Passages 12

Web Links

Unit 1 Communication: Opening Up Opportunities

Early Inklings (essay by John Updike)

• Updike Interview
  Students can read this interview with Updike to find out more about the author. Note that there are links from this site to discussion groups. You may want to print out the interview for students to read, rather than directing them to this site. Note also that some mature language is used in the interview.
• Updike Info
  Students can check out the links on this site to find out more about Updike's life and works. Encourage students to choose one of the movies listed to watch and discuss.
• Updike Story
  Invites students to listen to the short story, "The Witnesses" by Updike. Small groups can discuss the story and the reading.
• Youth Employment Info
  Students can check out the resources this ministry site offers. Discuss how students go about looking for summer jobs, and whether they have ever had any experiences like Updike's. Encourage students to tell stories about their own "early inklings" about their future careers.
• Career Planning
  This rich site offers information on career planning, job search and interview skills, transferable and job-related skills, résumés, cover letters, and provides many links to other related sites. Students can take tests about their résumé, complete checklists about what they want in a job, respond to questions about a job they've found, read tips on the job search and interview process, and much more.
  After they have checked out the information on this site, students can discuss what they find difficult about looking for a job.

Letterpress Background (photo by Jayme Thornton)

• Thornton Photos
  This is the "Landscape" (or "Travel") Web page for the photographer of the image that accompanies "Early Inklings." Students can view and discuss these photos by Thornton, choosing one particular photo to compare with the one in the anthology.
  Note that photos on other parts of Thornton's Web site (particularly "Fashion" and "People") include provocative (but not obscene) images of women and men. You may want to bookmark the "Landscape" page for students, and supervise their viewing of any other images on his site.

Star Food (short story by Ethan Canin)

• On Canin
  This short article on Ethan Canin provides some insight into an interesting writer. Encourage students to discuss what Canin says in this article about characters, applying this viewpoint to "Star Food."
• Interview With Canin
  Students can read this interview and discuss the career of writer. Note that there are ads on this newspaper's Web site.
• Speech and Interview
  By linking to this site, students can listen to a Canin speech or read an interview with Canin, or an excerpt from one of his books.
• Retail Article
  In "Star Food," Dade has problems with his job and working in the store. For students in similar situations, you might suggest that they read this article and discuss those points they agree with most. Ask students about the audience for this piece, and then challenge them to rewrite the piece from an employee's point of view.

Man Looking at the Cosmos (painting by Alberto Ruggieri)

• Ruggieri's Work
  This Web page includes six paintings by the artist of the image that accompanies "Star Food." Note that some images include mature subject matter and you may want to supervise students' viewing of this site. Encourage students to read the short note about the artist and his work.
• Other Ruggieri Work
  Students can visit this stock art site to view illustrative works by Ruggieri. After examining these images, small groups can discuss the purpose of this Web site, and how the artwork on this page differs from the other works of the artist they have seen.

A Photographer at Work (photo essay by Vincenzo Pietropaolo with text by Andrew Gorham)

• New Pioneer Award Winner
  This Web site features a short bio for Pietropaolo who received the New Pioneer Award in 1996. Students could consider the reason he was probably given this award, comparing that reason with why others listed on this site may have received the same award. Ask: What conclusions can you draw about recipients of this award? Do you know anyone who should receive the award? Explain.
• Book Award
  Students can read information on this site about a book, Kensington, for which Pietropaolo provided the photos, as well as reading a brief biography for him. Discuss the photo that appears on the cover of the book, and how it is like or unlike the photos in "A Photographer at Work."
• Other Photographers
  Encourage students to check out the photos (especially the black-and-white ones) by various photographers on this site. At the time of writing, these photos were entirely appropriate. Note, you may want to preview the photos in case the photographers and photos change and reflect more mature subject matter (a good precaution with all sites that hold images).
• Eastern Canadian News Photographers
  Encourage students to view some of the amazing images on this site. Students can choose the image they think most effective or provocative and write a short note about its contents and techniques.
• Rangelife
  Students can visit this Web site for Alberta photographer Patrick Price, which provides images of people at work and play. Ask students to compare Price and Pietropaolo's photos of people at work. Which group of photos do they prefer? Why? What statement about work do they think each photographer is trying to make.
  • Invite students to choose at least five photos by this photographer that they would select for a photo essay called "At Work" (or "At Play" if they prefer). Discuss the criteria for, and elements of, a photo essay, using "A Photographer at Work" as a model. To complete their photo essay, they can create a file that links to the five photos they have chosen. Based on the information provided with each photo students can develop titles or captions, as well as a brief summary or thesis statement for the entire essay. Discuss with students copyright issues connected with using the materials of others, and how these materials should be credited.
• Occupational Safety and Health
  This is a Web site for Human Resources Development Canada that focusses on workplace safety. As students are discussing Pietropaolo's photos, bring up the issue of workplace safety. How safe do the jobs in these photos seem? What news articles have students read or heard about recently about accidents or deaths in the workplace? What ads do they see or hear about the importance of workplace safety? How important do students think it is that they know about workplace safety and their rights in a workplace?
  • After your discussion, direct groups of students to explore each part of the "Labour Operations" site, and discuss some of the points it raises about workplace safety, past accidents, and their prevention.
  • Students can click on the "Home" button to reach the first page of the Human Resources Development Canada site and then investigate other workplace issues such as equity.

