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In Montana, the Art of Crafting Fly-Fishing Rods

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In Montana, the Art of Crafting Fly-Fishing Rods

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched a new series — The World Through a Lens — in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of our planet’s most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Janie Osborne shares a collection of images from Montana.

I live only a few miles away from Tom Morgan Rodsmiths, a custom fly rod shop in Bozeman, Mont. But entering the workshop feels a little like stepping off a plane in a foreign country.

I walk in and take a good look around. It’s a place with lots of moving parts, where craftsmen make reel seats from rosewood, inscribe calligraphy with gold ink, and wrap shiny agate guides on bamboo, using garnet thread and extra fine brass wire.

The language that circulates around the shop catches my attention. When read aloud, custom orders rival espresso-shop vernacular in their breadth, speed and rhythmic efficiency: “I’ll have a nine-foot, five-weight, four-piece graphite rod in clear blank with a Western grip.”

The shop’s owners, Matt Barber and Joel Doub, lifetime fishermen who purchased the company in 2017, translate the shorthand for me.

Nine feet, Mr. Barber says, is the length of the rod — which, among other things, affects line control and casting performance. “Five-weight” refers to a system of measurement specific to the line weight of fly rods. (Weights between four and six, for example, are ideal for trout fishing.)

A “four-piece” rod breaks down into four pieces, which is great for travel. “Graphite” is the lightest material from which T.M.R. rods are built. “Clear” refers to the rod’s coating, an aesthetic choice. And “Western grip” is short for “Western cigar handle,” which has a tapered shape similar to a cigar.

As is true when traveling to a foreign country, mastering the language is as important as understanding the customs and ethos of a place. Alas, mistakes, atonement and self-betterment are part of the journey. So it is at the shop, too; it’s how I feel about my use of the “p” word.

“Approximately how many poles do you make in one year?” is the sort of question I initially ask. Another: “How long does it take to build one pole from beginning to end?”

I learn that T.M.R. aims to make 250 rods a year, and that it usually takes about six weeks, from beginning to end, to build one. (Bamboo rods take closer to three or four months.)

But as Ric Plante, a full-time bamboo rod maker, playfully warns: “Never say pole. A pole is what you use to hold up your tent.”

I’m a freelance photographer in Montana, a state where the total population — just over 1 million — is spread over 147,040 square miles. Niche photography isn’t all that common.

In the past 15 years, I’ve photographed everything from glamour shots of gourmet sausages in Billings to hobbit houses in Trout Creek, oil rigs in neighboring North Dakota, a giant paper clip across the border in Canada, a vast property near Livingston from the vantage of a doors-off helicopter, an underground coal mine in Roundup, the Sandra (a cataract boat used to navigate the Grand Canyon), President Trump at the airport in Bozeman, and, more recently, Gov. Steve Bullock and the National Institutes of Health lab that’s conducting important Covid-19 research in Hamilton.

In short, over the years, photographing the unfamiliar has become, well, familiar.

T.M.R.’s handles are made of cork that’s sourced from Portugal. The multi-step process of crafting a single handle includes a lot of inspecting, sorting, sanding, boring, gluing and clamping that culminates at the lathe, where the handle is shaped with six different grits of sandpaper.

There are usually between 40 and 50 rods in different stages of production at the shop. While the glue is drying for two days between the cork rings of one handle, a spigot ferrule — a separate piece that is used to join two sections of a rod — is being fitted for another, and strips of bamboo are being hollowed on the Morgan hand mill, a tool used specifically for bamboo rod building. (The mill stands as a monument to the company’s previous owner, Tom Morgan, who was a fisherman, guide, rod designer and guru.)

Wrapping, coating, inspecting also all happen in concert with each other. The ultimate aim with each rod, Mr. Barber and Mr. Doub say, is to achieve the desired action, or the feel of the rod when casting.

Spin fishing, the type of fishing that most of us are familiar with, involves using a heavy lure with a relatively weightless line. When casting, the weight of the lure is what propels the line. Fly fishermen use a heavy line with a relatively weightless fly. “This combination necessitates a focus on casting,” Mr. Doub explains, “because the cast is what moves the fly to the fish.” (He emphasizes that this was a very basic explanation of the differences.)

