Teacher’s Guide: Snowmobile Challenge & Snowmobile Adventures
By Linda Aksomitis
Smashwords Edition 2011
Copyright 2004, 2011 Linda Aksomitis
First published in 2004 in PDF format by Linda Aksomitis: ISBN 0-9734387-1-1
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Find other books by Linda Aksomitis on Smashwords at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/aksomitis
Snowmobile Challenge, the young adult novel, is available from Smashwords at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/114839
Snowmobile Adventures: The Incredible Canadian Success Story from Bombardier to the Villeneuves, the nonfiction book, is available from Indigo at: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search/?keywords=snowmobile%20adventures&pageSize=12
Compare Fiction and Nonfiction
Synopsis
Brad Klein has just moved from the small city of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, to the (fictional) town of Cromlech, where his Dad is the Wheat Pool Elevator Agent. It’s the second semester of school at the end of January, and snowmobile season is in full swing. But it’s a bittersweet season for Brad, since his best friend, Riley, was killed in a snowmobile accident with a train the November before. Worse yet, Brad is struggling with his own feelings of guilt over the accident, since he and Riley were racing their snowmobiles when the accident occurred.
Bitter at life in general, Brad is have a tough time fitting into the small town. One night out cruising around he encounters Jodie Reed, a hockey player on the injury list and one of the most popular girls in Cromlech High, and thinks he might be making some headway until her friends, Chickowski and Hollander show up. Unfortunately they challenge Brad to race his snowmobile against theirs, the one thing he’s promised himself he’d never do again.
Things race headlong into disasters for Brad. Dad makes him work with his mother as a volunteer at the skating rink—one of the expectations in the small town for those participating in skating. Worse yet, he isn’t even the one skating, it’s his little brother Stephen. At home one night, feeling frustrated, he copies a poem out of Riley’s writing book that wrote about snowmobiling and turns it into the new English teacher as his own. Of course he gets discovered and ends up suspended from school, but still has to face all of his classmates at the rink.
But the big mystery around town is a series of pranks done by a snowmobiler. Of course everyone, from the students at Cromlech High, to the teachers, jump to the conclusion that Brad is the culprit. Brad, on the other hand, is sure it’s those wing-nuts, Chickowski and Hollander.
Determined to just avoid everyone Brad dives headlong into building a snowmobile web site dedicated to Riley’s memory. After conning Stephen into helping him go through the mountains of old snowmobile magazines looking for information Brad discovers his Dad was once a profession Snopro racer, not just an amateur who occasionally ran in local snow drags. Brad is perplexed—his Uncle Mike is a champion snocross racer, so why hasn’t Dad ever said anything about his own victories, even if they were years earlier?
Jodie sees Brad working on the web site and volunteers to help him out. Once he gets over his anger at her criticism, he agrees to partner up and use it for their class projects. Working together helps a friendship start to grow, so that when he starts looking for answers about his Dad, Jodie shares her own issues, that her mother has just discovered her birth parents and is visiting a First Nation in Ontario to discover who she really is. In fact, her mother wants her to leave Cromlech, her father and stepmother, to go East.
Brad runs into Chickowski and Hollander in separate incidents around town, and sees a different side of each of them. However, still angry at the world, his Dad in particular for making him move, Brad plows ahead just relying on Jodie’s friendship until she drops the bombshell about moving. A fight with Dad leaves Brad baffled and wondering if things will ever be right in his world again.
Like a volcano everything erupts at once. A snowmobiler has buzzed the Principal’s house on a sled and the police show up at school on Monday morning to investigate. It’s Brad’s first day back since his suspension and of course he’s one of the main suspects—plus the interrogation takes him right back to the day Riley was killed and he had to talk to investigators.
Later at home he doesn’t even want to face Dad, but finally with Mom and Stephen out of the house, Dad gives a halting explanation of his racing years. Breaking down finally, Brad confesses that he and Riley were racing when the accident occurs, and that he feels somehow responsible. Dad is able to help him see that each person is responsible for their own decisions and that sometimes accidents do just happen, and no matter how often Brad replays the events he’ll never know if he could have changed things.
After telling police that he saw Chickowski and Hollander driving snowmobiles around, Brad is surprised to at Hollander’s friendly wave when he returns to school the next day. The pranksters, however, have confessed, and it’s somebody Brad never expected—in fact most of the problems were just unfortunate incidents rather than anything deliberate at all. For a change Brad feels part of the group, laughing at the story.
However one thing is still missing: Jodie. At lunchtime when he is in the school office getting the secretary to mail Riley’s writing book back to his parents, which he’s known all along he should have given them before he left Weyburn, Jodie returns. While it isn’t for good, it’s enough for Brad.
Reading for Comprehension
Teaching suggestions: after students have read individual chapters have them answer the question sheets. During discussion have students share answers, noting differences in responses.
The following questions were designed to meet learning outcomes found in Language Arts curriculum for grades 8 and 9 across Canada.
These include:
* review, reread and reflect on oral, print and other media texts to explore, confirm or revise understanding
* discuss how interpretations of the same text might vary, according to the prior knowledge and experience of various readers
* demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas, events, or themes of a variety of novels, stories, poetry, other print material, and electronic media
* locate and interpret details in stories, articles, novels, poetry, or non-print media to respond to a range of tasks
* Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to: explore thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences; comprehend and respond personally and critically to literary and media texts; and manage ideas and information.
Chapter 1
1. Why does Brad stop to talk to Jodie Reed?
2. Brad’s conversation with Jodie seems more like a confrontation than a boy trying to make friends. What makes Jodie stomp away down the street?
