December 8th – December 12th Morning Work – RELA December 8th – December 12th

Monday – December 8, 2014 Bonnie Blair Speed Skater Bonnie Blair is the only American woman to have won five Olympic gold medals. What does the title tell us about the subject of this passage? What is her specialty? What is unique about her? What country did Bonnie represent in the Olympics?

Tuesday – December 9, 2014 Born on March 18, 1964, Bonnie was the youngest in a speed-skating family. Her five older brothers and sisters were champion skaters who encouraged her. They put a pair of skates over Bonnie’s shoes when she was two years old because there were not any skates small enough for her tiny feet. What information do we learn about Bonnie’s family? What was the effect of Bonnie being born into a speed-skating family? Does her family sound mean or kind? What clues helped you answer question 3?

Wednesday – December 10, 2014 As Bonnie grew, she trained hard six days a week, always pushing to improve her time. Bonnie kept this up until she was the world’s best female speed skater. She won her first Olympic gold medal in the 500-meter race in 1988. In 1992, she won both the 500-meter and the 1,000 meter Olympic races in Albertville, France. She repeated her victories in February 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. What was the effect of Bonnie’s practice and hard work? How many different Olympics did she compete in? What specific events did she compete in? How old was Bonnie when she won her last medal?

Thursday – December 11, 2014 Bonnie’s Olympic successes made her famous all over the world. Bonnie retired from speed skating in 1995 to focus on other competitions. What was the effect of Bonnie’s Olympic successes? Why did she retire from speed skating? Why would someone retire when she is at the top of her game? What information was not in this passage that you would like to know about Bonnie Blair?

Friday – December 12, 2014 Animals at the Olympics The Olympics are games that show the strenght and speed of human athletes. The fastest, strongest person wins. But, have you ever wondered what might happen if animals were allowed at the Olympics? Do you still think humans would win? The fastest human was clocked at a speed of nearly 27 miles per hour (mph). Many animals can beat that time. A house cat can run 30 mph. The antelope is even faster. It runs at speeds over 60 mph. But, the Olympic winner would be the cheetah. This cat runs over 70 mph. There are two main jumping events in the Olympics. One is height, and the other is distance. The record for the longest human jump is 29 feet. The highest jump without a pole is about 8 feet. The puma would beat humans in both events. It can jump 12 feet high and cover a distance of 39 feet in one jump. However, the animal winning the long jump would be the kangaroo. It can jump an amazing 42 feet.

Friday – December 12, 2014 Just looking at the title, do you think it sets up the passage about the use of animals at the Olympics or about animals competing at the Olympics? Can people win against animals in Olympic events. Explain your answer. Which animals would win the gold, silver, and bronze medals in the running race? What is the difference in feet between a kangaroo’s jump and the longest human jump? How does the author feel about the kangaroo’s ability to jump? What evidence supports this?