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Grades 2-5
Sunrise to sundown
April is National Math Month. Find the sunrise and sunset times on the Weather page of The Denver Post. Pick a day and figure out exactly how long the sun is up on that day, down to the minute.
What's so funny?
April is National Humor Month. Turn to the comics page in The Denver Post and vote for the strip that you think is the funniest. Have your classmates do the same. Was there a clear winner? EXTRA: Make a graph to show how the class voted.
April Fools' Day
Look at the headlines on the front page of your newspaper. Create your own April Fools' Day front page by rewriting all of the headlines to say something that is just the opposite of what the truth is.
Moving from here to there
Collect newspaper photos and advertisements that show different ways that people get from place to place. Use these to make a poster titled "Forms of Transportation." Remember to include ways that people travel on their own human power.
It's baseball season
Baseball season has started. Look in the sports section of The Denver Post to find out more about the Rockies. Make a list of the Rockies' top players and manager. Will you be rooting for them or for another team?
New words in the news
The first American dictionary was published on April 14, 1828. Find ten new words in today's Denver Post. Look up the definitions for your words. Then write a paragraph using at least five of the new words.
Where are they from?
The Boston Marathon will be run on April 19th. Check The Denver Post to find out who the winners are and what countries they are from. Find their countries on a map of the world.
Earth Day
April 22nd is Earth
Day. Look for newspaper stories about problems for the Earth's
environment. The stories could be about endangered animals,
saving energy, pollution, global warming, and so on. Draw an
Earth Day poster that encourages people to do something about
that problem.
Movie theaters
The first movie theater opened on April 23, 1896 in New York City. Look through the movies in the Entertainment section of the Friday Denver Post and count the number of different theaters in the metro area. Then count the number of different movies that are playing in them.
Star gazing in the news
International Astronomy Day is April 24. Look for stories in your newspaper about the solar system or outer space. Pick one of these stories and draw a picture that matches something described in the story.
World leader flashcards
Find the names of ten world leaders and their countries. Make flashcards with each one's name on one side ("Felipe Calderón") and title and nation on the other ("President, Mexico"). Practice until you can remember and spell each one. Make more if you want!
Grades 6-8
April Fools' Day
Select a news story from your daily newspaper. Following the style of the article, rewrite it, changing some facts to make the story more and more unlikely until the reader is forced to admit he has been April-fooled.
Weather haiku
April is National Poetry Month. Read the weather forecast for tomorrow in your newspaper and write a haiku based on what kind of a day it is likely to be.
Tornado season
April is the start
of tornado season. In the next several weeks, look in your newspaper
for reports of tornadoes. Keep track of where each one occurs
by marking it on a map of the U.S. From the pattern on your
map, which states would you say are in the so-called "Tornado
Alley?"
NATO nations
The North Atlantic Treaty Association, or NATO, was formed on April 4, 1949. Do some research to find out which nations belong to NATO. Then look through The Denver Post for stories about these nations. On a map, place a single dot on each NATO nation for every story in which it is mentioned. Which of these nations is in the news the most?
Honorary citizen
On April 9, 1963, Winston Churchill became the first honorary citizen of the U.S. Find newspaper articles about leaders or famous citizens of other countries. Choose one of thee people and based on these articles, write a brief essay explaining why you think he or she should be made an honorary citizen of the U.S.
Exercising our rights
The Civil Rights Act, which guarantees equal rights for all citizens, became a law on April 11, 1968. Find the Bill of Rights in your history or government text. Choose two or three of the rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. In your newspaper, find stories showing citizens exercising those rights.
Tax time
April 15th is the deadline for filing federal income taxes. Read news stories about how the government spends the tax dollars it receives. Then write a letter to your congressperson expressing your opinion on how the government spends its money. Be sure to explain why you think the government should spend more money in some areas and less in others.
Earth Day puzzle
In honor of Earth Day, April 22nd, create a crossword puzzle that deals with the environment. Make a list of all the words you find in The Denver Post that deal with the environment. Use these words to create a crossword puzzle. Be sure to check the definitions of your words for accuracy.
Farming in Colorado
Farmers have started, or are getting ready for, spring planting in many areas. Look for articles in The Denver Post about farming in your area. Make a list of the different kinds of crops that are raised in Colorado, including fruit on the Western Slope. Do some research, and write a report about one kind of food that Colorado is famous for.
