Tag Archives: k12

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.

Spring Holidays

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From KRP’s The Ultimate Holiday Activity Guide. Here are some holidays that are observed in March and sometimes in April.

The Christian observances of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, and the Jewish Passover are important religious holidays that fall in March or April. The Eastern Orthodox Easter, called Pascha, also falls into this time period.

Spring holy days provide many opportunities for you to discuss such concepts as tolerance and respect for each other’s beliefs. Begin a discussion of tolerance by explaining to students that tolerance means to put up with practices and beliefs that are different from your own. Then ask them to find five items in the newspaper: stories, photos and comics that are examples of tolerance or intolerance. Conclude by asking them to describe the effects of the acts of tolerance or intolerance in each example.

Instruct students to find a newspaper photo that shows diversity among a group of people. Ask: What differences do you see between the people pictured? Have students discuss the level of tolerance or intolerance portrayed in the photo.

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)

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

Santa Village Word Search

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The Herald is the presenting sponsor this year for Santa Village in Grand Forks. Santa Village is full of games, books, music, hot cocoa, cookies and more than 40 themed Christmas trees for the public to enjoy.  In celebration of this sponsorship, I created a Santa Village word search for you to enjoy.

Santa Village is a project of the Grand Forks Park District. It will open Dec. 13 to 16 and Dec. 20 to 23 in the Lincoln Golf Course Clubhouse in Grand Forks. Admission is free for all ages with a freewill donation of cash, a canned good item for the local food-shelf or a toy for the “Toys for Tots” program. Hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. The rest of the week, the village is open by appointment.

To download the word search puzzle, click on the following link:  http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/Santa%20Village%20word%20search.pdf

Thanksgiving Day Paper – WOW!

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Thanksgiving Day newspapers are usually the largest of the year.  Why, because advertisers want to have their flyers inserted into the newspaper for “Black Friday” sales. 

Here are a few fun facts about this year’s Grand Forks Herald Thanksgiving Day issue:

1.  It will contain 668 pages of inserts alone. This does not include the regular 4 sections of the paper or the 4 jackets that were printed to hold all of the inserts.

2.  It will weigh 3 lbs 15 oz, a regular Thursday paper weighs about 3.5 oz.  If you have carrier delivery, be thankful.  You may want to give them a little extra time to get that big bundle delivered to  you.

3. We will sell around 9-10,000 Thursday papers in area stores. Normally on a Thursday we sell around 2,500.

4.  It will take an approx. 250 extra hours to get this paper out the door between the production and distribution. 

5. Number of vans needed to haul the papers to out-of-town carriers and stores: 16 (normally there are 9).

6.  Local hotels have purchased just over 2,000 papers to give to their shopping customers.

7.  Parts of the paper began printing: Nov. 11.

When you are finished going through your stuffed Grand Forks Herald, check out this guide featuring a 100 ways to use your newspaper from the NIE Institute.

Download the 8-page guide by clicking on the following link:  http://legacy.grandforksherald.com/pdfs/100WaysToUseNewspaper.pdf

What are the synthetic drugs in our area?

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There has been a lot of talk about synthetic drug use in our area recently.  Two teen-aged males died apparently from overdosing on synthetic drugs in the month of June. These were two separate cases.

 

 

 

 

To make you more aware of what is happening, the Grand Forks Police Department has started their own YouTube channel . They have produced their first video on synthetic drugs. Sgt. Travis Jacobson, Drug Recognition Expert from the GFPD answers the following questions in the 4 minutes :31 seconds video:

1. What are synthetic drugs?

2. What synthetic drugs do you see in Grand Forks?

3. What are some of the symptoms of a synthetic drug user?

4. What if I don’t want to get my friends/family in trouble?

Take the time to watch the video. It is very informative and is only 4 minutes: 31 seconds long.  To view the video click here, for more information contact the Grand Forks Police Department 787-8000 or http://grandforksgov.com/police

Text a tip to 701-740-6759.

4th of July

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

It was on July 4, 1776, that the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence and officially declared the American colonies free and independent states. When the declaration was read, people responded by ringing bells, playing music, and rejoicing in the streets.

Today, America celebrates the Fourth of July in similar fashion. Fireworks, picnics, parades, patriotic concerts, and more each year help the nation commemorates its birthday.

ACTIVITIES

1. Pretend you are a reporter living when the Declaration of Independence was created and you have the opportunity to interview one of the crafters of the declaration. Make a list of reporter’s questions you would have asked that person. Then conduct research to get the answers to those questions. Conclude by writing a newspaper story based on the information.

2. Watch for newspaper stories about festivities that celebrate the Fourth of July. Then analyze one of the events and the traditions behind it.

3. Compare American lifestyles today to those of Americans living during the Colonial period. During research, find five products or services advertised in the newspaper and find out if those or similar products existed during the time when America was born.

FIREWORKS SAFETY from kidshealth.org

The safest way to enjoy fireworks is at a professional display. Some people light sparklers at home or even set off their own fireworks, but this is dangerous. Each year thousands of people are treated at hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries. And almost half of those injured each year are kids under age 15. Some of the people hurt each year aren’t the ones setting off the fireworks, but people who are nearby.

It’s best to stay away from areas where nonprofessionals are setting off fireworks. Fireworks can cause serious eye injuries, including blindness, if the eye tissue gets damaged or torn. Other common injuries from fireworks include burns to the hands and face, which can leave scars. Someone could even lose one or more fingers if fireworks go off the wrong way. Fireworks can also start fires, which can hurt even more people.

