Jan. 31- Feb 5, 2025 Teacher Guide

Teachers and homeschool parents, please share this with your students. Using this guide will make your subjects more relevant and interesting to your pupils and will encourage creative thought. If you or your students have any suggestions or ideas for these teacher guides, please email Sarah Nachin – [email protected] This guide is based on the newest Florida Standards for grade school through high school.

Activities and Questions based on the Jan. 31, 2025 – Feb. 6, 2025 issue

Critical Thinking Activity for High School: (ELA.12.C.1.3) Write arguments to support claims based on an in-depth analysis of topics or texts using valid reasoning and credible evidence from sources, elaboration, and demonstrating a thorough understanding of the subject.
Read the short article on pg. A-4 about the focus groups. Write an essay as if you are a member of the focus group and discuss what you like best about Hernando County and what you’d like to see changed or improved upon. Pick one issue for each category. State your reason for your views. On the issue that you want changed, discuss what you would do to change it. Your essay should be at least 500 words.

Composition Activity for High School: (ELA.11.R.3.2) Paraphrase content from grade-level texts.
Read the article on pg. A-6 about the school expansion plan. Then, summarize the article in your own words. Be sure and include the main idea that the writer is trying to get across, one or two sentences to support that idea and a conclusion wrapping up the ideas presented in the body of the article. Your summary should be at least 300 words

Composition activity for Middle School: (ELA.6.C.3.1) Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.
Read the article on pg. B-5 about Mrs. Bastien. Then, write an essay of at least 350 words about your favorite teacher. It can be about a teacher you had in a different grade from the one you’re in now if you like. Be sure and include what subject and grade they teach, why they are your favorite teacher and a short anecdote about them. It can be humorous or serious.
Extra Credit Activity #1: If you might want to be a teacher someday, write an essay of at least 325 words stating what grade and subject you’d like to teach and why. Explain what you’d do as a teacher to help your students learn.
Extra Credit Activity #2: Write an essay of at least 300 words stating what you believe are the qualities of a good teacher and why these are important.

History activity for Middle School: (SS.68.HE.1.1) Examine the Holocaust as the planned and systematic state-sponsored persecution and murder of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945.
Read the article on pg. B-9 about Dee Collier and her portrayal of historic figures. Then write an essay of at least 400 words about Corrie Ten Boom and what she did to help Jews escape from the Nazis. Be sure and include details of how she risked her life, why her acts were important, and what we can learn from her life. Use at least two outside sources for your research. Cite the details of those sources (the URLs where you found them, authors [if the authors are named] and the dates and titles of the articles).
Extra Credit Activity: Draw pictures depicting Corrie Ten Boom as a young girl and as an adult and some of her activities. Or you can copy some pictures. Add them to your essay and make it into a sort of book with a front and back cover.

Composition activity for Elementary School: (ELA.1.C.1.4) Write expository texts about a topic, using a source, providing facts and a sense of closure.
Read the article on pg. B-1 and B-4 about the Booksville Festival. Then, write an essay of at least 300 words describing one of your favorite books and stating why you like it. Research the author and give a few facts about their life and how they came to write this book (if it’s stated in the article.) State where you found the information, the title of the article and the author of the article (if it’s given).

Comprehension Activity for Elementary School: (ELA.3.R.3.2) Summarize a text to enhance comprehension. Include plot and theme for a literary text. Use the central idea and relevant details for an informational text.
Read the article on pages B-1 and B-3 about rhubarb. Then, summarize the article in your own words. Make sure you include the central (main) idea and write down at least three important facts that support the main idea. Your summary should be at least 275 words.

If you wish to submit any of your compositions from this week to the newspaper for us to consider publishing, please email to [email protected]. Be sure and include your name, age, grade level and school that you attend.