Oct. 18, 2006: Who Builds Our Houses?

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in the Rocky Mountain News. This issue of The Mini Page is available through the eEdition Archive to registered eEdition subscribers. Click here to learn about subscribing to the eEdition at no cost to you (for Colorado teachers).

Activities:

1. Cut out pictures of houses from the newspaper. Paste the houses on a large piece of paper. Circle the house you like best. Write several sentences explaining why you would like to live in that house.

2. What types of houses are in your neighborhood? Count the number of houses that have outside walls of wood, vinyl, brick/stone or stucco.

3. Locate five different items in the newspaper that would be helpful if you were going to build a house. Write the name of each item. Then explain how you would use it to build a house.

4. Which house-building jobs in today's Mini Page (a) require special machines, (b) require special hand tools, (c) are concerned with the structure of the house, and (d) are concerned with the way the house looks on the outside?

5. Select a house-building job you think would be challenging. Write a paragraph about that job. Use these questions to discuss the job:

• What special education or training do you think you would need?
• What special clothing would you have to wear?
• Would you have to work with someone else, or could you do the job alone?
• Why does this job appeal to you?
  

This week's standards:

• Students develop abilities of technological design and to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans. (Science: Science and Technology)
• Students understand the interaction of human beings and their physical environment. (Social Studies: People, Places and Environments)
  
  (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)