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Our class learns a letter and its sound each week. We complete the study with a daylong celebration of that letter. For the past eight years, my students have celebrated the letter Nn by using the newspaper.

As a phonics activity, the students are given a page from the newspaper and a marker. They are given 10 minutes to find and circle all the letters they know, both uppercase and lowercase. The students are amazed by the number of circles on their page!

As a reading activity, the students are given another newspaper page and another marker and asked to circle all the words they can read, including sight words. This usually lasts for 10 to 15 minutes. As they circle more and more words, comments such as "Look, Mrs. Jaynes, I can read!!" can be heard.

As a writing activity, the students select a picture from a collection of pictures we have cut from the newspaper. They glue this picture on a piece of paper and write/dictate a sentence or 2 that tells about it. They love to share their sentences by reading them to each other.

As a movement activity, each student is given a page from the newspaper and uses it to follow directions for placing the newspaper in relation to his/her body. We then roll our page into a ball and play tossing and catching activities. The looks of concentration on their faces, and the smiles when they catch the ball are heartwarming!

As a math activity, each child folds a newspaper page following given directions to make a hat. As we fold, we identify the various shapes we make with the newspaper. They love to wear the hat all around the school!

An additional math activity is to give each child a page from the advertisement section of the newspaper. Using a marker, each student circles and identifies numerals. We go around the room counting, using the numerals each student finds. We get very excited when we pass 30!

As a science activity, each child receives a page from the grocery advertisements. They cut out pictures of food which we sort by food groups and glue onto posters. The discussion that goes on as to the proper food group for those combination items, like pizza, can get pretty deep.

As an art activity, each student rolls a section of the newspaper and tapes it together. They cut down one end of the tube in strips about halfway and pull the pages out of the top of the tube. The strips fall as leaves of a tree, creating a newspaper tree.

At the end of the day, each student gets to take home his newspaper treasures. They feel very grown up since they spent the day "reading" the newspaper just like mom and dad!

Diane Jaynes
Kindergarten
Sunrise Elementary School

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