The Free Press, Mankato, MN - 2008-2009 Programs

Tue, Jan 06 2009

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2008-2009 Programs

To place an order, download the 2 sheets below. Print, complete, and return to: Brooke L. McGuire, Newspaper in Education Coordinator; The Free Press; 418 S. 2nd St.; Mankato, MN 56001 OR fax to (507) 388-4355.

2008-2009 order form
2008-2009 order form calendar

MONDAY

THE MINI PAGE. A different topic is addressed each week and that topic is taught through the use of word puzzles, connect the dots, recipes, drawings, and pictures.

December 29, 2008: Honoring Nature With Art

This exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum features the natural landscapes portrayed by these two great American artists. The Mini Page highlights some of the 42 paintings and 54 photographs on display in the museum and introduces students to the artists.
Standards: Students identify works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times and places. (Visual Arts) Students understand how an artist’s experiences influence the development of specific artworks. (Visual Arts)
Activities: 1. Find an interesting item in nature somewhere near where you live. Use the warm and cool colors of Georgia O'Keeffe to draw your personal image of the item. 2. See how well you could supply young artists and photographers. Pretend you have $500 to spend. Find painting supplies or cameras and photography supplies in newspaper ads. List each item and its price on a piece of paper. How much can you buy for $500? 3. Plan a series of art adventures in your community. Look in the arts/entertainment section or community calendar section of your newspaper. Find an art gallery or exhibit that features (a) paintings, (b) sculptures, (c) photography, and (d) antiques or collectibles. 4. Analyze a color photograph in your newspaper. What can you say about the effect of the colors in the photo? The subject? The placement of people and places? What makes this a good photograph? 5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about Georgia O'Keeffe or Ansel Adams. Use these questions to guide your research: Where was the artist born? When did she/he first become interested in art and nature? Where did she/he study? What did critics say of the artist's early work? When did the public and critics accept the artist's work? Write a paragraph biography of the artist. (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) ®

January 5, 2009: A Kid's 2009 Calendar

It’s time for The Mini Page 2009 calendar! Kids and teachers love to remember special days in the coming year, along with some of their own family celebrations.
Standards: Students understand people and events honored in commemorative holidays. (History)
Activities: 1. Pick one of the special months in today's Mini Page calendar. For that month, draw a picture you could put on a large calendar. 2. Pick an unusual special day from the calendar that you think would be fun to celebrate. Plan a party for that day. Make a list of foods for your party from newspaper ads. Select three comic strip characters you would like to invite. 3. What is your favorite one-day celebration? Week celebration? Month celebration? Have a friend choose his/her favorites. Now talk about your choices. 4. Which holidays would be popular with your (a) social studies teacher, (b) science teacher, (c) music or art teacher, and (d) principal? 5. Select one of the individuals or groups from the Mini Page's 2008 memories. Plan a national holiday for your individual or group. What would you call your day? What kinds of decorations would you use? What special activities or foods would you have? Write a description of your new holiday in a paragraph. (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

January 12, 2009: An American Tradition

The inauguration of the new president of the United States will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The Mini Page tells all about the ceremony and other events surrounding the inauguration.
Standards: Students identify key ideals of the United States' democratic republican form of government. (Social Studies: Civic Ideals and Practices) Students understand the ideas, principles and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic. (Social Studies: Civics)
Activities: 1. Cut out a newspaper photo of President-elect Barack Obama. Paste it at the top of a piece of paper. Now find information about the new president in the newspaper. Write facts about Mr. Obama under his picture on your paper. 2. Look through your newspaper for stories about Vice President-elect Joe Biden. Use a colored marker to circle five facts about Mr. Biden. 3. Divide a piece of paper into three columns. Label the columns: Official Events, Entertainment and Food. Now look through the newspaper to learn about the different things that will happen during the inauguration. Write the information you find under each column. 4. How would you celebrate the inauguration if it were held in your community? Use newspaper stories and ads to find (a) where you could have the swearing-in ceremony, (b) three restaurants where people could eat, (c) a place to have a big dance, and (d) three local people you would invite to the events. 5. The inauguration includes the swearing-in ceremony, a parade and many balls. How would you design an alternate inauguration? You have to have a swearing-in, but what would you do instead of a parade and balls? Write a paragraph describing your inaugural event. (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

