Activities and Questions based on Feb. 24, 2023 – Mar. 2, 2023 issue
Teachers, homeschool parents, and students, if you have any suggestions or ideas for these teacher guides, please email Sarah Nachin – [email protected]
This is intended to use as a guide to adapt to your curriculum based on the Florida standards.
Composition activity for High School: (ELA.10.C.1.4 – Write expository texts to explain and analyze information from multiple sources, using a logical organization, purposeful transitions, and a tone and voice appropriate to the task.)
Read the editorial on pg.A-9 about the epidemic of single-parent families. List the key points of the editorial. Then research the issue of single-parent families and its effect on children. Write a 400-word essay expanding on one of these effects. Use recent statistics to back up your essay. Cite at least two articles on the internet, and be sure to give the URL of the articles.
Critical thinking activity for High School: (ELA.9.C.4.1 – Conduct research to answer a question, drawing on multiple reliable and valid sources and refining the scope of the question to align with findings.)
Read the editorial on pg. A-2 written by Steve Goodwin. Write an essay of at least 400 words comparing and contrasting the train wreck in Ohio to the Chernobyl disaster. Use at least two resources besides the article and cite the URL of the articles.
Vocabulary activity for Middle School: (ELA.6.V.1.3 – Use context clues, figurative language, word relationships, reference materials, and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of multiple-meaning and unknown words and phrases appropriate to grade level.)
Read the article on pg. B-7 about the “Sound of Music.” Define the following words as they are used in the article. Also, write down what part of speech the word is (noun, adjective, etc.). Write a sentence of your own using each word:
- plethora
- conservatory
- troupe
- herald (the word in the article is “heralded”)
- revival
- ultimate
- thespian
- angst
Extra Credit Assignment #1: Write a sentence using a different form of the word than the one in the article. For example, if the word in the article is an adjective like “rosy,” change it to a noun – “rose” and then use that word in an original sentence.
Extra Credit Assignment #2: Write one to three paragraphs (or more) using this week’s vocabulary words or a form of the word. You can use as many or as few of the words as you like; however, your paragraphs must make sense. In other words, don’t just write sentences that don’t go together to discuss a topic or create a story.
Creative Writing Activity for Middle School: (ELA.6.C.1.2 – Write personal or fictional narratives using narrative techniques, precise words and phrases, and figurative language.)
Read the article on pg. A-1 about the space mission. Then write a fictional story of 350 words or more with you as the main character participating in a space mission.
Art activity for Elementary School: (VA.2.F.1.1 – Use imagination to create unique artwork incorporating personal ideas and selected media.)
Read the article on pg. B-12 about the library art contest. Design a bookmark illustrating your favorite book or what reading and books mean to you.
Math activity for Elementary School (MA.3.M.1 – Measure attributes of objects and solve problems involving measurement)
Study the following advertisements. Then answer the following questions for each ad: Swamp Fest (pg. A-1), Wilson Technology (pg. A-3), Shuayb Dental ( pg. A-5), Accent Insurance (pg. A-7)
- What is the width (side to side) and length (top to bottom) of each advertisement?
- What is the perimeter of each ad? (For the perimeter, add the total length and total width of the sides.)
- What is the total area of each ad? (For area, multiply the length times the width.)
- What is the difference between the perimeter of the Wilson Technology ad and the Shuayb Dental ad?
- What is the total area of the Accent Insurance and the Swamp Fest ads?
- What is the difference between the areas of the Shuayb Dental ad and the Swamp Fest ad?
- What is the total of the perimeters of the Accent Insurance ad and the Wilson Technology ad?
- How much larger in area is the Shuayb Dental ad than the Accent Insurance ad?
Anyone wishing 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. Submission is not a guarantee that your work will be published. Submissions may be edited due to space restrictions.