Learning English with CBC Edmonton Monthly feature … · world, mosquitoes are known to transmit...

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Learning English with CBC

Edmonton

Monthly feature story

Mosquitoes

May 2012 Lesson plans created by Jennifer Foote, Andrea Kushnir & Justine Light

www.cbc.ca/edmonton/eal/

www.alberta.ca


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Feature Story Objectives

Mosquitoes

CLB competency outcomes Listening: Reading: Speaking: Writing:

L: Identify factual details and some implied meanings in extended narration R: Demonstrate comprehension of a one‐or two page moderately complex extended description, report, or narrative on a familiar topic S: (Global Descriptor) Pronunciation errors rarely impede communication. W: Demonstrates good control over common sentence patterns, coordination and subordination, and spelling and mechanics.

Language skills Vocabulary: Use vocabulary words in context

Grammar: Understand gerund and infinitive object complements

Pronunciation: Creating pronunciation practice strategies

Language Activities (in order of appearance in materials)

Answering comprehension questions and discussion questions about a short background text on mosquitoes Completing pre‐listening activities to build vocabulary and prepare learners for audio Listening to the audio to identify facts and details Listening to audio to develop listening transfer skills Identifying different sounds in plural endings Identifying gerund and infinitive object complements Completing pre‐ reading vocabulary activity Identifying facts in a reading activity Identifying details in a reading activity Giving advice in writing


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Introduction

Before you read, think about the following questions.

What kind of bugs or insects annoy you the most? Why?

Background Reading:

Mosquitoes

In Canada, most people think of mosquitoes as an annoying pest in the spring and summer. Nearly

everyone has been a victim of their itchy bites and irritating buzzing. However, as well as being

annoying, mosquitoes can be very dangerous. In Canada and the U.S., they are known to spread

West Nile Virus, an illness that while usually mild, can be fatal in some instances. In other parts of the

world, mosquitoes are known to transmit other dangerous diseases including Malaria, Yellow Fever,

and Dengue Fever. While mosquitoes may seem similar everywhere you go, there are actually

thousands of different species. Some species are more likely to bite humans than others. However, all

species share some similar traits. All mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, and no male mosquitoes

bite.

NOTE: Information for this paragraph was found at: http://science.howstuffworks.com http://www.hc‐sc.gc.ca http://www.phac‐aspc.gc.ca/wn‐no/index‐eng.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito

Background Reading: Questions

Understanding the reading

1) What disease do mosquitoes carry in Canada and the U.S?

2) What are some other diseases mosquitoes carry?

3) How many species of mosquitoes are there?

4) What do all species of mosquitoes have in common?

Food for thought

5) Do you think the government should pay to lower the number of mosquitoes each summer? Why or why not?


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The Audio

In this Audio, you will hear CBC journalist Peter Brown interviewing Mike Jenkins, a biological sciences

technician with the city of Edmonton.

What are some things you can do to protect yourself from mosquitoes?

In your home country, are insect populations kept under control? How is this done?

Now listen to the Audio – the introduction is here to help you get started…

SPEAKER TITLE: MOSQUITOES TIME

Peter Brown We’re moving into that time of year when the city’s mosquito control

plan goes into effect. In the coming weeks crews will be spraying areas

in and around the city to try to make sure mosquito larvae don’t have a

chance to hatch. Mike Jenkins is a biological sciences technician with

the city. Mike, good afternoon.

0:00

Mike Jenkins Good afternoon. 0:15


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Vocabulary

The words below are from the audio. The definitions are next to the words. Read the definitions then complete the sentences.

WORD DEFINITION

1. larvae (noun) a stage some animals go through before becoming adults

2. to hatch (verb) to come out of an egg

3. precipitation (noun) water from rain

4. operations (noun) organized actions designed to achieve a goal

5. potentially (adverb) possibly

6. habitat (noun) the environment in which a particular animal lives

7. calibrating (verb) making sure equipment is measuring things properly

8. scouting (verb) searching an area for something in particular

9. target (verb) to choose particular places to focus on

10. chaotic (adjective) crazy and confusing

11. assorted (adjective) various

12. pellets (noun) small dry balls

13. impregnated (verb) saturated (soaked) with something

14. pesticide (noun) chemicals that kill insects

15. predators (noun) animals that hunt and kill other animals for food


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Use the vocabulary words (questions 1‐15) above to complete the sentences. The first one is

done for you. (answers can be found in the appendix)

1. Please be careful. This is potentially a very dangerous situation.

2. I try to protect my rabbits from ___________ by keeping them in an enclosed pen in my

yard.