January 19, 2009: Northern Lights

This Mini Page tells about the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, which are natural light displays that are typically seen in the very northern latitudes.
Standards: Students understand changes in the Earth and sky. (Earth and Space Science)
Activities: 1. Draw a picture of yourself watching the aurora borealis. Then cut out five newspaper words that describe the aurora borealis and paste them along the bottom of your picture. 2. Make a "rainbow line" on a piece of paper. Cut out sections of colors from newspaper photos and ads. Paste them in a straight line following this pattern: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. 3. What is winter weather like where you live? Look at the weather page of your newspaper. Write down the high temperature for today. Find two places where the weather will be warmer and write down the cities and temperatures. Now find two places where the weather will be colder and write them down. 4. How are each of these important for the northern lights: (a) sun, (b) oxygen, (c) sun cycle, and (d) the Earth's liquid center? 5. Today's Mini Page gives you the scientific explanation for the northern lights, but people in earlier times may have different explanations. Write a story that uses myth or magic to explain how the northern lights came to be. You may want to Google images for the aurora borealis for inspiration. (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) ®

January 26, 2009: The Seeing Eye

This year marks the 80th birthday of the organization that first trained dogs to assist blind people, The Seeing Eye. The Mini Page will learn more about the organization’s history and how dogs are trained for their tasks.
Standards: Students understand the characteristics and life cycles of organisms. (Science: Life Science) Students understand the interactions of animals and their environments. (Science: Life Science)
Activities: 1. Make a "Puppy Plans" poster. Look in the classified ads for breeds that make good service dogs. Cut out the ads and paste them on a piece of paper. Now look in the regular ads to find words and pictures of items you would need to train a puppy. Paste them on your poster. 2. Discuss with a family member what it would be like to be a foster family that trains a service dog. Make a list showing why you would like to be a foster family. Make a list showing why it might be difficult to be a foster family. 3. Find a large newspaper photo that shows a scene such as a street, a mall or a ballpark. Cut out the picture and paste it on a piece of paper. Start at one side of the picture and draw a path to the other side. Now describe how a Seeing Eye dog would help its owner travel that path. What potential obstacles are there? Where would the owner and dog have to make turns? 4. How are these qualities important for service dogs: (a) temperament, (b) breed, (c) size and (d) intelligence? 5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn about different service animals. Use these questions to guide your research: What is the animal? What type of service does this animal provide? Why is this animal suitable for this type of service? Where and how are these animals trained? Write a paragraph describing the animal and the service it provides. (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) ®

February 2, 2009: Taking Care of Teeth

February is Children’s Dental Health Month, sponsored by the American Dental Association. We’ll learn what a tooth is made of and how best to take care of our natural teeth so they last a lifetime. Plus, we’ll feature some fun facts about different animal teeth.

TUESDAY

SERIAL STORIES. A chapter from a story appears each week.

"Time Stone Series of American Heroes: Benjamin Franklin" by Elizabeth Whitehead

Sept. 9th - Dec. 16th. 15 chapters. The author invites readers to connect to text with narrators Sam and Isabel as they comment on different aspects of Benjamin Franklin's life. Click here for the "Time Stone Series of American Heroes: Benjamin Franklin" teacher's guide.
Click here for the "Time Stone Series of American Heroes: Benjamin Franklin" Bingo Call Sheet.
Click here for the "Time Stone Series of American Heroes: Benjamin Franklin" Bingo Cards.

"Lula's Letter" from Harper's Weekly

Jan. 6th - Jan. 20th. 3 chapters.
A young girl exchanges letters with a soldier during the Civil War. Click here for vocabulary and activity ideas.

"Gallegher, A Newspaper Story" by Richard Harding Davis

Jan. 27th - April 21st. 13 chapters.
This story details the exploits of Gallegher, a newspaper boy turned young detective, as he solves a case.

"The Mystery of the Lost Colony" by Mary Maden

April 28th - June 2nd. 6 chapters.
Explore one of history's greatest mysteries in this fascinating story about Sir Walter Raleigh's ill-fated colony, Roanoke Island. Click here for "The Mystery of the Lost Colony" teaching guide.
Click here for additional "The Mystery of the Lost Colony" activity ideas.

