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Grades 2-5
Black History Month
Find articles about African Americans or African American history in The Denver Post. Create a Black History Month quiz of ten questions based on the information you find in these articles. Have your classmates take the quiz to see how much they know.
Heart healthy
February is American
Heart Month. Use your newspaper's grocery ads to make a poster
of foods that are healthy for your heart. From what food group
or groups do most of your foods come?
Head to the library
February is Library Lovers Month. Find a subject in the newspaper that you find especially interesting. Write down what you learned from the newspaper article. Now write down three questions that you have about this subject that the article didn't answer. Go to your school or neighborhood library to find out the answers.
Light it up
Thomas Alva Edison, inventor of the light bulb and many other things, was born on February 11, 1847. Look through the ads in The Denver Post and make a list of all the things that need a light bulb. How many did you find?
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809. Imagine you have the chance to interview President Lincoln for a newspaper article. Make a list of the questions you would want to ask him.
Comparing prices
Find two different advertisements for the same type of product (for example: TV, camera, coat, refrigerator, and so on.) List the prices of the two items. Does one brand cost more than the other? What is the difference between the prices of the two items? Why do you think one costs more than the other?
Hearts full of words
For Valentine's Day, fill a sheet of paper with hearts. Skim today's newspaper stories and ads for all the words you can find that describe friendship, kindness, and love. Write one word into each heart. How many hearts can you fill?
It's the Year of the Tiger
The Chinese New Year begins on February 14th. Look for newspaper stories about how this event will be celebrated in your area as well as in other cities and in China. This is the year of the dog. Create a poster about the Chinese New year using the symbol of the tiger in your design.
What's up gov?
Who is the governor of your state? Read your newspaper to find out more about him or her and what he/she is trying to get done. Write down the two most important things the governor is trying to accomplish. Why are these things important for your state?
Sports story problem
A lot of the sports section in your newspaper has to do with math: team standings, how much players are making, and so on. Go through the sports section and find an article with numbers in it and make up a story problem. Then do the problem so you know if you wrote it correctly.
George Washington
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. Imagine if he came back for a day and read today's Denver Post. What story would surprise him most? What story would make him happiest? What story would make him saddest? Give reasons for your answers.
State Bingo
Write down the names of all 50 states. Then search through your newspaper to find stories from these states. Make sure you mark off each state as you find a story about it. How long do you think it will take you to find all 50?
Grades 6-8
Black History Month
February is Black History Month. As you read The Denver Post this month, look for articles about famous black Americans, both past and present. Using information from the newspaper, design a postage stamp honoring one of these people.
Visit the library
February is Library Lovers Month. Find articles from your newspaper about subjects of interest to you. Pick two of the subjects and do more research on them in the library. Write a report on one of these subjects including what you learned from your research and why it was in the news
Groundhog Day
February 2nd is Groundhog
Day. Read your newspaper to learn about Groundhog Day activities
around the country. Using what you learn, write a fictional
short story about Groundhog Day from the point of view of the
groundhog.
Abe Lincoln today
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He is best known for being the president who helped end slavery. Look through The Denver Post and make a list of issues that you think are important. Imagine if Lincoln were president today, which of these issues do you think he would be most concerned about? Write a paragraph explaining your choice.
Read to Your Child Day
February 14th is the
day set aside to encourage people to read to children. Do you
have a younger sibling or friend that you like to read to? Find
a news article that you think would interest a younger child
that you know. Read the article to that child, then discuss
what you've read.
Eat well on Valentine's Day
Many restaurants prepare special Valentine's Day menus for February 14th. Plan your own Valentine's Day meal by looking in Food section in the Wednesday Post for recipes and checking the grocery ads. Be sure to include something with chocolate -- a Valentine's Day favorite.
Winter products
During the winter months,
many stores advertise sales on snow tires and batteries. Find
examples of ads for these products and other products and services
that are more in demand during the winter. Write a short composition
stating how you think the cold weather affects the economy in
your area.
