THE ABC BOOK OF NEWSPAPER SPONGE ACTIVITIES

Transcription

1 THE ABC BOOK OF NEWSPAPER SPONGE ACTIVITIES What does a teacher do when a lesson runs short and there is no time to start another activity? The good teacher turns not to Sponge Bob, but to Sponge Activities to fill in the time effective with skill reinforcement. In the past we called these activities Fillers, but today they have become Sponge Activities: Activities that reinforce standards-based skills in a short period of time. Most of the activities in this guide can be completed in between 5 and 15 minutes. They are not meant to be detailed lessons, but effective fillers that will help to expand standards-based skills already taught. Since the activities are short, hands on and creative, the students will look forward to Sponge Activities using the newspaper. Time management in a classroom can be difficult. So many lessons run too long or not long enough. When teachers implement lessons from the The ABC Book of Newspaper Sponge Activities, their classes experience fewer time gaps for students to get bored and unsettled. In fact, when students finish early with their seat work, they often automatically look to Sponge Activities to fill in the gap before the next activity. Sponge Activities can be used at almost any level and with all types of students. Since the activities are so short, assessment is not a problem. The activities can also be used effectively in centers, as part of a homework piece, or with substitute teachers. Don t ruin a good lesson with timing problems; just keep newspapers handy and call on The ABC Book of Newspaper Sponge Activities when needed. Keep a copy of the Sponge Activities on the wall and have the students make their own selection from time to time. Some of the sponge activities may be ended without going through the entire process. In other instances teachers may want to extend activities to develop particular skills more thoroughly. This guide also serves as an effective model for showing students how to develop their own ABC Books on a particular topic. Copyright 2008, Dr. Darla Shaw & the Newspaper in Education Institute.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS A ALPHABETIZE B BRAINSTORM C CHARACTERIZE D DECODE E EDITORIALIZE F FACT FIND G GROUP H HYPOTHESIZE I INFER J JOURNAL K KNOW YOURSELF L LINKAGE M MAKING GENERALIZATIONS N NOTING MAIN IDEA O OUTLINING P PREDICT Q QUESTIONING R RETELLING S SUMMARIZE T TRACE U UTILIZE FLUENCY V VOCAIZE & VIZUALIZE VOCABULARY W WRITE X EXPLAIN YOURSELF Y YAP (TO DISCUSS) Z ZONE OR COMPARE & CONTRAST

3 A ALPHABETIZE CREATE A PICTURE BY CONNECTING THE ALPHABET Using the front page of the newspaper, circle a word with an initial A, then an initial B, then an initial C, etc. When you get to the end of the alphabet (don t worry if you missed some of the uncommon letters), connect the letters in alphabetical order, the way you would in follow the dots. Now look at the picture you have created. Give the picture a name and later write a story about the picture that you have created. The writing is optional and can be done at another time. DEVELOP AN ALLITERATION PHRASE Choose a letter from the alphabet and find three or four words that begin with the same letter in the newspaper. Cut them out and paste them on the sheet. This activity usually works well if you find two or three adjectives and a noun to put together in an interesting phrase. MAKE AN ACCORDION ALPHABET BOOK Each day take a different letter of the alphabet in order. Find two or three small newspaper images/graphics that start with that letter and paste them in the accordion book. It is also helpful to label each image so that you can see the correct spelling. You could also create such a book using words from the newspaper instead of images. Create an accordion book foldable for word study and as a word source when writing.

4 B BRAINSTORM BRAINSTORM TITLES FOR AN INTERESTING PHOTO Select an interesting photo from the newspaper and brainstorm a number of titles for the photo. These titles do not have to have anything to do with the actual photo or related article. Carefully choose the words in your title so they are colorful and catch the reader s attention. Share these titles and photos with your classmates. BRAINSTORM SOLUTIONS TO A PROBLEM Select an article about a particular problem that is local, national or international. Think about some possible ways of solving that problem. You can use ideas that cost money but also try and think of alternatives that are not too costly. Students could create a two tab foldable to record the main and related problems and possible solutions. BRAINSTORM ADDITIONAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS Select an article that contains factual information on a particular topic. Read the article carefully and note both relevant information and related questions that could be researched to help you better understand the article. Create a vertical flipbook with key research on the front of the sheet and additional questions to research on the inside.

