Las Vegas Newspapers in Education

Mini Page Archive - March 2009: Issues 9 - 12

Plug Into the Newspaper -- Issue 9 -- Feb. 28-March 6

This week's standards:

Students read and understand a variety of texts. (Language Arts: Reading)

Students use the structure of text to construct meaning. (Language Arts: Reading)

Activities:

1. Create a "Newspapers and Me" poster. Write your name in the middle of a piece of paper. Paste newspaper words and pictures on your poster that tell about the newspaper and also tell about you.

2. Make a list of five family members and friends. Next to each name, paste the headline of a newspaper story or a comic strip you think that person would like. Write a sentence explaining your choices.

3. You'll find lots of great words in newspaper headlines. With a friend, go through the newspaper. Circle good adjectives with a red marker; circle strong verbs with a blue marker. Create some of your own headlines using the words you've circled.

4. Look at a large display ad for something you'd like to buy. Identify these four ad elements: (a) what gets your attention for the ad, (b) what words give you details about the item, (c) what descriptive words make the item sound good, and (d) what words encourage you to buy the item now?

5. Select your favorite section in the newspaper. What would you need to know in order to be a reporter for that section? What kind of information would you gather? Write a paragraph describing your life as a reporter for that section. Tell about an important story you covered and wrote.

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

The Iditarod -- Issue 10 -- March 7-13

This week's standards:

Students understand how historic events, people, places and situations contribute to our understanding of the past. (Social Studies: Time, Continuity and Change)
Students understand the interaction of human beings and their physical environment. (Social Studies: People, Places and Environments)

Activities:

1. Draw a picture of a sled dog on a piece of paper. Now find newspaper words that describe a good sled dog and paste them around your picture.

2. Go through the newspaper and use a red marker to circle three different ways you can get information to a friend today; use a blue marker to circle three different ways you could get food or toys to a friend.

3. Plan a party for the Iditarod sled dogs. Look in newspaper ads for five things you would have at the party. Paste them or list them on a piece of paper. Write the cost of the items next to their names. Why did you select each item? How much will your party cost?

4. Find someone in the newspaper who could help you prepare physically to take part in the Iditarod. Find someone who could help you prepare mentally or emotionally. Paste the name or photo of each person on a piece of paper. Next to their names, explain why you selected them.

5. Write an Iditarod journal. Identify four different challenges an Iditarod dogsled team might face during the race. Tell about your adventures in a personal journal. Share your story with friends.

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

Looking for a Leprechaun -- Issue 11 -- March 14-20

This week's standard:

Students understand ways in which language, stories, folktales, music and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture. (Social Studies: Culture)

Activities:

1. Create an Irish flag from photos in the newspaper. Divide a piece of paper into three sections. Paste green parts from photos in the first section of the flag. Paste orange parts of photos in the third section of the flag. Do not paste anything in the center white section.

2. Create a "Just Like Leprechauns" poster. Draw a large shamrock on a piece of paper. In one of the leaves of the shamrock, paste newspaper pictures and words about music. In the second leaf, paste newspaper pictures and words about unusual clothing. In the third leaf, put pictures and words about playing tricks.

3. Interview several family members and friends. Ask them to tell you what they know about leprechauns * what they look like and what they do. Collect their answers. How many of the answers are also in today*s Mini Page? What information about leprechauns did people miss most often?

4. What evidence is there that leprechauns (a) sometimes like people, (b) sometimes trick people, (c) enjoy music, and (d) have special skills?

5. Create a special newspaper feature about leprechauns. Write a news story about a leprechaun interacting with a human, or a feature story about leprechaun fashion, or a comic strip about a leprechaun adventure. Have friends write stories, too. Put them together in your own newspaper.

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

The League of Women Voters -- Issue 12 -- March 21-27, 2009

This week's standards:

Students recognize and interpret how the "common good" can be strengthened though various forms of citizen action. (Social Studies: Civic Ideals and Practices)

Students understand the ideas, principles and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.(Social Studies: Civics)

Activities:

1. Interview several friends and family members about why they think it is important to vote. Then make a poster with the word "Vote!" at the top. List the reasons your family members and friends gave on the poster.

2. Look through the newspaper for names of elected women leaders and women who support national or community causes. Write the names of the women on a piece of paper. Next to their names, write the reason they are in the newspaper.

3. Look through the newspaper for stories about health care, education and the environment. Circle the headlines of the stories and underline the most important information in each article.

4. Voters must pay attention to political leaders. Find newspaper stories about the president, a state official and a local official. Paste the stories on paper. Under each story, write a sentence explaining why voters should know about the story.

5. Find newspaper stories about five topics you think are important to citizens. Paste the headlines for the story on a piece of paper. Then pretend these topics are part of presidential debates. Write a debate question for each of the stories.

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)