There are lots of rivers in which to fly fish in Montana: the Madison, the Gallatin, the Blackfoot, the Flathead, the Missouri, the Yellowstone. A trout that is 20 inches and up is considered to be a trophy size. (There’s a 20-inch fish mark on each T.M.R. rod to measure if the occasion arises.)

“One thing about Montana,” Mr. Barber says, “is if there’s a moving body of water, there is probably a trout in it.”

And, if, in this sport of fly fishing, the hope for a larger-than-life experience springs eternal, then heightened emotion — as epitomized by Paul Maclean’s oversize trout in “A River Runs Through It” — is part of the allure.

Other facets of the allure include patience, nostalgia, passion, connection, perseverance, resilience, gratitude and grace. Perhaps all of these are at the heart of spigot ferrules, casting accuracy and, yes, the rods.

“For me, a little fish can be as meaningful as a big fish,” Mr. Doub says. “It’s the feeling of forgetting how long you have been standing in one place or how long you’ve been casting — you lose your sense of time, your schedule, what you have to do next.”

Outside the shop, at the end of the day, as lines are reeled in and rods stowed, as the light eases to the obscuring orange hues of autumn, the essence of fly-fishing feels close at hand.

“We are all looking for those ineffable moments that we can get lost in,” Mr. Doub says.

Janie Osborne is a photographer based in Bozeman, Montana. You can follow her work on Facebook and Instagram.

Word + Quiz: antithesis

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Word + Quiz: antithesis

1. exact opposite

2. the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance

_________

The word antithesis has appeared in 78 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 31 in “Hockey’s Fights and Handshakes? Not Exactly Socially Distant” by Stephen Smith:

As the clock ran out on their season in Edmonton, the desperate Chicago Blackhawks did what any team would: They crowded the net, looking for an opening, anything. Stopped short, the Blackhawks could only watch as the victorious Vegas Golden Knights hugged out their five-game series win. Both teams then removed the gloves they had been wearing, lining up for the handshakes that hockey tradition demands.

Cast in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the clustering and close-fought commotion of the N.H.L. playoffs might seem like the antithesis of best public health practices, a daily tutorial — a crash course — on how not to social distance.

_________

Have You Ever Tried to Grow Something?

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Have You Ever Tried to Grow Something?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until September 2021.

What experiences have you had growing plants, vegetables, flowers or fruits? Have you ever grown something in your home or backyard? On a rooftop or a fire escape? Have you contributed to a community garden or a farm at your school, in your neighborhood or in your town?

When you think about the process of digging, planting seeds and watching things grow, what feelings or memories come up for you?

In “A Crop of Kitchen Gardens From Chefs Around the Globe,” Amelia Nierenberg writes about the Kitchen Farming Project:

When the pandemic shuttered restaurants, chefs across the world planted kitchen gardens.

More than 3,600 people joined the Kitchen Farming Project, a loose “recipe” for a garden — conceived by the chef Dan Barber and developed by Jack Algiere, the farm director of Stone Barns Center in the Hudson Valley.

Now, as the chef-gardeners approach the harvest, they know firsthand the sweat and time required to grow each vegetable, and are thinking harder about their role in the food system.

The garden recipe is simple: a 12-by-15-foot plot, broken into six produce families — tomatoes and peppers together in one section, iron-rich greens in another.

But the chefs choose what they plant. Many are growing the foods of their culture, using traditional techniques that work in their particular environment.

The article profiles five chefs who are participating in the project, including Selassie Atadika from Accra, Ghana:

In Ghana, colonialism interrupted a stable food system. Today, imported products line the shelves of chain grocery stores. Some farms sell indigenous crops, but many cater to European and American tastes…

“A lot of the stuff I am looking for is hard to find,” she said. “I’ve always been nervous about planting. The recipe made it so easy.”

For chiles, she turned to local markets, drying the seeds in the sun. For wild and indigenous foods, she has saved seeds and foraged with friends and family. “I just went to some of the aunties,” she said.

Naoyuki Arai, a chef in Sakada, Japan:

“Growing vegetables from seed has allowed me to observe everything about the process,” he said. “I can prepare dishes based on the various stages of ripeness.”

Farmers have cultivated satoimo, a Japanese taro (similar to a potato), for at least 2,000 years. Sweet potatoes and a green tea, Sayama, are local favorites.