5 C CHARACTERIZE CHARACTERIZE PERSON IN CARTOON Select one of your favorite characters from the cartoons and describe the character with four or five different adjectives. Be able to give evidence from the strip of the day or past strips, that backs up your characterization. Look for characteristics beyond happy, sad, good, bad, etc. Students could use a 4-door foldable to record their information with the characteristics on the front with the comic inside. COMPARE CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO PEOPLE FOUND IN THE NEWS Using one or more articles, select two interesting people from the news. Try to look for people that are quite different. Characterize each one with three or four adjectives. Try to find at least one common element. Again, make certain to provide evidence for your choice. CHARACTERIZE A PERSON FROM A PHOTO Choose a photo or an editorial cartoon with an interesting person. Carefully examine the person and see what characteristics you can infer from the visual. Look for deeper characteristics than just happy or sad. Make note of these characteristics in adjective format and share with a partner. Tell the partner why you chose the characteristics.

6 D DECODE FINDING EXAMPLES OF SHORT AND LONG VOWELS IN WORDS AND PICTURES Collect examples of words and pictures that include the all vowel sounds. Put the proper words and picture-related words in the correct spaces in a flip book foldable for A, E, I, O, U. Use the foldable as a source of words for your writing and speaking. (Cut foldable into 5 parts.) FINDING EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT SYLLABLES Using the same flip book model from above, begin to collect words of two, three, four and five syllables. You can use newspaper words, picture-related words or the picture itself. After attaching them to the proper spot, reread them to a friend. Share words with a parent or guardian for homework and use in writing and speech. FINDING WORDS WITH SIMILAR PREFIXES AND ENDINGS Using the flip book model, begin to collect words with similar prefixes. Use common ones at first: inter, re, pre, en, etc. After do the same with endings: ed, ing, ly, and s. Reread these words to a partner, use in your writing and reread words to someone at home. DISSECT TO DECODE WORDS Try DISSECT, a word identification strategy by Lenz and Hughes (1990), to help students decode unknown words such as those found in newspaper articles. Each letter stands for a different step: Discover the context (examine both syntactic and semantic cues). Isolate the prefix (remove it from the root word). Separate the suffix (remove it from the root word). Say the stem (read the remainder of the word). Examine the stem (divide the letters into groups look for rime patterns or phoneme groups). Check with someone for help. Try the dictionary for assistance.

7 E EDITORALIZE MAKE THOUGHT SHOT NOTATIONS ON A EDITORIAL CARTOON Select an editorial cartoon on which to comment. Fill the space around the cartoon with your insights, ideas and comments. Try and summarize what the cartoon is saying in one sentence. Share with a partner. WRITE AND SEND YOUR OWN LETTER TO THE EDITOR Choose a topic of concern to you and develop an outline for a Letter to the Editor. Use the newspaper editorials as models from which to work. Continue to work on the outline until it is ready to be turned into an actual letter to be shared with the class. Include facts in to reinforce your opinion in the letter. Send the final draft to the newspaper. CREATE A PERSUASIVE WORD MOBILE From the editorial page begin to clip and paste good persuasive words that can be used in your own writing. Put the words on differently colored and shaped pieces of paper that can be attached to a hanger like mobile. Hang this mobile in the classroom or at home to remind you of good words. Keep adding to the mobile when you discover good persuasive words. POSITION PAPER Find several news articles or editorials on a specific topic that present two sides of an issue. Read the articles and take notes on points made by both sides. With a partner, pick a side and write a position paper defending a position with factual evidence. The position paper can also be turned into a trial or debate on controversial issues. You can also pretend to be a elected official and cast ballots either for or against a particular position. KEY QUESTION CHARTS Select a controversial question based on what is being reported in the news, such as Should companies be allowed to drill for oil in Alaska Artic National Wildlife Refuge? Find pro and con editorials and/or articles to read about the topic. Create a chart that lists the pro argument on one side and the con argument on the other. Form an opinion of your own after carefully evaluating the data, and provide a thorough analysis of your reasoning.

