On a Mission to Help Animals

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6th Grade Article of the Week Lexile 760 Directions: Please read this article three times, then complete all questions and margin notes.

Step 1: Read the article and use the symbols below as you read. (+) agree, (-) disagree, (*) important, (!) surprising, (?) wondering/confused

Step 2: Read the article a second time and make notes in the margin Notes should include:  Comments that show that you understand the article (a “baby kitten summary,” statement, or label of the main idea for important sections).  Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.  Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective, support) and choice 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 assignment. Answer the questions in complete sentences unless noted otherwise.

Woman uses social media as lifeline Notes on my thoughts, reactions for Iran's doomed dogs and questions as I read: By Denise Hassanzade Ajiri, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff 04.06.16 I called Maryam Sanei in Tehran around 9 p.m. She had asked me to call her at night because she had to take care of her dogs. She calls them “kids." She asked if we could talk in a few hours. "We have a kid here who’s badly injured," she said. The injured dog, Kimia, was found in a nearby town. A car had left her jaw and one of her legs fractured. Sanei took Kimia to her hospice located in Chahardangeh City in Tehran. She started raising money through social media websites for an operation. A few days later, Kimia had an operation on her jaw. On A Mission To Help Animals Sanei, 37, originally studied at the Civil Aviation Technology College in Tehran. She wanted to become a flight attendant. However, her love for animals led her in a different direction. In April 2012, she started taking care of injured animals, mainly dogs. She launched a Facebook page to post their pictures and ask for money to treat each pooch. A few months later, Sanei moved to Tehran and decided to work more seriously. By then she had more Facebook followers. She wanted to work dogs with serious problems. “People who knew me would call and let me know about these cases," she said. She would take care of the first treatment. "Then we would put their photos on Facebook and let people know how much money we needed to treat them.” An American Helps Out Even though people were offering to keep some of the dogs in their homes, Sanei was short of places. She had to take some of them to a dog boarding house and pay for their stay. After a while she could not afford the costs. In the middle of her struggles an American woman sent more than $3,000. That helped Sanei rent a piece of land and open a hospice for dogs in 2014. She started with seven dogs and now has more than 60. At first she wanted to bring in injured dogs, take care of them until they recovered and then set them free. However, municipality workers are killing stray dogs. Now she will not let them go until they have a home. Reports Tell Chilling Story Municipalities are responsible for capturing stray dogs. They are to put up the “useful-purebred” ones for adoption and put to sleep the “unuseful- infected” ones. This is not what actually happens, though. Reports have come out about municipalities shooting dogs. It is all about money, say people who help animals. In the area of Mashhad, for example, the municipality pays contractors about $10 for killing each dog. It insists the dogs are put to sleep. However, some say this costs nearly $20. The municipalities say they have no other way to control strays. They say people who live there are not happy having the animals on the loose. Social Networks Bring Aid People who work for animal rights have worked with the department of environment on a law. The law would punish people who bother stray animals that are of no harm. It would make them responsible for fines between $165 and $1,650. Until such a law is passed, Sanei says she will continue her routine. She will keep her dogs and find safe homes for them. Sanei says she spends $3,600 to $4,300 every month on the hospice. To cover the costs Sanei looks to social networks. She regularly updates her followers about how their money has been spent. Her dream is to one day own property and have a well-equipped animal hospital. Though it can be expensive, Sanei and her team work hard. They are not thinking about giving up. They constantly treat dogs and send them to new homes. They have sent dozens of dogs outside the country, too, including to the United States, Canada, Germany and Sweden. Comprehension Questions 1. What is the title of the article?

2. Who is the author?

3. What is the source for the article? (HINT: Chicago Tribune, CNN, New York Times)

4. Go back into the article and find the key words or concepts (NOT SENTENCES) that are most important to understanding the text FROM THE ANNOTATIONS YOU’VE ALREADY MADE. Think who, what, when, where, why, and how. 5. List the words that you highlighted or underlined below:

Who Topic/Subject What Action Why Reason How Process Where Location When Time

6. Using your summary chart as a jumping off point, start by finding main idea by thinking “who” did “what” and “why” to create a main idea statement (one sentence only). ______7. Write a few summarizing sentences using as many listed words as possible. Remember, you already wrote a main idea statement. Use this to help you. ______Reflection Questions – Use your opinions and support with information from the story to answer each question. Use complete sentences!! 1. What emotions does this article make you feel? Why (textual evidence)? 2. What is the purpose of the article? How do you know (textual evidence)?

3. Who would be especially interested in reading this article (BE SPECIFIC)? How do you know (textual evidence)?