WEDNESDAY

INVENTION MYSTERIES. This feature consists of articles that reveal the little-known secrets behind well-known inventions. Invention Mysteries combines education with entertainment. Educational activities are suggested at the end of each article.

THURSDAY

PARADE TEEN NEWSBREAK. Connect students with the world by making current events relevant through debates, news quizzes, and hot news tips. Lesson plans corresponding to each week’s topics are provided. Teacher's Guide

Important Dates

SPELLING BEE (Regional Spelling Bee: Tues., March 3rd)
The Regional Bee winner participates at the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. on March 26 and 27, 2009.
* Visit the Scripps National Spelling Bee web site to register and for additional information.
* Click here to download information for you and the individual attending the Regional Spelling Bee.
* Click here to download the 2009 Spelling Bee rules.
* Click here for the official study resource of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

DEEP VALLEY BOOK FEST YOUNG WRITER'S COMPETITION
The Young Writer's Competition is presented by the Deep Valley Book Festival and The Free Press.

HOLIDAY WISHES (due Fri., Nov. 7th; Published Wed., Dec. 3rd)
Students in kindergarten through grade twelve respond to the question, "If you could have one holiday wish, what would it be and why?" Click here for additional information and here to download a form for your students to use if you wish (not required).

DESIGN AN AD (due Fri., March 27th; Published Thurs., April 16th)
Students in grades seven through twelve design ads for a business. The business chooses one ad for publication in a special supplement.
If you wish to participate, please email nie@mankatofreepress.com with "Design An Ad" in the subject line and include your name, your school & address, as well as the grade and number of students that will be participating. The deadline to register is Friday, February 6, 2009.
Click here for additional information necessary to complete the project.
Click here for the blank ad template and make sure to include this with each ad (print & add to the bottom of each blank ad before copying).

TARGET DATE (March)
Visit the Minnesota Newspaper Association web site and click on "Target Date" at the left to download a teacher's guide and daily and weeklies papers lists.
Go to theHot Apple PIE web site to get a list of newspapers (either print copy or e-edition) you may request year-round from all over the United States. You may also download a Target Date activity guide from this web site (scroll to the bottom of the page).

CLASS OF 2021 (due Fri., May 1st; Published Sat., May 23rd)
Kindergarten students state what they want to be when they grow up and explain why. Click here for more information.

Election Resources

- Go to Roll Call Votes to keep up to date on bills, regulations, and key votes in Congress.
- View information and resources on the 2008 National Conventions & Presidential Election at the "When History Happens" web site.
- Go to Project Vote Smart for election information and resources.
- Go to On the Issues to read about the candidates and their views on various issues.
- Go to Congress.org Roll Call for information on the candidates and their positions.
- Click here to download election activities organized by rights and responsibilities, candidates and issues, role of the media, and election day.
- Click here to download election activities appropriate for primary grades. These activities will help students learn the basics of the election process while becoming familiar with the newspaper.

Resources

- Reading resources can be found at the Reading Rockets web site.
- Go to The Five Freedoms Project to access resources for administrators, teachers, and students regarding the five freedoms of the First Amendment.
- Visit the Newspaper Association of America Founation web site to access resources to help students become engaged and literate citizens through the use of newspapers and other media.
- Go to the National Freedom of Speech Week (NFSW) web site, for ideas of ways to commemorate NFSW, which is October 20-26, 2008.
- Visit NIE Teacher Resources for over 200 instructional ideas.
- Click here for "Ten Great Activities for Using the Newspaper."
- Visit vocabulary.com for vocabulary resources, including puzzles and lesson plans.
- Visit the National Geographic web site for lesson plans, activity ideas, and additional resources.
- Geography Awareness Week. Go to the Geography Action! page for information and resources. Geography Awareness Week is November 16-22, 2008.
- Visit the Fraud Scene Investigator web site for resources related to teaching students about investment fraud.
- Go to highschooljournalism.org for lesson plans, resources, and links to high school newspapers.
- Visit NetSmartz Workshop for resources to teach students about Internet safety and technology.