recommend this book to _____________ because… • The story made me feel… • When I read the story, I visualized… • I think the story… • If I could give one character in the story some advice, it would be…. • This story reminded me of…

After Reading


CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKSSelect a cross-curricular way for your students to respond to Claire’s Race.

AssessmentHave each student complete the Student Self-Assessment. (BLM 3)(BLM 3)

Cross-Curricular LinksLANGUAGE ARTS

DRAMARole Play #1:Claire’s parents were worried about her safety when she trained for and participated in the run. Some concerns would be the same for every runner while others would apply only to Claire.

Have the children work with a partner. One student will act in the role of a cross country runner and the other will be Claire’s mother. The runner will try to persuade Claire’s mother that it is a good idea for Claire to participate in the meet. (This activity is also a good lead-in to persuasive writing.)

Role Play #2:Imagine the cross country race was televised. The race is now over.

Have one student act in the role of a TV reporter, another student can be Claire, and a third student can be Mrs. Brine, the coach.

POETRY There are some wonderful selections of sports poetry at the follow-ing website:www.bpr.com/triathlon/poetry.htm#Tri-mantrawww.bpr.com/triathlon/poetry.htm#Tri-mantra

Tri-mantra by Olivier Blanchard is especially relevant to Claire’s Race.

Read the poem together. Look at the kind of language the poet used; the structure of the poem and the effectiveness of the short, concise lines. Discuss how the runner is like Claire. What does the poet mean when he says, “In my world, Victory is not weighed in gold, But in determination and courage”? How does this remind us of Claire?

The children might enjoy writing their own free verse poem about a particular sport or a time when they needed to have courage and determination.

WRITING • Imagine that you are Claire. Write a diary entry the day before the race. Now, write one after the race. • Imagine that the race ended differently. Write a new ending. • Create a class book called “I am Special”. Each child creates a page in the book and highlights how s/he is unique. • Imagine that you are a reporter for the local newspaper. Write an account of the cross country race.

ARTCartoonsImagine you participated in the cross country race with Claire. What might you say to her? Draw a cartoon showing your conversation and Claire’s response.

Friendship WreathRachael and Claire are best friends. They have fun together and they do this while supporting each other’s dreams. Our class also offers support to one another.

Create a “Friendship Wreath”. Have each person in the class trace his or her hands on assorted colors of construction paper. (Remember, you may need to help a friend do this!) Cut them out and lay them in a circular pattern to form a wreath, making sure the hands over-lap. Add a decorative bow.

http://www.bpr.com/triathlon/poetry.htm#Tri-mantra


SOCIAL STUDIESThe Terry Fox ConnectionTerry Fox is considered a hero. Just like Claire, he too ran a race. However, his was in a marathon to raise awareness about cancer. It was called “The Marathon of Hope”. Research Terry Fox.

Complete a Venn Diagram (BLM 4)(BLM 4) showing the similarities and differences between Claire and Terry Fox. Below are some links which you and your students might fi nd helpful.Terry Fox Run websiteTerry Fox Run websitewww.cbc.ca/news/background/fox_terry/www.cbc.ca/news/background/fox_terry/

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYHands-On Activity: Build a Racing ModelRemind the children that when Claire competed in the cross-country race, she had physical disabilities that no other runner had. Not only did she wear a leg brace, but her left arm no longer functioned. She needed to wear an arm splint at night. On top of all this, Claire was visually impaired. She was able to clearly see things directly in front of her, but not those things in her peripheral vision. Ask them to think about how this affected her ability to run.

Tell the children that they will design a different kind of race — one that is fair to everyone. Have the children work with a partner or in small groups. The “Design a Race” activity (BLM 5)(BLM 5) provides ideas that you might like to use.

Internet ResearchResearch one of the following famous people who had epilepsy: Julius Caesar, Agatha Christie, Joan of Arc, Ludwig van Beethoven, Vincent Van Gogh and Sir Isaac Newton.

This is a natural connection to other curriculum areas such as music (Beethoven), art (Van Gogh) and history (Caesar). Students might research some basic facts such as when and where they lived and one important or interesting fact.

A fairly easy website to do a search is:www.askforkids.com

MATHData and GraphingAsk the children to survey members of the class or their family. Have them generate a question such as, “What is your favorite sport?” Have the children collect the data, organize it and present the fi nd-ings. It might include tallies, a pictograph or a bar graph. Remind them to give the graph a title and labels. Tell them to write three questions they could ask a friend. Then they should write three statements using the information from the graph.

MeasurementDuring the fi rst part of the race, Claire ran over 100 metres before she settled back to her familiar hop-skip-hop run. Have the children estimate how far 100 metres might be. Measure it. How many centi-metres is that? The entire race was approximately one kilometre. Estimate that distance. (This could be done in trips around the soccer fi eld or trips around the school. A trundle wheel will be a helpful tool to use.) Measure the distance of the race. Is it best to measure in centimetres, metres or kilometres. Why?

