Tag Archives: education

Cinco de Mayo

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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

ACTIVITIES from the KRP Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide

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.

April Fools’ Day Activities

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Information and activities are from A Plan For All Seasons: Using newspapers in grades 3-8 to make the most of holidays and seasonal events.  Written by Ann West, NIE Consultant and distributed by the NIE Institute.

April Fools’ Day is often celebrated with harmless pranks and foolish happenings.  In real life, many of us feel foolish on occasion about something we may have said or done without thinking.

The pages of the newspaper often contain news of people who have been foolish in some way.  Some people in the news may have not thought before they acted; others may have gotten caught doing something they should not have done, leaving them feeling foolish.

Create an April Fools’ Day Hall of Shame by selecting photos or names of people in the newspaper who have said or done something foolish.  These people may be famous people or they may not be so well known.  You may even want to find comic strip characters who have done or said somthing foolish.

Clip from the newspaper one or two examples of foolish people and mount the names or faces on a sheet of construction paper.  Explain the following items.

1.  WHO the person is

2.  WHAT the person said or did

3.  WHEN this person said or did it

4.  WHY you think this person deserves a place in the Hall of Shame

St. Patrick’s Day Newspaper Activities

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In Ireland and Northern Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday in honor of the patron saint of Ireland. But in the United States, it is primarily a secular, or non-religious, holiday in which people don green attire and lucky shamrocks in celebration of Irish heritage. Parades are also a big part of St. Patrick’s Day in more than 100 U.S. cities.

Here are some activities from KRP’s Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide.

1. The shamrock a plant with three leaflets is a national symbol in Ireland. Find information on the shamrock, then, in the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, collect shamrocks found in newspaper ads.

2. Pretend you are going on a trip to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. First, do research on Ireland to find out what the weather is like and which places you would like to visit. Then pack your bags using items found in the newspaper ads.

St. Patrick’s Day Newspaper Scavenger Hunt 

Find as many of these items as you can in the newspaper:

1. An advertisement for an item that would take a “pot of gold” to buy.

2. A recipe for preparing corned beef and cabbage.

3. A feature story about lucky people or events.

4. A city that might be able to see a rainbow due to their weather.

5. A list of all the different shades of green named in the paper.

6. Four lucky things you wish for, that you could write on each leaf of a four leaf clover.

7. Somewhere hosting a St. Patrick’s Day parade, party or dance.

8. Something Irish.

9. A photo of someone celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

10. A story about someone who is helping others, like St. Patrick helped his fellow Irishmen.

11. Find a classified help wanted listed that would be a good job for a leprechaun.

12. A list of Irish names found in the obituary listings.

13. The name of a sport’s team whose colors are green & white.

14. A comic strip about St. Patrick’s Day.

The Saint Patrick’s Day Newspaper Scavenger Hunnt was provided by Diane Goold, Newspaper In Education Director, St. Joseph News-Press, St. Joseph, MO and Dale Miller (Essex County Newspaper)

Daylight Saving Time

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By Joe Miller, McClatchy Newspapers

After years of trying, it took an act of Congress — literally — to extend daylight-saving time. In March, we set the clocks ahead an hour, and the first Sunday in November we’ll set them back an hour. The change has given us an additional four weeks of evening daylight: three weeks in the spring, one in the fall.

When the United States and most European countries first went to daylight-saving time in World War I, it was to conserve fuel for the war effort. Because this was still a largely agrarian society and folks woke early on farms, the time change was highly unpopular and was repealed shortly after the war ended, in 1919. Only the next global conflict, World War II, could revive it; President Franklin D. Roosevelt brought back “War Time” in 1942.

The rationale for today’s change is basically the same: to save energy by“creating” more end-of-day daylight. This time, though, it’s to conserve fuel in light of dwindling supplies.

WHEN DAYLIGHT-SAVING TIME ENDS   When the sun officially rises at what will seem like 7:15 a.m., it will actually be 6:15 a.m. Likewise, in the afternoon when the sun is setting at what may feel like 6:30 p.m., it will actually be 5:30 p.m.

A GOOD TIME TO BE SAFE  The switch from daylight-saving time is also a good time to make sure your homesmoke alarms are working. So, when you set your clock back, change the batteries in your smoke alarms.

DID YOU KNOW?

-It’s daylight-saving time, not daylight savings time.

-A U.S. Department of Transportation study found that daylight-saving time cuts electricity usage nationwide by about 1 per-cent a day.