3. Why is Jodie angry with Chickowski and Hollander when they show up with their snowmobiles?
4. Why does Brad get upset with Chickowski and Hollander when they’re talking on the street around their snowmobiles?
5. How would you describe Brad’s character from this first chapter?
Chapter 2
1. What sport is Jodie temporarily not able to play because of her collarbone?
2. What name does Hollander call Jodie that she really objects to?
3. What do Hollander and Chickowski do to try to get Brad to race his snowmobile?
4. What happens when Brad, Jodie, Chickowksi and Hollander hear the police sirens?
5. Describe the town curfew that has everyone worried.
6. What incident makes Brad nervous as he drives the snowmobile from Jodie’s house to the elevator house?
Chapter 3
1. What item of his friend Riley’s has Brad kept instead of returning to Riley’s parents after he died?
2. Describe two of the activities Brad reads about in Riley’s writing book?
3. How would you describe Riley?
4. Why does Brad blame himself for Riley’s death?
5. Why does Brad copy Riley’s poem to hand in for his own assignment?
6. How would you describe Brad and Riley’s friendship?
Chapter 4
1. What do Chickowski and Hollander tell Brad that makes him feel relieved at school?
2. What does Brad argue with Chickowksi and Hollander about?
3. Why doesn’t Brad tell Mr. Townsend, the teacher, that Chickowski and Hollander started the disagreement in the hall?
4. Mr. Brown assigns Brad 0 out of 5 for his math assignment? Explain why.
5. Why does Brad think the 0 out of 5 isn’t fair?
Chapter 5
1. What is the different between Weyburn, where Brad used to live, and Cromlech, where he has moved, that makes him dislike the new community?
2. Why does Brad think his fellow classmates are like concentric circles?
3. What differences does Brad note between Amanda and Jodie?
4. What is Fine Option?
5. Why does Jodie storm away after stopping to talk to Brad in the hallway?
Chapter 6
1. What makes Brad angry when he arrives home after school?
2. Why didn’t Brad take his second semester at Grandma Ivorson’s home on Vancouver Island?
3. Based on the collection of things in Brad’s room, what are some of his hobbies?
4. What gives Brad a new sense of purpose and something to do?
5. What does Brad retrieve from the family basement to use?
Chapter 7
1. How would you describe Brad’s family from the scene before supper is served?
2. How would you describe Brad’s behaviour towards his younger brother Stephen?
3. Why does Brad’s family have to take a turn working at the rink?
4. Brad blows up at his family. What reasons does he give?
5. Why does Dad think it might be a good thing for Brad to work at the rink?
6. Who does Brad blame for his current problems?
Chapter 8
1. Getting stuck with his snowmobile pushes Brad’s temper to the limit. Describe his behaviour.
2. How does being stuck in the snowbank parallel how Brad feels about his life?
3. Who does Brad particularly not want to find him stuck with the snowmobile? Why?
4. What impression does the vehicle roaring by without stopping to help make on Brad?
5. How would you describe Brad’s character in this scene as he tries to get his snowmobile out of the snowbank?
Chapter 9
1. Why is Brad in trouble when he gets home from snowmobiling?
2. Why didn’t Brad tell anyone he was leaving with his snowmobile?
3. What task does Dad leave Brad and Stephen to do on Saturday while he goes back to the elevator?
4. How would you describe Mom based on the events in this chapter? Use at least two incidents to illustrate.
5. What are some things you learn about Dad in this chapter?
Chapter 10
1. What makes Stephen excited as this chapter opens?
2. Describe the Ski-Doo shop.
3. How would you describe Allan Chickowski when he’s working at the shop?
4. Why does Brad envy his younger brother Stephen? Why is he embarrassed by his behaviour?
5. What insight does Brad gain about Chickowski during their visit in the shop?
Chapter 11
1. Why didn’t Brad go to church with his mother and Stephen?
2. How has snowmobile racing been important to the development of the snowmobile industry?
3. Name one of the two French Canadian drivers who were among the first ten inducted into the Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame.
4. What things do all of the first ten men inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame have in common?
5. Why is Brad excited about finding the article on the first ten men inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame?
Chapter 12
1. Why is Sunday night the best Brad has felt since he’s been in Cromlech?
2. Why would Brad’s parents both think it was important for Brad to go for a snowmobile ride Sunday night with his Dad?
3. In Brad’s mind what does “Overhead, the moon, in its third quarter, kept company with the million or so stars that sparkled like dreams out of reach” mean?
4. What does seeing Dad’s face through the visor of his snowmobile helmet make Brad think of?
5. What changes, if any, do you see in Brad’s character in this scene?
Chapter 13
1. Describe what happened in front of the school.
2. Why does Brad usually avoid the lunch area at Cromlech High School?
3. How does Brad respond when Amanda tells him she was the one who drove by with her mother when he was stuck in the ditch?
4. What incidents happen to show Brad that various people think he is the prankster?
5. Who does Brad think are the pranksters?
Chapter 14
1. Why does Brad tell Jodie about Riley’s snowmobile accident?
2. Why is Brad surprised to find that several of the kids at school compete in snowmobile racing events with their parents?
3. What does Brad’s opinion about making friends with the boys in grade 9 who might share his interests show about him?
4. Why does Brad ask Jodie for her opinion on his web site?
5. What comments does Jodie make about Brad’s web site?
Chapter 15
1. What is Brad’s response to Jodie’s comments about his web site?
2. Why does Brad initially not want Jodie to help him work on the web site?
3. Why does Brad change his mind and agree to have Jodie share the web site project with him?
4. What did Brad learn about Jodie’s mother?
5. How would you describe Brad’s character during this scene? Why?
Chapter 16
1. Why is Brad’s mom in a good mood working at the skating rink?
2. What do you learn about Jodie’s character in this chapter? Give examples of her behaviour to support your description.