Parents: The Biggest Influence

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Have you read the article “Officials alarmed by ‘bad batch’ of drugs in Grand Forks” by Stephen Lee in the June 19 issue of the Grand Forks Herald?  After two teen-aged males died apparently from overdosing on synthetic drugs, federal, state and local law enforcement officials held an emergency meeting Tuesday in Grand Forks.

What can parents?  Here is some helpful information from an NIE tab called Stay Smart, Don’t Start – the Truth About Drugs and Alcohol.  The tab was produced by the Washington Times Newspapers in Education Department and distributed by the NIE Institute. I have posted below an article from the tab called Parents:  The Biggest Influence.

Parents:  The Biggest Influence 

Not Your Kids? Here’s How to Make Sure!  Could you be the parent of a drug abuser? If your immediate reaction is “Not my kid!” you’ve got company. Even kids who are not guilty of any wrongdoing become protective of their privacy during adolescence, and their parents expect this part of growing up. However, kids are masters at hiding what they don’t want you to see. It can take some detective work to be sure your children aren’t abusing drugs or alcohol.

You may have secretly searched his or her room and been relieved not to find any drug paraphernalia. You’ve monitored your child’s My Space or You-Tube or Facebook site and haven’t found any alarming pictures or posts? That could be a good sign. But prescription medications have now become the drug of choice for many teens. Approximately one in five teenagers has reported abusing a prescription medicine, and one in 10 has reported having abused cough medicine. When they combine either with alcohol, the game gets more dangerous.

Here are some tips and suggestions for protection and detection:

•Educate yourself. Learn the slang terms that kids use to describe cough medicine abuse, like Dex, Robo and Triple-C.

•Safeguard medicines at home. Monitor your medicine cabinet and note which products you have and how many.

•Properly throw away medicine that you are no longer using in the trash. It is not wise to keep medicine, such as pain medicines, around for when you might need them in another instance. In the majority of those situations, medicine will have expired or is not the right medicine for your specific injury or ailment. It is always best to consult with your healthcare provider and stay away from self-diagnosing or self-prescribing.

•Communicate with your teen. Talk to your teens about all types of drug abuse, including prescription drug and cough medicine abuse. Studies have shown that kids whose parents discuss the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse with them are 50% less likely to use either.

•Teach your kids to respect medicines. Remind your children that it is never safe to abuse prescription and OTC medicines, use someone else’s medications, and it is not OK to do it even just once. Young people are dying or becoming seriously dependent on a variety of drugs.

•Monitor your teens’ Internet usage. Many websites promote medicine abuse, either by providing instructions, abuser communication groups or videos. Always be aware of what your teenagers are doing online.

•Recognize the signs of medicine abuse. The warning signs include missing or empty bottles or packages of prescription or over-the-counter medicines and changes in behavior. If your teen takes medications, you should be in control and dole out the necessary amount.

•Get to know your child’s friends and their parents. Listen carefully when your child talks to his or her friends. If you have a gut instinct that a new friend is less than trustworthy, be extra vigilant.

•Double check. As an extra check, have your child call you during the party at a prearranged time—for example, about four hours after the party begins. If you get the “None of the other kids have to do that” response, insist that they can’t go to the party unless they agree to call. Let them know that if you don’t hear from them, you will be calling the house yourself. If they know they will be talking to you at some point during the evening, they may be less likely to drink or take drugs for fear you will be able to “tell.”

•Wait up (or wake up) when your child comes home in the evening. Knowing you’ll be there for “check in” can be a great deterrent to unwise behavior. Have a brief conversation about how the evening went. Watch for signs of odd or unexplained behavior such as slurred speech, unsteady walk or dizziness, sweating, nausea, dilated pupils, drowsiness, vomiting, and numbness of extremities.

•Be a good role model. Don’t abuse drugs or alcohol yourself.

•Most important: TALK. You have undoubtedly seen television and magazine ads advising you to talk to your kids about drugs. Studies have shown that kids whose parents discuss the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse with them are 50% less likely to use either. For suggestions on how to do this, see “How to Talk to Your Kids: Teachable Moments” that follows.
While it would be nice if parents could trust their teenagers 100%, it’s a bit unrealistic to do so. Peer pressure is the driving force of much adolescent behavior. Most kids want to feel that they’re part of the group, and it can be hard not to cave in to fit in. While these steps are not easy or pleasant, helping your child make drug- and alcohol-free choices is well worth the effort. Years down the road, they will thank you for doing the right thing today.

How to Talk to Your Kids: Teachable Moments

Notice the word “moments” in the title? That’s because a one-time conversation is not likely to be effective. Just as occasions arise to reinforce math or reading skills, there are particularly good opportunities to talk about drugs and alcohol.

When you’re driving with your teen, you’ve got a captive audience.  An activity you enjoy together, whether it’s fishing or jogging, sets a positive tone for a talk. You might kick it off with a remark about a drug or alcohol related accident or other incident, or a conversation you had with friends about their child’s addiction problems and how difficult it has been for the family.

Newspapers and television also offer teachable moments. Nearly every day there is a story about a drunk driver who has been arrested or an incident related to drugs or alcohol. Television documentaries about drugs present another teachable moment. Watch them together, and discuss them afterwards. Ask your kids questions that require more than a one word answer. For example, ask “Why do you suppose the boy in that story took all those pills?” instead of “Shouldn’t he have known better?”

Remember, whenever and wherever your talks, they should be two-way conversations, not a lecture. Make your family position on drugs and alcohol clear, but show plenty of love and concern—not anger or suspicion. Try for an “open forum” feeling, where everyone feels free to express their opinions and feelings.
When should you have your first talk with your teen? As soon as you can. Be on the lookout for the first teachable moment. Then look for another one. And another. Keep talking.