Chapter 1: A School in Crisis

Newspaper Activities for Brain Freeze

1. In this chapter, an elementary school is in the news. Start collecting articles from The News-Journal that report on local school issues and happenings. Organize them into an album or bulletin board display. Classify them according to whether they are positive, negative or neutral. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.2, LA.E.1.2.4, SS.A.1.2.1)

2. In this serial story, a local rap star volunteers his resources to help relocate a school whose buildings are unsafe. Clip articles from The News-Journal showing famous people helping others. With classmates and/or friends, identify some problems facing your school/community and begin working on some solutions. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.E.1.2.4, SS.C.2.2.1)

3. Check out the clue for next week in the Classified section of today´s News-Journal. You will notice that the rap lyrics are set up in lines, like a poem. Go through the lyrics and add the punctuation that would be correct if they were in paragraph form. Look for other poems in the newspaper and share them with family or classmates. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.B.1.2.2, LA.D.1.2.1, LA.D.1.2.2, LA.E.1.2.4)

Teachers-Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary
Teachers act as facilitators or coaches, using interactive discussions and hands-on approaches to help students learn and apply concepts in subjects such as science, mathematics, or English. They utilize props or manipulatives to help children understand abstract concepts, solve problems, and develop critical thought processes.

Using Scavenger Hunts
Developing a scavenger hunt is one method a teachers can use to teach academic concepts and teach navigation skills to students.

Scary Scavenger Hunt
You have to find the seven packages of goodies hidden in the haunted house. Don´t get too scared!

Egyptian Scavenger Hunt
You´ve just applied for a summer job as a helper to a world renowned Egyptologist. She wants you to be able to read and absorb information quickly, and to be facile at using the World Wide Web to locate data about Ancient Egypt. To weed out the non-serious applicants, she has created a scavenger hunt. The winner of the hunt will be her first choice for the job. Are you game?

Serial Story: BRAIN FREEZE
Brain Freeze, a 10-chapter serial story, is written by Bob Rouse and illustrated by Frank Yates. Bob Rouse and Frank Yates both work for the Lexington Herald-Leader.