3. Why is Brad surprised to find that Hollander is the referee in the game?
4. What does Brad learn about Jodie’s family life during their conversation?
5. What kinds of things make an impact on Brad while he’s working his first night at the rink?
Chapter 17
1. What is Brad’s job in the canteen during the rush after the game?
2. Why does Brad get upset with the way his mother treats Tim Hollander?
3. Why is Tim Hollander a referee instead of a hockey player?
4. What does Brad think of Tim Hollander’s life when he hears some of the details?
5. What characteristics does Brad realize Stephen and his mother share?
6. At the end of the night has Brad’s opinion of Hollander changed?
Chapter 18
1. Why are the Cromlech schools closed on Tuesday?
2. What does Brad discover about his father while he’s looking through all of the old newspapers and materials?
3. How does Brad respond when Jodie comes over to work on their project?
4. After working with Jodie for the afternoon how does Brad feel about their project? Why?
5. Why do Skye Evans and Bucko Willox take their snowmobiles to town when it’s –40 degrees?
Chapter 19
1. How does Brad’s relationship with Amanda grow?
2. What activity are the students assigned for the period in English class?
3. What makes Brad alarmed when Hollander exchanges magazines with him?
4. What action does Brad take to prevent impending disaster?
5. Why is Jodie upset with Brad when she goes to the computer lab?
6. How would you describe Brad’s character in this chapter?
Chapter 20
1. What is Brad referring to when he says he wished “some miraculous bend in time would shift him elsewhere, erasing his mistake?”
2. Describe your impression of Mr. Jelinsky, the principal.
3. What is Brad’s first reaction when questioned about the poem?
4. What makes Brad finally tell the truth to Mrs. Graham?
5. What else does the principal ask Brad to confess to?
Chapter 21
1. What is Brad’s punishment for plagiarizing his friend’s work?
2. What does Brad do to avoid talking to anyone from school at the rink?
3. Which of the three of Jodie, Chickowski and Hollander seems the most condemning of Brad’s actions? Which the most sympathetic?
4. What word does Brad use to describe how he feels?
5. What do Jodie and Brad spend their time searching for in the old snowmobile magazines on Saturday morning?
6. How does Brad respond when Jodie says her mother wants her to leave?
Chapter 22
1. What words that Jodie said keep running through Brad’s mind on Sunday?
2. Why does Brad agree to help his dad work on Mom’s snowmobile? What happens when Brad starts to talk about his dad’s racing days?
3. How does Brad react to his father’s burst of temper?
4. What does Brad do to escape from his problems?
5. What do you learn about the relationship between father and son in this chapter?
Chapter 23
1. Why does Brad agree to take his little brother out for a snowmobile ride?
2. How does Brad behave at the beginning of the ride?
3. What disaster happens on the trail?
4. What is Brad’s first reaction when the snowmobile stops?
5. In what ways can you see Brad’s character changing once he begins to have a good time with his brother on the snowmobile ride?
Chapter 24
1. What immediately comes to Brad’s mind when he sees the police cruisers in front of the school?
2. What incident are the police investigating?
3. Why does Brad hesitate before saying anything about meeting Chickowski and Hollander on their snowmobiles the night the alarms went off at the school—the first prank?
4. Why is Brad upset that he has to give Stephen’s name to the investigating police officer?
5. Who does Brad think has been doing the pranks?
Chapter 25
1. What makes Brad hesitate before sitting with Amanda in the lunchroom?
2. What does Brad learn is the reason for Jodie’s absence from school?
3. What big news does Amanda have to tell the lunchroom group?
4. What confession does Amanda make to Brad?
5. Why is Brad so surprised?
6. What information about Brad’s past has now become common knowledge at school?
Chapter 26
1. Why does Brad sit down with his dad?
2. What does Brad learn was the real reason Dad moved the family to Cromlech?
3. Why didn’t Brad’s dad make more of an issue about his professional racing?
4. What was one of the events that made his dad stop racing?
5. What confession does Brad make to his dad?
6. What realization does Brad come to about Riley’s death?
Chapter 27
1. Why does Hollander apologize to Brad at school?
2. How does Brad respond when he finds out who the real snowmobile pranksters were and the circumstances?
3. What makes Brad realize that things aren’t always what they seem to be?
4. How does Brad feel in the hallway before class, when the boys are explaining what happened to the group?
5. Who is missing that Brad is looking for?
Chapter 28
1. Why does Brad mail Riley’s writing book back to his parents?
2. What are Brad’s first thoughts when Jodie enters the school office?
3. Why does Brad tell Jodie he was wrong?
4. What do you learn about Jodie’s personality?
5. How has Brad changed? Explain.
The following pages contain questions and activities that will extend the student’s ability to interpret, interact, and understand the text of fiction materials. They meet the following learning outcomes from grade 8 – 9 Language Arts curricula across Canada. These activities are suitable for students who have completed reading the text.
* interpret the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts, and examine how they relate to self and others
* experience oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres
* identify and discuss how timeless themes are developed in a variety of oral, print and other media texts
* compare and contrast own life situation with themes of oral, print and other media texts
* analyze how the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts provide insight into those of self and others
* describe the purpose of specific works of communication and explain how their key features aid understanding
* relate ideas and information in works of communication to universal themes
* explain the motivation of the characters in works of communication, providing evidence from the text of each work
* identify and explain connections between what they read, hear, and view and their personal ideas and beliefs
1. Brad Klein has just moved to a small town from a city, and has trouble fitting in. Discuss his approaches to making friends. Do they seem to work? How would you try to fit in if you were in Brad’s situation?
2. Brad realizes he has handled the situation with Hollander and Chickowski wanting him to race badly (page 16), and wishes he’d done something different. What other ways might he have reacted that could have made for a better start to friendship with them?
