Monthly Archives: May 2011

Get the News!

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What do newspapers and public libraries have in common? They both present a unified approach in support of literacy, specifically in support of summer reading.

Over the summer, I will be posting features from North Carolina Newspapers in Education. N.C. NIE developed the features based on themes chosen by the national Collaborative Summer Library Program (www. cslpreads.org/).

Each feature offers an activity that relies on news and information. Headings for each activity focus on one of the themes: One World, Many Stories or You are Here. The features also direct readers to public libraries to learn more. Thank you to N.C. NIE for sharing!

To download a printable copy, click on the following link: http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/01-Get%20the%20News.pdf

Read together, succeed together

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There are many ways to make reading a part of everyday life. The newspaper is an easy place to start. Each day, it’s filled with information that not only keeps you up to date but entertains and enlightens.

Try these activities with your family:

1. Sit down and look through your newspaper. Make note of the various sections and the types of news and information included in each. (Don’t forget to check the index.) Talk about how a newspaper reader should know what interests him or her and how to find those subjects in the newspaper. Then ask each family member to talk about the things they would like to read about. Compare your thoughts.

2. Have each family member read a story in his favorite section of the newspaper. Then talk about the stories. Take turns sharing your thoughts and listening to each other’s ideas.

3. Make a game out of newspaper reading. Take turns picking an object in a newspaper picture or advertisement. Provide clues about that object, then have the others search through the newspaper until someone solves the mystery. Or send your family on a scavenger hunt. Make up a list of things found in the newspaper, then see who can locate them first. (Example: Find a television show scheduled for 8 p.m.; locate a comic strip about an animal; identify an advertised item under $10; and so on.)

Armed Forces Day 2011

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What is Armed Forces Day? 

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. 

To download a pdf copy of the above graphic click on the following link: http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/ArmedForcesDay2011.pdf

Information is from http://www.defense.gov/afd/

If you get the chance, say thank you to members of the military for their service. I would like to say THANK YOU to my niece, Dani, who is currently serving overseas in the Air Force!

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.

Living Life Online

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Information and activities are from the NIE tab, “Living Life Online” produced by the NIE Institute in cooperation with the Federal Trade Commission.

Parents and teachers often talk about helping you stay safe, online and off. They try to teach you to think critically about what you see and hear, and make sure you have the skills you need to succeed in the 21st century. But the truth is that being a good citizen these days requires the same skills it always has: being honest and respectful of others, and treating other people the way you want to be treated.

YOUR LIFE ONLINE

You text, you play games, you share photos and video. You update your status, you post comments, you may spend some time in a virtual world.

Being connected online is how you live your life. And as you spend more andmore of your time there, it can be easy to over-share, embarrass yourself, mess up your computer, and possibly get messages from creepy people. The truth is that there are some risks involved in socializing, playing, and communicating online.

Whether you connect through a computer or your phone, the best tool you have to help avoid risks online is your brain. When you’re ready to post or send a message or a photo, download a file, game or program, or shop for something, stop for a second.

Think about things like:

Do you know and trust who you’re dealing with or what you’re sharing or downloading?

How will you feel if your information ends up somewhere you didn’t intend?

Asking a few key questions first can help you protect yourself, your friends, and your computer. Keep reading to find out about a few things to stop and think about before you click and connect.

QUESTION:  I posted a really funny picture today of my best friend and me. But she thinks she looks bad, and now she’s mad because it’s there forever. At least, that’s what her mom said. But that’s totally not right, right? I took it down, so it’s down. Who’s right?

ANSWER: Your friend’s mom is right. Even when you take something down from a webpage or a social networking site, it’s possible that someone else has already downloaded it. And there are ways that some people can find out what a particular page used to look like, even if it has been changed. That’s why posting something really is forever. So it’s important to think twice or three times before posting a photo or a comment. Look at it this way: Things you thought were cute or cool back when you were younger don’t seem so cute or cool to you now. Would you want your friends now to see some crazy family vacation picture of you when you were a kid? Probably not. It’s also not a great idea to post pictures of your friends without their OK. They might not be happy about what you post and it could get them in trouble with their parents, their coach, or someone else. Visit http://www.onguardonline.gov/ for more about socializing online.

Mrs. Z

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Congratulations Mrs. Z!

Meet Eileen Zygarlicke, the ND Newspaper Association NIE Teacher of the Year. I nominated Eileen for this award because of her dedication in using the newspaper as a teaching tool. She was presented with the award Friday night at the ND Newspaper Association Banquet held at the Canad Inn in Grand Forks.

