For years, the issue of putting fluoride in Calgary's drinking water has been an issue. We didn't do it, then we did do it, now we don't do it, but there are some new developments in this cycle and today you are going to take a good look at this issue and really push your thinking skills to the test. I have designed a list of 20 questions that will force you to employ each of the reading strategies we have been practicing since Grade 6. You should come out of this assignment with a deep understanding of the article. Good luck. Copy and paste the questions along with your edited responses on a Microsoft Word document Here is an article from yesterday's issue of the Calgary Herald. Read through it with every ounce of your reading skills because I am going to ask you some questions that test your reading skills. Click here to connect with the online articleMonitoring Meaning Questions (8) - do NOT use your online dictionary1. The article states, "City council voted decisively Monday to revisit the issue of fluoride in Calgary’s drinking water". In this context, what does the word "decisively" mean? It means the decision was made with confidence and speed. 2. The article states, "even as elected members acknowledged the risk of reopening a longstanding public debate". In this context, what does the word "longstanding" mean? Something that goes back in history for a long time and is still relevant. 3. The article states, "a longstanding public debate that has attracted plenty of social media vitriol". In this context, what does the word "vitriol" mean? Harsh and toxic argument and criticism. 4. The article states, "Council voted 13-2 to review new evidence on the merits of fluoridation gathered by the University of Calgary’s O’Brien Institute for Public Health in a report that will be presented at city hall in June." In this context, what does the word "merits" mean? Merits means the reasons or major points of something. 5. In the article, Dianne Colley-Urquhart is quoted as saying, “There are certain topics that really get people riled up and they really get involved and fluoride is one of these". In this context, what does the term "riled up" mean? Emotionally excited and passionate. 6. The article states, "While councillors Ray Jones and Sean Chu were the only councillors to vote against the proposal Monday, a number of council members had reservations about reopening the debate on fluoride." In this context, what does the word "reservations" mean? Reluctant and cautious. 7. The article states, "He also countered a concern raised during Monday’s debate that the O’Brien Institute had “already formed an opinion” and might not be capable of offering objective advice." In this context, what does the word "countered" mean? Introduced the opposite perspective. 8. The article states, "The study suggested that defluoridation had a negative impact on the health of Calgary children." In this context, and knowing what you know about prefixes and suffixes, what do you think "defluoridation" means? It means the fluoride is coming out. Now, let's test your understanding of the ideas presented in this article with some questions that can be answered by thoroughly reading the article. 9. What exactly did the city council vote in favor of? They voted to review the evidence being gathered by a U of C research group about the impact of defluoridation back in 2011. 10. What was the vote result? 13-2 in favor of reading this report in June 11. Who voted against Dianne Colley-Urquhart's motion? Ray Jones and Sean Chu 12. When did Calgary vote to take stop adding fluoride to our drinking water? 2011 13. What does Mayor Nenshi think about the fluoride debate? He thinks the debate is strange and the decision made in 2011 was questionable. 14. Is Coun. Farkas for or against the motion put forward by Dianne Colley-Urquhart? He is generally in favour 15. What happened three years ago when someone else attempted to reopen the fluoride debate? It was shut down with a vote against 10-4. 16. What does city council plan on reviewing in June? A U of C research study 17. What did the 2016 University of Calgary study suggest? A U of C research study Going beyond the article: now it is time to put your higher level thinking skills to the test. Using what you read in this article, and knowing what you know about the world, share your thoughts on these questions. I suggest you thinking in terms of paragraphs, because questions such as these require ample explanation. 18. Why do you think this debate over adding fluoride to city water gets people so worked up? 19. Do you think the decision should be made by council or by a public plebiscite? 20. What other issue can you think of that attracts this level of controversy? BONUS QUESTION: In order to understand this issue better, what would be a good idea for every Calgarian to do? FINISHED EARLY? There are three opinion articles in the "Related" section of the article, near the bottom. Read these opinion pieces and I am sure you will see, this is a complex and confusing issue.
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