Hard Edges, Soft Skills (expository essay by Ann Coombs)

• Coombs
  Students can explore various parts of this site to read about Coombs or her book.
• Communication Tips
  Note: You will need to select "AR - Business Communication Skills" and "All Nugget Types" to access the Communication Tips.
  This Web page provides links to articles and quotes about communicating, especially as relating to business. Students might find the Top 10 lists and the WordZ feature most interesting.
  • Encourage students to visit this Web page and link to at least three articles. Particularly helpful on the topic of communication are some of the following: "The Top 10 Questions to ask yourself about how you communicate," "The Top 10 Things That Are 'Off' in a Person's Speaking/Relating Style," "The Top 10 Mistakes Most Often Made in Communicating," or "The Top 10 Most Effective Things That You Can Say."
  • Invite students to develop a Top 10 list that Coombs might have written about the "soft" skills she speaks of in her essay.
• Soft Skills Worth Cultivating
  Encourage students to read this article about how communication and critical thinking skills can help them build a career. Students can compare what this article says with what "Hard Edges, Soft Skills" says.
• Tests
  This Web page provides many links to various online IQ, EQ, career, language, and other tests students can take. Select some appropriate tests for students to test their soft skills and workplace aptitudes.
  Note that this is a commercial Web site with banner and flashing ads with content that may not be appropriate—casino sites "pop-up" for example when clicking on some tests. Also, some of the tests are not appropriate—specifically those in the "Purity" and "Relationships" categories. You should not direct students to this site, but select tests for them to complete.
• The Problem With Testing for Soft Skills
  As a class, read and discuss this article on workplace testing from the Ottawa Citizen. Ask students: When applying for a part-time or summer job, have you ever been given a test? Did they test seem appropriate to the job you were applying for? Why or why not? How do you feel about being tested? How do you think you might prepare for such tests? Do you think there are ways of "beating" such tests?
• Communication Etiquette
  Invite students to read and discuss this short article about e-mail and voice mail ettiquette. You may want to point out that in the working world there will be different rules for communication than in students' everyday lives. Discuss other rules students think should be added to this list, developing two lists--one for everyday communications among friends and family, and one for communications at work. Encourage students to consider how these rules overlap.

Mud Woman's First Encounter with the World of Money and Business (narrative poem by Nora Naranjo-Morse)

• Naranjo-Morse 1
  Students can read about Naranjo-Morse at this site, which includes photos of some of her clay sculptures. Encourage students to link to other artists on this site.
• Naranjo-Morse 2
  Students can read about Naranjo-Morse on this site, as well as linking to other related sites. Encourage students to read some of her poems available on line and available through links on this site.
• Artwork
  Students can view one of Naranjo-Morse's sculptures on this Web page. Discuss how this image is similar to and different from Pearlene on page 37 of the anthology.
  • They can use the back and next buttons to view artwork by other aboriginal artists. Ask students to choose one other image from this site and write a short piece (story, poem, essay, descriptive paragraph, diary entry) in response to it.
• Clay People
  Students can view the clay sculptures on this Web site for the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. Works include one piece by Naranjo-Morse. Discuss what the various pieces represent.

The Work Farce (cartoons by Dusan Petricic)

• Petricic Bio and Images
  Students can read a short bio for this artist and view a few examples of his work. Discuss the style, use of humour, and content of these works, contrasting and comparing them to those that appear in the anthology.
  • This page appears on the Web site for the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists. Interested students can navigate through the site, examining the works of other cartoonists. Note that some subject matter on the rest of this site is mature.
• International Labour Office
  Students can visit this Web site for the International Labour Office and choose a workplace issue they wish to investigate: such as labour laws, codes of conduct, the role of globalization, labour trends, et cetera.
• The Bully
  Ask students if they think Dusan should have added a bully to the ten types listed in this selection. Why or why not? Given Dusan's characterization of other types, what would a workplace bully look like? How might others handle a workplace bully?
  • After this discussion, encourage students to read the article on workplace bullying at this site. What do students think about the statistic that indicates one in six workers is affected by workplace bullying? Students can discuss this article in small groups; interested students might explore this issue further using the related links at the end of the article.
  • Challenge students to use this article as a model as they write about dealing with one of the ten work types Dusan has included.

Shoe Store (poem by Raymond Souster)

• Souster Bio
  A brief biography and longer bibliography can be found for Souster at this site.
• Souster Bibliography and Links
  Students can find out what other work Souster has done and awards he has won, and then link to articles about this poet. Encourage students to find one of Souster's poetry books and choose one poem from it to share with the rest of the class.

Summer Job (Poem by Nellie P. Strowbridge)

• Strowbridge Bio
  Students can read about Strowbridge at this site, which includes a short biography, bibliography, awards, etc.
• Novel Excerpt
  At this site, interested students can read a novel excerpt from Widdershins by Strowbridge, or other short excerpts from her short stories. Some students might wish to read the entire book, and then hold a book discussion on it.

Summer Fish (oil on panel by Mary Pratt)

• Artist Bio and Work 1
  Students can read a short bio for Pratt and view other examples of her work. Interested students can view images for other Newfoundland and Labrador artists by navigating through this Newfound Art Web site.
• Artist Bio and Work 2
  Students can view other works by Pratt by exploring this site, as well as reading more about the artist. Students can choose one image from either site and write a short response to it.
  • Interested students could investigate the works of other Newfoundland and Labrador artists on this Heritage Web site for the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, including Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt's husband.
• Mary Pratt
  Encourage students to investigate various links that this Web page has listed for Mary Pratt. One group of students might view paintings by Pratt, while another group reads articles about the painter. Groups can then meet to discuss their impressions of the artist based on their different sources of information.

Screen Test (script by Sally Clark)

• Getting Started on an Acting Career
  Refer students interested in an acting career to this helpful guide. They can check out the various links, as well as reading the information on this page.