Monthly Archives: October 2009

It’s K-3 NIE Activities

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Here are a few newspaper activities for teachers and students in Grades K-3. The activities are from a curriculum guide called It’s NIE for K-3 written by Ann West, M.S. Ed. and John Guenther, Ed.D. I will feature more activities from this guide periodically on my blog.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?                                                                                       Every newspaper has its own name. Usually, you will find the name of the newspaper printed on the front page in large, bold letters. This name is called a masthead of the flag of the newspaper.  ACTIVITY:  Cut out the flag of your newspaper and paste it on a piece of paper. Use the remaining space on the page to write words that could begin with each letter of your newspaper’s flag.

NEWS IN PICTURES                                                                Photographs in the newspaper are often the first things that attract a reader’s eyes. Photos let us see what is happening in the news and give us a chance to understand feelings and emotions of people in the news. ACTIVITY:  Cut a news photo out of your newspaper and paste the photo on a sheet of paper. Make sure the photo you choose has at least one person. Below the picture, list some of the feelings that the person or persons in the photo must have been feeling at the time the photo was taken.

HEADS UP!                                                                                                         You can find out what is happening in the news just by reading headlines. Headlines label each news story by telling the main idea of the story in few words. Headlines are larger and bolder than the news stories, so they catch your attention.  ACTIVITY: Cut out 10 headline words from your newspaper and arrange them in alphabetical order.

NEWS                                                                                              News stories give us information about what is happening in our city, state and world. News stories tell us the main idea in the first paragraph or lead of the story. ACTIVITY: Cut out a news story that is interesting to you. Then try and answer the following questions, by finding the answers in the news story.

1. WHO is the story about? (Your answer could be a group of people, an organization or one person.)

2. WHAT event or happening does the story tell about?

3. WHERE did this event happen? (Your answer may be a city, a state. a building or an arena.

4. WHEN did the event reported on in the story take place? (Your answer may be a time, a certain day or date, or a reference to a time – yesterday, last week, etc.

5. WHY did the event in the story happen? (Does your story explain what may have caused this to happen?)

Character Ed Newspaper Activities

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These character education activities are from the NIE Institute’s 100 Ways to Use the Newspaper.

Character Education
1. Make a Hall of Fame, Hall of Shame poster of bulletin board. Clip articles and cartoons of people who are exhibiting good character traits. Place these under the Hall of Fame heading. Place examples of people not using good character traits under the Hall of Shame heading.
 

2. Go through The newspaper and make a “survival vocabulary list” of words that a person would need to know to be a good responsible citizen in today’s world.  

3. Read an article in the newspaper about an individual who is honest. What has the honest act? What were the consequences of the act? Would you have made the same decision?
 

4. Make a family crest that shows examples of what is good about yourself and your family. Look through today’s paper and cut out words or pictures that remind you of what you like about your family. Paste them on a sheet of paper.
 

5. Look through the newspaper for an article that shows individuals, groups or nations involved in a conflict. Write down the different sides, and what seems to be the reason or reasons for the conflict. Think of as many different ways as you can that they might resolve this conflict. Write a letter to the editor that explains how the groups or nations can resolve their conflict. Would these groups need courage, kindness, forgiveness, and patience? What other character traits would they need to exhibit to solve their conflict?

Here’s a great resource I found produced by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs.  It is called "Helping Your Child Become a Responsible Citizen."  It has activities for elementary, middle and high school-aged children. 

Click on the following link to download the booklet:   legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/ResponsibleCitizen1.pdf

If you are interested, I have reprinted the introduction from the booklet:  Just as children must be taught to tie their shoes, read and write, solve math problems, and understand science concepts and events in history, so must they be guided in developing the qualities of character that are valued by their families and by the communities in which they live. It is only through guidance and modeling by caring adults that children learn to be honest and thoughtful, to stand up for their principles, to care about others, to act responsibly and to make sound moral choices. This booklet provides information about the values and skills that make up character and good citizenship and what you can do to help your child develop strong character. It suggests activities that you and your school-aged children can do to put those values to work in your daily lives and tips for working with teachers and schools to ensure that you act together to promote the basic values that you want your child to learn and use. Finally, the booklet provides an extensive list of books and other resources with character-related themes that you can read and discuss with your child to encourage character and citizenship development. Be assured that the qualities of character discussed in this booklet are universally recognized by people of many religions and cultures, and the information contained in the booklet can be used by parents from many different backgrounds and with different beliefs.