-About 70 countries worldwide observe daylight-saving time. The only major industri-alized nations that don’t: Japan, India andChina.

-For a time, beginning in 1965, St. Paul, Minn., observed daylight-saving time while its twin city across the Mississippi River, Minneapolis, did not.

-Before a uniform daylight-saving time was declared in 1966, states and cities could control when they observed the change. One year, Iowans observed 23 different pairs of start and end times. For five weeks each year Boston, New York and Philadelphia were on different times than Washington, D.C.; Cleveland or Baltimore.

-In the United States, lawmakers chose 2 a.m. for the time change because it was the least disruptive time of day. It’s late enough to not greatly affect bars and restaurants, but it’s before early shift workers and churchgoers begin their days.

-Data shows violent crime is down 10percent to 13 percent during daylight-saving time than standard times, according to a study from the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.

-Daylight-saving time is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, PuertoRico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona (except Arizona’s Navajo Nation, which does observe the time change).

-In the European Union, daylight-saving time (or “Summer Time” as it is called) occurs at 1 a.m. on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.

-With daylight-saving time now taking place after Halloween, trick-or-treaters will have extra light for safer traveling.

-Many countries in the tropics and closer to the equator do not observe daylight-saving time because their amount of seasonal sunlight does not vary that much.

A SHORT HISTORY

1784: Ben Franklin floats idea of daylight-saving time during his time in Paris.

1907: London builder William Willett is the first to seriously push the concept in a pamphlet titled “The Waste of Daylight.” His plan: Advance clocks by 20 minutes each Sunday in April, roll them back by 20 minutes each Sunday in September.

1916: To conserve fuel during World War I, Germany and Austria become the first nations to adopt daylight-saving time.

1918: The United States gets daylight time fever. Congress approves the measure on March19; it goes into effect 12 days later, on the 31st.

1919: Still a largely agrarian society of early risers, the United States dumps daylight time shortly after World War I ends.

1942: President Franklin Roosevelt revives “War Time” at the start of World War II.

1945: War ends, so does War Time. The option of keeping daylight time is left open to local jurisdictions. This creates a hodge-podge of time zones; according to the Web site WebExhibits.org, at one point the 35-mile drive between Moundsville, W.Va., and Steubenville,Ohio, required seven time changes.

1966: Congress creates a uniform — more or less — daylight time for the United States. States are given the choice of opting out.

1974: In response to Arab oil embargo and resulting fuel crisis, the daylight-saving time Energy Act is passed, pumping clocks ahead by an hour for a 15-month period running from Jan. 6 to April 27, 1975.

1986: Law is passed to begin daylight-saving time at 2 a.m. the first Sunday of April and end it at 2 a.m. the last Sunday of October.

2005: Energy Policy Act of 2005 extends daylight-saving time by four weeks beginning in 2007.

March 11, 2007: New, extended daylight-saving timegoes into effect at 2 a.m.—

— Sally Dadisman of McClatchy-Tribune contributed to this report.SOURCES: WEBEXHIBITS.ORG/DAYLIGHTSAVING/G.HTML; THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION,WWW.ENERGY.CA.GOV/DAYLIGHTSAVING.HTML;THE POST (ATHENS, OHIO)

March is Women’s History Month

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Information and activities are from KRP’s The Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide.”

March is National Women’s History Month

Schools and communities have been celebrating March as Women’s History Month since 1987. As you plan your classroom celebration, consider creating a bulletin board display of women in history or publishing a Women’s History Month newsletter. You could also stage a play about a milestone in women’s history or sponsor a school debate to discuss women’s issues.In addition, you can use the newspaper to demonstrate the effect that women have on society today, as well as illustrate the contributions women have made in the past.

Consider the following activities:

1. Encourage students to keep a scrapbook of newspaper stories about women who achieve success or make a difference in people’s lives.

2. Tell students about Deborah Samson, a young woman who in 1782 disguised herself as a man to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Revolutionary War. Samson could have faced execution for lying to the army, but she served fearlessly. Now, have students find a story about a woman who exhibited bravery and courage in the line of duty, a military officer, policewoman, firefighter, etc. Allow them to share their stories and discuss whether a woman would have been allowed to do such a job 20, 50, or 100 years ago.

3. Talk about women in government and the many ways they serve as governors, senators, cabinet secretaries, and in other positions once held only by men. Compare the number of female political figures featured in the newspaper to the number of male political figures. Ask them to discuss their conclusions.

