OSSLT Pemberton Poet Laureate Diagnostic

***I'll start the bidding at 91***

 6. What suggests Pemberton will be a good choice for the position of Poet Laureate of Edmonton? Use specific details from the selection to support your answer.


There are three key facts which suggest Pemberton will be a good choice for the position of Poet Laureate. First, his fame as a rapper under the alias "Cadence Weapon," and the popularity suggest he has experience with poetry and "skill with words."

Second, He seems to have a connection to the City of Edmonton, with his first big hit, "Oliver Square," pertaining to an Edmonton mall. This implies he either grew up in the city or has a good connection to it, and would write poems appropriate for celebrating the city's official events.

Finally, as he himself put it, "...maybe [my appointment] will give people an overall different perception. I think that's a positive thing." This would imply that the municipal government of Edmonton seeks to change its own and the city's image, perhaps also seeking to reach out to resident youth. Appointing a young rapper, who is obviously well-known to local young audiences, would be perfect for achieving this goal.


7. Why is Pemberton's appointment newsworthy? Use specific details from the selection to support your answer.


Pemberton's appointment was newsworthy because it was unconventional, as well as unexpected. As Rita put it, "...he's not someone you'd expect for that job." A poet laureate is traditionally a position reserved for "a 74-year old professor who's published 29 books and won the Governor General's Award for poetry," as stated in the selection, not a rapper.


1. Suggest one improvement that could be made to your school building or its grounds. Use specific details to explain why it would be an improvement.


A great improvement that could be made to my school grounds would be the planting of trees. With the exception of the Track and soccer fields, more trees being planted would be beneficial in three ways.

First, it would provide shade in the summer, providing a place to cool off not only for students, but also for our athletes, which could potentially improve their home performances.

Second, they would provide a windbreak against the harsh storms experienced by Goderich during the winter. The gusts can get up to 60km/h, and with blowing snow, the sidewalk adjacent to the school can become potentially dangerous.

Most important of all, the grounds improvement that trees provide would encourage students of our "plugged in," 24/7 screen using student population to actually go outside, breath some oxygen, even get physically active. Classes might go outside to work more often, which has been proven to aid in learning.

Overall, planting a few saplings would be a relatively inexpensive investment that, in a decade or two, would benefit almost all of the student population at GDCI.


So Lobb, I re-did my answers, but is there any other key idea I missed?