  

Science Quickie Lessons

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Here are some Science Quickie Lessons from the NIE Institute.

Environment and Technology

1.  Find articles and photos in the newspaper that illustrate aspects of water, air and land pollution that are related to technology that improves our lives. Determine what are
the short and long-term consequences of the pollution described and offer suggests for
preventive or corrective methods to deal with the problem.
 

2. Find examples of energy sources from articles in the newspaper. Classify each as renewable, nonrenewable and or inexhaustible. Write a brief essay describing events that can lead to an energy crisis and give possible solutions.
 

3. Find articles and columns that inform the public about new or proposed health and
safety laws then summarize the laws and write and editorial expressing their view.
 

4. Find articles on new scientific or medical breakthroughs. Discuss how these breakthroughs are likely to affect our lives. How has science changed the lives of people since our nation began, last 50 years, last 10 years?
 

5. Find stories of accidents such as fires, poisoning, drowning, etc. Discuss and/or write about safety rules and other ways that they can prevent accidents.
 

6. Find articles related to different climates around the country and world.  Identify the effect climate has on the way people live.
 

7. Using the daily weather map discuss all the elements that cause weather (highs, lows, temperature, fronts). Also discuss tides, phases of the moon, precipitation, sun rise and set, found on the map.
 

8. Look at the weather map daily and compare the prediction to the actual weather. Prepare a graph comparing the predictions to the actual weather.

Halloween Newspaper Activities

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From KRP’s Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide…

Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, is an ancient celebration that can be traced to the early Catholic Church and “All Saints Day,” an observance in honor of saints. However, in the 5th century B.C., in Celtic Ireland, people began celebrating All Saints Day as the Celtic New Year and developed customs designed to ward off spirits who came back to Earth that day looking for living bodies to possess.
 

Halloween was brought to America in the 1840s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine. Although the belief in spirit possession had waned, many of the customs that had developed over the years were still being observed. One custom — dressing up like ghosts and goblins and “begging” for candy and gifts — remains a popular Halloween tradition today.


 

•Have students search the newspaper for ads with a Halloween theme. Have them cut out pictures and graphics that they think best symbolizes this age-old holiday. They can use their cutouts to make a poster or bulletin board display.
 

•Ask students to talk about Halloween safety. Then ask them to create a newspaper ad to
encourage trick-or-treaters to be careful this year.
 

•Have students search the newspaper for a real or fictitious character to dress up as this year. Ask each to describe in writing or draw the costume he or she would wear.

 

Check out this article on Halloween safety by Ann Bailey in the Saturday, Oct. 24th Herald.  www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/138270/

Here is a fun way to carve a pumpkin without the mess!  carveapumpkin.midwestliving.com/carveapumpkin/

 

And the winners are…

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Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Grand Forks Herald and Fargo Forum NIE booth at the NDEA conference Wednesday and Thursday in GF.  Kerri and I enjoyed visiting with you. 

Congratulations to Matthew Rarick from Drayton and Dawn Onstad from Fargo!  They will each receive a pair of UND Men’s Hockey tickets for Nov. 28 in the Herald suite at the Ralph.

Congratulations also to the NDEA Teacher of the Year, Mary Eldredge-Sandbo who is a biology teacher from Des Lacs-Burlington High School.  Read the story by clicking here www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/138151/  or pick up Friday’s Herald.

 

Using Newspapers for English & Journalism

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These newspaper activities are courtesy of Newspapers in Education from Northwest Arkansas Times & The Benton County Daily Record, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Northwest Arkansas Edition.

Using Newspapers for English & Journalism

1. Stories are often attributed to news services. See how many different services you can find mentioned in the newspaper. Discuss how news services work.
 

2. Some people feel there is not enough good news in the newspaper. Put it to the test. Categorize each article in the newspaper as good news or bad. Which has more? Explain why you think newspapers often print "bad news." Is any news good for some people, bad for others?
 