3. I am so sick of the rain! I hope we don’t get any more ___________.

4. I have to use ___________ in my garden or the insects will eat everything!

5. I am worried the ground will become ___________ with dangerous chemicals if the new

factory is built.

6. I don’t think it is right to take an animal out of its natural ___________ and put it in a zoo.

7. My kindergarten teacher used a heat lamp ___________ a chicken egg.

8. If you kill the fly ___________ then you don’t have to deal with the adult flies.

9. We are ___________ all of the equipment before we use it in the field.

10. I will go ahead of the group and go ___________ for a good place for us to camp tonight.

11. We need to ___________ adult females in our advertising campaign.

12. My house can be really ___________ in the morning with five kids all rushing to get ready

for school!

13. If you visit the factory next week, you can see how our ___________ work.

14. I had to choose between the ___________ bottles of sunscreen I found in the drawer. I

took the strongest one.

15. I feed my chickens by sprinkling ___________ on the ground.


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Listening for meaning

Read the following statements and indicate whether they are TRUE or FALSE. If the sentence is

false, write the true statement. The first one is done for you.

1. The recent snow caused major problems for mosquito operations. TRUE FALSE They were expecting the precipitation and the snow slowed the development

of mosquitoes

2. It is difficult to predict how many mosquitos there will be each year. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

3. There is not as much money for helicopters this year. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

4. The most common pesticide they use is a spray. TRUE FALSE ____________________________________________________________

5. They mostly treat large ponds and lakes that have mosquito populations. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

6. They try to kill the mosquitoes when they are still larvae. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

7. The mosquitos were worse than usual last year. TRUE FALSE ____________________________________________________________

8. Eggs can hatch even after several years. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

9. Mike said that this year there won’t be many mosquitoes. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________


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Listening strategies – Who said what?

Listen to the podcast again

The goal of the listening strategies section of the monthly feature lesson is to help you to improve

your listening skills for all listening situations– not just this audio.

Can you keep track of who said what? What did journalist, Peter Brown say, and what did biological

sciences technician, Mike Jenkins, say? Put a check mark in the column for what Peter said, in the

column for what Mike said, and in both columns for what they both said.

Comment Peter Brown – Journalist Mike Jenkins – Biological Sciences Technician

Expecting some precipitation

Thinks it has been a dry year

Is doing paperwork and preparing

Makes a strange noise when surprised

Council added money to the helicopter budget

Schedule depends on larval development and wind conditions

There are concerns about what type of pesticides the city uses

Clay pellets are sprinkled, rather than sprayed

Saw a lot of unusual things last year

The sort of mosquito season we can expect this year depends on how much rain we get

(Answers can be found in the appendix)


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Building Speaking Skills

Pronunciation: plural endings.

The plural endings of words sound different depend on which sound comes at the end of the word. Look at the chart below to see the different pronunciations of plural endings.

/s/ sound /z/ sound /iz/ sound

tracks

asks

tents

tops

baths

cliffs

weeks

hands

suns

clams

wells

files

labs

kings

fillers

knows

kisses*

wishes

judges

entices

beaches

*Notice that with the /iz/ pronunciation, there is always an “e” before the “s”

The following words are all spoken in the podcast. Try to place the words in the correct category on the chart. Use the examples to help you. The first one is done for you.

weeks sciences plans slows operations depends falls

what’s helicopters conditions pellets predators habitats populations

places plates things species eggs terms happens


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Tip: Listen for plural endings when you are listening to the radio and watching T.V. When you are speaking, correct yourself if you make a mistake.

Now listen to this clip from the podcast again. (1:42‐2:11). Pay attention to the pronunciation of the plural endings.

Peter Brown Do you do your checks at the same places every year? 1:42

Mike Jenkins

There are a number of places where we basically know it’s going to be

collecting water and are generally good development plates, and so yeah,

we typically go back to a lot of those ones, they’re sort of the first ones we

check. But there are also others that you’re driving along, it’s like “What?

There was no water there before,” and things like construction and that. The

Anthony Henday in particular changes a lot of that habitat around there so

we have to sort of relearn where the water spots are on there.

