Las Vegas Newspapers in Education

Mini Page Archive - August 2009: Issues 31 - 34

What's Up Under the Sea? -- Issue 31 -- Aug. 1-7

This week's standards:

Students understand the interactions of animals and their environments. (Science: Life Science)

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

Activities:

1. Draw a line across the middle of a piece of paper. Paste newspaper words and pictures that show things you would find in the ocean under your line. Above the line, paste words and pictures of things that move on the surface of the water.

2. Find five items in the newspaper that can be harmful to the ocean. Paste or list the items on a piece of paper. Next to each item, write a sentence telling why it is harmful.

3. Find newspaper pictures or words that show the different ways you use water in one day. Paste or list them on a piece of paper. Now interview several friends and family members. Ask them how they use water. How is water used the most?

4. Use local resources and the Internet to research how actions in your community affect the oceans. Identify the types of homeowner, industrial and agricultural wastewater that flow into your community*s drainage system. That drainage system empties into a natural water source, such as a river or stream. Find the names of the water sources near you. Next, find where those waters empty into an ocean. What ocean is it? Finally, find out what your community does to protect the natural water sources. Write a paragraph discussing your research findings.

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

Safety Rules Shuffle -- Issue 32 -- Aug. 8-14, 2009

This week's standard:

Students understand how rules in school are related to principles of responsibility. (Social Studies: Civics)

Activities:

1. Make a collage. Paste newspaper words that describe a good safety patrol on a piece of paper.

2. What rules do you follow every day? What three rules will you work to better follow this year?

3. Choose three comic strip characters who would make good safety patrols. Tell why you chose each one.

4. Which of the safety rules in today's Mini Page tell you to (a) pay attention, (b) be courteous, (c) have good equipment, and (d) listen to others?

5. Pretend you are a school safety patrol. Write a story about your experience on the first day of school.

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

Little League World Series -- Issue 33 -- Aug. 15-21

Play Ball!

This week's standard:

Students understand that physical activity provides opportunities for challenge and social interaction. (Physical Education)

Activities:

1. Draw a baseball on a piece of paper. Paste newspaper baseball words and pictures on your drawing.

2. Look through newspaper ads to find baseball equipment. List the equipment you want. Put the price next to each item. What is your total?

3. In your newspaper's sports section, circle national baseball team names in red, circle school teams in blue, circle Little League teams in green.

4. How does the Little League experience help players develop (a) friendships, (b) knowledge of geography, and (c) good sportsmanship?

5. Pretend your Little League team is going to the World Series. Write a story about your team's adventure.

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

Meet Author Margarita Engle Issue 34 -- Aug. 22-28

This week's standards:

Students comprehend and respond to a variety of images and text. (Language Arts: Reading)

Students identify forms and elements of literature. (Language Arts: Reading)

Activities:

1. Make up a title and design a book cover for a story about a comic strip character.

2. Find two community events in the newspaper that Margarita Engle would enjoy.

3. Show friends this issue of The Mini Page. Ask them to choose a book they'd like to read.

4. Which of the books in today*s Mini Page are about (a) real people, (b) taking care of others, and (c) different countries?

5. Select a picture book you like. What did the illustrator use to make pictures (watercolors, collages, ink drawings)? Why do you think the artist used that type of illustration?

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