WOMEN’S HISTORY GUIDE  This guide from the NIE Institute provides biographies of 45 historic women celebrating their accomplishments. A newspaper lesson activity is provided with each bio related to the woman’s area of achievement.

To download click on the following link: legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/WomensHistoryGuide[1].pdf

Presidents’ Day Activities

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Information and activities are from KRP’s The Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide and News Relief’s A Plan for All Seasons both from the NIE Institute.


Presidents’ Day is a federal holiday and is observed on the 3rd Monday in the month of February.

Presidents’ Day officially observes the birthdays of two famous American leaders: George Washington (Feb. 22) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12). However, many Americans take this day to honor all those who have served the United States as president.

The office of the U.S. president is the most powerful elective office in the world, partly because he is the leader of the world’s richest, most productive nation but also because he wears many hats. He serves as chief executive, commander-in-chief, chief diplomat, chief lawmaker, and chief of state. Find out more about each of these roles. Then write a Help Wanted ad for president of the United States. Check the classified section of the newspaper for examples of Help Wanted ads.

Newspaper ads often use a holiday or seasonal theme to sell products or services. Businesses often want to attract attention to those people who have some time off from work and might be deciding how to spend extra time and/or money.

Skim through the pages of the newspaper to find examples of ads that refer to Presidents’ Day, Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. Some ads may only use symbols or pictures that refer to this holiday. You may find other ads that use words or phrases to refer to the holiday. Other ads may use a combination of both.

Select two ads from the newspaper that refer to Presidents’ Day. One ad should be an example of what you think is an effective ad. The other ad should be one that you think is not so effective.  Answer the following questions about each.

THE EFFECTIVE AD 

1. What is the ad trying to sell?

2. What type of symbols or words are used to make a connection between the product/service and Presidents’ Day?

3. Explain why you think this ad is effective.

THE INEFFECTIVE AD

1. What is the ad trying to sell?

2. What type of symbols or words are used to make a connection between the product/service and Presidents’ Day?

3. Explain why you think this ad is not as effective as the first ad you selected.

Valentine’s Day

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Valentine’s Day is a cultural/religious holiday and is observed on February 14.

Valentine’s Day, one of the most widely observed unofficial holidays, is a day in which people exchange gifts and cards to express their affection for one another. There are several beliefs about how Valentine’s Day got started. Some people trace it to an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia. Others believe the day was set aside to honor one or more saints of the early Christian church. Still others believe it originated from the old. English belief that birds choose their mates on Feb.14. Most likely, it was a combination of all three beliefs.

Many customs are associated with Valentine’s Day, some that go as far back as the 1400s. Today, students throughout the country celebrate Valentine’s Day with parties and the exchanging of greeting cards called valentines. It’s also a day for couples to express their love to each other with gifts of flowers and candy.

Valentine’s Day is one of the most commercialized holidays in the United States today. To illustrate this, search the newspaper for ads with a Valentine’s Day theme. Make a list of items advertised, then talk about the businesses that benefit most from this special day.

Find a newspaper ad featuring Cupid, a symbol of Valentine’s Day. Cupid was the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Conduct further research on Cupid. Conclude the activity by writing a mock newspaper story about Cupid making an appearance in your town this Valentine’s Day.

St. Valentines Day Scavenger Hunt – see how many of the items listed below you can find in your newspaper.

1. Find something in the newspaper in the shape of a heart.

2. Find an activity in the newspaper that you would just “love” to do if you had the time & money.

3. Find something in the newspaper that could be classified as “out of this world”.

4. Find an unusual gift in the newspaper that you could give to someone to express “I Love You!”.

5. Find 5 items that come in pairs.

6. Find an example of something that would improve your “heartiness” or condition of being physically and mentally fit.

7. Find someone in the news who has “heart” or the quality of mind that would enable them to face danger or hardship resolutely.

8. Find someone in the news who is suffering from “heartache” caused by loss or despair. How could they be helped?

9. Find an article with “heartening” news that would inspire confidence or hope in the future.

10. Find an example of foods that would make a “hearty” or “heart healthy” meal.

11. Find an example of someone who was “heartless” or totally lacking in compassion or caring for his or her fellow man/woman.

12. Find an item in the newspaper that you would like to buy that would be a “sweetheart of a deal”.

Scavenger hunt was created by Audrey Eoff, NIE Coordinator, The Monitor, McAllen, TX.

Mardi Gras Activities

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Information and activities are from KRP’s The Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide and News Relief’s A Plan for All Seasons both from the NIE Institute.