“I used to buy vegetables based on my schedule, and I realized that my schedule is not what’s important,” Mr. Arai said. “It’s the vegetables and the soil whose schedule should be respected.”

And Amber Tamm of the Red Shed Community Garden, in Brooklyn, N.Y.:

When Amber Tamm, an urban farmer and food-justice advocate, first heard about the Kitchen Farming Project, she was frustrated that it didn’t include much input from urban farmers of color.

This summer, with two apprentices, she is using urban farming techniques to grow vegetable and flower seedlings donated by Stone Barns Center in plots at the Red Shed Community Garden, in Williamsburg.

“It was like: ‘I understand that your chefs are out of commission and this is a way for them to heal,’” she said. “But this is an opportunity to appoint urban ag leaders that are here to teach them, and talk about what it’s been like for us to farm in this landscape.”

The article concludes:

These chef-gardeners could be stewards of a new phase in the farm-to-table movement, one shaped by the pandemic and global protests for racial justice.

Instead of just working with farmers, they have become farmers, at least for the season. As they start serving what they’ve harvested, their culinary heritage is on the table, too.

“For me,” Crystal Díaz said, “it’s also a sense of belonging, that there are so many other people doing this.”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • If you could plant a dream garden, what would it look like? What types of fruits, vegetables, flowers and other greenery would you include? What smells, tastes and flavors? Why? In what ways do these choices represent your own interests, culture or family history?

  • Choose one photograph from the article that feels meaningful to you. What draws you to this image? Does it make you think of a meal you eat at home? Does it feature an ingredient your family uses in special dishes? Does it make you hungry for your favorite food? Tell us about it.

  • Is gardening or farming important for you or your family and community? Have you ever witnessed people coming together around growing something? How do you think caring for plants can cultivate a sense of belonging and connection?

  • The coronavirus pandemic has created record levels of food insecurity worldwide. In the United States, Black and Hispanic families are almost twice as likely to experience food insecurity as white families. What connections can you make among gardening, food security and racial justice? In what ways can growing food empower people and communities? In what ways might gardening be exclusionary or inaccessible for some?

  • Have you gotten more into gardening or growing during the pandemic? Have other people you know? “Victory gardens,” which people planted during World War I and II to build self-sufficiency in the face of potential food shortages, are making a comeback. Why do you think that is?

About Student Opinion

• Find all our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Tell us about it.
• Learn more about how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘Life on Venus? Astronomers See a Signal in Its Clouds’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Life on Venus? Astronomers See a Signal in Its Clouds’

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 2021.

Featured Article: “Life on Venus? Astronomers See a Signal in Its Clouds” by Shannon Stirone, Kenneth Chang and Dennis Overbye

Astronomers on Monday reported the detection of a chemical in the acidic Venusian clouds — phosphine — which may be a possible sign of life. That has some planetary scientists itching to return to the sun’s second planet, especially those who feel Venus has long been overlooked in favor of Mars and other destinations.

In this lesson, you will learn more about Venus and the startling new discoveries in its atmosphere, and consider whether you believe life exists on other planets. In the Going Further activity, you will write about your favorite depiction of extraterrestrial life in popular culture and then design and draw your own original being.

Do you think extraterrestrial life exists? Why or why not?

When you consider life on other planets, what do you imagine?

Do you think of little green men?

Strange and scary creatures?

Super intelligent beings?

A thing with big cute eyes, wrinkled skin and a long glowing finger, as in the movie “E.T. the Extraterrestrial”?

Take several minutes to describe, in writing, what you think extraterrestrial life might look like. Feel free to draw upon fictional portrayals you have seen or read about in movies, TV, comic books or elsewhere.

Be sure to use vivid or descriptive language to capture this alien life form.

Afterward, share your writing with a partner or the class: What similarities and differences do you notice in your depictions?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What are three facts about Venus you learned from the article? Why have scientists overlooked the planet in the search for extraterrestrial life?

2. What is phosphine? Explain it in your own words.

3. Why do some astronomers believe phosphine in the clouds of Venus might indicate the presence of life? Why are others skeptical of this claim?

4. Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at North Carolina State University, said:

If this planet is active and is producing phosphine, and there is something that’s making it in the Venus atmosphere, then by God almighty, forget this Mars nonsense. We need a lander, an orbiter, we need a program.

