Weekly Reader, Edition 4 (including Science Spin) articles from January 2003

Weekly Reader, Edition 4 (including Science Spin) archives from January 2003

WR saves lives. (Health News).(Heimlich maneuver used by Lauren Torres to save brother)
January 31, 2003... Fifth grader Lauren Torres was playing with her 2-year-old brother, John, last April. While the two were playing, John picked up a small toy. Lauren turned her back for just a minute. But in that minute John put the toy in his mouth. ...

Saving the world's treasures. (Social Science News).(World Heritage Convention protects historic sites)
January 31, 2003... What do Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal, and the Everglades have in common? They are three of the 730 World Heritage sites around the world. World Heritage sites are areas that have special environmental, cultural, or historic value. Those...

Water world. (Science News).
January 31, 2003... On a December morning, shortly before dawn, Danny Thompson, age 10, looked through a small telescope. He saw a round red disk--Mars. "Someday I will go to Mars," Danny said later. Over the years, many people have dreamed of going to Mars....

The science of fun! Circus clown uses science to get the act right. (Science News).
January 31, 2003... Bello Nock recently raced up a thin wire on a motorcycle. He drove the motorcycle high over thousands of spectators' heads. He's a clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. To the spectators below, Bello's stunt looked...

Study the graph. (Brain Builders).
January 31, 2003... The map shows our solar system. Study the map. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] 1. Which planet is closest to the sun? (A) Mercury (B) Venus (C) Earth 2....

Word wise. (Brain Builders).
January 31, 2003... The words below are from this issue. Study the words. Then read the sentences. Write the word that best completes each sentence. nominate deposits telescope orbiting treaty 1. A -- is an agreement. 2. Countries --...

Know the news. (Brain Builders).
January 31, 2003... How much have you learned from this issue? Read each question. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. Lauren Torres used the -- maneuver. (A) Stonehenge (C) Jovian (B) Heimlich 2. The Taj...

The dream is alive! (Science News).(EarthStar One rocket)
January 17, 2003... Ever since he was 5 or 6 years old, Brian Walker has dreamed of flying into space. Walker has kept his dream alive. He has high hopes of becoming the first backyard astronaut. Walker started building rockets in his backyard about four...

The patchwork of history. (Social Science News).(quilts)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Loretta Pettway is a gifted storyteller. She tells stories about her life and the past in Gee's Bend, Alabama. But she doesn't use words to tell her stories; she uses fabric and thread. Sewing Stories Pettway is one of the many women...

The Louisiana purchase: building the United States. (Social Studies News).
January 17, 2003... On January 18, 1803, the third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson, sent a letter to Congress. He asked the members of Congress to give him $2,500. He wanted to send a party of adventurers to explore the western areas of the United States. The...

Slithering away. (Animal News).(largest snake in captivity)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... In November, many people in New York City were saddened to learn that an old friend had died. Their friend was named Samantha. No one knows how old Samantha was; they only know that she was old--for a snake. Samantha was the largest...

Snake facts. (Animal News).
January 17, 2003... * There are nearly 2,700 kinds of snakes worldwide. * The reticulated python can grow to be 30 feet long. * The black mamba, the fastest snake, can reach a speed of 7 miles per hour. * The ball python protects itself from...

Tour the White House. (News Clips).(100th anniversary of the West Wing of the White House)
January 17, 2003... Some of the most important men and women of the last century have worked in offices in the West Wing. The West Wing is a series of offices that were added to the White House 100 years ago. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the West...

Count the beats, Inez! (Cyberchase).
January 17, 2003... To start her new year, Inez has a question. Can you help her answer it? First make an estimate--how big a number do you think the answer will be? Then use the chart to figure it out! 1. WHAT'S YOUR ESTIMATE? The answer will be in the...

Study the graph. (Brain Builders).
January 17, 2003... The graph shows the number of African Americans who lived in the United States from 1790 to 1880. Study the graph. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. By which year did the number of African Americans...

Word wise. (Brain Builders).
January 17, 2003... The words below are from this issue. Study the words. Then read the sentences. Write the word that best completes each sentence. charting encountered flock unexplored ancestors 1. The -- of many of the people in...

Know the news. (Brain Builders).
January 17, 2003... How much have you learned from this issue? Read each question. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. EarthStar One is a --. (A) submarine (C) rocket (B) car 2. Gee's Bend is located...

