The Greatest Athlete in Canada’s History

With your students, read Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids December 2017 issue #62 pages 12-15. Have students choose the athlete they think is the greatest athlete in Canada’s history. Distribute the research page from the magazine and have students read the paragraph from Kayak about the athlete they chose. They can then fill in the athlete’s name, where they are from and three points they feel are important to remember.

Next, discuss with your students examples of opinion statements such as “In my opinion,” “I believe” or “I think.” Have students fill in the Opinion Writing Graphic Organizer to plan their writing. When they are done filling in the organizer, they can write a short persuasive paragraph about the greatest athlete in Canada’s history.

Student Handout, including the research page, the Opinion Writing Graphic Organizer, and outline for the short persuasive paragraph.

Extension Activity:

Students in grades 3 to 6 can extend this activity by researching their own favourite athlete in books or online and writing a persuasive writing piece about that athlete.