Do you agree? Should astronomers shift their priority to Venus? What challenges do scientists face in exploring Venus? Why have robot missions to the planet failed?

5. What is your reaction to the new discoveries? In your opinion, how significant are they? If there is life on other planets (or their moons), what difference does it make to us?

6. How fascinated are you in the possibility of life on other planets? Does the article convince you that extraterrestrial life exists? Why or why not?

Choose one or more of the following activities.

Option 1: What is your favorite depiction of extraterrestrial life?

There have been many memorable depictions of extraterrestrial life-forms throughout history — such as in films, comic books and television shows like “Star Wars,” “Men in Black” and “Silver Surfer.” Tell us which is your favorite and why.

How does this depiction compare with the signs of what might be life that scientists have discovered on Venus?

Option 2: Conduct further research on possibilities of life in the universe.

Want to find out more about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life? You might start by looking at the Times Planets topic page or by researching one of the planets or moons discussed in the article: Mercury, Mars, Europa and Enceladus.

Beyond The Times, you might also look at these resources:

Life Beyond Earth | Science News

SETI & the Search for Extraterrestrial Life | Space.com

Is Earth’s Life Unique in the Universe? | Scientific American

What new things did you learn about the possibility of life on other planets or other celestial bodies? What evidence best supports the existence of life? Based on your research, how likely do you think it is that there is life in the universe outside of Earth?

Synthesize your findings in a one-pager and share with your class. Or if you are inspired, organize a class debate on the question of whether life on another planet exists.

Option 3: Draw an original picture of extraterrestrial life.

Return to your descriptive writing from the warm-up activity. Does the article (or your additional research) change how you imagine life on another planet?

Now, draw, label and caption your idea of what life on Venus or any other planet in the universe might be like.

Your being can be fantastical or realistic, friendly or warlike, intelligent or a tiny microbe. Keep in mind, though, that life-forms on other planets might exist in very different conditions than they do on Earth, so your creation will need to be well-suited to the environment in which it lives. For example, the article says, “Hot enough to melt metal and with clouds full of acid, any life that could survive in the atmosphere of Venus would have to be capable of enduring extremes.”

Afterward, share your drawings with your class.

About Lesson of the Day

• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

The iPhone

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The iPhone

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 2021.

This under-two-minute video from 2017 traces a quick history of the first ten years of the iPhone and lists all the things it “helped destroy.”

What’s your relationship with this device, whether you’ve ever owned one or not?

Use the comments to tell us about a memory or experience from your own life that the iPhone inspires — or use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem starring the device.

About Picture Prompts

• Find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
• Have an idea for a Picture Prompt? Tell us about it.
• Teachers, discover more ways to teach with our Picture Prompts and learn how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

What Does TikTok Mean to You?

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What Does TikTok Mean to You?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until September 2021.

TikTok is used by nearly 100 million Americans for everything from education about climate change and the Black Lives Matter movement to dance videos and comedic skits. The app has been downloaded more than two billion times. Do you use TikTok? What role does it play in your life?

Despite the video sharing app’s popularity, or because of it, President Trump threatened this summer to ban it in the United States. In August, citing national security concerns, he issued a series of executive orders that required ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, to sell its American assets.

TikTok content creators have been responding and reacting to the threatened ban and eventual sale of TikTok.

Students, watch this four-minute Op-Ed video, then tell us:

  • How do you use TikTok? Do you mostly use the app to watch trending videos, or do you also post your own content on it? Do you like to watch the videos to learn new dances or laugh at pranks? Or are you interested in political activism or getting advice?

  • Spend three minutes scrolling through your TikTok feed and then categorize the videos you see as dance, education, humor, activism, conspiracy, pranks, fitness, fashion, pets, sports or advice. In general, how would you characterize the kind of content that the app shows you? Do you think it accurately reflects your interests?

  • What do you think is important, useful or good about TikTok? What concerns do you have about the app? Do you think that TikTok does more harm than good? Or do you think it is an important platform for self-expression, creativity and activism?

  • In August, Mr. Trump argued that, “The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.” Although there is no evidence that TikTok has shared data with the Chinese government, do you think this is something that the United States should be concerned about? Why or why not?