1:45

Practice saying the passage at the same time as the speakers. Try to sound exactly like them. You can practice as many times as you want!

Extra Practice: Tell someone about a time when you had a bad experience with an insect. While you are speaking, try to think about plural endings.


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Grammar Activity – Gerund and Infinitive Object Complements

When a verb follows a verb, the second verb must be in either the gerund (walking; swimming) or infinitive form (to walk; to swim).

There are 4 possibilities for what type of object complement a verb can take:

1) Verbs that take only gerunds avoid, consider, delay, deny, enjoy, finish, postpone, recommend, risk, suggest

( Also includes phrasal verbs = carry on, get through, get used to, keep on, be tired of ) ( Also includes prepositions = against, at, after, by, on, instead of )

2) Verbs that take only infinitives

agree, decide, expect, hesitate, intend, learn, plan, promise, want

3) Verbs that take either gerunds or infinitives with no meaning change can’t stand, can’t bear, continue, hate, like, love, prefer

4) Verbs that take both gerunds and infinitives, but have a different meaning go on, forget, remember, regret, stop

There are no clear rules for which verbs take each verb form, so you should consult a good dictionary and memorize the pattern. Paying attention to which forms native speakers use will also help you notice and memorize these patterns.

Examples:

1) I will consider finding a new job.

2) She agreed to go to the movies with me.

3) Why do you continue to ask? Why do you continue asking? (Same meaning)

4) I remembered to do my homework. (I remembered, then did my homework.)

I remembered doing my homework. (I did my homework, then remembered doing it.)


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Practice – From the Audio

Using the transcript provided in the appendix, put a check mark in the gerund column if the main verb takes a gerund object complement, put a check mark in the infinitive column if the main verb takes an infinitive object complement, and put a check mark in both columns if the main verb can take both forms.

When you are finished, check an English Learner’s dictionary (such as the online version of Merriam‐Webster www.learnersdictionary.com or Longman www.ldoceonline.com ) to see if the main verb can take both gerunds and infinitives.

Transcript Location (Time)

Main Verb Gerund Complement

Infinitive Complement

0:00 try

0:00, 2:22 have a chance/opportunity

0:20 give s.o. an opportunity

1:13 start

1:13 begin

2:22 need

2:40 able

3:24 talk about

5:44 without

(Answers can be found in the appendix.)

.


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Reading Activity‐ Using Insect Repellent

Alberta Health website: http://www.health.alberta.ca/health‐info/WNv‐use‐repellent.html

Before you read: Pre‐Reading Vocabulary

The following vocabulary activity will help you to understand the reading below.

These are some difficult words from the reading. Match each word to its correct synonyms.

The first one is done for you. Answers can be found in the appendix.

1. sparingly D A. to put on; to spread on

2. exposed B. to absorb, sink into

3. repellent C. to stop making something; to no longer

produce something

4. ventilated D. using only a little; not using lots

5. inhale E. water that does not move or flow (for

example, a puddle or pond)

6. discontinue F. to breathe in

7. concentration G. the amount of something within an object;

usually expressed as a percentage (%)

8. penetrate H. describes a room or building that has fresh air

passing through it

9. apply I. to get rid of; to remove

10. prolonged J. a substance you use to keep something away

11. eliminate K. open to view; not shielded or protected

12. standing water L. continuing for a long time

Now look on the next two pages at the cautions and advice for using insect repellent published

by Alberta Health (Source: http://www.health.alberta.ca/health‐info/WNv‐use‐repellent.html )


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Reduce the risk of West Nile Virus – Use insect repellent West Nile virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Reduce your risk

of infection by avoiding contact with mosquitoes with the help of insect repellents.

Safety tips for using insect repellents Always read the entire product label carefully.

Apply repellent sparingly on exposed skin and on top of clothing. Do not use under clothing. Heavy

application is unnecessary for protection. Repeat application only as needed.

If you get repellent in your eyes, rinse immediately with water. Do not use on open wounds, or if skin

is irritated or sunburned.

Use spray repellents only in well‐ventilated areas, and avoid inhaling spray. Do not use near food.

Wash treated skin with soap and water when you return indoors.

In case of skin irritation, stop using the product immediately, wash treated skin and seek medical

attention. In case of accidental poisoning, call the Alberta Poison Control Centre at 1‐800‐332‐1414.

Take the container with you when you seek medical attention.

