Mar. 4, 2009: Plug Into the Newspaper

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in The Denver Post. 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. Create a "Newspapers and Me" poster. Write your name in the middle of a piece of paper. Paste newspaper words and pictures on your poster that tell about the newspaper and also tell about you.

2. Make a list of five family members and friends. Next to each name, paste the headline of a newspaper story or a comic strip you think that person would like. Write a sentence explaining your choices.

3. You'll find lots of great words in newspaper headlines. With a friend, go through the newspaper. Circle good adjectives with a red marker; circle strong verbs with a blue marker. Create some of your own headlines using the words you've circled.

4. Look at a large display ad for something you'd like to buy. Identify these four ad elements: (a) what gets your attention for the ad, (b) what words give you details about the item, (c) what descriptive words make the item sound good, and (d) what words encourage you to buy the item now?

5. Select your favorite section in the newspaper. What would you need to know in order to be a reporter for that section? What kind of information would you gather? Write a paragraph describing your life as a reporter for that section. Tell about an important story you covered and wrote.

This week's standards:

• Students read and understand a variety of texts. (Language Arts: Reading)
• Students use the structure of text to construct meaning. (Language Arts: Reading)
  
  

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)