Tuesday, May 15, 2012, the graphic design/advanced art students in grades 9-12 from Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School visited the Grand Forks Herald downtown office. The students learned how graphic design is used in the newspaper business. The students and their teacher Trista Lund also planned on visiting the ND Museum of Art.
May 19 is Armed Forces Day. What is it and how did it originate?
President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.
On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department the Department of Defense. This year Armed Forces Day is May 19, 2012.
Information is from http://www.defense.gov/afd/
ACTIVITIES
Here are some activities you can use with the newspaper from the NIE Institute.
1. Look through the newspaper for mentions of either active military officials or veterans of war. Why are they mentioned? Create a bulletin board or scrapbook with related articles and photographs. You may want to use an entire week’s worth of papers.
2. Do a newspaper scavenger hunt for at least 15 words that could refer to Armed Forces Day (example: war; holiday; military; etc.). When the 15 words are found, write your own short story using at least 10 of the words you’ve chosen. Give your story a military theme.
3. Many military personnel are on active duty. Find an article that deals with one of our current military operations. Work with two or three fellow students to write an article in favor of or against our current military action. Schedule a classroom debate to discuss the pros and cons.
4. Invite local military personnel to visit your classroom. Have students write feature stories about the visitors, discussing their lives to share with other students.
Sunday, May 13 is Mother’s Day – a holiday that honors mothers for their love and dedication to their families. Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May each year.
Take the time to interview your mom, grandmother, aunt or other special person. Then write a feature story about her.
Here’s a word search puzzle for you and your Mom to enjoy! Click on the following link to download http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/MOTHERS%20DAY%20WORD%20SEARCH.pdf
Friday, May 4, 2012, the 3rd grade students from Northwood, N.D. visited the Grand Forks Herald production plant. They are pictured here in the mailroom with their teacher Cydnee Strand (L) and two parent chaperones.
“The Avengers” movie hits screens on May 4th. With all of the excitement and talk about the movie and superheroes, here are some character education activities you can use with the newspaper. They are taken from the KRP tab, Making a Difference distributed by the NIE Institute
What does “heroic” mean to you? Do you think of daring acts of bravery? Strong leadership? Triumph over great odds? Outstanding achievements in sports or entertainment? Heroism takes many forms, including these. There are as many ways to be heroic as there are individual lives. Ordinary people in ordinary circumstances perform countless acts of courage and sacrifice in everyday life. You probably know several people that have been heroes in your community or even in your own life.
ACTIVITIES (From the KRP tab, Making a Difference distributed by the NIE Institute.)
1. Write down the 10 qualities you most admire in your personal heroes; then, with your class, decide on a list of the top 10 qualities. How different is the class list from your personal list? As you read the newspaper each day, look for people who have these qualities. Cut out pictures and articles to make a poster with the theme “Heroes.”
2. Design your own superhero! Think about the qualities you find most admirable in your own heroes and create a comic strip character based on those qualities.
3. Watch for articles about heroes in your own community. Cut out all the ones you find and create a classroom bulletin board on “Local Heroes.”
4. Choose a movie you have seen with a heroic character, then write a review. (For examples of movie reviews, refer to your newspaper’s entertainment section.)
5. Which of your personal heroes would you like to make a movie about? Write a brief plot summary and give your movie a name. For extra credit, try filming your story as a short skit or musical video.
6. Imagine that you are in charge of placing an ad for “heroes wanted.” What qualifications will you be looking for? Using your newspaper’s classifieds as a model, write an ad that includes all the character requirements you think are important.
Download and print the activities by clicking on the following link: http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/GFH%20HEROES%20NEWSPAPER%20ACTIVITIES.pdf
Here’s a look at the movie “The Avengers” from McClatchy Tribune. To download this page, click here. Note: if you are going to print this pdf, adjust your print setting to “fit on page”. The page is bigger than 8.5 x 11 (normal print size.)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012, the 5th grade students from Larimore, N.D. visited the Grand Forks Herald production plant. They are pictured here with teacher Diann Rudolf and her student teacher Diana Gove. First I took their picture by our printing press, then they asked if I could also take a picture of them in the ”yellow” room.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012, the 6th grade students from Larimore, N.D. visited the Grand Forks Herald downtown office. They are pictured here with teachers Kathy Sleeper and Brenda Beck.
