Information and activities are from the KRP NIE tab, "Read Well, Write Well" distributed by the NIE Institute.
Your newspaper of course!
Unfortunately, some people can’t read the newspaper or even the word “STOP” on the big red sign at the end of the road. The inability to read is a problem for millions of people throughout this country.
But even if you think you’ve mastered the skill, think again. Learning to read — and to read well — is a lifelong process that can only be accomplished by, well, reading. Reading books, newspapers, the back of cereal boxes, instructions for a computer game, directions to your friend’s house, and more. Every day!
Besides, it’s fun. Can you imagine what life would be like without being able to read? B-O-R-I-N-G!
Not only that, if we don’t read well, we don’t write well. And almost everyone knows how important it is to be able to write well, whether we’re sending e-mail to friends or doing a book report.
The newspaper activities below are designed to help you improve your reading and writing skills. There are also activities you can do with others to help them with their reading and writing. At the same time, you’ll learn that reading the newspaper is like opening a brand new book every day. What better way is there to improve your basic skills and keep up with the world around you — all at the same time?
ACTIVITIES - Skimming the Surface
The average daily newspaper contains enough information to fill a book! But most newspapers are written and designed to help you read through them quickly and efficiently. One way editors do this is by giving each story a headline. Headlines summarize a story to give you an idea of what it is about. If the headline tells about something you’re interested in, you know you want to read the whole story.
1. Scan your newspaper’s front-page headlines. Make a list below of the subjects covered on the front page today. Put a checkmark by the subjects you are interested in reading
2. Pick one of the stories you are interested in and read it through. Underline the main points of the story, as referred to in the headline.
3. On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite each of the front-page headlines as a complete sentence. Talk about why you think headlines are written the way they are.