Choosing a product Registered personal insect repellents which are available in Canada, contain one of two different

active ingredients: DEET or oil of lemon eucalyptus (P‐Menthane 3,8‐diol).

DEET is recommended as the most effective and best studied insect repellent. Scientific reviews have

concluded that, when used as directed, DEET has an excellent safety record.

Products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus are effective for shorter periods of time.

Repellents containing citronella or lavender are not recommended. There is insufficient data to

establish the safe use of citronella and the manufacturer of lavender has decided to discontinue the

product due to re‐evaluation.

Choose a product that meets your needs. For example, if you plan to be outdoors for a short period of

time, choose a product with a lower concentration of repellent and repeat application only if you

need a longer protection time.

Repellents containing DEET

DEET based repellents at various concentrations offer different protection times.

30 per cent DEET = 6 hours of protection

15 per cent DEET = 5 hours



Products containing DEET and sunscreens


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While it is safe to use both, DEET does decrease the effectiveness of sunscreen. If both are needed,

the sunscreen should be applied first and allowed to penetrate for 20 minutes prior to applying DEET.

General precautions for children Store all insect repellent containers out of children’s reach.

When using insect repellent on children, always apply it for them.

In case of skin irritation, stop using the product immediately, wash affected area and seek medical

attention. In case of accidental poisoning, call Alberta Poison Control Center at 1‐800‐332‐1414. Take

the container with you when you seek medical attention.

Do not use DEET on children under 6 months of age.

DEET use for children 6 months to two years

The use of one application per day may be considered where a high risk of complications from insect

bites exists. (eg. in areas where there are reports of WNv activity)

Apply the product sparingly.

Only use 10 per cent DEET or less.

Avoid prolonged use. Limit use to several days.

Where possible, use protective clothing and apply repellent to exposed areas.

Do not apply to hands and face.

DEET use for children 2–12 years

Apply 10 per cent DEET or less no more than three times daily. Do not apply to face or hands.

Avoid prolonged use.

DEET use for pregnant or lactating women

There is no indication that DEET use by pregnant or lactating women is hazardous to the unborn or

nursing child.

Other types of repellents Oil of Lemon eucalyptus (P‐menthane 3, 8‐diol), available as Off Botanicals in Canada, provides up to 2

hours of protection. Do not use it on children under three years old. May be applied twice per day.

Other ways to avoid mosquito bites Wear long‐sleeved shirts and pants.

Make sure door and window screens in your home fit and have no holes.

Reduce mosquito‐hatching sites on your property by eliminating standing water.


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Reading for meaning


Please circle the best answer for questions 1 and 2.

1. Which of the following is NOT an important safety tip?

a. If you get repellent in your eyes, you should rinse them immediately with water.

b. Oil of lemon or eucalyptus can be an effective repellent.

c. If you are accidentally poisoned with repellent you should call poison control.

d. Read the label carefully.

2. Which statement about insect repellent most accurately reflects the reading?

a. It is always better to be cautious and avoid using it, especially with younger children.

b. It is fine and completely safe.

c. Sometimes it may be a good idea even for children as young as six months old.

d. Scientist are still not clear about whether or not it is a good idea to use it on children.

Answer the questions below.

3. Why has the manufacturer of lavender discontinued the product?

4. It is very nice day and you want to go for a long walk with your children. You plan to use DEET. What

are two things you think about before you go?

5. How can you avoid mosquitoes without using repellent?

Food for thought

6. If you were in an area with West Nile, would you use DEET on a young child? Why or why not?


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Reading Strategies

The goal of the reading strategies section of the monthly feature lesson is to help you to become a better reader

of all reading texts – not just this text. Give yourself a maximum of three minutes to read the West Nile Virus

Prevention sheet – you will have to skim over the words quickly and move on even when you don't quite

understand. Look for the main ideas, focus on topic sentences and skip the examples and concentrate on the

content words.

Try to answer these true‐false questions from your speed reading of the Consumer tip sheet.

True False

Humans can get West Nile virus if they are

bitten by a mosquito that has the virus.

It is best to spray lots of insect repellent on

your body, and under your clothes as well.

The most effective bug sprays contain DEET

or oil of lemon eucalyptus; however,

citronella and lavender are not as good.

The stronger the concentration of DEET, the

longer it will repel insects.

If you want to apply sunscreen and bug

repellent, make sure you apply the bug

repellent 20 minutes before the sunscreen.