This same group visited the Grand Forks Herald production plant last May as 5th graders. The kids reminded me of this when I greeted them this morning. At the end of last year’s tour I asked the students where at the production plant they would like to have their picture taken. The unanimous choice was the YELLOW ROOM.
Just what is the YELLOW ROOM? The YELLOW ROOM or the plate room is where the newspaper pages are sent electronically to the plant from our downtown office. The information is transmitted to the plate imagers. The pages are printed onto a light sensitive metal plate which goes onto the printing press. We have the yellow lights because the metal plates are light sensitive.
When the pages are developed onto the metal plates, all words and pictures are transformed into tiny dots. Of course, you would need a magnifying glass to see all of the dots. When the plate is put onto the press, the ink will stick to the dots, then it transfers to a rubber blanket, then on to newsprint. This is called offset printing.
The students are pictured in the “Yellow Room” with teachers Darcy Blegen and substitute teacher Pam Suchor.
Monday, April 30, 2012, the 3rd and 4th grade students from Hatton, N.D. visited the Grand Forks Herald production plant. They are pictured here with Tracy Iverson -3rd grade teacher, Dona Lee Strand – 4th grade teacher and several parent chaperones.
Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico, but it is also widely celebrated by Mexican-Americans in the United States. The holiday, which in Spanish means the “Fifth of May,” commemorates the Battle of Puebla, when Mexican patriots stopped a French invasion. It often is confused with Mexico’s Independence Day, which is Sept. 16.
The Battle of Puebla victory was significant in that the smaller, less well-equipped army toppled the bigger, stronger one.
To honor the day, people throughout Mexico, as well as many cities throughout the United States, celebrate with festivals and fiestas, enjoying traditional Mexican food and special music and dances. People often don clothes of red and green — two of the colors of the Mexican flag (along with white). -McClatchy Newspapers
While most Mexican-Americans celebrate the traditional American holidays, many also continue to observe the major holidays of their homeland, such as Cinco de Mayo. Often, they do so with fiestas. Explain to students that fiesta means festival, a colorful celebration that can include fireworks, dancing, the ringing of bells, parades, and plenty of food and drink. Another Mexican tradition, the pinata, is also usually present. Pinatas, which are commonplace in many American celebrations, are usually made of papier-mache and are shaped like animals. Find a papier-mache “recipe” and old newspapers and help your students make a pinata for Cinco de Mayo. Display their work throughout the school.
Discuss other ways Mexican-Americans have had an influence on American society and your community. Ask students to find and clip newspaper stories and photos that illustrate this influence. They can create a bulletin board display in honor of this important Mexican national holiday.
Mexico is an important American neighbor. Things that happen in Mexico often affect the United States and vice versa. Have students look for a news story about an event or happening in Mexico that will have an impact on the United States. Allow them to discuss their conclusions. Then have them look for a U.S. story that might have an effect on Mexico.
It’s that time of year again for proms, parties and graduations. Here is a guide that may be of interest to parents and teens. It is called, “Have the Time of Your Life: Celebrate Responsibly.” This guide was produced by KRP and distributed by the NIE Institute.
Regardless of the occasion, the temptation to drink is powerful for teens. But it’s also illegal and dangerous if you’re under the age of 21. Learning about the risks of underage drinking and how to resist the temptation may be the only defense you have. That’s what this special guide is all about – helping teens confront the temptation head on and providing the information they need to make the right choices.
Download the guide by clicking below
legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/Have_the_Time_of_Your_LifeR1.pdf
Note: if you are going to print this pdf, make sure to adjust your print setting to “fit on page”. The pdf is bigger than 8.5 x 11 (normal print size.)
