- Nigel (left) and Shane were spreading good vibes at the Occupy Toronto protest on Saturday. Image: Joyce Grant, TeachingKidsNews.com.
EDITORIAL*
There is a park in downtown Toronto called St. James Park.
This week it is filled with “campers.”
Colourful, domed vinyl tents crowd next to each other in the mud.
The campers are cold because there is no heat at night, there is no electricity, and winter is coming. But they persist.
Why are they there? They are camping in St. James Park in Toronto for the same reason they are camping in Zuccotti Park in New York, or outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. For the same reason people are camping in 80 other cities around the globe.
It is a protest.
It is a coming together of (mostly) young people. It is a “rising up” of young people, who are sick of being poor, of being unemployed, of feeling like no one listens to them. They want jobs that will pay them more money, and the feeling that there will be a bright future. They want a voice.
So the protesters huddle together, people who have, at once, a strong purpose and yet no specific demands. They mostly feel that things need to change, and that they can be part of that change.
While the protesters may never get everything they want—if indeed they can even agree on what they want—they are at least being heard. The world is taking notice of them.
Will the protesters get jobs that pay them more money? Will they change the world? It is too soon to tell.
But one thing is for sure: the world is listening.
*An editorial is different from a news article. An editorial is one writer’s opinion about something that is happening in the news. Readers may agree or disagree with the writer of the editorial. Editorials are designed to provoke opinion and discussion.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
The word editorial is defined here as “one writer’s opinion about something that is happening in the news.” What would you say is the opinion of the journalist who wrote today’s piece? Do you agree or disagree with her opinion?
Reading Prompt
Today’s article is an editorial. How is the style of writing in today’s article different from other stories on TKN? Things to consider include: word choice, voice, sentence structure.
Primary
Identify some elements of style, including voice, word choice, and different types of sentences, and explain how they help readers understand texts (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Junior
Identify various elements of style – including word choice and the use of similes, personification, comparative adjectives, and sentences of different types, lengths, and structures – and explain how they help communicate meaning (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Intermediate
Identify a range of elements of style – including symbolism, irony, analogy, metaphor, and other rhetorical devices – and explain how they help communicate meaning and enhance the effectiveness of texts(OME, Reading: 2.4).
Grammar Feature: Asterisk ( * )
An asterisk is a symbol that is used by writers to show readers that there is additional information that explains an idea or word at the bottom of the page (footnote). In today’s article, the asterisk besides the word “Editorial” tells the reader that they can find at the bottom of the page more about what an editorial is.
Have you ever seen asterisks in something that you have read? If so, what type of text did you see it in? Why did the author use it?