8 F FACT FIND TURN HEADLINE INTO A QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH FACTS FROM THE ARTICLE Choose an interesting article and turn the headline into a question. Using a tri-fold, try to locate three facts from the article that can answer the question. Put each fact on a separate portion of the tri-fold and share with a partner. (Place original headline and question on back of tri-fold.) LISTEN TO A NEWSPAPER READING AND INDICATE WHEN AN OPINION IS READ As you listen to an editorial type news article being read, listen for facts and opinions. When you hear an opinion, form a circle with your two thumbs and second fingers. This symbol will show the teacher that you know the differences between facts and opinions. Explain what about the statement made it an opinion. ELIMINATE ANY MATERIAL THAT IS NOT FACTUAL FROM THE READING As you read an editorial or commentary article silently cut out statements that factual and those that are not factual. Paste the opinions and facts on separate sheets of paper. Compare the number of factual lines with opinionated lines in the editorial. Make a general statement regarding the percentage of opinions in the article.

9 CATEGORIZE THE MOVIE ADS G GROUP Group the movie ads from the newspaper. They can be grouped in so many ways: adventure, cartoons, children s movies, comedy, musical, historical, horror, documentaries, etc. Movies may also appear in more than one category. Paste your ads according to groupings on a display board. CATEGORIZE THE FRONT PAGE Look at the front page of the newspaper and group the readings into local, state, national, and international. Record your information on 4-door foldable. Go to the map and point out the national and international sites. Looking through the eyes of a senator, a businessman, a mother, a child, a teacher, etc. determine the most important front-page article. local state Natl. Intl. COLLECT ARTICLES ON A SIMILAR TOPIC Go through the newspapers and collect articles on a similar topic: global warming, something special about the economy, traffic problems, an issue in a particular country, a health issue, animals, etc. Create a portfolio of the articles on the topic. Share what you have learned about the topic with your class. GROUP RIMES Select one or a group of rime patterns that appears in a lot of words, such as ent. In teams of three or four, look through the newspaper for the rime patterns. Create a collage by gluing the words to a piece of paperboard. The collage makes both a good room decoration and a reminder of the rime patterns being studied.

10 H HYPOTHESIZE PREDICT THE OUTCOME IN A PROBLEM BASED ARTICLE Find a problem-based article to read about a problem which the solution has not been found. Hypothesize or think about a conclusion(s) that might be helpful for the outcome. Share your thinking with the class. DEVELOP A WHAT IF STATEMENT ABOUT AN ARTICLE Select a problem-based article and change the main idea into a what if statement with a possible conclusion. For example, what if students who were disruptive in class were put out to work on physical projects in the community? Write an answer to the question you create. CONSTRUCT A CAUSE / EFFECT CHART THAT LEADS TO A HYPOTHESIS. From a problem-based article, develop a cause and effect chart. Inferred and predicted information can be included. From this chart construct a hypothetical statement that could actually be utilized to research the topic.

11 I INFER READ BETWEEN THE LINES WITH AN INFERENCE WINDOW Using a 4-door foldable, make four inferences from a reading: one about a person or people in the article, one about the setting, one about the problem and/or one about a possible solution. Support your inference with facts. Share your inferences with a partner. person setting problem solution MAKE INFERENCES ABOUT A GRAPH, CHART OR CARTOON Choose a graph, chart, cartoon or editorial cartoon from the newspaper. Make three or four inferences regarding the visual. Record your insights about the people, the place, the situation and/or the outcome. Back up each inference with supportive information and share with a partner. INFER THE INTENDED AUDIENCE FOR AN ADVERTISEMENT Choose an interesting ad from the newspaper and from the visuals and persuasive phrases, infer the target audience for the ad. Is the ad aimed at children, adults, males, females, those with money, those looking to save, those who live in a certain area, etc.? Explain the reasoning behind your choice of a target audience.