  • What kind of role, if any, do you think the government should have in managing apps and online technology? Do you think it is important for the government to control what everyday people have access to on the internet? Or do you think that infringes upon individual freedom?

  • Are you concerned about the kind of data and information that apps have about you? In the video, Rey Jarrell, a TikTok creator, said: “We should keep a close eye on the company. But we should also be keeping an eye on all tech companies, including American ones. Forcing a sale of this one app doesn’t solve our overall privacy problems.” What do you think? Should we be concerned about how other social media apps — like Twitter, Instagram or Facebook — use our data? Why or why not?

About Student Opinion

• Find all our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Tell us about it.
• Learn more about how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Lesson of the Day: ‘When You Love, and Loathe, Watching the N.F.L.’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘When You Love, and Loathe, Watching the N.F.L.’

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until September 2021.

Featured Article: “When You Love, and Loathe, Watching the N.F.L.” by Kurt Streeter

The N.F.L.’s new season began on Sept. 10. But this sports year is unlike any other. Kurt Streeter, a Sports of the Times columnist, contemplates the return of professional football to a nation living on a raw and perilous edge and asks: Is this the distraction we really need?

In this lesson, you will examine the role of sports in society, explore the challenges facing the N.F.L. and other sports leagues this year, and consider whether fans should continue to watch games during a national crisis. In the Going Further activity, you will imagine what you would do if you were the N.F.L. commissioner and how you would lead a professional sport during these tumultuous times.

Before reading, write and share your views on the following five statements.

For each statement, state whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree. Then discuss with your classmates or explore in writing why you think the way you do.

(Note to teachers: Ideally, you might do this as a Four Corners activity, but in a time of social distancing and remote learning, you might simply ask students to stand after you read a statement and each of the four response options.)

  • I am an avid sports fan.

  • Sports are essential during a time of national crisis to provide comfort and to restore a sense of normalcy.

  • Professional athletes should stick to playing their sport and not express their views on political or controversial issues.

  • Sports is just a game — and should not be played a during time of pandemic and protests.

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. The article begins, “It was the return of a lost love.” Why do you think the author chose to describe the start of a sports season this way? How does Kurt Streeter, the author, explain the deep connections between fans and sports — especially at this time? Do any of his descriptions resonate with your own experiences?

2. Yet Mr. Streeter also writes, “The return of a lost love comes with risk.” In your own words, explain these risks and why he “loved watching the games, but I loathed it, too.”

3. What are some of the challenges the N.F.L. faces, according to the author? Which do you find most significant? Why does the coronavirus pandemic put players in football at greater risk than those in other sports?

4. Mr. Streeter provides many rhetorical questions, including:

Is the return of our most popular sport sending a false alert that we have almost conquered the virus?

Will the deep desire for normalcy, heralded by the return of the N.F.L., add to our lack of focus, our fog of denial — and the difficulty we are having in our efforts to tame not only the virus, but racism?

Did the league’s sudden, large-scale embrace of Black Lives Matter have the gloss of a put-on?

Is the N.F.L. joining in the message? We’re back. We can do this. The normal days of old are just around the bend.

Choose one to answer. What would you say to Mr. Streeter, if the two of you could have a conversation?

5. What was the role of sports during previous national crises — like the Spanish flu epidemic and World War II, according to the article? How can we apply the lessons from those experiences today?

6. The column is not written in the language of a typical sports article — it is movingly personal, often poetic and deeply philosophical. What lines were most surprising, memorable or thought-provoking and why?

7. The article ends:

The N.F.L. is back, but should we still love it?

How would you answer Mr. Streeter’s final query? Does reading the article change any of your views from the warm-up activity? If so, why? Are you more or less likely to watch the N.F.L. or other professional sports now?

1. Share your thoughts.

Answer some or all of the following prompts.

  • What is it like to be a sports fan in 2020? How hard was it to go without professional sports during the lockdown? What did you do instead? What has the return of sports meant to you? Now that they are back, are you as avid a fan as before?

  • Mr. Streeter describes the challenges in returning to something you love during this time of pandemic and protests. Are there other things in your life you find hard to return to? If yes, tell us why.

  • What is your opinion on some of the recent political stances taken by professional athletes — such as N.B.A. players wearing messages of social justice on their jerseys or the boycott of games by sports teams following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.? Do you think athletes are too political these days? Or not political enough?