3. Brad has moved many times and feels he has an insight into the life of people in small towns. Discuss his observations and conclusions. Do you agree or disagree, based on your own experience or the experiences of others you know? Explain.
4. Brad’s relationship with his dad has frequent ups and downs. Discuss some incidents that seem to be caused by Brad’s behaviours and some caused by Dad’s. Have you ever been in situations similar to any described in the story? Explain.
5. Many teachers and students at Cromlech High School suspect that Brad is the prankster doing things at the school. Examine the way he responds to the confrontations. What other ways could Brad have handled some of the situations that would have been more positive? How would you have responded?
6. There are numerous indications in the text that Brad’s family has a higher income level than those of the other characters. Describe some of them.
7. Discuss how the different levels of income has made each of the four main characters lives different? Which character do you think has been the most affected by his or her family’s income level?
8. Brad believes he is good at web site design, while Jodie tells him that the design is poor and offers to help him with it. Why does Brad think it’s good? Why does Jodie think it’s poor? Have you ever been in a situation with someone where you were in either Brad or Jodie’s position?
9. Brad is angry that he is forced to volunteer at the skating rink because his younger brother is in skating. As the week progresses, how does Brad find the experience? Has it helped him in any way? Explain. Have you ever been in a similar situation?
10. Brad plagiarizes his best friend’s work and is then caught. He tries to lie his way out of the situation, but finally admits the truth. Why did he steal the poem when he knew it was wrong? How does he feel about himself once everyone finds out? Have you ever been in a similar situation—how did you feel?
11. Jodie draws parallels between Brad wanting to discover more about his father’s fame as a SnoPro racer and her mother returning to an Ontario First Nation to get to know her birth parents. Brad doesn’t see the connection at first—why? What are the similarities?
12. Jodie tells Brad that Chickowski and Hollander always challenge other kids to race their snowmobiles, even though they frequently lose. Both of the boys work as well as go to school. Why might Chickowski find it important to prove himself with a snowmobile to others in the community?
13. In order to be well rounded each character in a story must have flaws as well as strengths. Brad has some of each. Use examples from the story to show some of Brad’s good points as well as his weak ones.
14. One of the themes of Snowmobile Challenge is understanding the difference between enjoying the two different sports of snowmobiling and competitive racing. Brad learns the hard way when his friend dies during a race. How does his father help him deal with accepting Riley’s death?
15. Snowmobile Challenge also has several other themes. Choose the theme that you most closely identify with and discuss how what you’ve read makes an impact on your life.
16. Which one of the characters in Snowmobile Challenge did you like the most? The least? Why?
17. Why is it important in the story for Brad to return Riley’s writing book to his parents? What does this act show you about Brad’s growth?
Snowmobile Challenge was shortlisted for the Saskatchewan Book Awards Prize for Children’s Literature in 2003. As such, it is considered a literary text, as well as a fast-paced story full of adventure. By studying the composition of the text and style of writing students will see how to create exciting stories themselves by using strong writing. This section meets the following learning outcomes of Language Arts Curricula across Canada.
* analyze creative uses of language and visuals in popular culture, such as advertisements, electronic magazines and the Internet; recognize how imagery and figurative language, such as metaphor, create a dominant impression, mood and tone
* generalize from own experience to create oral, print and other media texts on a theme
* create oral, print and other media texts related to issues encountered in texts and in own life
* retell oral, print and other media texts from different points of view create oral, print and other media texts with both main and minor characters
* revise and edit their work to improve content, organization, and effect to best suit their audience and purpose
* adjust their form, style, and language for specific audiences and purposes
* create a variety of academic, technical, and personal communications, including poems, stories, personal essays, oral and written reports, group presentations, and informal dramatizations
* demonstrate a willingness to experiment with an increasing array of sophisticated figures of speech and genres, including satire, hyperbole, parody, and irony
* use an increasing repertoire of specialized terminology and subject-specific words with accuracy and precision
Snowmobile Challenge is a fast paced story relying on active language and pacing to move the story forward. Energy in written materials is produced by the language. Verbs make a sentence active, while nouns provide the facts. For example in the sentence Jon ran, Jon is the person doing, while ran is the thing being done.
There are four varieties of verbs: Active Transitive; Active Intransitive; Passive; and Copular or Linking verbs. Jon ran is an example of an Active Transitive Verb. It has a doer (Jon) and an action (ran). With an Active Intransitive verb, there is also a do-ee, as in the sentence Jon hit the nail. The doer, still Jon, did something, hit, to the do-ee, the nail.
These two styles of using verbs show energy. In the passive form, things are changed around. The doer is last and the do-ee is first, so the sentence reads “The nail was hit by Jon.” This type of language slows down a scene or situation and is wordy. With a Linking or Copular verb, the sentence can be flipped without changing either the meaning or the energy. For example “My name is Anne” changes little if switched to read “Anne is my name.” The “to be” verbs (is, am, are, was, were, be, been, and being) are always used in these instances, and do not create active writing.
1. Read the first page of Snowmobile Challenge (page 5). How many instances of the “to be” verbs can you find?
2. Examine the verbs that are used such as: roared, echoed, trudged, slammed, yanked, threw, kicked, stared. What do you notice about them? How do they make you feel?
Rewrite the following sentences to make them active.
1. Deb was running across the street when a car was coming. She was hit by the car. It was blue.
2. I am being messy cooking. It is hard to put everything away right away. The counter is covered by the cookie dough.
3. I could see across the street. It was a nice day. The trees were shone on by the sun.
1. Which sentence is more vivid: The snowmobile leaped instantly to life or The snowmobile started? Why?
2. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
3. Which sentence is more vivid: Their words tangled together with laughter or They shouted and laughed? Why?
4. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
5. Which sentence is more vivid: The metal felt like a block of ice against his fingers or The metal ski felt cold? Why?
6. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
7. Which sentence is more vivid: Beyond the glass the hockey game played as if on fast forward or Beyond the glass the hockey game went quickly? Why?
8. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
9. Which sentence is more vivid: His stomach rolled or He felt scared? Why?
10. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
11. Which description is more vivid: the black cave of empty prairie horizon or dark on the prairie? Why?
12. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
13. Which sentence is more vivid: It seemed like a million years ago or It was last fall? Why?
14. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
15. Which sentence is more vivid: Stephen was glued to the motorcycles roaring down the racecourse on his computer screen or Stephen watched the motorcycles roaring down the racecourse on his computer screen? Why?
16. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
17. Which sentence is more vivid: Brad felt like the air in the building had all been removed and the remaining oxygen in his body was being squeezed out or Brad had trouble breathing? Why?
18. What type of figurative language is used in the first sentence?
1. On page 17 of Snowmobile Challenge there are four lines out of the poem Snowmobiling, which Brad copies and turns in as his own writing.
Snowmobiling
Crouched behind the windshield
I am the pilot of my own destiny—
With my fingers on the throttle
I am the King of this snowy world.
Think of an activity you enjoy and write a poem of at least four lines to show how it makes you feel. Give it a meaningful title.
2. On pages 20 and 21 of Snowmobile Challenge a confrontation occurs between Brad Klein, Hollander and Chickowski. Think about a similar scene you’ve either witnessed or been involved in and write about it. Include dialogue, and the internal thoughts of the main character. In this story Brad uses the method of counting to ten to give himself time to calm down, and his thoughts show you whether or not he is achieving his goal. Make sure you make it clear how you feel in the situation and your changing thoughts.
3. In chapter 16, pages 77 to 79, the story takes place in the setting of a skating rink. Read the chapter carefully, picking out the different ways the setting is brought to life. List the things you note from each of the senses: Sight, sound, smell, feel/touch.
Choose any setting you are familiar with—it can be the mall or the arcade, or perhaps a classroom or favourite outdoor place, like the beach or the pool. List things that describe the setting using all of the senses.
Use your observations to create a setting. Use about 200 to 250 words.
4. In chapter 8, pages 40 – 42, Brad is stuck in a snowbank with his snowmobile. The chapter describes the ways Brad tries to move the sled, the things he sees, and the way he feels as he faces the challenge. Think of a situation where you’ve had to exert a lot of energy to achieve something—it may be anything from making a project for the science fair work to building a birdhouse. Write about the situation, using the same type of writing as you find in this chapter.
5. One of the rules of strong writing is to show the reader what is happening, instead of telling. In chapter 20, pages 97 – 102, Brad is summoned to the office and is questioned about Riley’s poem, which he handed in as his own work. A few paragraphs would summarize what happens, but showing is much more vivid. Study the chapter carefully and list the details that you consider show you the most about Brad in this situation and make the story jump off the pages as you read it.
Rewrite the following paragraph showing what is happening, instead of telling.
Sarah heard the coach call her name. It was her turn. Fear of failure filled her, but she didn’t know what to do about it. She moved forward, not really ready, but prepared to take her position.
6. When an author writes a story she uses point of view or POV to tell the story. This story uses third person (he or Brad) limited POV to show the scenes that happen, so everything is written as if it is really Brad telling the story. You only see, hear, know, feel or sense what he could in any of the situations.
Choose to be Hollander, Chickowski or Jodie Reed and write one of the main scenes in the story with them as the POV character. Show how they feel and respond to what Brad says or does, and why they react the way they do. Suggestions: chapter 2, chapter 4, chapter 10, chapter 14-15, chapter 16, or the end of chapter 21.
7. A monologue is a speech to make yourself heard—a dramatic speech by a single actor on stage. Choose one of the characters in Snowmobile Challenge and write a monologue that will take you one minute to read to your classmates. In the monologue write how that character (you) feels in one of the dramatic situations in the story. Use first person, or the “I” voice, to write your monologue. You may use one of the four main characters or supporting characters (Amanda, Stephen, Bucko or Skye).
8. Read the article, The First Ten, which begins on page 53. Choose one of the ten men first inducted into the Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame to research. You may use the Internet or reference books—make sure you include a short bibliography of the resources you use at the end. Write a short essay, between one and two pages, outlining the significant things he achieved in his lifetime. You may also use material from the article as well as from the http://www.snowmobilehalloffame.com/or http://snowridermag.com/encyclopedia/
9. One of the most important factors in a successful story is that the main character grows and changes through the events of the story. Generally this means he’s also solved some kind of problem or come to terms with something he can’t change in his life. Consider Brad’s character at the beginning of Snowmobile Challenge, then at the end. Write several paragraphs about the problems he faced at the beginning and how he’s solved them, changing and growing through the story.
10. Write a story from two to ten pages long. Include the following things:
* A problem the main character solves through the story
* A limited point of view
* Active language
* Figurative language
* A vivid setting
* Showing not telling what happens
* The feelings of the main character as events unfold
The book opens with a prologue showing the author’s first experience in a snowmobile, when she was a child on the Saskatchewan prairies.
Chapter 1 – J.-Armand Bombardier’s Dream. This chapter introduces young Bombardier, his characteristics and the events that made him determined to build a snow machine that floated over the snow.
Chapter 2 – Building the Dream. J.-Armand builds the multi-passenger snowmobile and markets it around Quebec, then the world. Finally, in 1957 he returns to his dream to build a miniature snowmobile for single drivers.