It is not safe to use bug spray on children

under six years old.

If you want to use bug spray containing

DEET on children between 2 and 12 years

old, you should not put it on the child’s face

or hands.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you

should not use DEET sprays as it is

dangerous.



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Writing Activity

Imagine that a friend from your home country will be coming to Edmonton for the summer, and

asks you about insects in Edmonton. Send them an email giving them advice about what to do to

protect yourself against mosquitoes, as well as caution them on the proper use of insect

repellent.

Use the information from the Alberta Health bulletin above, as well as any experiences you may

have had with keeping mosquitoes away.

Giving advice

The text above gives a list of cautions and recommendations for using insect repellent.

In your email, think about some ways to give advice. You could use modals, such as:

Could: “You could buy DEET bug spray.” – Could here is a friendly suggestion. It shows

that this is one option of protecting yourself from mosquitoes.

Must: “You must apply insect repellent.” – Must here is much stronger than could and

emphasizes that using bug spray is important.

Should: “You should eliminate standing water.” – The modal should is weaker than

must, but stronger than could. It implies a strong suggestion.

Probably: “It’s probably best to wear long sleeves too.” – Although probably is not a

modal, it is used as a softening device to make advice seem friendlier and less harsh.

(A sample email can be found in the answer key.)


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Links

Links to the community

For more information about how minimize the risk of West Nile Virus, see the Alberta Health website: http://www.health.alberta.ca/health‐info/WNv‐protect‐yourself.html

For more information on choosing a type and brand of insect repellent: http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get‐healthy/prevention/how‐to‐choose‐the‐best‐bug‐repellent

Common insect repellent myths, from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/pubhealth/west_nile/wnv_repellent.html

To learn more about mosquitoes, visit this link http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/insects‐arachnids/mosquito.htm

Links for language learning

Have you tried listening to some inspiring and interesting TED Talks yet? Subtitles are available in many languages (including English), and the presentations are short, usually 10‐20 minutes. http://www.ted.com/talks For more listening practice about this website offer short talks by famous people and experts and on a variety of interesting and current topics. http://bigthink.com/

For practice with hearing sounds, visit this website: http://www.englishaccentcoach.com/

Check out the “English with Jennifer” youtube channel for hundreds of free videos on different ESL topics, including grammar, pronunciation, and North American culture: http://www.youtube.com/user/JenniferESL?feature=watch


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Appendix ‐ Answer Keys

Introduction

Before you read, think about the following questions.

What kind of bugs or insects annoy you the most? Why?

Answers will vary.

Background Reading: Questions

Understanding the reading

1) What disease do mosquitoes carry in Canada and the U.S? In Canada and the U.S., mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus.

2) What are some other diseases mosquitoes carry? Mosquitoes can also carry Malaria, Yellow Fever, and Dengue Fever.

3) How many species of mosquitoes are there? There are thousands of species of mosquitoes.

4) What do all species of mosquitoes have in common? All mosquitoes lay their eggs in water and none of the male mosquitoes bite.

Food for thought

5) Do you think the government should pay to lower the number of mosquitoes each summer? Why or why not? Answers will vary.

Pre‐listening vocabulary

1. Please be careful. This is potentially a very dangerous situation. 2. I try to protect my rabbits from predators by keeping them in an enclosed pen in my yard. 3. I am so sick of the rain! I hope we don’t get any more precipitation. 4. I have to use pesticides in my garden or the insects will eat everything! 5. I am worried the ground will become impregnated with dangerous chemicals if the new

factory is built. 6. I don’t think it is right to take an animal out of its natural habitat and put it in a zoo. 7. My kindergarten teacher used a heat lamp to hatch a chicken egg. 8. If you kill the fly larvae then you don’t have to deal with the adult flies. 9. We are calibrating all of the equipment before we use it in the field. 10. I will go ahead of the group and go scouting for a good place for us to camp tonight.


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11. We need to target adult females in our advertising campaign. 12. My house can be really chaotic in the morning with five kids all rushing to get ready for

school! 13. If you visit the factory next week, you can see how our operations work. 14. I had to choose between the assorted bottles of sunscreen I found in the drawer. I took

the strongest one. 15. I feed my chickens by sprinkling pellets on the ground.

