Scholastic Choices articles from February 2008

Scholastic Choices archives from February 2008

Shaq speaks: as a kid, Shaq learned a valuable lesson about bullying.(Personal Responsibility)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shaquille O'Neal, star center for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, has a confession: He's a former bully. "As a kid, I was insecure," he tells Choices. "People used to laugh at me because I was...

Teens & divorce.(Surviving Divorce: Teens Talk About What Hurts and What Helps)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2008... DID YOU KNOW THAT ABOUT HALF OF THE KIDS in the United States have gone through or will experience a divorce in their family? And when parents split up, it's always hard on their kids. The book, Surviving Divorce: Teens Talk About What Hurts...

Apple fries?(Nutrition)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Would you eat apples that were sliced to look like french fries? Burger King thinks you would. The fast-food chain is planning to sell the new form of apples beginning this spring. The apples are part of an initiative by Burger King to sell...

Bad candy.(Substance Abuse)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... THERE'S A PRODUCT BEING SOLD LEGALLY in the United States that may encourage developing a smoking habit, even though it's not a real cigarette. It's a candy that looks like a cigarette, complete with a red tip, simulating the burning end of a...

Stuff about stuff.(Web site)(Website overview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DO YOU TURN ON THE TV and wonder how the picture appears on the screen? If so, check out www.howstuffworks.com. The site answers your TV questions and much more. Howstuffworks.com provides thorough,...

Flabby tabby.(Health)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A recent study commissioned by pet-food maker Purina found that 60 percent of pets in the United States are overweight. And those excess pounds are contributing to serious health woes among our dogs and cats. "Some...

Stepping up--big time: to celebrate his birthday, this teen climbed one of the tallest mountains in the world--and raised thousands of dollars for charity at the same time.(personal responsibility)(Nicolai Calabria)(Table)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mount Kilimanjaro stands 19,341 feet above sea level. The mountain, which is located in the East African country of Tanzania, is Africa's tallest peak. Fewer than half the people who attempt to climb Kilimanjaro...

Legal and lethal: warning: abusing over-the-counter medications puts your life at risk. Read about two young people who suffered from severe addictions to cough medicine.(substance abuse)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dan Kivett was 12 years old when he first tried the little red pills. He got them from a friend, who called them Skittles. But Dan knew they weren't candy. Dan swallowed four or five pills and closed his eyes....

Family feud: do you bicker with your brother or spar with your sister all the time? Here's how to ease the tension.(family)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sixteen-year-old Max was excited to get his first cell phone. His 13-year-old sister, Genevieve, was thrilled to get her first cell phone too. But there was a problem: The phone was for the two of them. "Max and...

Meningitis scare: Kayla St. Pierre woke up one morning feeling like she had a cold. But the disease that invaded her body was much more serious and almost killed her.(health)(Disease/Disorder overview)
February 1, 2008... On a spring morning eight years ago, Kayla St. Pierre woke up feeling ill. But she felt well enough to go to school. Then, around 10 a.m., Kayla began to feel really sick, so she headed to the nurse's office. "I felt really tired," Kayla,...

The score on sports drinks: pro athletes down Gatorade and other sports drinks to refresh their bodies, but do thirsty teens need to consume these drinks too?(nutrition)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last fall, Jake Trevino played on his high school football team in Texas. Besides playing games on weekends, the team practiced during the week, sometimes for as long as two hours a session. That can be tough on the...

Quesadillas: filled with nutritious veggies, this recipe is fun to make--and even better to eat.(recipe 101)(Recipe)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ingredients 1 tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil 1 green bell pepper 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1/2 teaspoon of cumin salt and pepper, to taste 1/2 teaspoon of...

Talking with your doctor: follow these tips to get the most from your doctor visit.(HEADS UP REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If there's one word that best sums up the teen years, it's "change." Your body grows more between ages 13 and 19 than at any other point in life besides infancy. Think about it. While change can be exciting, it...

Blowing it out: passing gas can be uncomfortable and embarrassing. It's also a normal bodily function.(your body & mind)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You're about to give a speech in class. You open your mouth to speak and suddenly... urrp! A loud belch escapes your lips. How embarrassing! Well, at least you didn't experience flatulence (more commonly known as...

Debt in dollars: if you're always borrowing money from others, you're setting yourself up for financial trouble.(your money)
February 1, 2008... Do you know what it means to be in financial debt? Say you borrow $2 from a pal to buy a snack. After you finish munching on the potato chips you buy with that money, guess what? You now owe your friend two bucks. It's a bad idea to always...

Taking a lead: meet a business executive who welcomes the pressure that comes with being in charge.(your future)(Interview)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Choices continues its profiles of men and women working in occupations atypical of their genders. In this issue, Choices interviewed Akimi Gibson, vice president and publisher of the Scholastic Classroom & Library...

Tips about talking: just entered a party where you don't know many people? Here's how to get involved in conversations with others.(your life)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... 1 Prepare beforehand. Give yourself topics to discuss by thinking before the party about movies you've seen or about your favorite computer games. 2 Introduce yourself. Introduce yourself early in a conversation. Then ask what the other...

All about attitude: advice from choices readers.(sticky situation)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... the problem I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD THAT I HAVE AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM. ALL OF MY FRIENDS DON'T THINK SO, BUT MY RELATIVES DO. WHAT SHOULD I DO? I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO THINK I HAVE AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM. --BAD ATTITUDE? [ILLUSTRATION...

The hunt is on.(world search)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... DIRECTIONS: How carefully did "you read the five feature articles ("Stepping Up--Big Time," "Legal and Lethal," "Family Feud," "Meningitis Scare," and "The Score on Sports Drinks") in this issue of Choices? Find out by filling in the blanks in...

World list.(world search)
February 1, 2008... doubled electrolytes donate activity failure legal water diagnose vaccinated normal [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Thank you for using choices in your classroom!(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 ISSUE OF CHOICES, a magazine that covers family and consumer science, health, and Life skills. The teen years can be a challenging time for young people. As their bodies change physically and their...

Need funding for Scholastic Choices?(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Go to http://teacher.scholastic.com /products/classmags/funding.htm. You'll find details on how Scholastic Classroom Magazines support the No Child Left Behind Act and qualify for funding from Title I, Even Start, and Reading First. There is...

Teen health: talking with your doctor.(HEADS UP REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... --A message from Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of NIDA Dear Teacher: As you know, life can get pretty complicated for teens given the range of physical and emotional changes they go through. Getting teens to talk about what's going on...

Lesson plan & reproducible.(HEADS UP REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... PREPARATION Make copies of the activity reproducible (on the other side of this page) for each student. OBJECTIVE Students will learn that taking control of their own health includes developing effective relationships with doctors and...

Creating a personal health journal.(STUDENT ACTIVITY REPRODUCIBLE)
February 1, 2008... Face it: As a teenager, you're going through now than at any other period in your life outside of infancy. A personal health journal is a great way to keep track of all that's going on with you as you learn more about yourself and your health....