12 J JOURNAL USING A TWO COLUMN FORMAT, JOURNAL FACTS AND INSIGHTS Divide your journal page into two parts: facts from the newspaper article and insights/questions. After reading the article, list the key facts on the left hand side. On the right hand side, list questions, insights or predictions you have regarding the article. Prior knowledge can be included on either side of the journal page. SCRAPBOOK YOUR WAY TO COMPREHENSION Paste selected newspaper articles in your journal. Then on a separate journal page summarize each article using the 5 W s and an H. On the bottom of the page write your reflections or personal comments about the article. These reflections should be based on the content in the article, not just your original feelings. TRACK A TOPIC ON A DAILY BASIS IN YOUR JOURNAL Choose a topic of interest that relates to the curriculum. It can relate to sports, health, weather, politics, a particular country, a local issue, the economy, etc. Each day or week, if possible, find an article related to your topic. Paste the related new information from the article, any changed insights, and linkage to past events. After collecting enough articles, draw final conclusions about the topic.

13 K KNOW THYSELF CREATE A PERSONAL COLLAGE Using words, photos and graphics from the newspaper create a collage that helps describe yourself to your classmates. Let them know of your hobbies, interests, strengths, favorite things, travels, dreams, and challenges. Share your collage with your class. TELL US WHO YOU ARE IN A CARTOON Pick out the cartoon character that is the most like you now or the person that you would like to become. Talk about your choice of the character and which of his/her characteristics drew you to this character. Collect your ideas on a sheet of paper with the cartoon character(s) on the left and your thoughts on the right. MAKE A ME NEWSPAPER BOOK Share with a partner the part of the newspaper to which you turn first and why. Tell them about what draws you to that section of the paper and what that section tells others about you as a person. Then make a ME book with your four favorite parts of the newspaper. On each section of the four-door foldable paste something from the four sections of the paper. Inside each door, write why you like reading that particular section. movies sports comics local news

14 L LINKAGE LINK TWO ARTICLES FOR COMPARING AND CONTRASTING Using a tri-fold book, compare and contrast two newspaper articles that have common and uncommon elements. Common elements would be placed in the center panel. The uncommon elements would be placed on either side, with one side for each topical area. As an extension, from the information placed in the foldable, write a 3-5 paragraph compare and contrast essay. LINK TO AN ISSUE WHERE YOU ARE PERSONALLY CONCERNED Choose a newspaper article about a topic about which you are personally concerned. Using a tri-fold book, summarize the article on panel one. On panel two, talk about your interest and involvement. On panel three, talk about what you think needs to be done. Paste the article on the back of the tri-fold. Share with a partner. LINK TO ALL THREE T S IN ONE ARTICLE Choose a newspaper article that has many links. Again using a tri-fold, link the content in the article to yourself, (Text to Self), link to another reading (Text to Text), and finally to the world (Text to World). The Text to World can include movies, television programs and the Internet. You can also work with two other people on this exercise. In this case, each of you would look for a different type of linkage.

15 M MAKING GENERALIZATIONS GENERALIZE ABOUT THE STOCK MARKET AFTER READING THE FRONT PAGE & FINANCIAL SECTION After reading the key articles from the front page and financial sections of the newspaper, generalize about what might be happening financially in the country. Talk about the stock market and any changes that we might be going to see and why. GENERALIZE ABOUT THE WEATHER FROM INFORMATION FROM THE WEATHER PAGE After looking at the weather page to see what is happening across our nation, make some generalizations about present weather patterns and those that are about to take place. Talk about how these changes can affect you personally. GENERALIZE FROM TWO OR THREE ARTICLES ON A COMMON TOPIC Choose two or three articles on a common topic. Read these articles and make at least one generalization that can be strongly supported in all of the articles. Use a tab-book foldable to record the key elements and/or information needed to make this generalization. Examine things like: people, situations, settings, time periods, the economy, the environment, and other topics. Tab-Book Foldable Generalization