Here is an excerpt from Eileen on how she uses the Grand Forks Herald in her classroom at Community High School in Grand Forks. “Writing rules our relationships, our employment, and our lives. Without knowing how to write, people couldn’t email, text, fill out job applications or write love notes to their significant other. However, try telling teens the importance of learning how to write and they’ll roll their eyes and tune you out. But, if you can SHOW them that writing permeates our lives and apply writing to the world around them, you’ll have a chance of capturing their attention and teaching them something.

One of the best sources I’ve found for teaching certain types of writing is the newspaper. In the past students wrote for the Grand Forks Herald Teen Page. I loved it when students did this. They learned to interview people, write tight, and write for a specific audience all while applying writing, a school subject, to the real world. Community students had over 50 articles published in the Teen Page, which speaks to their ability to learn to write for a large audience.

I currently use the paper to teach persuasive writing. Students read through the paper and find an article they feel passionately about either in the mailbag or in the other parts of the paper. They learn how to articulate their ideas while trying to persuade an audience. Not only do they write letters, but they actually send them for publication. Again, my nontraditional students learn the thrill of seeing their words in print as well as see the power the printed word has.

I appreciate getting the paper daily in my classroom. When current events that rock nations occur, such as the uprising in Egypt, I can refer to the paper and discuss the ramifications. Many of my students would never see a paper if there wasn’t one in the classroom. Not only is the paper a tool for them to use in the classroom, but it offers them a snapshot of world events.

Here is a picture of Eileen and me at the banquet. The Grand Forks Herald NIE program was named ND Newspaper Association CO-NIE Newspaper of the Year along with The Forum NIE program. Congratulations to Kerri Kava and her NIE program at the Forum!

The Yellow Room

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Wednesday, May 4th we had visitors from Larimore, N.D.

Diann Rudolf and Darcy Blegen’s 5th grade classes visited the Grand Forks Herald production plant. Mrs. Rudolf was unable to join us. Her sub, Pam Suchor accompanied the students along with the other 5th grade teacher Darcy Blegen.

At the end of the 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” and yes that really is color when the yellow lights are on.

9/11 Timeline

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The NIE Institute is working on a 16-page tab for the September 11 tenth anniversary that will publish in September of this year. The September 11 Timeline, which will be a part of the tab, is now available for you to download by clicking on the following link: http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/911%20Timeline.pdf

Note this is a first draft, but with the death of Osama bin Laden the NIE Institute thought teachers would be interested in the 9/11 Timeline courtesy of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. http://timeline.national911memorial.org/ More information will follow once the tab has been completed.

Also be sure to check out Herald reporter Lisa Gulya’s story in Tuesday’s Herald titled, “Teaching about bin Laden’s death.”  Lisa talked to local history teachers to find out how they are dealing with the subject in their classrooms. http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/202183/

Monday special guests at the Herald

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Monday morning we had some very special guests at the Grand Forks Herald. We had 47 -6th graders from Larimore School, ND Governor Jack Dalrymple and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

The 6th graders, their teachers Kathy Sleeper and Brenda Beck and chaperones Judith Quinn and Annette Mozey, were here for a tour and to learn about newspapers. They participate in the Grand Forks Herald Newspapers in Education Program.  Special features editor, Ann Bailey and myself gave tours to the students.  

Governor Dalrymple and Senator Klobochaur were here to meet with the Herald editorial board. Visit www.grandforksherald.com for more information on their visits.

Governor Dalrymple did stop and say hi to the students as he was passing by in the hall. The students were very excited and impressed to see the Governor.

Al Wilson’s NIE Tips

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AMERICAN HISTORY:

Item #1  Osama bin Laden is dead. September 11, 2001, “May we never forget.” 9/11 will be a part of American history forever.

Item #2  Related to the Civil War, what does your history book say about Jefferson Davis? Does the book tell you he was a West Point graduate, a successful planter, member of the U.S. House and Senate, wounded Mexican war veteran, early advocate of the transcontinental railroad and Secretary of War (1853-1857)?

Item #3  The National Park Service opened a new museum at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 2010, showing Japanese life prior to WW II. Go to www.nps.gov, click on Hawaii, search for Pearl Harbor. You will find much information.