Chapter 3 – The New Era. Snowmobiling appealed to adventurers. This chapter covers the trip to the North Pole with Ski-Doos, and the beginning of snowmobile racing in Beausejour, Manitoba. In 1969-70 Ski-Doo creates the first professional racing team.
Chapter 4 – Yvon DuHamel. Covers DuHamel’s childhood and the events that lead him to become one of snowmobile racing’s first professionals. Covers his first season when he won Ski-Doo’s first World Championship.
Chapter 5 – Yvon DuHamel Sets More Records – Yvon DuHamel wins the 500 mile Winnipeg to Minneapolis cross country race even though he is an oval racer out on the snow for the first time. He also sets a snowmobile speed record on a Ski-Doo of 127.3 mph that stood for 5 years.
Chapter 6 – Gilles & Jacques Villeneuve – the racing brothers from Berthierville, QC. Gilles races his way to the top, driving for various small Canadian snowmobile manufacturers, winning a World Championship for Alouette. Jacques starts racing with big brother.
Chapter 7 – Racing Triumphs – Gilles leaves snowmobile racing for Indy Cars and Jacques goes to the top. Concludes with Jacques winning the 1980 World Championship for Ski-Doo.
The Legacy – outline of achievements of J.Armand Bombardier, Yvon DuHamel, Gilles Villeneuve and Jacques Villeneuve.
After students have read individual chapters have them answer the question sheets. During discussion have students share answers, noting differences in responses.
The following questions were designed to meet learning outcomes found in Language Arts curricula for grades 8 and 9 across Canada.
These include:
* review, reread and reflect on oral, print and other media texts to explore, confirm or revise understanding
* discuss how interpretations of the same text might vary, according to the prior knowledge and experience of various readers
* demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas, events, or themes of a variety of novels, stories, poetry, other print material, and electronic media
* locate and interpret details in stories, articles, novels, poetry, or non-print media to respond to a range of tasks
* Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to:
* explore thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences
* comprehend and respond personally and critically to literary and media texts
* manage ideas and information
The following questions also support learning outcomes found in Science curricula for grades 8 and 9 in units on mechanical systems.
* Students will illustrate the development of science and technology by describing, comparing and interpreting mechanical devices that have been improved over time by: illustrating how a common need has been met in different ways over time; illustrating how trial and error and scientific knowledge both play a role in technological development.
* Analyze the social and environmental aspects of technology as they apply to the development of mechanical devices by evaluating the design and function of a mechanical device in relation to its efficiency and effectiveness, and identify its impacts on humans and the environment.
* Develop an understanding that technology both shapes society and is shaped by society.
* Explore the impact of machines on the past and present family life and community life.
* Examine how the demands from society and individual members of society influence what machines are developed.
Prologue
1. What is the year and location described in the prologue?
2. What solution did the little girl’s father find to the bad roads?
3. Turn ahead to page 41 in Snowmobile Adventures to see a picture of the B 12 model snowmobile. Does this look like what the little girl describes as a Bombardier? Why or why not?
4. Do you think the little girl enjoyed riding in the Bombardier? Why or why not?
5. Do you think the older girl enjoyed riding to school in Bombardier? Why or why not?
Chapter 1 - J.-Armand Bombardier’s Dream
1. What was J.-Armand Bombardier’s dream?
2. J.-Armand had one very important hobby as a child—describe it.
3. Why was J.-Armand’s father surprised to see him and his brother Leopold driving the car on New Year’s Eve 1922?
4. How did the Bombardier brothers work together as a team to drive J.-Armand’s first snowmobile?
5. Who was Virgil White and why is he important in the history of the snowmobile?
6. Who was Carl Eliason and why is he important in the history of the snowmobile?
7. What were the early snowmobiles J.-Armand built and sold in Valcourt like?
8. What disaster happened to make J.-Armand even more dedicated to making a machine that travelled over the snow?
9. What name were J.-Armand’s B7 snowmobiles often known by?
10. What invention, which was patented on the B7 snowmobile, does the Bombardier company now use as its trademark symbol?
11. Why was J.-Armand’s early focus on snow machines that could transport several people?
12. What different business people first used the B7 snowmobile?
Chapter 2 - Building the Dream
1. What was the main way J.-Armand spread the word about his snowmobile?
2. Describe what J.-Armand did in Quebec City to show off his snowmobile?
3. What did J.-Armand do to help his business survive during the war year?
4. What was the Muskeg?
5. What two machines did J.-Armand invent that revolutionized the logging industry?
6. What personal sized snowmobile was produced and sold in Minnesota beginning in 1955?
7. How did Polaris get sales for their snowmobile in The Pas, Manitoba?
8. Who developed and sold the Bosak Power Toboggans? Where? When?
9. Turn to page 8 (opposite the Contents page at the beginning of the book) and describe the first prototype for J.-Armand’s miniature snowmobile. (also read bottom of page 33 and top of page 44)
10. What secured J.-Armand Bombardier’s reputation as the inventor of the snowmobile in 1957 with his small Ski-Doo machines, even though there were lots of other snowmobiles being produced and sold already?
11. What inventions of J.-Armand’s helped make his new small snowmobile a giant leap ahead of the competition?
12. What was the original name chosen for the Ski-Doo snowmobile?
13. What did J.-Armand do with his Ski-Doo to give it a final test before deciding to produce and sell it to the general public?