16 N NOTING MAIN IDEAS FIND THE MAIN IDEA IN A CARTOON Choose an editorial cartoon that has meaning for you. State what you think is the main idea and then support your statement with at least three or four graphic concepts from the cartoon. USE THE HEADLINE TO HELP STATE THE MAIN IDEA OF THE ARTICLE Cut out the headline for an article and cut out each word individually. Then read the article and see if you can develop your own main idea for the article. Use the cut out words from the headline, as well as other words of your own. Paste the new words and headline words on a sentence strip. BUILD TO A MAIN IDEA THROUGH GATHERING INFORMATION Go through an article underlining key pieces of information. Look closely at the beginning sentences in each paragraph. Cut out these key phrases and put them on the Main Idea Graphic Organizer. The organizer can be downloaded from:

17 O OUTLINING USE THE WEB OUTLINE Use the web outline to take notes on the key elements of the newspaper article. Put the topic of the article in the center of the web. Branch out from the center with the topical areas that are covered in the article: the who or what, the when and where, the how or cause, and the effect or why. From there you can branch out even further with additional details and related information. USE THE CORNELL OUTLINE Fold a sheet of paper vertically into one third and two thirds. Label the top of the left hand / one thirds column questions. Label the top of the wider column answers. After scanning the headline and news article, predict some questions that need to be asked about the article and put them in the left hand column. Leave lots of space between questions. Then use bullet points to answer your questions on the right hand side. USE THE POWER OUTLINE For a power outline, you use only the numbers one, two and three repeatedly. The one s are usually for the topic and are the furthest to the left. The two s are usually the sub-topics and are indented. The three s are usually the related details and are indented even further. Power Outlining is a simpler form of the formal outline and works well with newspaper articles as these articles usually have fairly definite topics, subtopics, and related details. Try this out on an article from today s newspaper.

18 P PREDICT MAKE A PREDICTION ABOUT THE STOCK MARKET After reading the articles on the front page of the newspaper and skimming through some of the other articles, make a possible prediction about the stock market for the day or week. Will it generally be up or down? Consider the possible effects of conflicts around the world, merging of companies, cost of various items, the environment, breakthrough inventions, etc. MAKE A PREDICTION ABOUT PATTERNS IN THE WEATHER After looking at the newspaper weather map from across the country and seeing various trends, make a possible prediction for the following week s weather. Look at possible temperature highs and lows, the probability of storms, various weather patterns that may be approaching, type of precipitation that could be expected, etc. Record your predictions and then see how accurate your predictions turn out to be. MAKE A PREDICTION ABOUT A LOCAL, STATE OR NATIONAL ISSUE Choose a local, state or national issue to follow in the newspaper. Highlight various aspects of information from related articles and attempt to also note patterns from other venues. On a Cause / Effects / Further Effects tri-fold book, record what you think could possibly happen in regard to the issue at hand. On the back of the foldable give your evidence for the prediction that you have made in this case. DIRECTED READING AND THINKING ACTIVITY Examining the title of the news story or section to be read. Make predictions and set expectations regarding what the text is about. Stopping at various points and ask yourself open-ended questions about the text. Use your questions to help make predictions about the next section of text and to develop your opinion about the text.

