Hang Gliding and Surfing Are Both Popular Sports World-Wide

Grade 6 Baseline Writing Prompt

Student Name: ______ELA Teacher: ______Date: ______

Grade 6 Baseline Writing Prompt: Argumentative Writing

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Grade 6 Baseline Writing Prompt

Writing Prompt

Hang gliding and surfing are both popular sports world-wide. There are a variety of opinions on whether hang gliding or surfing is a better sport for an inexperienced athlete.

Write an essay in which you take a position on whether hang gliding or surfing is a better sport for a beginner. Make sure to include information from all three passages in your essay.

Manage your time carefully so that you can • read the passages • plan your essay • write your essay and • revise and edit your essay

Be sure to • include a claim • cite textual evidence • use evidence from multiple sources • avoid relying heavily on one source

Your response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay.

Volusia County Schools

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Grade 6 Baseline Writing Prompt

Read the “Hang Gliding and Surfing” passage set.

Source 1: Hang Gliding and Surfing by Phillip Jones

1 A hang glider enables a person to fly like a bird. The hang glider’s wing is made of fabric, such as nylon. Aluminum tubes maintain the wing in a triangular shape. The pilot lies suspended in a harness located behind a metal bar that controls the hang glider. 2 A pilot can start a flight by carrying the glider while running down a slope. This creates lift as air rushes over the wing’s surface. Once in the air, gravity pulls the glider toward the ground, and as a result, the glider moves forward and air flows over the wing to create more lift. A hang glider also acquires lift from air deflected by mountains and from warm air rising from the ground.

3 A pilot changes the center of gravity to control the hang glider’s flight path. By shifting his or her weight to either side, a pilot steers the glider. If the pilot pulls back on the control bar, the nose tips down, and the glider increases speed. The pilot slows the glider by pushing the control bar forward, which causes the nose to tip up. 4 A hang glider pilot must be vigilant and have a sense of balance. Surfing, which has been called the most complicated sport, requires the same qualities. 5 A typical surfboard is made of plastic foam covered with layers of fiberglass and coated with resin to make the board waterproof. The top of the board is called the deck, the board’s front is the nose, and the rear is the tail. A surfboard has one or more fins attached underneath, which make the board move faster. To prevent slipping off the board, surfers make the surface slightly sticky by rubbing wax on the deck.

6 A surfer walks into the ocean, lies prone (i.e., belly-down) on the surfboard and paddles out to the surf until the surfer is sufficiently far from the shore. The surfer turns the board toward the beach and waits until an oncoming wave lifts the board. Then, the surfer paddles to match the wave’s speed and quickly stands on the board. While skimming on the surface of the wave, a surfer can turn by shifting the feet and twisting the body to guide the board into the turn.

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Grade 6 Baseline Writing Prompt

Source 2: Surfing and Hang-Gliding Pros and Cons by Mark Smith

7 Christine described her first surfing experience in a 2011 LoveLifeSurf website article. She said that paddling into the ocean beyond breaking waves was nerve-wracking at first. But then, she enjoyed the view and felt peaceful. Christine caught a wave and rode it into the beach. “It was an exhilarating experience,” she said. “And it just made me happy.” 8 On the HowStuffWorks website, Craig Freudenrich described his experience while hang gliding thousands of feet above the ground. “[T]he view is tremendous and the solitude is relaxing,” he said. “You search for updrafts of air to keep you aloft so that you can enjoy this feeling for hours.” 9 Like surfing, hang gliding confers health benefits. These benefits include firming arm muscles, reducing stress, and improving mental alertness. On its website, the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia offers another benefit. “There’s nothing like the thrill of pure flight,” they say. 10 Surfing and hang gliding have risks. Surfers ride waves that are powerful enough to break bones. Riptides are strong, fast moving currents that wrench a surfer out to sea. An out of control surfboard with its pointed nose and razor-sharp fins poses a danger. Sharks, jellyfish, and other marine life also can present a risk. 11 Flying “like a bird” carries its own risks. Pilot error and equipment failure are causes of hang glider deaths. Yet the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association states that a pilot can manage risk. “You need to have the confidence to apply your understanding of the weather,” the group says, “the limitations of your equipment, the soundness of your judgment, and taking appropriate consideration of input of the other pilots around you to choose when and where to fly.” 12 In addition to risks, novice surfers and glider pilots need to think about costs. A beginner’s surfboard can cost about $200 to $600, and a wetsuit costs about $200. 13 Hang gliding is more expensive. Most U.S. flying sites require a pilot to have proper training. Training courses cost at least $2,400. A hang glider and other gear can cost about $6,000.

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Grade 6 Baseline Writing Prompt

Source 3: A Professional Surfer and Hang Glider Pilot by Johnathan Talbert

14 Lahinch, a small seaside resort in Ireland, is known as a top surf center. The village is home to Irish pro-surfer Ollie O’Flaherty. Brian Canty interviewed Ollie for a 2016 article posted on the42.ie, a sports news website. “To be part of mother nature and feel the energy surfing creates is truly special and I’ve seen, and experienced things words just can’t describe,” Ollie told Canty. 15 In 2012, Ollie surfed a 60-foot wave off the coast of Sligo, Ireland. While he waits for the chance to surf a larger wave, Ollie has a daily routine. 16 During the summer, he starts the day around 8:30 am, eats breakfast, and practices yoga to energize his body and clear his head. From 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, he is busy with two coaching sessions at Ollie’s Surf Academy. After lunch, Ollie exercises at a gym or surfs, depending on surf conditions. Following a 6:30 pm dinner full of “veg and meat,” Ollie relaxes. “Time to chill out with Netflix and off to bed about 11 pm,” he said. It is the end of a simple and disciplined schedule. 17 On the other side of the world, pro-hang glider pilot Jeff Shapiro lives in Montana. Time and again, Jeff was ranked as a top U.S. pilot. 18 Chris Van Leuven interviewed Jeff for his 2017 article posted on the Adventure Sports Network website. While they talked, Jeff mentioned one of his trickiest races. It was the 2009 Forbes Flatlands race in Australia. Part of the course required the use of GPS to fly through virtual 400-meter cylinders. Hang glider pilots stayed up to ten hours a day to complete their tasks. 19 Jeff called the race a game of 3-D chess. “You’re climbing in thermals and gliding as fast as you can,” he said. “It’s a constant strategy in finding lift and staying in the air.” 20 Since 2011, Jeff has been flying wingsuits from great heights around the world. A wingsuit quickly fills with air after a jump and enables the jumper to glide and perform precision movements. A wingsuit pilot lands using a parachute.

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