Listening for meaning

1. The recent snow caused major problems for mosquito operations. TRUE FALSE They were expecting the precipitation and the snow slowed the development

of mosquitoes

2. It is difficult to predict how many mosquitos there will be each year. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

3. There is not as much money for helicopters this year. TRUE FALSE The city added money for extra helicopter spraying this year.

4. The most common pesticide they use is a spray. TRUE FALSE The most common pesticide they use comes in a granular pellet form.

5. They mostly treat large ponds and lakes that have mosquito populations. TRUE FALSE They mostly treat temporary bodies of water.

6. They try to kill the mosquitoes when they are still larvae. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________

7. The mosquitos were worse than usual last year. TRUE FALSE ____________________________________________________________

8. Eggs can hatch even after several years. TRUE FALSE _____________________________________________________________


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9. Mike said that this year there won’t be many mosquitoes. TRUE FALSE He won’t predict how many mosquitoes there will be this year.

Listening strategies

Comment Peter Brown – Journalist Mike Jenkins – Biological Sciences Technician

Expecting some precipitation √

Thinks it has been a dry year √ √

Is doing paperwork and preparing √

Makes a strange noise when surprised √ √

Council added money to the helicopter budget

√

Schedule depends on larval development and wind conditions

√

There are concerns about what type of pesticides the city uses

√

Clay pellets are sprinkled, rather than sprayed

(√) √

Saw a lot of unusual things last year √

The sort of mosquito season we can expect this year depends on how much rain we get

√

Building Speaking Skills


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/s/ sound /z/ sound /iz/ sound

weeks what’s pellets habitats plates

plans slows operations depends falls helicopters conditions predators populations things species eggs terms happens

sciences places

Grammar Activity – Gerund and Infinitive Object Complements

*Students will need to check a dictionary for the verbs try, start, and begin.

Transcript Location (Time)

Main Verb Gerund Complement Infinitive Complement

0:00 try *√ (different meanings) √

0:00, 2:22 have a chance/opportunity

√

0:20 give s.o. an opportunity

√

1:13 start *√ (same meaning) √

1:13 begin √ *√ (same meaning)

2:22 need √

2:40 able √

3:24 talk about √

5:44 without √


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0:00 – ... In the coming weeks crews will be spraying areas in and around the city to try to make sure mosquito larvae don’t have a chance to hatch.

0:20 – ... It kind of gives us an opportunity, longer opportunity, to do some control operations.

1:13 – ... From here on we start our scouting operations, going out there and actually seeing what’s on the ground, what’s developing in those habitats, finding out what stage the larvae are at, how many larvae we’re finding in each habitat, and starting to target which ones we’re going to begin hitting with our abatement operations.

2:22 – ... and we also have the opportunity to extend our program for longer if we need to go into that this season.

2:40 – ... It depends entirely on what’s actually happening in terms of larval development and how quickly we’re able to get around it.

3:24 – ... And we often talk about going out and spraying but it’s not actually a spray...

5:44 – Again it’s really hard to say without knowing exactly what we’re going to get in terms of precipitation, so.

Reading Activity –


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Pre‐Reading Vocabulary

1. sparingly D A. to put on; to spread on

2. exposed K B. to absorb, sink into

3. repellent J C. to stop making something; to no

longer produce something

4. ventilated H D. using only a little; not using lots

5. inhale F E. water that does not move or flow (for

example, a puddle or pond)

6. discontinue C F. to breathe in

7. concentration G G. the amount of something within an

object; usually expressed as a

percentage (%)

8. penetrate B H. describes a room or building that has

fresh air passing through it

9. apply A I. to get rid of; to remove

10. prolonged L J. a substance you use to keep

something away

11. eliminate I K. open to view; not shielded or

protected

12. standing water E L. continuing for a long time

Reading for meaning


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Please circle the best answer for questions 1 and 2.

1. Which of the following is NOT an important safety tip?

a. If you get repellent in your eyes, you should rinse them immediately with water.

b. Oil of lemon or eucalyptus can be an effective repellent.

c. If you are accidentally poisoned with repellent you should call poison control.

d. Read the label carefully.

2. Which statement about insect repellent most accurately reflects the reading?

e. It is always better to be cautious and avoid using it, especially with younger children.

f. It is fine and completely safe.

g. Sometimes it may be a good idea even for children as young as six months old.

h. Scientist are still not clear about whether or not it is a good idea to use it on children.

Answer the questions below.