14. How many Ski-Doo snowmobiles were produced in the first year of production? What year was it?
15. What differences do you notice between the 1959 Ski-doo and a 2002 Ski-Doo from the chart on page 39? (don’t recopy the chart – analyze the information)
16. What patents did J.-Armand register from the snowmobile?
17. What three improvements did J.-Armand make to Ski-Doo for production in 1960?
18. What change did J.-Armand make with the engines used in Ski-Doos that proved to be of great importance to the brand?
19. What did snowmobilers typically wear in 1962-63?
Chapter 3 - The New Era
1. What did Edgar Hetteen do with Polaris snowmobiles in 1960?
2. What was Ralph Plaisted’s average speed when he set the first time and distance record for snowmobile travel?
3. What halted Ralph Plaisted’s first trip to the North Pole on Ski-Doo snowmobiles?
4. What three modifications were made to the four Ski-Doo snowmobiles that were used to go to the North Pole?
5. How did the Plaisted expedition get its fuel and supplies on the trip?
6. Describe some of the conditions that made it difficult for the Plaisted expedition to get to the North Pole?
7. How far did the Ski-Doos travel to get to the North Pole?
8. How long did it take the Plaisted expedition to reach the North Pole?
9. Who was the first Canadian to reach the North Pole?
10. Why did the Plaisted expedition leave one snowmobile in the Arctic?
11. What saying developed to show why winning at snowmobile races was important for people who wanted to sell snowmobiles?
12. Where did snowmobile racing’s first oval race take place?
13. Describe the snowmobile race held in Lac La Ronge, Saskatchewan, in the winter of 1962?
14. What was the first formally titled and well organized race in snowmobiling history? Where was it held? When was it held?
15. What was used in the first snowmobile race to line the track for safety that was still used in 2003?
16. What do they call the 1969-70 racing season?
17. What big event occurred in Valcourt, Quebec in the summer of 1969?
18. How many men were invited to try out for the new Ski-Doo snowmobile racing team?
19. How many members were there on the first professional Ski-Doo racing team?
20. What was Yvon DuHamel known for when he was invited to try out for the Ski-Doo racing team?
21. What kinds of things did Bombardier give its drivers to make them look professional?
22. What did the first year of professional snowmobile racing cost Bombardier?
Chapter 4 - Yvon DuHamel
1. Where did Yvon DuHamel grow up?
2. What was one of Yvon DuHamel’s biggest physical advantages on the race track?
3. How many times did Yvon DuHamel win the Canadian Motorcycle Association’s number-one plate between 1963 and 1970?
4. Name ten snowmobile manufacturers with factory supported race drivers in 1969.
5. How many racing events were sanctioned by the different race governing bodies in 1969?
6. What race do snowmobile oval racers aspire to win?
7. How many spectators attended the 1970 Eagle River World Championship weekend?
8. What did the Red Nites perform at the World Championship event?
9. How many drivers were racing to get into the 1970 World Championship?
10. Who was the defending champion of the World Championship title in 1970, so automatically earned the 10th spot in the field?
11. Who emerged at the lead of the World Championship race after the first turn?
12. What speed did Yvon DuHamel record during the World Championship race?
13. Who was the first Canadian to ever win the Eagle River World Championship title?
14. Why did snowmobile manufacturers cut back their racing budgets after the end of January and the World Championship?
15. What did DuHamel do during his remarkable performance at Malone, New York’s snowmobile race?
16. What use did Bombardier make of the experimental parts tested on the Blizzard racing snowmobiles?
17. How was the Ski-Doo racing team picked for the 1970-71 racing season?
18. How many snowmobiles were manufactured in 1971? By how many producers?
19. Why did Eagle River change from a flying start to a standing start at its World Championship Race?
20. Who won the 1971 World Championship race?
21. Why did the USSA suspend DuHamel from racing at their events?
Chapter 5 - Yvon DuHamel Sets More Records
1. What did snowmobile factories do to try to open up racing to more competitors?
2. Why did DuHamel decide to race the Winnipeg to St. Paul International 500 Cross Country Race when he had never trail ridden a snowmobile?
3. What were some of Dorothy Mercer’s accomplishments before the 1972 Winnipeg/St. Paul Cross Country Race?
4. What challenges did Yvon DuHamel face during the Cross Country race?
5. Why was it important to DuHamel’s snowmobile racing career to win the Winnipeg/St. Paul Cross Country Race?
6. What was the ultimate goal for all types of transportation in the early 1970s, from muscle cars to snowmobiles?
7. What was the date of the first formally sanctioned speed trials for snowmobiles? Where was the event held?
8. What organization stepped in to set up and sanction the speed trials?
9. How was the final speed of each contestant calculated in the speed run?
10. What did Ski-Doo enter in the speed runs?
11. What was DuHamel’s official time for the speed run?
12. How long did DuHamel’s record stand for a high speed on a snowmobile?
13. Why were snowmobile manufacturers upset when Mike Trapp moved to Ski-Doo?
14. What did promoters do to try to save the ice at the Eagle River race track during the thaw of 1973?
15. Who won the first Eagle River Championship for Polaris snowmobiles?
16. What was Sno-Pro and how did it start?
17. What number of snowmobiles did Bombardier produce by the summer of 1973?
18. What world-wide disaster happened in November of 1973?
19. What did the USSA and other racing associations do to respond to the disaster?
20. What decision did Ski-Doo make about its racing team for the 1973-74 season?
Chapter 6 – The Villeneuve Family
1. How were Gilles Villeneuve and Jacques Villeneuve related?
2. What special characteristics did Gilles Villeneuve exhibit as a child that showed why he went on to a career in racing?
3. What happened to the Villeneuve family’s 1966 Pontiac car?
4. What was the first snowmobile Gilles raced?
5. What was Gilles Villeneuve’s first job after he finished school?
6. What snowmobile manufacturer sponsored Gilles in the 1970-71 racing season?
7. Why did Gilles look for a new snowmobile sponsor for the 1971-72 racing season?
8. What manufacturer did Gilles race for in 1971-72 and 1972-73?
9. When did Jacques Villeneuve join Gilles’ racing team?
10. Why did the Alouette race sled Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve built stand out when SnoPro racing started?