3. Scan the front page of the paper and see how many phrases of attribution you find in the stories, including such phrases as: he said…reportedly…allegedly…an informed source…it is reported…according to… (underline the phrase as you locate it).
 

4. On the board, write the categories "political news," "social news," "economic news" and "science news."  Find articles from today’s newspaper that fit each category.
 

5. Use today’s news to write a five-minute newscast including major news, weather and sports.
 

6. Turn to the sports section of the newspaper. Clip from the paper all the synonyms you find for "win" or "lose." Paste these onto a sheet of paper.
 

7. Make a chart showing examples of the vocabulary variations that appear in different sections of the newspaper. For instance, the jargon used by the food editor and the sports editor is probably quite different. How?
 

8. Find newspaper examples of paragraphs written in present, past and future tense. Be aware of paragraphs containing clumsy shifts in tense. Clip your examples from the newspaper and paste them onto your paper.
 

9. What is an antonym? Look through the newspaper and find five different sets of antonyms. Clip these words from the newspaper and paste onto your paper.
 

10. Cut out letters of the alphabet from the newspaper headlines to spell both your first and last name. Mount them on paper.
 

11. Using the newspaper, cut out 10 words that have double vowels. Paste these onto your paper. Do the same for 10 words that have blends.
 

12. Use the 5 Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why and how) to analyze a newspaper article. How many of the questions are answered in the lead paragraph (usually the first or second paragraph)?
 

13. A noun is a name, person, place or thing. Find 10 nouns on the front page of the newspaper. Write sentences for each.
 

14. Find the comics section in the index of the newspaper. Turn to the comics and cut out two cartoons. Paste the cartoons on paper and erase the words. Write your own words in the balloons. Have a friend read your cartoon.
 

15. Look through the newspaper and cut out all of the letters of the alphabet. Paste them in alphabetical order.
 

16. Make a list of at least 15 descriptive words you find in advertisements. After compiling your list, write one or two paragraphs describing something. Use as many of your descriptive words as you can.
 

17. Headlines are written to fit the space allotted. Distribute news stories without headlines. Write one-to twoline headlines for these stories, making them no more than 30 characters long. (Spaces count as characters.)
 

18. Locate a newspaper article written in present tense and clip it out of the paper. Underline all verbs and then rewrite the article in past tense.
 

19. Choose two pictures in the newspaper showing emotion. Cut these out and paste onto your paper. Now, describe the pictures using sound, smell, taste and feeling words.
 

20. Pick two stories on the front page of the newspaper. Answer the following questions
about them: 1) When did the story take place? 2) Where did the story take place? 3)
What happened? 4) Who was involved? 5) Why is it newsworthy?
 

See you at NDEA!

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For those of you attending the ND Education Association Conference this week at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, stop by the Herald/Forum Newspapers in Education booth in the vendor area.  Kerri Kava, the NIE coordinator from The Forum and myself will be there to promote newspapers in education.  We’ll have stuff to give away and you can register to win a pair of UND men’s hockey tickets in the Herald suite for Saturday, Nov. 28.

This Sunday in Parade

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Sunday, October 25…

A Day With Madame Secretary
By Leslie H. Gelb
Hillary Clinton brings us along on a typical day in the life of the U.S.
Secretary of State. Observe what it’s like to spend 24 hours with Madame Secretary.

‘Have Faith In Something Big’
By Jeanne Wolf
Both Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry share a rough climb from poverty. They are now joining forces to support "Precious", a powerful film about a severely obese pregnant Harlem teenage mother who tries to overcome impossible odds to find hope and a chance at a new life.

Why Shopping Is Good Again
By Lee Eisenberg
To buy more carefully requires a surer grip on value. Find out how to measure the value that exists in the things we buy, and why they are well worth considering as we head into another tight-budget holiday season.
 

More Math Quickie Lessons

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Here are some more math quickie lessons from the Washington Times.

Areas and Percents: Compute the area of the advertisements on one page of the newspaper.  What percentage of the page is used for advertisements? Do this with several different pages and different section of the newspaper, then figure the average amount of space used for ads.

Conversion to Metric Measure: Find a recipe in the newspaper. Clip and mount on a paper. Convert the English measures to metric units of measure.

