Learning goals
We are learning to…
- explore the concepts of identity, self, and sense of belonging in texts and demonstrate an understanding of the contributions, lived experiences, and perspectives of many different people, including those in Canada
- identify connections between ideas expressed in simple texts and our learning, our experiences, ideas in other texts and in the world around us
- identify some cultural elements included in texts and ask questions and share ideas about how these elements help create meaning
- identify strategies that have helped us understand different texts
- share my thoughts and feelings about ideas in texts about difference, sense of belonging and removing barriers
Success criteria
I am able to…
- explore parts of the story What’s My Superpower? by Inuk author Aviaq Johnston and answer questions to understand different parts of the story
- think about the different ways the characters in the story support and encourage each other and share why this is important
- identify and reflect on how including Inuktitut words in the story helps me to understand Nalvana’s culture and community
- reflect on how recording new words and asking and responding to questions helped me understand the story
- reflect on the important people in my own life and record my ideas
Important people in our lives
Explore the following images. What do you notice? What do you wonder?
Pause and Reflect
Pause and reflect
Who are some of the people in your community or communities?
Do you meet them, talk with them, and/or do an activity together?
Share your thoughts with a partner, if possible.
The people in Nalvana’s life
A community is a group of people that live, play, and work together.
There could be a few or many people who are in our lives and support us in different ways.
These people could be:
- family
- friends
- neighbors
- shopkeepers
- teachers
- community helpers
And many more!
Let’s explore a few parts of the story What’s My Superpower? by Aviaq Johnston.
The main character is a young person named Nalvana. Throughout the story, Nalvana meets different people in her community and shares words of appreciation, encouragement and excitement to help them feel special.
Some of these people are her family, and some are old friends and new friends.
Let’s pay attention to the way that the characters speak with one another.
Sora says "As you explore each new page, record any words that are new to you using a method of your choice. If possible, check for definitions in a dictionary."
What’s My Superpower: Part 1
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with Davidee and other classmates in gym class.
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to kind or encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana shares encouraging words with Davidee, telling him that his superpower is that he can run faster than a Ski-Doo.
Did You Know?
Did you know?
Did you know that a Ski-Doo is a type of snowmobile. A Ski-Doo helps people ride on snow!
All kinds of adjectives
There are many types of describing words.
For example, we have adjectives, comparative adjectives and superlative adjectives.
An adjective is a word that describes something by telling us more about it. It can describe how something looks, feels, sounds, tastes or acts.
For example:
Comparative adjectives are adjectives that are used when you are comparing something to something else. To write a comparative adjective, we add –er to the end of the adjective.
For example:
The sentence "Nalvana realizes her friend Davidee is faster than anyone else she knows" with the word "faster" underlined and labelled as a comparative adjective.
Superlative adjectives compare more than two people, animals, places or things. To write a superlative adjective, we add -est to the end of the adjective.
For example:
The sentence "Nalvana thinks that her friend Davidee is the fastest runner she knows" with the word "fastest" underlined and labelled as a superlative adjective.
Learning check!
For each sentence, select the missing adjective from the drop-down menu. Press Check Answer to see how you did.
Note: We use the word “the” in front of the superlative adjective. For example, the fastest, the longest, the biggest, the greatest.
| adjective | comparative adjective | superlative adjective |
|---|---|---|
| fast | faster | fastest |
| big | bigger | biggest |
| long | longer | longest |
| small | smaller | smallest |
Another way to create descriptions is to use adverbs.
An adverb is a word that can describe a verb. A verb is an action.
If we want to describe how Davidee runs, we can use the adverbs: quickly, swiftly or rapidly. These adverbs help describe Davidee’s speed when he runs.
Davidee runs (how does Davidee run?):
Davidee runs quickly.
Davidee runs swiftly.
Davidee runs rapidly.
Try It
Try it!
Note: Some adverbs end with -ly.
Change the following adjectives to adverbs by adding an -ly. You may use your notebook or a method of your choice to record these adverbs.
- careful(Blank)
- near(Blank)
- nice(Blank)
What’s My Superpower: Part 2
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with her mother.
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to kind or encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
When Nalvana asks “does that mean I can have a superpower, too?” her mother encourages Nalvana by saying “I’m sure you will find out soon.”
What’s My Superpower: Part 3
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with her friends.
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to kind or encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana praises her friend for how high she can go on the swings. She shares encouraging words to Maata: “If you keep practicing someday, you’ll be able to fly all the way around the world.”
What’s My Superpower: Part 4
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with her mother.
What do Nalvana and the other character talk about?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana shares how her friend Maata was flying (jumping really far).
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana’s mother encourages her by saying “…don’t worry, we’ll figure out what your special talent is soon.”
What’s My Superpower: Part 5
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with her friends and cousin Joanasie.
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana helps Joanasie understand that his superpower is building anything.
Did You Know?
Did you know?
Did you notice the word “inukshuk” and “iglu” in this section of the story?
Inukshuk (ee-nook-shook) is a sculpture made with rocks piled on top of each other in Inuktitut.
Iglu (ee-glue) means a snow house in Inuktitut.
Both are important in Inuit cultures and communities!
What’s My Superpower: Part 6
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with her mother.
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana’s mother gives her Nalvana a hug and says “I’m sure we’ll figure it out soon, Panick.”
What does Nalvana’s mother call her?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana’s mother calls her Panick (puh-nick) which means daughter in Inuktitut.
What’s My Superpower: Part 7
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with her friends.
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana praises her friend Adamie. She shares encouraging words to Adamie: “You can hold your breath for a really long time! That must be your superpower!”
What’s My Superpower: Part 8
What’s My Superpower: Part 9
Who is Nalvana with at this part of the story?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana is with her mother and dog.
Does Nalvana share kind or encouraging words, or does she listen to encouraging words?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana’s mother helps her figure out what her superpower is and says her superpower is making others feel good about themselves.
What word does Nalvana use to address her mother?
Press Reveal to check your answer.
Nalvana calls her mother ‘Anaana’ which means mother in Inuktitut, one of the main Inuit languages.
Pause and Reflect
Pause and reflect
Who are some of the people in Nalvana’s life?
Press Reveal for a possible answer.
- Nalvana’s Anaana (mother)
- Friends and classmates
How do kind or encouraging words help ourselves and others?
Press Reveal for a possible answer.
Hearing kind or encouraging words can help us when we are having a hard time. They can also help us feel happy and confident.
How does hearing different Inuktitut words in the story help us understand Nalvana’s life and community?
Press Reveal for a possible answer.
Inuktitut is an important language in Nalvana’s life and community. It’s important to remember that different people may speak different languages.
Did you record any new words and find their definitions? Did that help you understand the story better?
Who are some of the people in your life?
Share your thoughts with a partner, if possible.
Putting it all together!
The trusted people in our lives can make us feel connected, supported and loved.
It’s your turn to explore the important people in your own life!
Step 1: Think about trusted people in your own life.
Step 2: Choose a few important people in your life and think about the following questions:
Who are the important people in your life?
What do you do together?
Why are they important to you?
Step 3: Use the following Important People in My Life organizer or a method of your choice to add short sentences and pictures about the people in your life.
If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.
Press Hint for an example sentence.
Press the Activity button to access the Important People in My Life.
Activity (Open PDF in a new tab)Adjective and adverb review
Let’s review adjectives and adverbs!
Select the correct answer, then press Check Answer to see how you did.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel...
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.