Engage students with news, events and anniversaries for the week of May 18-22, 2015
Language Arts
1. It’s likely that your students have heard of Sherlock Holmes, likely the most famous literary detective.
The creator of that character is Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, born on May 22, 1859. Invite
your students to choose the story in today’s news that would make the best background for a mystery
story. They should write about their choice and explain which story elements make for a good mystery.
Indiana Academic Standard: write narrative compositions
2. Share this story with students: Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis got a patent on May 20, 1873, for “an
improvement in fastening pocket openings” because they used a type of rivet to on the pocket corners
of pants, and also on the top of the button fly. The pants they made were for work and they’re still
around today. In the 1950s, teens started wearing them and now people of all ages wear them
regularly. Can your students guess what pants these are? They’re jeans. Invite students to look
carefully through the newspaper ads and photos to find another item of clothing that they think we’ll still
be wearing 100 years from now. Have them describe the item and tell why they think it’ll have longterm style power. Click here to read more about the history of jeans.
Indiana Academic Standard: write narrative compositions
3. The largest volcanic eruption in U.S. history took place on May 18, 1980 when the Mount St. Helens
volcano in the state of Washington. More than 50 people died and it destroyed about 150 square miles
of forest. Can your students find any natural disasters described in today’s news? Have them locate
vocabulary used in the story to describe the scene and the mood of the area. Finally, have students
write an essay about how we should prepare for weather challenges. What do we have to know or do
to stay safe?
Indiana Academic Standard: Write routinely over a variety of time frames for a range of tasks,
purposes, and audiences
Math
1. Point out to students that some news articles are easier to understand when they are accompanied
by a graphic – a chart of other visual aid. Have students skim the news for an article that has an
accompanying graph, chart, or table. They should read the article and examine the chart. Then they
should write a paragraph about how the visual was helpful in explaining the information in the article.
Indiana Academic Standard: Integrate information presented in different media or formats e.g.,
visually
2. Hollywood’s legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theater opened on May 18, 1927. It’s the most popular
theater in the world. Millions visit there each year to see the hand and footprints of many stars. And,
they can also watch movies. Have your students check the movie listings in today’s newspaper and to
poll the class about which movie they’d most like to see this weekend. Have them graph the results of
the poll.
Indiana Academic Standard: graph points with whole numbers on a coordinate plane
3. Hockey is in the news as its championship season is underway. Have students check the Sports
section to find a story about the latest hockey battle. They should use the statistics in the story to write
three word problems for a partner to solve. If you're interested in having students learn a bit about the
science of hockey, here's a YouTube video that will help.
Indiana Academic Standard: Write routinely over a variety of time frames for a range of tasks,
purposes, and audiences
Science Literacy
1. Share this with students. A study concluded that there are four bad habits that “age” people. That
means their bodies will appear to be older than their chronological age. Smoking cigarettes, drinking
too much alcohol, not exercising and eating poorly can age a person as much as 12 years! The study
lasted 20 years and in that time, 29% of the people studied who had all four bad habits died. Only 8%
of the people without any of these habits died. Deaths were caused by cancer and heart disease. The
conclusion was that living a healthy lifestyle is likely, but not guaranteed, to help people live longer.
Can your students find examples of a healthy lifestyle in today’s news? May is National Physical
Fitness and Sports Month. Can students find stories that fit into either of those categories?
Indiana Academic Standard: Using appropriate language, report on a topic or text or provide a
narrative in an organized manner
2. Challenge students to find the most unusual science story in today’s news. Provide them with this
example of a story that is pretty odd. Scientists at the University of Warwick in England introduced a
car made partly from plant fibers that is powered by waste from chocolate factories. Can your students
find a more unusual science story than that one? They should summarize any one that they find.
Indiana Academic Standard: apply reading standards to support reflection and response to
literature and nonfiction texts
Social Studies
1. Explain to students that Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925. He was raised in a
violent atmosphere with both his father and his uncles murdered by white people. As a teen, the young
African American got involved in a life of crime and ended up in prison where he discovered the
Muslim religion. After getting out of prison, he got deeply involved with the Nation of Islam and took on
the last name “X” to stand for his African tribal name, which he did not know. He became a powerful
Muslim leader with some controversial beliefs about how African Americans should fight for equal
rights. For a time, he disagreed with Dr. King and thought that violence might be needed. But, a trip to
Mecca made him rethink his goals and strategies about civil rights. He continued to preach black selfrespect and self-reliance until he was assassinated in 1965 while giving a speech. For a while,
Malcolm X believed that civil rights needed to be achieved “by any means necessary.” Can your
students find someone in the news who is trying to achieve something in a controversial way? Have
them write about it.
Indiana Academic Standard: Using appropriate language, report on a topic or text or provide a
narrative in an organized manner
2. Amelia Earhart was the first woman pilot, and second person, to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
On May 21, 1932, she successfully made that trip. But, when trying to fly solo around the world in 1937,
she disappeared and was never heard from again. Do your students think she was adventurous or
foolish? Do they understand what drives someone to achieve these types of goals? Can they find
someone in today’s news who exhibits an adventurous spirit? Have them write about the person they
found. Do they have any of the same characteristics?
Indiana Academic Standard: apply reading standards to support reflection and response to
literature and nonfiction texts
3. Last week the jury in the trial of the Boston Marathon Bomber handed down the sentence for his
crime. They sentenced him to be put to death. The state of Massachusetts doesn't actually have a
death penalty but since this was a federal crime, prosecuted by representatives from the federal
government, they were able to ask for and get the death penalty. As it always is, the death penalty is
controversial. Some people believe it's fitting for a truly heinous crime, such as this one. Others don't
believe we should ever knowingly take a life. Look for follow up articles and editorials about this
sentence in the news. Decide what you think the appropriate punishment is and write about your
thoughts.
Indiana Academic Standard: apply reading standards to support reflection and response to
literature and nonfiction texts, using appropriate language, report on a topic or text or provide
a narrative in an organized manner
Write the News Lesson
Texting and Communication
Topic: Proper Prepositions
Prepositions are words with a job. They usually come before nouns and give some kind of information
such as time, place, or direction to define a relationship between words. In the sentence “The boy
stepped over the sleeping dog,” “over” is a preposition. It tells where the boy stepped in relation to the
dog.
While prepositions are valuable, they are often used unnecessarily. And you may have learned that
you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition. The problem isn’t really in ending a sentence with a
preposition; the problem is using a preposition anywhere it doesn’t need to be. Here is an example:
The parakeet flew out of the window. In that sentence, the preposition “of” doesn’t serve a purpose.
Leaving it out doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence, because “out the window” and “out of the
window” mean the same thing.
Copy these sentences and circle any unnecessary prepositions you find:
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Bobby leaped off of the diving board into the pool.
That’s where my house is at.
If you want to talk, come and sit by me.
I met up with her after school.
I don’t know where the cat went to.
My dad stood outside the door.
Sit beside of your brother on that bench.
Here’s a list of prepositions. Write a sentence using each one. Then check the headlines in the
newspaper to find at least two prepositions.
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Over
During
To
Upon
With