19 Q QUESTIONING TURN HEADLINES INTO QUESTIONS Chose a newspaper article whose headline can be turned into a how or why question. Read to answer the question that had been posed and record the information on post-its that will be used to help summarize the information. All post-it information should be in your own words and be directly related to answering of the question. Arrange post-its in a logical order so the question can be answered in a well developed manner. PLAY 20 QUESTIONS Choose a person, place or thing found on the front page of the newspaper. Tell the students in the class that you are thinking of something found on that page and they have 20 questions (that can only be answered by yes or no ) to uncover the name of the person or item that you have chosen. As each person responds, answer his or her question appropriately but with no detail. They can ask no more than 20 questions. PLAY JEOPARDY Use the front page of the daily newspaper for a Jeopardy Game. Put up 5 possible answers to questions from articles on the front page of the newspaper. Then have the students read the various articles and come up with the appropriate questions for the given answer. The students need to be able to scan to find the answer, read around the answer for specific information, and then develop an appropriate question. QUESTION-ANSWER RELATIONSHIP TECHNIQUE Use this technique to categorizes questions about an article as either in the article or in my head questions. Find the answers in the article and separate into in the article (text explicit) and further into right there answers (explicitly stated in the article), and think and search answers (text implicit, connecting two or more pieces of data from the text).

20 R RETELLING RETELLING WITH YOUR FINGERS Choose a newspaper article to retell to your partner. To help you remember the key elements, use the fingers on your hand. Your thumb can be the who or what happened, the second finger can be when and where, the third finger can be the how or cause finger, the fourth finger can be for why or the effect, and the fifth finger can be for your own evaluation of the subject at hand. RETELLING WITH A BALL To help you retell a news story sequentially and in detail, use a ball that can be thrown easily. The first person retells a portion of the story and then throws the ball to another person to continue the story. Continue until the whole story has been retold. Then start another. RETELLING WITH GLASSES Use different types of glass lenses to retell a newspaper story through the eyes of different people. The glasses may be made of cardboard or be recycled eyeglass lenses that have been labeled with the names of different characters. When you get one of the pair of eyeglasses, you are to retell the story through the eyes of that person, not just through the eyes of the reporter of the original story.

21 S SUMMARIZE USE 3, 2, 1 TO SUMMARIZE When you summarize you need to have a structure to follow. With the 3, 2, 1 format, you start with three questions that you think will be addressed in the newspaper article. Then after you read the article, you write down two pieces of key information that you gained through the reading. Finally for the one, you ask one good question that was not covered in the newspaper article that you read. USE THE STORY BOARD To better remember a newspaper article that you have read, visual reinforcement can be very helpful. Think of visual reinforcement as a storyboard that someone would develop when putting a picture book together. Each frame would graphically take the story to the next stage. Create a storyboard to help you visually remember the contents of an important news story. USE THE 5W S & H STEP BOOK Choose a newspaper article that relates to the curriculum and apply the 5 W s & H to the reading, (the Who/What, Where, When, Why, and How). Put each of these W s & H on one of the levels of the layered look book and then record information in the appropriate places. Graphics can be used as well as words. Turn the step book over and on the back put the 5W s & H together in a well-developed summary. TOPIC: Who / What When Where Why How

22 T Trace IDENTIFY AND RECORD TIME ELEMENTS Find a newspaper article that traces or follows a project over a period of time. Each time you find a reference to a date or time, circle this element and record it on a post-it. When you have completed the article, attach each of these post-its in order on a time line that you have developed from a sentence strip. Retell the article to a partner using the sentence strip filled with appropriately placed post-its. DEVELOP A FLIP BOOK TIME LINE In order to better understand chronology and sequencing, find a newspaper article that traces the development of a project from the beginning. Then through a flip book divided into four, five, or six sections, retell the sequence of events from beginning to the present state. Before making the flip book, underline all dates and references to time so that you will be certain to include them in the time line. MAKE SEQUENCE CARDS FOR SHARING Find a news article that includes sequence elements. Cut the article apart at places where there is a transition to a new time period. On a separate piece of paper, note the order of these pieces. Then put these pieces in an envelope and give them to a partner. See if the partner can put the pieces in order and explain the clues that were used. You will be doing the same with another article given to you by your partner.