BIOLOGY:  Research and find out what is going on now at Biosphere 2 in Arizona. What is the “Land Evolution Observatory” (LEO) program all about? Locate some information at: www.b2science.org

ECOLOGY:  Do you recycle? Look at this website: earth911.com  (No www used for this website.) They give information at 800-253-2687.

GEOGRAPHY:  At 10 a.m. on May 6, Yves “JetMan” Rossy will jump from a helicopter and jet along the rim of Grand Canyon West near the Skywalk. He will then parachute to the canyon floor to be picked up by another helicopter. Might there be some TV coverage of this feat?

GOVERNMENT:  How big is the national debt? On April 20th, it was $14,314,796,837,035.76. Can your students read that figure? To find the current amount of the debt, go to: tinyurl.com/how-big-is-the-debt

Follow the news reports of six senators honing a plan to tackle the national deficit. Will they put politics aside for the benefit of the country? When we have to borrow $.42 or $.43 for every dollar we spend, we are in big trouble. What will the “Gang of Six” come up with?

HEALTH:  Item #1  On April 25th, the U.N. announced an international health initiative headed by Harvard University to wipe out malaria by 2015. What is the effect of this mosquito-borne disease around the world? How did the U.S. overcome malaria to build the Panama Canal?

Item #2  The deadly infection MSRA killed 15,249 people in 2008. MSRA is: methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Only 10 states have legislation requiring reporting of MSRA to local, state or federal health officials. Is you state one of them? Search for more information on the Mayo Clinic website.

Item #3  For information on food, you might search for the Institute of Food Technologists, or look at their publication FOOD TECHNOLOGY. They offer information like: Barley is good to lower cholesterol. Black raspberries might prevent intestinal tumors. Pistachios reduce inflammations. Pecans contain vitamin E, and may slow motor neuron degeneration. Canned tomato products decrease blood pressure.

MATH: Results of a state lottery report that 14 people won $2,561.00; 868 people won $63,00; and 19,100 people won $3.00. What was the total payout?

METEOROLOGY: The U.S. Weather Bureau reports that on AVERAGE, the United States experiences 39 tornadoes in January, 28 in February, 79 in March, 157 in April and 287 in May. This year, the ACTUAL number experienced is: 10 in January, 67 in February, 115 in March and 874 in April. What will May bring?

PHYSICS: How safe are the 104 nuclear reactors in the U.S. in case of a prolonged power outage that might cause the radioactive core’s cooling system to fail? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission states a plant must be able to operate four hours without power. Of the 104, 87 can operate four hours without power; 14 can cope for eight hours; three can last 16 hours. Plants are built to withstand tornadoes, but what about destruction in the surrounding area–like Alabama?

SCIENCE:  A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that opponents probably can’t stop federal financing of stem cell research as this court overturned a district judge’s order that would have blocked federal funding. What is your position on stem cell research? Where do you draw the line between the promise of science and the sanctity of life?

TECHNOLOGY:  Item #1  For the second year in a row, the United States finished fifth in a comparison of the use of technology in 138 countries. The U.S. was behind Sweden, Singapore, Finland and Switzerland.

Item #2  How much is your privacy protected online? Sony reported that credit card data of 77 million user accounts of PlayStation have been hacked. Payment processor Heartland was hacked for 130 million card numbers; T.J. Maxx lost 100 million; and 4.2 million from the Eastern grocery chain Hannaford Bros. Remember this when using the Internet. If you can get out, somebody can get in!!!

VOCABULARY:  impunity, tortuous, affable, repugnant, quixotic, innocuous, insidious, castigate, emphatic, manumit, vindictive, contemptuous, harbinger, compunction, detritus, writhe, demur, anomaly, crescendo, churl, emulate, atrocious, unsavory, acumen, assuage, juggernaut

Who is Al Wilson? He is a retired educator and now serves as an NIE consultant promoting PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY, FASTCAR GEOGRAPHY and MARCH MANIA with newspapers, teachers and parents around the United States. He also provides current events activities to Newspapers in Education programs. Al has 47 years of Newspaper in Education experience. He served as an elementary school principal for 20 years. 11 of those years included the use of the newspaper as an instructional tool on a daily basis by every student from kindergarten to sixth grade. He was also a sixth grade teacher for 14 years with the newspaper serving as the basic text, with the textbooks used only to supplement his newspaper instruction. The results of a comparative study he did on teaching solely from the newspaper were published at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in GRASSROOTS EDITOR. The results showed NIE to be a very positive influence in education. For more information visit: http://pigskingeography.com