The Wave Catcher

Watch the Video (5 minutes)

• Watch the Beyond the Story video, which takes students into the world of surfing and will be helpful for students who may be unfamiliar with the sport. Have students respond to the Video Discussion Questions (available in your Resources tab) in small groups or pairs.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Project Vocabulary: Definitions and Practice on your board. Review the words and complete the activity as a class or in groups. Highlighted words: ambassador, annexed, comprises, crest, nimbly, prominence, topography. Optionally, share the interactive link directly to your LMS and have students preview the words and complete the activity independently beforehand. The audio pronunciations of the words and a read-aloud of the definitions are embedded on the slides.

“The Wave Catcher”

• Have a volunteer read the As You Read box that appears on page 16 of the magazine and at the top of the digital story page.
• Read the article through once as a class. Optionally, have students listen to author Allison Friedman read her article aloud while they follow along. The audio read-aloud is located in the Resources tab in Teacher View and at the top of the story page in Student View.
• Have students reread the article silently to themselves. Then pose the following close-reading questions to the class. Have students share their thinking with a partner first, then expand the share into a whole-class discussion. 

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

• To Hawaiians, how is surfing more than a hobby or sport? (key ideas and details) Surfing played an important role in ancient Hawaiian religion: Hawaiian gods and goddesses were said to have mastered the sea on their boards. Through the centuries and into modern times, Hawaiians have enjoyed surfing as a ritual that connects them with their ancestors and with nature. Friedman explains that in Hawaii, surfing is “almost as essential as eating or sleeping.” Clearly, surfing is not just a hobby or sport but a daily practice with deep spiritual and cultural meaning.
• What effect did Kahanamoku’s Olympic swimming success have on surfing as a sport? (cause and effect) After Kahanamoku won gold and silver swimming medals in the Stockholm Olympic Games, his celebrity led him to tour the U.S. to show off his aquatic skills, demonstrating his techniques at pools and beaches everywhere. It was on this tour that he decided he would also share the gift of surfing. As a result, surfing gained prominence across the mainland U.S.
• How does the section “Outsiders Arrive” contribute to the article? (text structure) The section “Outsiders Arrive” helps readers understand how the arrival of Europeans and Americans affected Hawaii. These outsiders claimed more and more control over the islands and their natural resources. The existing monarchy was overthrown, and the U.S. government annexed Hawaii as a territory. And Hawaii lost more than its independence: Surfing was discouraged to the point where it began to disappear. This information builds context for the time in which Kahanamoku was born and raised, helping readers understand that he wasn’t just sharing his passion with the world but also preserving and honoring his culture.
• Friedman writes that “by the end of the 1960s, even a kid living on a farm in Kansas—hundreds of miles from the ocean—would probably know what ‘hang ten’ and ‘wipeout’ meant.” What does she mean? What do you think those terms might mean? (interpreting text) Friedman is emphasizing how widespread the surfing craze had become in the 1960s. She is saying that even a kid who lived nowhere near an ocean and would never see a wave—let alone surf one—would have understood surfing lingo, and this shows the degree to which surfing had permeated pop culture. A hang ten is a surfing maneuver in which the surfer perfectly balances the board so that the back of it is covered by the wave. The rider then walks all the way to the front of the board and hangs all ten toes over the nose of the board. A wipeout is when a surfer is thrown off the board by a wave, quite ungracefully.
• Interpret the mural of Carissa Moore and Duke Kahanamoku pictured at the end of the article. Describe what you see in detail. What do you think the artist wanted to communicate? What do you see in the mural that makes you think that? (text features, synthesis, inference) In the middle ground of the painting, Carissa Moore wears her Olympic gold medal for surfing, a Hawaiian flower in her hair, and the Hawaiian flag wrapped around her like a regal cloak. She looks strong, proud, and dignified as she gazes off into the distance. In the foreground, an ocean wave and a surfing Moore seem to be coming out of the painting. In the background, Duke Kahanamoku also stands proud, wearing one of his Olympic medals. He is painted in a slightly faded tint, making him seem like a spirit traveling with Moore. He stands behind her, looking on at one of his lifelong dreams coming true: surfing as an Olympic sport. His position behind her suggests that he is in the past, where he helped pave the way for surfers like Moore. The mural is huge, covering the side of what seems to be a 10-story building. This size communicates that these are larger than life, legendary figures in Hawaii; it celebrates their monumental achievements in the sport of surfing, their representation of Hawaii, and their roles in keeping an important part of the islands’ culture alive.

“Monster Waves”

• Read the article as a class. Optionally, have students listen to author Mackenzie Carro read the article aloud while they follow along. The audio read-aloud is located in the Resources tab in Teacher View and at the top of the story page in Student View.
• As a class, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions, which apply to both articles. 

Close-Reading Questions (5 minutes)

• What does Carro’s use of figurative language in the introduction help readers understand? (figurative language) In the introduction, Carro uses metaphors (“wall of water,” “monster wave”) and similes (“like a giant sheet of moving concrete,” “this wave could crush a human like a bug”) to describe the waves surfers ride in the sport of big-wave surfing. She also includes sensory details to help readers imagine being in the presence of such a wave, writing of a surfer, “she can’t hear anything but the violent churning of water” and “her heart pounds and her body buzzes.” This figurative language helps readers understand how enormous, powerful, dangerous, and exhilarating the biggest waves on Earth are. 
• Friedman writes that Hawaii’s remote location “makes it perfect for surfing; there is nothing to stop waves from growing tall and powerful as they hurtle toward the islands’ beaches.” What does Carro’s article add to your understanding of how big waves are created? (synthesis) Carro’s article explains that not only do large expanses of open ocean help create big waves but other factors such as strong and sustained winds, storms out at sea, and the topography of the ocean floor are also key to the creation of massive waves. 

Critical-Thinking Questions (5 minutes)

• What makes a person a legend? What makes Kahanamoku legendary? Answers will vary. Students may offer that people who are considered legends leave behind an unforgettable impression on others. They usually become well-known as a result of a unique characteristic, skill, or contribution. Kahanamoku is legendary because he had incredible aquatic skills—both in swimming and surfing. More importantly, he shared these skills with others, which in turn helped create the sport of surfing as we know it today and also kept an important part of his homeland’s culture alive.
• In what ways, if any, do you think differently about Hawaii after reading Friedman’s article? About the United States? Answers will vary. Students may offer that what usually comes to mind when they think of Hawaii is an idyllic vacation destination and that Friedman’s article offers a deeper look into the islands’ people, culture, and history. Students may not have been aware that Hawaii was once a sovereign nation that was annexed as a U.S. territory and later became a U.S. state, or that the U.S. banned hula dancing, surfing, and the Hawaiian language. Students may make connections to other instances of indigenous peoples being forced to abandon their own culture and assimilate into the culture of those in power throughout history. 

• Have students complete Preparing to Write: Plan Your Speech. This activity will help them organize their ideas in preparation for the prompt on page 21 in the printed magazine and at the bottom of the digital story page. 
• Alternatively, have students choose a culminating task from the Choice Board, a menu of differentiated activities.

Connected readings about the rise of popular activities from the Scope archives:

• Paired Texts: “Ready. Set. Jump!” and “Skateboarding Takes Off” (April 2022)
• Paired Texts: “The Amazing History of Video Games” (September 2021)
• You Be the Editor: “The History of the Trampoline” (November 2019)