To be or not to be a plot
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. Shakespeare based many of his tragedies on stories about powerful men who make bad choices. Look through The Denver Post for stories about world leaders. Choose one and based on what you learn about this person, create an outline for a plot that Shakespeare might use.
Arbor Day
April 30th is Arbor Day -- a day to celebrate trees. Look for ads in your newspaper for garden centers that sell trees. Make a list of all the different kinds of trees that are advertised. Which ones would you most like to have near your home?
The Louisiana Territory
The United State purchased the Louisiana Territory from France on April 30, 1803. The purchase doubled the size of the existing American republic. Using a map of the territory covered in the purchase, make a list of all the mentions in The Denver Post of places included in this territory.
Grades 9-12
Careers in math
April is Math Education
Month. What careers require a good education in math? Check the
"help wanted" ads in your newspaper and make a list
of career opportunities that you think would require excellent
math skills. Learn what each job entails, salaries offered, benefits,
and necessary education. Do any of these jobs interest you?
Keep America beautiful
April is Keep America Beautiful Month. Look through your newspaper for articles that have to do with recycling or cleanup efforts in your community. Design an attractive newspaper ad promoting one of these efforts including a special slogan for the particular effort.
Poetic annoyance
April is National Poetry Month. But, have you ever heard of an enueg? The words means "annoyance" and it is a style of poetry in which the poet lists everything that annoys him or her that day. Look through your newspaper and create your own enueg by listing all the things you find that annoy you. Be sure to look for annoying items in all the sections of the newspaper.
April Fools' Day
Friday is April Fools'
Day. Write a fake new story that is a spoof of a story you find
in your daily newspaper. Make your story humorous and be sure
to give it a punchy headline.
Dr. King assassinated
Reverend Martin Luther
King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. During his life,
he worked tirelessly for equal rights for African Americans. Using
newspaper articles and other sources, debate whether or not the
social, economic, and political situation of black citizens has
improved significantly since Dr. King's death.
Baseball season
Now that baseball season is underway, check The Denver Post sports section for results from the early games. Then make an early prediction of who you think will win in each division. Put your predictions away in a drawer and take them out in September to see how close you were to being right.
World Health Day
April 7th is World Health Day. Look through your newspaper for articles about diseases that threaten people around the world. Pick an article about a disease that is not common in the U.S. Do some research on this disease, then write a report providing this information: where the disease is prevalent, what its causes are, what can be done to treat it, and what is being done to eradicate it.
Thomas Jefferson's birthday
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743. What would he think about some of the issues facing the nation today? Look through The Denver Post and find three major issues that the president and/or Congress are addressing. Do some research on Jefferson's writings and ideas. Based on your research, write a report on how you think Jefferson would deal with the three issues you chose.
First American dictionary
Noah Webster published the first dictionary of American English on April 14, 1828. Many words that we use today did not exist in Webster's original dictionary. Go through your newspaper and circle all the words you can find that would not have existed 100 years ago. Create a dictionary of your own based on these modern words. How many of your words did not even exist 20 years ago? Ten years ago?
Income tax deadline
The deadline for people to file their income taxes is April 15th. The federal government relies on these taxes for its revenue. Yet the government spends much more than it earns in taxes. Search for articles in The Denver Post about government spending, tax cuts, and the federal deficit. Write a report about this issue, including what you think should be done about the deficit. Should we roll back the tax cuts? Control spending? Or both?
Explaining natural disasters
The San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906 killed hundreds of people. Look through your newspaper for a story about a natural disaster that has happened somewhere in the world. Do some research on this type of disaster. Write a report that explains the scientific causes of this disaster.
Worst leaders
Adolf Hitler, one of the most evil leaders in history, was born on April 20 1889. Who are the worst leaders in the world today? Look through your newspaper for stories about world leaders. Make a list of the top ten worst leaders with number one as the worst. Do this with your class as a group and compare lists. Be prepared to defend your choices.
Misleading headlines
American newspaper editor William Randolph Hearst was born on April 29, 1863. Hearst often used exaggerated headlines to help sell newspapers. Using today's newspaper, find examples of headlines that you think give a misleading impression of the story. Rewrite the headlines to more accurately reflect the story's content.
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