23 U UTILIZE FLUENCY REREAD ARTICLES AND ECHO READ Choose a fairly short but interesting newspaper article. Identify and learn to read any unfamiliar words in the article. Read the article out loud to yourself at least three times, each time with a little greater speed. Now the teacher or group leader will read the article out loud, paragraph by paragraph. Then reread the paragraph out loud with the leader with as much expression as possible. Finally read the paragraph out loud by yourself with as much as expression as possible. REREAD ARTICLES USING CHORAL READING Choose a fairly short, but interesting newspaper article. Identify and learn to read any unfamiliar words in the article. Read the article out loud to yourself at least three times, each time with a little greater speed. Now the teacher or group leader will read the article out loud as you read along, choral reading fashion. In choral reading everyone reads together as a group. Read with as much expression as possible, but stay with the group. TURN A NEWS ARTICLE INTO A READER S THEATER Choose a fairly short but interesting news article with lots of quotes. Turn this article into a reader s theater performance by making non-quoted portions for reading by the narrator and quoted portions as parts to be read by members of your class. Read the quote as if you were the character (leave out the she said or he said text). Perform the piece in front of the class after practicing. PAIRED REHEARSALS Read a newspaper text of an appropriate length and difficulty to your partner and have them read it to you. As you read, clarify anything that might be confusing, and make predictions about what's to come. When you're done reading, take turns with your partner rereading the text, alternating sections of text as you go, and assisting and coaching each other as necessary. Once you feel comfortable reading the text as expressively as you can, read it for the class.

24 V Vocalize & Visualize Vocabulary COLLECT INTERESTING HEADLINES Choose a news headline that includes at least one new vocabulary word that you do not know. Cut out the headline and attach it to a sentence strip. Then on the other side of the strip, write the new vocabulary word and try and determine its meaning through context, or words surrounding the new word. List possible meanings for this new word and then check the dictionary to see how close you came to the actual meaning. MAKE A WORD LADDER As you read a newspaper article, find a word that may have multiple meanings. For example, the word ball can mean a round object, having a lot of fun, a formal dance, etc. Cut this word from the newspaper and begin to build a word ladder with the word. Put the meaning of the newspaper word on the first rung and then add additional meanings. You can use the dictionary for this activity. ACT OUT YOUR WORD Take a word from a headline on the front page of the newspaper. Act out the word for the class. Have them look at all the headline words and see if they can identify your chosen word. The person that correctly identifies your word will be the next person to act out a word. At the end of the session, each person should act out his or her word a second time for vocabulary reinforcement. MYSTERY WORD SHEET Find a word from a newspaper article and see if students can guess it. Provide hints such as My word has five letters or My word starts with a consonant or My word means If the word is guessed after the first clue, the student gets five points; after the second clue, four points; after the third clue, three points; and so on. After the fifth clue, reveal the word and let another student choose a new word. WORD ANAGRAMS Find a long word in the newspaper and make as many words from it as possible. Example: inventions, students might come up with words such as note, sent, or invite.

25 W Write WRITE A SCRIPT Select a scene from a newspaper story and ask students to develop a script from it for Reader's Theater. Have students rehearse the script and present the performance for an audience. Have various roles as well as narrators so a group can participate. UNCOVER REPORTER S FORMAT Choose a particular newspaper article and discuss the format(s) of that article. The article can be expository or topical, persuasive, descriptive, problem and solution, cause and effect, sequential, or compare and contrast. In some cases, the article may have a strong central format with elements of the others. Use a shutter fold to describe the key element, talk about additional elements and give your reasoning for choices. UNCOVER REPORTER S STYLE Find at least two articles written by the same reporter. Begin to identify writing techniques used by this particular reporter. Examine word choice, transitions, use of quotes, statistics, examples, anecdotes, humor, satire, comparisons, descriptive patterns, and figurative language. Use a five or six fold flip book to record specific information from the reporter s writings. WRITE LIKE A REPORTER Select an article that you d like to rewrite in your own reporter style. Develop a simple outline for your article, making certain to include the 5 W s and an H from the article. Begin your first draft of your rewrite, using some of the techniques described above in the Reporter s Style. You could also add more information by researching the topic on the Internet or other source. Share your first draft with a friend before making changes in the final draft. Review the final draft one last time with a critical eye for editing. (When time is short this activity can end with just the outline.)