Galileo
Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564. He helped to prove that Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. Celebrate his birthday by putting together a book of new discoveries about the solar system. Print out the articles and pictures about the solar system that you can find in the Denver Post eEdition. Write a summary of what you've learned from these news reports.
Coinworthy
Susan B. Anthony was
born on February 15, 1820. She was the first American woman
to be pictured on a coin. What current woman do you think is
worthy of this honor? Nominate someone prominent in the news
today. Write a letter to the United States Treasury telling
them why this person deserves such an honor.
Save energy, save money
Many people pay higher energy bills in the winter. Use your newspaper to find examples of common household products that use energy. Print pictures of these items and use them to create a poster that tells people how they can use less energy.
Photo art
American artist Winslow Homer was born on February 24, 1836. There are many beautiful photos in your newspaper. Choose one that you think is especially artistic because of its arrangement, lighting, content, or other reasons. Write a paragraph describing the photo and what makes it artful.
Long distance
List all the different countries mentioned in the first three pages of your newspaper. Look them up on a map or globe. Which two countries are farthest apart from each other? Use an atlas or online map to check the distances between places.
Grades 9-12
Black History Month
African Americans have
had a powerful influence on just about every aspect of American
culture. Look through your newspaper's various sections for articles
about African Americans in entertainment, sports, politics, science,
the arts, and so on. Then do more research about the impact African
Americans have had in one of these fields. Write an essay about
what you have learned.
Science fact and fiction
Jules Verne, the father
of science fiction, was born on February 8, 1828. Read newspaper
stories that describe scientific research, technological advances
and social trends. Then write a science fiction story based
on what you've read and what you think might happen in these
areas in the next 50 years.
Nelson Mandela freed
On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was freed from a South African prison after serving more than 27 years as a political prisoner of that country's apartheid system. Though the apartheid system has ended, South Africa continues to fight problems like poverty and AIDS. Look for newspaper stories about South Africa or another African country. Write a report on what you learn.
Honest Abe
Abraham Lincoln was
born on February 12, 1809. He is still known today as "Honest
Abe." Do you think today's politicians could learn a lesson
from Lincoln? Find articles in your newspaper that contain quotes
from high-level politicians. Look through the quotes for any
examples of exaggeration, inaccuracies, or misleading statements.
Write up a summary of what you find and explain why the statements
were misleading and how they could have been more truthful.
Presidential report card
Presidents' Day, on February 15th, celebrates the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. But it is also a day to think about the office of the president. Look through today's newspaper for articles about President Obama and how he is dealing with different aspects of his job -- such as the economy, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, homeland security, and more. Based on your reading, give the president a grade from A to F, on each of the issues.
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was
born on February 15, 1820. In her day, women were not allowed
to vote. On election day of 1872, she was arrested for trying
to vote. Pretend you are a reporter covering her arrest. Write
out several questions to ask her in an interview. Then write
a news story, with quotes about her views.
Comic strip appeal
The first comic strip appeared in newspapers on February 17, 1896. Study and categorize the kinds of comic strips in your newspaper. Based on your analysis, create plans and sketches for an original comic strip that you believe would be especially appealing to your newspaper's audience.
Astronomy today
The great astronomer
Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473. He was the first to
come up with the theory that the sun, not the earth, was the
center of our planetary system. Look for stories about astronomy
and science in the news today. What in science news would be
most astonishing to a 15th century scientist if he appeared
on Earth today? Write an essay answering this question.
China today
On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China. Search for newspaper articles about China. Based on your reading and some additional research, write an essay about how China has changed since 1972.
Photojournalism
On February 23, 1945, an AP photographer captured a defining moment in history -- the raising of an American flag after the battle of Iwo Jima. The photographer won a Pulitzer Prize for his photo. Look through several issues of The Denver Post and choose the photos that you think are the best examples of photojournalism. Write an explanation for each of your choices.
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