Activities and Questions based on Feb. 3, 2023 – Feb. 9, 2023 issue
Teachers, Homeschool Parents & Students, if you have any suggestion 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.9.C.1.2 – Write narratives using narrative techniques, varied transitions, and a clearly established point of view.)
Read the article on page A-4 about banning smoking at vaping in county parks and on beaches.. Write an essay of at least 400 words stating the pros and cons of this policy.
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 article on pg. A-1 about rising gas prices. Research some of the causes of this problem. Then write an essay of at least 450 words stating what could be a major cause of this. Back up your answer with information from your research.
Social Studies activity for Middle School: (SS.8.A.1.7 – View historic events through the eyes of those who were there as shown in their art, writings, music, and artifacts.)
Read the article on pg. B-6 about Academia Hernando. Research the life of either Vinnie Ream or Phyllis Wheatley. Then write an essay of at least 350 words explaining how either of them reflected their times through their art or writing.
Composition activity for Middle School: (ELA.6.R.2.2 – Analyze the central idea(s), implied or explicit, and its development throughout a text.
Read the article on page B-7 about train memories. Summarize the article in 350 words or more, stating the central idea or ideas and how the writer developed those ideas.
Vocabulary & Grammar activity for Elementary School (ELA.K.V.1.2 – Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in grade-level content)
Read the article on pg. B-1 entitled “The Weeki Wachee Mermaid Historian who Never Touched Water.” Choose the best meaning for each of these words by looking at how it is used in the sentence. Also, write down what part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) the word is by how it is used in the sentence.
- manikin: a) a small man; b) a life-size model of the human body; c) a man that you are related to.
- lush: a) luxurious; b) a person who drinks too much; c) turning red from embarrassment
- transform (the word in the article is transformed): a) move to another place, b) to change into something else; c) to make better
- spectacle: a) eyeglasses; b) a person who views a performance; c) an eye-catching display
- phenomenon: a) a remarkable person, thing or event; b) a rare event of scientific interest; c) something you can’t name
- porthole: a) a hole in a road; b) a round window in a ship; c) a hole in a dock
- mystique: b) an error; b) a sticky substance; c) something interesting and mysterious
- cove: a) a small sheltered bay; b) a small lid; c) a secret
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 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.
Math activity for Elementary School: (MA.3.AR.1.2 – Solve one and two-step real-world problems involving any of four operations with whole numbers.) Study the Calendar of Events on page B2 and calculate the answers to the following questions:
- How many more outdoor events are there than historical events?
- How many educational events and musical events are there all together?
- What percentage of activities are performances?
- What percentage of events revolve around food or beverages?
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.