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Vale Middle School Reading Article

Map: Where Your Christmas Trees Come From (1330L)

Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES using the CLOSE reading strategies practiced in class. This requires reading of the article three times.

Step 1: Skim the article using these symbols as you read:

(+) agree, (-) disagree, (*) important, (!) surprising, (?) wondering

Step 2: Number the paragraphs. Read the article carefully and make notes in the margin.

Notes should include:

o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main idea of important sections may serve this purpose.)

o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.

o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.

o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective, support) and choices affect the article.

Step 3: A final quick read noting anything you may have missed during the first two reads.

Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment. Answer the questions carefully in complete sentences unless otherwise instructed.

Student ____________________________Class Period__________________

Map: Where your Christmas trees come from

American tree farmers harvested at least 17 million Christmas trees each year, according to the most recent USDA Agricultural Census. And nearly half of these trees -- about 8 million -- come from just six counties in North Carolina and Oregon.

Topping the overall list is Ashe County, North Carolina, which produces just shy of 2 million trees per year. That's nearly 100 for every man, woman, and child living there. The Ashe County Christmas Tree Association (motto: "Real Families Choose Real Christmas Trees") boasts that the county is the biggest tree producer east of the Mississippi. But the latest numbers show that Ashe County is now, in fact, the largest producer of trees anywhere in the U.S.

Coming in behind Ashe are four Oregon counties: Clackamas, Marion, Benton and Polk. New England, the mid-Atlantic, and Wisconsin and Michigan are also well-represented in the tree harvest figures. You'll notice that the contours of the map generally comport with the boundaries of the coniferous (green) and mixed (purple) forests in the map of North American forest cover below, from Michigan State University.

The USDA Census compiles data from farms registering over $1,000 in annual sales, so little mom-and-pop operations that open their back yards to cut-your-own sales once a year probably aren't included above.

For instance, I lived in Vermont for a few years. One Christmas I got a tree from a house down the road, where there was a bucket out front with some saws and twine, and a sign instructing visitors to chop down the tree of their choice and slide a few bucks under the doormat. I never met the owner -- the whole set-up could have been a prank played by cruel neighbors while the residents were on vacation, for all I knew. But regardless, an operation like this wouldn't be included in the USDA's numbers.

Nationally, Christmas tree production is down since 2000 when over 20 million trees were harvested. Sales of real and artificial Christmas trees are essentially flat since 2007, according to numbers compiled by the National Christmas Tree Association, a trade group representing the (real) Christmas tree industry. But artificial trees make up the lion's share of sales, according to a 2013 Nielsen survey sponsored by the American Christmas Tree Association, a rival trade group representing the (artificial) Christmas tree industry.

[pic]. [pic]

Notes on my thoughts, reactions and questions as I read:

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Map: Where Your Christmas Trees Come From (1330L)

Notes on my thoughts, reactions and questions as I read:

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Map: Where Your Christmas Trees Come From (1330L)

Comprehension questions – answers may be in phrases.

1. What is the overall purpose of this article?

2. What factor keeps the sales of small tree sellers from being included in USDA data?

3. Define comport as used in the article.

4. How many trees are sold in an average year? How many were sold in 2000?

5. Define trade group as used in the text.

7/8.RI.4,5,6

7/8.RI.1,2,3,4,5

2. Answer each question in one or more complete sentences.

What is a “mom and pop operation”?

Explain why the author believes the tree seller used as an example could have been a prank?

What two tree organizations are cited in the text, and why would the two be rivals?

7/8.RI.5,6

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Map: Where Your Christmas Trees Come From (1330L)

3. Scan the QR code below or go to to access a news report from Eugene, Oregon’s KVAL News. Using a Venn Diagram, compare and contrast the information presented in the article and that presented in the video. Do the sources appear to conflict with one another?

[pic]

7/8.RI.7,9

4. Two maps are included with this article. How do the maps enhance the reading experience? In what ways do the maps make the text more difficult? Answer using the chart below. Explain your reasoning.

REASONS THE MAPS HELP THE READER REASONS THE MAP MAKE THE ARTICLE MORE DIFFICULT

7/8.RI,7

RI.2

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