Las Vegas Newspapers in Education

Mini Page Archive - May 2007: Issue 19 - 22

Mammal Moms -- Issue 19 -- May 5-11, 2007

This week's standards:

• Students understand the characteristics and life cycles of organisms.

(Science: Life Science)

• Students understand the interactions of animals and their environments.

(Science: Life Science)

Activities:

1. Cut out newspaper words and pictures of items your mom, grandmother or special female caretaker uses to take care of you. Write a sentence about the special lady in your life.

2. Cut out comic strips from the newspaper that show moms, grandmothers or aunts helping children. Paste them on a piece of paper. Then make a list of the different ways the women are helping children.

3. Make a timeline that shows the different amounts of time animal moms take care of their young before their babies can take care of themselves. Begin with "no time" and then list the animals according to the time the mothers stay with their young.

4. Which of the animal moms (a) build some kind of mound to take care of their young,

(b) nurse their young, (c) bring food to their young, and (d) care for their young longer than one year?

5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about one of the animal moms in today*s Mini Page. Use these questions to guide your research: Which animal will you research? How are the young born (live or from an egg)? How does the mother provide food? How long does the mother stay with the young? What does the mother do to make sure the young animal can survive on his/her own? Write a paragraph that describes how the young animal goes from birth to independence.

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

The Ninth and Tenth Amendments -- Issue 20 -- May 12-18, 2007

This week's standards:

• Students understand the purpose of government. (Social Studies: Power, Authority and

Governance)

• Students identify key ideals of the United States* democratic republican form of government.

(Social Studies: Civic Ideals and Practice)

Activities:

1. Get together with several friends and choose three "special" rights you would like to have in school -- for instance, maybe you would like to have ice cream every day for lunch, or recess four times a day. Make a poster that shows those rights.

2. Many different people took care of the original Bill of Rights over the years. Find one person in the newspaper whom you would trust to take care of an important document. Write several sentences telling why you think that person can be trusted.

3. Find different comic strip characters you would put in charge of making special laws for

(a) teenagers, (b) mothers, (c) young children and (d) animals.

4. Find a newspaper story about a state government decision. Paste the story on a piece of paper.

Then write a paragraph discussing the decision and explaining why that decision should be made at the state level instead of the local or national level.

5. Think about how life would be different if a local or state responsibility came under national law. For example, education is regulated by each state. How might schools be different if they were all run by the national government? What about driver*s licenses? What about sales taxes? What about speed limits? Select one area and write about the advantages and disadvantages of having the national government make laws related to that area.

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

Safe in the Sun -- Issue 21 -- May 19-25

This week's standards:

• Students understand changes in the Earth and sky. (Earth and Space Science)

• Students understand that safety and security are basic needs of humans.

Students' understanding includes following safety rules for home and school, avoiding injury, and knowing where to go for help. (Science: Personal Health)

Activities:

1. Draw a picture of people at the beach or on a playground. Now label three things in your picture that could create health problems. Write a sentence about being safe in that outdoor setting.

2. Make a "Safe From the Sun!" poster. Cut out pictures of items that people can use to protect themselves from sunburn. Include a hat, clothing, sunglasses and suntan lotion. Paste the pictures on your poster.

3. Look at the weather page of your newspaper. Circle three locations where there will be high temperatures and a lot of sun. Circle three places where the sun will not be a problem. Put a star by your city. Write a sentence about the sun conditions in your community today.

4. How can people's lives be changed if UV rays (a) harm their immune system, (b) cause them to develop cataracts, and (c) burn their skin?

5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about the condition of the ozone layer today. Use these questions to guide your research: How has the ozone layer changed in the last 20 years, since the use of chlorofluorocarbons has decreased? What other man-made practices affect the ozone layer? What naturally occurring conditions affect the ozone layer? What have been the effects of the changing ozone layer? What is the condition of the ozone layer today? Write a paragraph summarizing your findings.

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

Remembering America's Soldiers -- Issue 22 -- May 26-June 1

This week's standards:

• Students recognize national and state symbols and traditions, such as flags, seals and holidays. (Social Studies: Civics)

• Students understand how government provides for the needs and wants of people and establishes order and security. (Social Studies: Power, Authority and Governance)

Activities:

1. Design a greeting card to send to a soldier thanking him or her for helping our country.

2. Draw a picture of World War I soldiers in a trench, using a large piece of paper. Now find pictures of items in the newspaper that the soldiers could use to make themselves comfortable. Remember, you can't choose anything that uses electricity. Paste your items around the picture of the soldiers.

3. Talk with family members or friends. Think of a new way your community could honor the soldiers who live there. Write several sentences explaining your new memorial idea.

4. Make a list of five words that describe the good qualities of soldiers, such as "brave" or "strong." Now make a list of five words that describe what soldiers do, such as "protect" and "defend." Use your words to create your own poem to remember soldiers.

5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about the performance of one specific branch of the armed forces during World War I. Select the Army, Navy, Marines, or the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps (precursor to the modern Air Force). Use these questions to guide your research: How large was the branch of service during World War I? What major battles was the branch involved in? What was special about its uniforms and equipment? Write a paragraph about your findings.

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