Millionaire Spending Spree: Imagine that a millionaire died and left $1 million to you, tax-free. However, (1) you must spend one-half the money within one week’s time; (2) you cannot spend more than half the money during the week on any one item; (3) you cannot buy more than one of any item; (4) you can’t give the money to anyone except for services rendered; (5) your total expenditure for the week must be exactly $500,000; and (6) you must locate all items you will buy in the newspaper. Present your plan for spending the money. Which items cost large amounts of money? How did you make up the difference with small items?

Price Per Square Foot: Identify classified ads in the newspaper that list both price and square footage of three houses for sale. Compute the price per square foot for each house.

Less, Equal or Greater: Identify articles in the newspaper that include numbers representing relationships of less than, equal to or greater than.

Try Using the Trick of the Nines‚ to Help Kids in Math
Is your child having trouble learning the 9 times table? Here’s a trick to help. Multiply any number by 9, and the answer will always add up to 9.

Try it. 2 times 9 equals 18, and 1 plus 8 equals 9. 8 times 9 equals 72, and 7 plus 2 equals 9.

The trick works for very large numbers, as well, like this: 8142 times 9 equals 73,278. 7 plus 3 plus 2 plus 7 plus 8 equals 27˜and 2 plus 7 equals 9.

Give your child a calculator and let her try it for herself.
— Taken from Parents Make the Difference!
 

Writing Ideas

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Here are some writing ideas by Lisa Davison, Chicago Tribune and distributed by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Benton County Daily Record, & Northwest Arkansas Times.

Adaptable Writing Activities for Many Ages                             

These activity ideas are good for individual assignments or writing with a buddy.

1. Write a feature story about a person. (It could be about your parent, brother/sister, writing buddy, etc.) Be sure to include basic facts about the life of the person, as well as interesting information about the person. Look at features in today’s newspaper for ideas about what to include.
 

2. Write a review of a television show, movie or story. A review should include the strengths and weaknesses as well as what you liked/disliked and why. Be descriptive and use examples. Use the reviews in today’s newspaper as models for your writing.
 

3. Write two classified advertisements selling two different items. You might want to sell a car, a baseball glove, a bike, etc. What will the reader want to see in order to buy your item? Keep in mind that these ads are short; every word counts! (Don’t forget to look at the classifieds in today’s newspaper!)
 

4. Write a classified advertisement for a job you want to fill. You must first think of a position (like teacher, lawyer, secretary, waiter, etc.) and what kinds of characteristics would make someone good at the job. Keep in mind that these ads are short; every word counts!
 

5. Write an editorial supporting your favorite sports team or athlete. What makes this person or team worth supporting? What do you think is important in a sports team or athlete?  Look at both the sports section and the editorial/ opinions page for ideas.
 

6. Write an editorial about something at school that you strongly like or dislike. Be sure to explain what the issue or policy is for those who don’t attend your school and follow with your reasons for liking or disliking the current school policy. Look at the editorial/ opinions page, and copy the writing style there.
 

7. Write a news story on some event happening at your school or in your community. Remember a news story should always address Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. You should attempt to give both sides of the story. Do not include your own opinion. Use a front page news story as a guide.
 

8. Create an advertisement that invites people to visit an area attraction. How would you use photographs or drawings in your ad? How would you arrange the words and what would you say to get people to come? Use descriptive words! Look through today’s ads for ideas.
 

9. Create an advertisement encouraging people to watch a specific event on television (i.e. a sporting event, an awards show, etc.). How would you arrange photographs or drawings in your ad? Why would people watch the event? Use descriptive words! You’ll need today’s TV listings to do this assignment.
 

10. Write a news story that tells what is happening in a foreign country. Choose a country in today’s paper and, after reading the articles, write an article that describes the main current event in that foreign country. You might also include why Americans are interested in this story. Always address Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
 

11. Write a weather report using information in today’s newspaper. Include predictions for temperature, rain, snow, etc.
 

12. Write a letter to the editor on an issue in the editorial section of today’s paper. Be sure to agree or disagree with the person writing the editorial, and include a full explanation for your opinion.
 

13. Write a feature story about your favorite subject in school. Use descriptive words, and give examples of what you like/dislike. Use a feature from today’s paper as a prompt.