Guiding Comprehension

Fact and Opinion

• Inferential

Read this sentence from the selection: Many people were sure Trudy couldn't do it. Is this a statement of fact or a statement of opinion?

Statement of opinion; these people couldn't prove or disprove that Trudy would be able to do it; it was their belief that Trudy wouldn't be able to do it.

Cause and Effect • Inferential

Trudy was not able to finish the swim. What effect did this have on her determination to
succeed?

It drove her to try again; it did not discourage her.

Use the keywords English Channel and channel temperatures to find information about how cold the English Channel gets, what the water is usually like, and other information.

STRATEGY SELF-CHECK

Monitor/Fix Up

When we do not understand something we read, we can do several things to help ourselves understand. First we need to figure out what it is we have not understood. Then we can either reread, ask someone else, or check a reference source.

Ask students to think of anything they may not have understood about the selection and write it down. Then have them reread or ask a partner. As a last resort, students may check a reference source.

When students have answered all their questions about Gertrude Ederle, have them write one statement of fact about the selection and one statement of opinion.

SELF-CHECK

Students can ask themselves these questions to assess ability to use the skill and strategy.

Do the answers to my questions help me understand the selection better?
Do I have one statement that can be proved to be true or false and one statement that tells how I feel or think about the topic?

then… revisit the skill lesson on pp. 86–87 Reteach as necessary.

If… children have difficulty writing statements of fact and opinion,

Fact and Opinion

Check Predictions Provide the following prompt: Was your prediction accurate? Revise your old prediction or make a new prediction about the rest of the selection.

If you want to teach this selection in
two sessions, stop here.

"America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle"
by David A. Adler

Student Edition
Unit 4, pp. 90–105

This Snapshot is from a biography about Gertrude Ederle. A biography gives facts about a real person's life.

President Calvin Coolidge called her "America's Best Girl" in 1926. She had a huge parade in her honor, the mayor of New York praised her, and she was known all over the world.
Gertrude Ederle was born in 1906. She grew up in New York City with five brothers and sisters. When she was seven she fell into a pond and almost drowned, so her father decided to teach her to swim. No one could have guessed how much she would love it.
When she was thirteen, Trudy took swimming lessons. Two years later she won a big race. The next year she swam a 21-mile course from Manhattan to New Jersey. She beat the men's record--and newspapers began to notice her.
In 1924, her eighteenth year, Trudy Ederle made the U.S. Olympic team and won three medals. By 1925 she had set twenty-nine U.S. and world records. Her next challenge? To be the first woman to swim the English Channel. She almost made it.
In August 1926, more determined and better prepared, she tried again. Her sister covered her with heavy grease to keep her warm in the cold Atlantic current. A tugboat followed her to make sure Trudy was safe. A second escort boat carried reporters and photographers.
Trudy started from the coast of France at around 7:00 a.m. She kept swimming through rain and wind. Twenty-foot waves and strong tides stirred the water against her every stroke. She was exhausted, but she continued. Finally, around 9:30 that night, her feet touched the land of England. People waded into the water to welcome her. Her father wrapped her in a warm robe.
Trudy Ederle broke the record of five men by almost two hours. She swam the Channel in 14 hours and 31 minutes. Newspapers around the world pictured her. She herself said, "I knew if it could be done, it had to be done, and I did it. All the women of the world will celebrate." And they did. So did the men.



	Close
	PRACTICE LESSON VOCABULARY Have students orally complete each sentence with the correct selection vocabulary word. 1. She was so tired from her swim that she almost (drowned). 2. She took a few (strokes) and began to struggle in the water. 3. She won two Olympic (medals) in the event. BUILD CONCEPT VOCABULARY Review previous concept words with students. Ask if students have come across any words today in their reading or elsewhere that they would like to add to the Concept Web.

"America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle" by David A. Adler

"America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle"
by David A. Adler