11. How fast did the SnoPro racers drive on the track at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds?
12. Where did Gilles Villeneuve win his first race with the innovative Alouette?
13. Who won the Eagle River World Championship Derby in 1974?
Chapter 7 - Racing Triumphs
1. What is the name of the large snowmobile race held in Beausejour, Manitoba?
2. Where did Gilles Villeneuve place in the SnoPro standings at the end of 1974 after attending only half of the races?
3. Why didn’t Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve have a sponsor for the 1974-75 snowmobile racing season?
4. What are some of the reasons Gilles Villeneuve didn’t win the World Championship title in Eagle River in 1975?
5. What snowmobile company gave Gilles sponsorship for both his car racing and the 1975-76 snowmobile racing season?
6. What did the racing world remember about the Lancaster, New Hampshire race on January 24-25, 1976?
7. What was Skiroule’s first major SnoPro victory? Who was driving the Skiroule?
8. What modification had Gilles Villeneuve been working on that revolutionized snowmobile racing and trail riding snowmobiles in 1976?
9. When did Gilles Villeneuve’s Formual One racing career begin?
10. What Canadian manufacturer sponsored Jacques Villeneuve in 1976-77?
11. While Kawasaki produced light, easily handled snowmobiles, what problem did it have that made it difficult for Jacques to be competitive?
12. Why did the USSA association have a crew that followed SnoPro races?
13. What is Jacques Villeneuve’s nickname at the racetrack?
14. What innovation did Polaris adopt that helped it make nearly a clean sweep of wins at Beausejour, MB’s race in 1977?
15. Why was there a lot of pressure on Jacques Villeneuve at the 1980 World Championship snowmobile race in Eagle River?
16. What did race drivers use to help deflect the air they breathed out of their helmets to avoid having them fog up?
17. How many race fans watched the 1980 World Championship race?
18. Who was the leader at the end of the first lap of the 1980 World Championship race?
19. Who won the 1980 World Championship race?
20. Why would the victory circle in 1980 have been Jacques Villeneuve’s proudest moment?
Epilogue - The Legacy
1. Name the 3 different Halls of Fame that J.-Armand Bombardier has been inducted into?
2. What can you visit in Valcourt, Quebec, that presents the life and work of the great inventor, J.-Armand Bombardier?
3. What two Halls of Fame has Yvon DuHamel been inducted into?
4. What does Yvon DuHamel still race?
5. Who are Yvon DuHamel’s sons? What do they race?
6. When did Gilles Villeneuve die? How?
7. Who is Gilles Villeneuve’s son? What does he race?
8. What three Halls of Fame has Gilles Villeneuve been inducted into?
9. What race was Jacques Villeneuve the first Canadian to win?
10. In 2003 what kind of racing was Jacques Villeneuve still competitive in at the professional level?
11. Why does Jacques Villeneuve still race?
The following pages contain questions and activities that will extend the student’s ability to interpret, interact, and understand the text of written materials. They meet the following learning outcomes from grade 8 – 9 Language Arts curricula across Canada. These activities are suitable for students who have completed reading the text.
* interpret the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts, and examine how they relate to self and others
* experience oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres
* identify and discuss how timeless themes are developed in a variety of oral, print and other media texts
* compare and contrast own life situation with themes of oral, print and other media texts
* analyze how the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts provide insight into those of self and others
* describe the purpose of specific works of communication and explain how their key features aid understanding
* explain the motivation of the characters in works of communication, providing evidence from the text of each work
* relate ideas and information in works of communication to universal themes
* identify and explain connections between what they read, hear, and view and their personal ideas and beliefs
Questions
1. Compare the motives of the main historical figures you meet in Snowmobile Adventures: J.-Armand Bombardier, Yvon DuHamel, Gilles Villeneuve, and Jacques Villeneuve.
2. Snowmobile Adventures is nonfiction, or a true historical account of events that have occurred. Did you enjoy reading about real people’s lives? Why or why not?
3. The key theme that ties all of these individuals together is that they contributed to the development of the snowmobile. What other things do the men seem to have in common?
4. When you read about the childhoods of Bombardier, DuHamel and G. Villeneuve did you notice any similarities?
5. J.-Armand overcame many challenges and obstacles to making his dreams come true. What things do you think made him determined to keep pursuing them?
6. Gilles Villeneuve had a very difficult time getting established to make his dreams of professional racing come true. Which ones might have discouraged you in his place? Why?
7. Do you think it was easier to be Gilles’ younger brother Jacques when it came to becoming a racer, or more difficult? Why?
8. Do you think inventors in other fields face the same challenges as these men who contributed so much to the development of the snowmobile? Why or why not?
9. Would you say J.-Armand Bombardier invented the snowmobile? Why or why not?
10. Which one of the historical figures did you like reading about the best? Why?
11. Which one of these historical figures do you think is the most famous? Why?
12. Which one of these historical figures do you think is the least famous? Why?
Creative nonfiction is an appealing genre to many students, particularly those who feel they aren’t creative or are more interested in real situations and people. However, creative nonfiction may employ many of the same techniques as fiction, thus teaching students how to make their writing more interesting and expressive, whether they write fact or fiction. This section meets the following learning outcomes of Language Arts Curriculum across Canada.
* analyze creative uses of language and visuals in popular culture, such as advertisements, electronic magazines and the Internet; recognize how imagery and figurative language, such as metaphor, create a dominant impression, mood and tone
* generalize from own experience to create oral, print and other media texts on a theme
* create oral, print and other media texts related to issues encountered in texts and in own life
* retell oral, print and other media texts from different points of view create oral, print and other media texts with both main and minor characters
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