  • If you were the commissioner of the N.F.L., or of any other pro sports, how would you address the issues and concerns raised in this article? Would you have canceled the season? How would you have responded to protests for racial justice? The pandemic? What protocols would you put in place to ensure player safety? To provide fans with better, more meaningful experiences?

  • What are your predictions for the season? Do you think the N.F.L. can get through the season without a major stoppage? Who do you think will be the Super Bowl champs?

2. Conduct further research.

A) Learn more about an athlete, past or present, who took a political stand.

To find an athlete to explore, you might start with the Times Sports Topics page, or these Times articles:

Or you might research past sports icons like Muhammad Ali and his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War or learn why John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists in a Black Power salute during a medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics.

Perhaps you would be more interested in recent examples, like quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice; Megan Rapinoe and her teammates fighting for equal pay for the United States women’s national soccer team; the W.N.B.A. superstar Maya Moore leaving her sport so that she could try to help free a man she believed was unjustly convicted; or, just this month, the tennis champion Naomi Osaka wearing masks to the court bearing the names of Black people who were victims of violence.

What issues or causes did they fight for? What was the reaction of the sports world and the public to their stance? What lessons from their struggle can we apply today?

OR:

B) Research the role of sports during a moment of national crisis in the past, such as the 1918 influenza pandemic, World War I, World War II or after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

What specific challenges did the sporting world face during the crisis? How did sports help to bring communities and the nation together? How can we apply the lessons from those experiences today?

Synthesize your findings in a one-pager and share with your class.

About Lesson of the Day

• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

Hands

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Hands

What message do you think this illustration is trying to convey? How does it relate to or comment on society or current events? Can you relate to it personally? What is your opinion of its message?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related Opinion essay to see what it is about.

About Picture Prompts

• Find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
• Have an idea for a Picture Prompt? Tell us about it.
• Teachers, discover more ways to teach with our Picture Prompts and learn how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Word + Quiz: gourmand

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Word + Quiz: gourmand

: a person who is excessively devoted to or fond of eating and drinking

_________

The word gourmand has appeared in seven articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 31 in the obituary “Louis Nirenberg, ‘One of the Great Mathematicians,’ Dies at 94” by Kenneth Chang:

Louis Nirenberg, a mathematician who explored the complexities of equations commonly used by physicists and engineers, and who shared the 2015 Abel Prize, a top math award modeled after the Nobels, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 94.

…. Dr. Nirenberg struggled with cancer and other maladies in recent years, but, as a dedicated gourmand, he insisted on continuing to go out to restaurants.

_________

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Sept. 23, 2020

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What’s Going On in This Graph? | Sept. 23, 2020

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 2021.

This graph, showing the times of the 50 fastest U.S. women’s marathoners for 2000 to 2019, appeared elsewhere on NYTimes.com.

By Friday morning, Sept. 25, we will provide the “Reveal” — the graph’s free online link, additional background and questions, shout outs for student headlines, and Stat Nuggets.

After looking closely at the graph above (or at this full-size image), answer these four questions:

  • What do you notice?

  • What do you wonder?

The questions are intended to build on one another, so try to answer them in order.

2. Next, join the conversation online by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box. (Teachers of students younger than 13 are welcome to post their students’ responses.)

3. Below the response box, there is an option for students to click on “Email me when my comment is published.” This sends the link to their response which they can share with their teacher.

4. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button to address that student directly.

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, teachers from our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time.

5. By Friday morning, Sept. 25, we will reveal more information about the graph, including a free link to the article that included this graph, at the bottom of this post. We encourage you to post additional comments based on the article, possibly using statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets.

More?

• See all graphs in this series or a slide show of 60 of our favorite graphs.

• View our archives that link to all past releases, organized by topic, graph type and Stat Nugget.

• Learn more about the “Notice and Wonder” teaching strategy and how and why other teachers are using this feature from our on-demand webinar.

• Sign up for our free weekly Learning Network newsletter so you never miss a graph. Graphs are always released by the Friday before the Wednesday live-moderation to give teachers time to plan ahead.

• Go to the American Statistical Association K-12 website, which includes teacher statistics resources, professional development opportunities, and more.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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