Don't know much about geography. (School News).
January 10, 2003... Where is Africa? Is Asia a continent or a country? If you are in the fourth grade, you can probably answer those questions. According to a new study, fourth graders' knowledge of geography has improved since 1994. About 74 percent of...

Venice: art of a sinking city. (Social Studies News).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2003... Many people say Venice, Italy, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is so scenic that artists have been drawing pictures of it for hundreds of years. Now scientists are studying old paintings of the city to find out how fast...

A mammoth creation. (Cover Story).(cloning idea)
January 10, 2003... About 10,000 years ago, a snarling saber-toothed tiger crouched behind a shrub. The tiger watched as a herd of 6- to 8-ton woolly mammoths walked by. A baby mammoth wandered away from the herd. Suddenly, the tiger darted toward the baby,...

Living with asthma. (Health News).
January 10, 2003... Last summer, Basil Harley and many kids in New York City went to school to take a test. The kids didn't have to study for the test. They went to school to take a test to see whether they have asthma. Asthma is a breathing disease. Many...

A sinkhole swallows a barn. (News Clips).
January 10, 2003... One night in November, Bob Bonwit stepped outside his home in Sanford, Florida. He headed toward his barn to feed his two horses. When he looked up, he saw that his barn and horses had disappeared. The barn and horses had fallen into a large...

Saving a rare bird. (News Clips).(po'ouli )
January 10, 2003... Wildlife experts are scrambling to save the rarest kind of bird on Earth. Only three of the birds are left in the wild. The bird is the po 'ouli (poh-oh-U-lee). It lives in Hawaii. The bird has a black head that makes it look as if it is...

Study the map. (Brain Builders).
January 10, 2003... The map shows part of Europe, including Italy. Study the map. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Venice is located in the -- part of Italy. (A) northern (B)...

Word wise. (Brain Builders).
January 10, 2003... The words below are from this issue. Study the words. Then read the sentences. Write the word that best completes each sentence. adapt climate clone asthma preserve 1. Weather over a period of time is called --. 2. The...

Know the news. (Brain Builders).
January 10, 2003... How much have you learned from this issue? Read each question. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. Frozen mammoths have been found in --. (A) Angola (B) Italy (C) Russia 2. Each year,...

Flying high. (Social Studies News).(glider based on Leonardo da Vinci's drawings flies)
January 3, 2003... Recently, Judy Leden strapped a pair of wings on her back. Then she ran as fast as she could down a hill. As she ran, the wings slowly lifted Leden off the ground. Soon she was soaring through the sky. The 30-foot-wide wings carried Leden...

Spilled oil soaks wildlife. (Cover Story).(effects on Spain and Portugal of tanker Prestige's oil spill )
January 3, 2003... Environmental experts are working hard to clean up beaches in Spain. (See the map.) Spain and Portugal are two countries in Europe. Some of their beaches are covered with oil that leaked from a tanker called the Prestige. What Happened?...

Twisted weather. (Science News).(tornadoes )
January 3, 2003... As soon as they heard the warning, people in Carbon Hill, Alabama, scrambled toward their basements. The town's residents were running from a tornado. As the twisted funnel cloud blew through the town, it uprooted trees, picked up cars and...

Dot kids: web address protects kids. (Safety News).(Brief Article)
January 3, 2003... Fourth grader David Casey likes to surf the Internet. He finds information that helps him do his homework. He listens to music and plays games on the Web. He even talks with friends in chat rooms--at least he used to. After David started...

He's a winner. (News Clips).(David Bates wins the Weekly Reader American Values contest)
January 3, 2003... Third grader David Bates won the Weekly Reader American Values contest. The U.S. Army and the Pentagon sponsored the contest. Nearly 14,000 kids in grades 3 through 6 entered the contest. The contest asked kids to write an essay that...

Something to chew on. (News Clips).(laws regulating chewing gum in Singapore)
January 3, 2003... Have you ever touched the bottom of a desk or a table and found that you were touching a blob of old chewing gum? Schools long ago banned chewing gum to keep kids from sticking gum to school furniture. Officials in Singapore, a country in...

Major oil spills. (Study the Table).
January 3, 2003... The table shows some of the largest oil spills. Study the table. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. When did the largest listed oil spill happen? (A) 1979 (B) 1989 (C) 2002 2. According...

Know the news. (Brain Builders).
January 3, 2003... How much have you learned from this issue? Read each question. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. Recently, Judy Leden flew a -- a designed by Leonardo da-Vinci. (A) plane (B) helicopter (C)...