Mardi Gras is a colorful celebration that takes place on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and penitence in many Christian communities. In the United States, especially in New Orleans and other Southern cities, Mardi Gras has become a popular two-week festival of balls, parties, and parades leading up to Lent.

Mardi Gras means fat Tuesday in French. Do you know any other words that have French origins. Look through the newspaper for words you think might be French in origin. Look up the words in a dictionary or word origin book.

The custom of celebrating Mardi Gras was brought to the United States by French colonists. What other groups of people brought their holiday customs to this country, such as the Germans (Groundhog Day) and the Irish (St. Patrick’s Day)? Think of a holiday custom you and your family cherish. Then write an editorial that might persuade others to adopt that custom for their families. Check the editorial pages of the newspaper for examples of how editorials are written.

The newspaper serves as an excellent guide to entertainment in the local area.  Wherever you may travel, the local newspaper will usually contain the latest information on places to go and things to do.

Use your local newspaper as a guide to local attractions. Look for ads, news stories and pictures that refer to some of the things in your city that provide recreation.

See how many attractions and special events you can find in the newspaper. Then categorize them in the groups listed.

PLACES TO EAT

HISTORIC PLACES TO SEE

SPECIAL EVENTS

GREAT PLACES FOR RELAXATION

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT

Ground Hog Day

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Information and activities are from KRP’s Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide and Understanding Weather from the NIE Institute.

Does the groundhog seeing his shadow on Groundhog Day really mean anything? Legend has it that if he sees his shadow when he awakens from his winter sleep, six more weeks of winter will follow. But if it’s cloudy and the groundhog does not see his shadow, spring will arrive soon.

There is a grain of truth to the beliefs associated with the American tradition of Groundhog Day. Most of the time, mild, sunny weather in January and February will be followed by wintry weather in March. After bad weather in January and February, spring often comes early.

Although most people don’t take Groundhog Day seriously, the custom of predicting the arrival of spring on this day is based on a few traditional weather signs. For example, people have looked to the awakening of hibernating animals as one of the first signs of spring.

Here are some activities you can do with the newspaper.

Create a comic strip about Punxsutawney Phil (the famous groundhog) or other characters from weather folklore. Check the Herald comic strips to see how comic strips are written and drawn.

Make a prediction about the weather based on an aspect of weather folklore. Write your prediction in the style of a newspaper weather report.

Clip newspaper ads for businesses that are affected by weather. Based on the extended forecast in your newspaper, what kind of sales can these businesses expect in the coming days?

To learn more fun facts about groundhogs check out www.groundhog.org the official website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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Information and activities are from KRP’s The Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide from the NIE Institute.

Since 1986, the United States has observed the birth of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. as a legal public holiday. It is always celebrated on the third Monday in January. This day is set aside each year to honor King, the powerful black minister from Atlanta who was the main force behind the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He was also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (1964) for leading non-violent civil rights demonstrations.

Despite his belief in peaceful demonstrations, King himself was often the target of violence. It ended King’s life at the age of 39, when an assassin shot and killed him while he supported a strike by black garbage workers in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968.


1. Even though slavery was officially abolished in 1865, Martin Luther King Jr. talked often about his desire for freedom for African-Americans. Ask students to discuss what they think King meant by freedom. Then have them cut out words and pictures from the newspaper that illustrate freedom to use on a poster.

2. Martin Luther King Jr. was a hero to many people both when he was alive and after his death. Have students look through the newspaper for a present-day hero. Then have them make a list of the character traits that make that person a positive influence. Conclude by having them find a person featured in the newspaper who would not be a good role model. Allow them to discuss their thoughts.

3. Civil rights, such as the right to free speech, are the freedoms a person has because he or she is a member of a civilized society. Ask students to imagine what it would be like to lose their civil rights. What freedoms would they have to give up? Now, ask students to look through the newspaper for a story about someone who is denied his or her civil rights. Have them discuss their thoughts in small groups.

4. Provide students copies of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” along with examples of news stories and editorials from the newspaper (see the link below for the speech.) Ask each to assume the role of reporter and pretend they were present when King gave the speech. Conclude the activity by having them write either a newspaper story about the speech or an editorial expressing opinions about what was said.

Click on the following read or download Martin Luther King Jr.’s  “I Have a Dream Speech.” http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/I%20HAVE%20A%20DREAM%20PRINTABLE.pdf

One more resource:  http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/martin-luther-king-jr-and-power-nonviolence#sect-activities