Problem Solving: Where Did Everyone Else Place in the Race?We know that Rachael won the race. Use the clues (BLM 6)(BLM 6) to solve where the other children placed. Ben, Ashley and Drew also competed in the race. Drew was ahead of Ashley but not ahead of Ben. Claire came last. What was the order of these fi ve children?

HEALTHPrior to the big race, Mrs. Brine, the coach, had the runners walk the fi eld and remove any objects that could cause a runner to trip or fall. Items that were too large to be removed were spray painted. Make a list of safety rules and practices for cross-country runners to follow. Or, design a poster showing the same information. Make sure you have a catchy slogan to go with your list or your poster.

Healthy food plays an important role in how we feel physically and mentally. Runners often need to eat nutritious food that is high in energy. They also need to keep hydrated. Fill the lunch box (BLM 7)(BLM 7)with healthy food choices. Compare your choices with a partner’s choices.

Other LinksOther Books by Nancy Wilcox Richards

Lost in the Blizzard

http://www.terryfoxrun.org/english/about terry fox/default.asp?s=1

http://www.curriculumplus.ca/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=1617&IDCat=113

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/fox_terry

http://www.askforkids.com

Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use onlyClaire’s Race Online Resource - Black Line Master

During ReadingPleased to Meet YouDuring ReadingPleased to Meet YouDuring ReadingWe are able to know and understand Claire by the things she says During Reading

We are able to know and understand Claire by the things she says During Reading

and does. We also get to know her better because of what others around her say and do. Complete the chart to show what you know about the main character, Claire.

Character Says Actions What we know about Claire

Coach Brine

Claire’s Father

Rachael

Claire

“Try not to worry.” frownsFor Claire, this is a

very difffi icult race

to run.

BLM 1

Copyright © 2007 by Curriculum Plus Publishing Company. May be reproduced for classroom use onlyClaire’s Race Online Resource - Black Line MasterBLM 2

Cube PatternCube Pattern(cut on solid linesfold on dotted lines)

Read yourfavourite partof the book.

Wha

t d

id y

ou

lear

n ab

out

your

self

as a

rea

der

tod

ay? Explain

what your bookis about.

Find a tricky

wo

rd.

Ho

w d

id yo

ufi gure it o

ut?

Who would yourecommend this

book to?

Why?

Make aconnectionto the story.


During ReadingStudent Self AssessmentDuring ReadingStudent Self AssessmentDuring ReadingName:During Reading

Name:During Reading

Draw a after the statement, if you did something well.

Draw a after the statement, if you didn’t do the activity well.

Draw a after the statement, if you did a so-so job.

1. I stuck to the job and read quietly to myself.

2. If I had a tricky word, I tried to fi gure it out.

3. I re-read the words if they didn’t make sense.

4. While I was reading, I made pictures in my mind.

5. I understood this book.

Rate this book using stars Your Rating

Not very good

Pretty good

Good

Awesome

BLM 3

Draw a after the statement, if you did something well.Draw a after the statement, if you did something well.Draw a after the statement, if you did something well.Draw a after the statement, if you did something well.

Draw a after the statement, if you didn’t do the activity well.Draw a after the statement, if you didn’t do the activity well.

Draw a after the statement, if you did a so-so job.Draw a after the statement, if you did a so-so job.Draw a after the statement, if you did a so-so job.

Draw a after the statement, if you didn’t do the activity well.Draw a after the statement, if you didn’t do the activity well.

Draw a after the statement, if you did a so-so job.


Venn

Dia

gram

BLM 4


BLM 5

Design a race that is fair to all the runners. It does not have to be a running race. Perhaps it involves a machine like a hot air balloon, a rocket or a go-cart.

• Find things to use such as elastics, springs,

Lego, blocks of wood, etc.

• Create a plan.

• Draw it on paper.

• Build your miniature model.

• Test it out.

Record your fi ndings by measuring, drawing, making charts and writing about it.

Put different materials in your model. Try adding a heavy material. Is it the same as a lighter material?

Share your fi ndings.

Claire raced over grassy fi elds, rocks, even pavement. What happens to your model if it is raced on carpet? Compare this to when it is raced on tile or sand. Can you change your model to make it better?

Design a Race


BLM 6

Where Did Everyone Else Place in the Race?

We know that Rachael won the race. Use the clues to solve where the other children placed.

Ben, Ashley and Drew also competed in the race.

Drew was ahead of Ashley but not ahead of Ben.

Claire came last.

What was the order of these fi ve children?


BLM 7

Fill

the

Lun

chb

ox

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