Close Reading Activity for Covering Issues in the News
Name:_____________________
“Parents of Rescued Teenage Sailor”
1. Reread lines 1-4 and tell who and what the online news article is about.
A teenage girl attempting to sail solo around the world was
rescued yesterday in a remote spot of the Indian Ocean,
bringing to a successful conclusion the dramatic bid to save
her life.
2. Reread lines 30-35 and identify the central idea introduced in this section of the
article.
Though the search for Sunderland ended happily, it has
caused a debate on the wisdom of such young sailors making
dramatic and dangerous journeys. Sunderland was following
the achievement of her brother, Zac, who had made the solo
journey around the world at the age of 17, becoming the
youngest person in the world to do so.
3. Reread lines 36-47 and identify supporting details that provide more information
about the central idea.
Many critics of Sunderland—and her parents—have
criticized the decision to let her go on such a journey.
“It’s not something that a 16-year-old should be able to
decide—whether they’re capable of doing it. It’s potentially
irresponsible for the parents,” Michael Kalin, junior
director of San Francisco’s St Francis Yacht Club, told the
Associated Press.
Other top figures from the world of sailing joined in the
criticism. “In Abby’s case she was lucky. It’s only a matter
of time until we end up with a tragedy on our hands,” said
Derrick Fries, a world sailing champion and author of
Learn to Sail.
4. Reread lines 57-62 and tell why Abby’s family believed that she should have been
allowed to go on the sailing trip.
But the family have robustly defended themselves. They
have pointed out that Abby is a highly experienced and highly
skilled sailor. They have even used the debate to criticize the
too-careful tendency of much modern parenting advice and
said that a certain amount of risky challenge was healthy for
an adventurous child.
“Ship of Fools”
5. Reread lines 7-9 and identify if the statement is a fact or opinion.
Here’s a proposed rule of thumb: any record that requires
more than 10 syllables to explain does not need to be broken.
6. Reread lines 19-23 and state the writer’s claim, and identify reasons that support
that claim.
So this is the definition of bravery now? Embarking on
unnecessary risk that jeopardizes the lives of rescue workers?
When I thought of a 16-year-old bobbing alone in the Indian
Ocean, surrounded by 25-foot waves, I didn’t feel inspired.
I felt sad. And when I thought about her parents, I felt furious.
7. Reread lines 36-45 and name a reason that the writer presents to support her
claim that someone should have stepped in to impose some parenting standards
on Abby Sunderland’s parents.
Perhaps someone should have stepped in to impose some
parenting standards on the Sunderlands; last summer, a court
in the Netherlands stopped a 13-year-old girl from making
her own unadvised solo sail. Better yet, we could give up a
culture that treats accomplishment as a race and turns risk
into its own reward. Abby Sunderland couldn’t drive without
a learner’s permit, but her journey on the high seas go her
fawning press and endorsement deals. Now, some fans on her
site have offered their money to recover her lost boat. One
pledged to play an extra $5 a day in the lottery, just in case.
8. Reread lines 63-69 and cite a counterargument to some people’s opinion that Abby
was a hero.
But while there’s clearly a market for immature stars, we
shouldn’t confuse “youngest” with significant “first”, and
we shouldn’t call these publicity stunts anything but what
they are. Abby Sunderland may find a way to convert her
misadventures into lingering fame. But while she seems to be
a skilled junior sailor, calm in the face of danger, that doesn’t
make her a hero. It just makes her very, very lucky.