3. Why has the manufacturer of lavender discontinued the product?

It was re‐evaluated.

4. It is very nice day and you want to go for a long walk with your children. You plan to use

DEET. What should you think about before you go?

You need to apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you apply DEET and you need to think about

how much DEET you can use safely depending on the age of your children.

5. How can you avoid mosquitoes without using repellent?

You can wear long‐sleeved shirts and pants, put screens on door and windows, and

eliminate standing water.

Food for thought

6. If you were in an area with West Nile, would you use DEET on a young child? Why or why not?

Answers will vary


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Reading Activity

Reading Strategies Answer key

True False

Humans can get West Nile virus if they are

bitten by a mosquito that has the virus.

√

It is best to spray lots of insect repellent on

your body, and under your clothes as well.

√

The most effective bug sprays contain DEET

or oil of lemon eucalyptus; however,

citronella and lavender are not as good.

√

The stronger the concentration of DEET, the

longer it will repel insects.

√

If you want to apply sunscreen and bug

repellent, make sure you apply the bug

repellent 20 minutes before the sunscreen.

√

It is not safe to use bug spray on children

under six years old.

√

If you want to use bug spray containing

DEET on children between 2 and 12 years

old, you should not put it on the child’s face

or hands.

√

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you

should not use DEET sprays as it is

dangerous.

√


28

Writing activity Writing a summary‐Sample summary – Summaries may vary Sample email giving advice: Hi Ana, I am so happy to hear that you are coming to Edmonton this July! How are your children? I can’t believe they are already 5 and 10 years old! I’m looking forward to seeing you all again soon. When we chatted earlier, you asked about mosquitoes in Edmonton. Last year, we had lots of mosquitoes, and we will probably have lots of mosquitoes again this summer. Let me tell you about how I keep the bugs away. If you want to protect yourself from West Nile Virus, you must use some sort of insect repellent. The best kind of bug sprays contain DEET or oil of lemon eucalyptus, so you should buy one of those. You could use repellents that contain citronella or lavender, but they are not as effective, so you probably shouldn’t buy these kinds. If I were you, I’d buy some DEET bug spray when you get to Edmonton. For your two children, they can also use DEET bug spray, but it should be 10% DEET or less. You should apply the bug spray on your children, and you shouldn’t put any on their faces or hands. Also, you shouldn’t use bug spray on your kids more than three times per day. Other than insect repellent, you could avoid mosquito bites by wearing pants and a long‐sleeved shirt. But it can get very hot here in the summer, so using insect repellent is probably the easiest way to prevent mosquito bites. I think that’s about it. Let me know if you have any other questions. Take care, and see you soon! Max


29

Appendix – Transcript

SPEAKER TITLE: MOSQUITOES TIME

Peter

Brown

We’re moving into that time of year when the city’s mosquito control plan goes

into effect. In the coming weeks crews will be spraying areas in and around the

city to try to make sure mosquito larvae don’t have a chance to hatch. Mike

Jenkins is a biological sciences technician with the city. Mike, good afternoon.

0:00

Mike

Jenkins

Good afternoon. 0:15

Peter

Brown

How much did that little tantrum of snowfall we had on the weekend change your

plans?

0:16

Mike

Jenkins

It didn’t so much change our plans. We were kind of expecting some sort of

precipitation this spring certainly. So, it certainly added some water to our

ground operations that can potentially be mosquito habitat, but also snow and

cold weather also slows down the development of mosquitoes. It kind of gives us

an opportunity, longer opportunity, to do some control operations.

0:20

Peter

Brown

Gotcha. My impression is it’s been fairly dry. Is that your impression? 0:46

Mike Yeah. This winter in particular we really didn’t have an awful lot of snowfall

throughout much of the entire fall and even into the winter season. So yeah, it

was pretty dry out there. The ground is pretty dry so I suspect there’s a lot of the

moisture will get sucked up, but, hard to say for sure. It depends entirely on what

happens with the precipitation and how quickly it falls too.

0:50

Peter

Brown

So what will you be doing starting today? 1:10

Mike Today we’re mostly doing staff orientation, getting all the paperwork in order, I’s 1:13


30

dotted and T’s crossed, and calibrating the equipment, all that kind of stuff. From

here on we start our scouting operations, going out there and actually seeing

what’s on the ground, what’s developing in those habitats, finding out what stage

the larvae are at, how many larvae we’re finding in each habitat, and starting to

target which ones we’re going to begin hitting with our abatement operations.