26 X EXPLAIN YOURSELF MAKE A ME POSTER Go through the newspaper and cut out a variety of words, headlines, phrases, photos, graphs, etc. that you feel relate to you and your life. They can be you in the past, in the present or the future. Paste these items on a poster and share with the class. Eventually, turn what you have on the poster into an organized I Am Poem or short memoir. FIND AN ARTICLE THAT YOU CAN REALLY RELATES TO After finding an article that you can really relate to, begin to analyze the article. Use a tri-fold book to record the information. On the left hand fold, discuss the parts of the article that relate to your life; in the middle place the article; discuss how your life links to this article; and on the right hand fold, discuss what you might want to do in regard to this article. Share your findings with your partner. SELECT AN ITEM TO PURCHASE Using the retail ads in the newspaper, find one item under $25.00 that you might consider purchasing for yourself. Place the ad in the center of a four-fold and then use the four flaps to discuss why you might purchase this item over all others. If there is nothing you can find that you want to purchase, develop your own ad for something under $25.00 that you could purchase. WISH YOU WERE HERE POSTCARDS Read the travel section or other story about a place and pretend you are a character in the story. Write Wish You Were Here postcards to friends. LETTERS FROM THE HEART Write a letter about some facet of a newspaper article or feature story. The letter can be addressed to the reporter or to a person featured in the story, and can be written either from your perspective or from that of another participant in the story.

27 Y YAP (TO DISCUSS) DEVELOP A DISCUSSION WEB To look at both sides of an issue in the news, present the discussion in a tri-fold book In the center, place the central issue or question. Then begin to list information on the pro side as well as the con side of the issue or question. As you place the information on both sides, be openminded. Then choose one side of the issue on which to write a persuasive editorial. P R O C O N TAKE PART IN A SOCRATIC SEMINAR Choose a newspaper article that might evoke some controversy. Come up with one open-ended question based on information in the article. Have others in your class read the same article and attempt to answer your question with prior knowledge, specific information, and examples. Everyone should have an equal chance to express his or her ideas. No idea should be rejected if support statements can be provided. CREATE A DIALOGUE Choose a newspaper article with at least two key characters. After reading the article and assimilating the information, develop a natural dialogue between two of the characters, using actual quotes and other information from the article. A narrator may also be used to set up the dialogue and connect transition passages. The final dialogue should be performed in front of the class. NEWSPAPER READING CLUB Use a newspaper reading club discussion format to help practice reading skills while at the same time capitalizing on socialization! Take ample notes so you can share in the discussion.

28 Z Zone or Compare & Contrast COMPARE TWO NEWSPAPER OR CARTOON CHARACTERS Look in the newspaper for two people that have something in common such a location, a career, a similar problem, political aspirations, a family situation, etc. Using a compare and contrast flip book, put the elements that the two people have in common in the middle section. Then put elements unique to each individual on each side. To take this information one step further, use the information to write a compare and contrast essay. COMPARE NEWSPAPER PHOTOS Find two newspaper photos on a similar topic. Examine the photos carefully and list on the first third of a tri-folded sheet of paper the common elements. Then on the middle fold, state the differences in the two photos. For the final column, talk about photo A and how the differences shaped the meaning of the photo. Then do the same thing with photo B. From this information, determine your favorite photo and why. COMPARE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ON A SIMILAR TOPIC Locate two news articles on a similar topic. Using a pair of paper eyeglasses, list the major difference in the two articles in the center of each of the lenses. Then all around the eyeglass frame, list the possible differences in tone, style, type of information, and target audience. Indicate to your partner which article you preferred to read and why you chose this article.