Peter

Brown

Do you do your checks at the same places every year? 1:42

Mike There are a number of places where we basically know it’s going to be collecting

water and are generally good development plates, and so yeah, we typically go

back to a lot of those ones, they’re sort of the first ones we check. But there are

also others that you’re driving along, it’s like “What? There was no water there

before,” and things like construction and that. The Anthony Henday in particular

changes a lot of that habitat around there so we have to sort of relearn where the

water spots are on there.

1:45

Peter

Brown

I’m glad to hear that you, a trained professional, make the same noise that I make

when I see something surprising: Gwahwoahwoah! Now, council added money to

the budget for helicopter spraying. What kind of difference is that going to make?

2:11

Mike It basically means that we have more helicopters kind of on call, ready and

available to us if we need them, and we also have the opportunity to extend our

program for longer if we need to go into that this season.

2:22

Peter

Brown

Roughly speaking, how many weeks of spraying are you expecting? 2:37


31

Mike It’s hard to say. It depends entirely on what’s actually happening in terms of

larval development and how quickly we’re able to get around it. In the spring

season in particular, it’s all quite chaotic because we never know exactly how

much precipitation we’re going to get that’s driving the mosquito hatching and

we never know what kind of wind conditions in particular we’re going to get. It

could shut down our operations because we can’t fly the helicopters if there’s

high winds going on.

2:40

Peter

Brown

So it sounds like your models change as you go. 3:08

Mike Yeah, exactly. So yeah, it’s hard to say exactly how well it goes until it’s already

done.

3:10

Peter

Brown

There have been various concerns about assorted products that are sprayed in

the city for various reasons. What are you actually using for mosquito control?

3:16

Mike Our primary product that we use is called Dursban and it is a broad‐spectrum

pesticide. And we often talk about going out and spraying but it’s not actually a

spray, it’s actually a granular product.

3:24

Peter

Brown

Oh. 3:35

Mike It’s fine little clay pellets that are actually impregnated with the pesticide. So

these are loaded onto the helicopter in hoppers and basically sprinkled onto the

temporary habitats where these mosquito larvae are developing. So we don’t

treat any permanent bodies of water, areas where a number of mosquito

predators like fish or dragonflies or stuff are developing. We’re talking only the

very temporary habitats where generally, pretty much the only thing that’s

developing in those is mosquitoes. And so, yeah, it’s a much more concentrated,

3:36


32

effective method of going after the mosquitoes and reducing their populations

while they’re in a larval stage rather than waiting until they come out as adults

and then trying to use an aerosol or something to try to knock down the adults

after they’re flying.

Peter

Brown

So sprinkling for mosquitoes would be more accurate, although it sounds like

you’re going easier on them.

4:20

Mike Yeah, yeah. Exactly. 4:25

Peter

Brown

Last year was a bit unusual. Did you learn anything from the way things unfolded

last year?

4:27

Mike Yeah. We learned a lot and some we’re still kind of perplexed about. Yeah, we saw

a lot of unusual things last summer. We saw an early influx of a group of daytime

biting species that are more aggressive and then that kind of dropped off, but

then in late June and into July especially, we saw a big increase in our mosquito

population, largely driven by rainfall that came in late June and July. And with

that we also saw yet another increase in those daytime biting species, which was

pretty unusual for that time of year. Typically, we do see them in the spring, but

last year we saw those populations increase and in higher proportions than

normal into the summer. We’re still not exactly sure what was driving that. Our

sort‐of theory at the moment is that dormant eggs that had laid in the dry habitat

for basically the last decade of drought were actually activated by the spring er

the summer rainfalls we got last year and that’s what drove that particular

population boom.

4:31

Peter

Brown

So what’s the thinking about what sort of mosquito season we’re expecting this

year?

5:40

Mike Again it’s really hard to say without knowing exactly what we’re going to get in 5:44


33

terms of precipitation, so.

Peter

Brown

We’ll just watch what happens and go “whawellwha?” 5:50

Mike Exactly. 5:53

Peter

Brown

Mike, thanks so much for your time. Good to talk to you. Bye bye. 5:54

Mike Bye. 5:56

Peter

Brown

Mike Jenkins is a biological sciences technician with the city of Edmonton. 5:57

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