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

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

The sound of music.(Music News)
November 21, 2003... What shakes, pops, cracks, crumbles, tears, puckers, slaps, whistles, and sings? Give up? Those are just some of the many sounds that people can make with paper. Paper Instruments In mid-October, fifth graders watched as rolls of...

Pudgy pooches and flabby tabbies: American pets packs on the pounds!(Health News)
November 21, 2003... Many cats and dogs have turned into couch potatoes in need of more exercise and less food. Scientists report it's not just people gaining weight. Their pets are putting on the pounds too! Chowing Down According to the National...

Class act: as Iraq rebuilds, a new school year offers hope.(Cover Story)
November 21, 2003... This will be a very different school year for Rand Amir. The fifth grader is among millions of schoolchildren who went back to school in Iraq in early October. On the first day of school, Rand said, her classmates ripped out pictures of...

Cool kitty cabs!(News Clips)(taxi cabs with pictures of Hello Kitty on them in Japan)
November 21, 2003... How about cruising around town in a Hello Kitty cab? If you live in Japan, that's possible. Ten Hello Kitty cabs recently hit the streets outside Tokyo, the capital of this Asian country. The cabs are popular with Hello Kitty fans, who...

What would you do?(News Clips)
November 21, 2003... Some of Kaitlyn's close friends new clothes in the latest styles. Kaitlyn's clothes are hand-me-downs from her older sister. She's embarassed to wear them. What should Kaitlyn do? Write a letter to Kaitlyn's about a time when you were in...

Take two!(News Clips)(actor Arnold Schwarzenegger elected as California's governor)
November 21, 2003... Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrates his newest role-governor of California. Best known for his part in the Terminator movies, Schwarzenegger "terminated" Democratic Governor Gray Davis from his second term in office. The Republican...

The fine number 9.(News Clips)
November 21, 2003... Some kids use their fingers to add. But what about to multiply? Inez likes to use her fingers to multiply by 9. Here's how it works: To multiply 4 times 9, she folds down the fourth finger from the left (to show the 4). [ILLUSTRATION...

Study the chart.(Brain Builders)
November 21, 2003... Fourth graders in Maine had their message to students in Iraq translated into Arabic. The chart on the right lists the ten languages spoken by the most people around the world. Fill in the oval for the best answer to each question. 1....

Word wise.(Brain Builders)
November 21, 2003... Fill in the oval for the best definition of each boldfaced word. 1. Students in Iraq are no longer forced to chant praises to Saddam. (A) cry (B) sing (C) scream 2. U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam's government. (A) built...

Know the news.(Brain Builders)
November 21, 2003... How much did you learn from this issue? Fill in the oval for the best answer to each question. 1. Which American pets have been gaining weight? (A) goldfish (B) birds (C) cats and dogs 2. Where was paper as we know it today...

Map of China.(from the desk of)(Map)
November 21, 2003... In the student edition, you read a story about paper instruments. The type of paper that we use today was invented in China about 2,000 years ago. Study the map of China below. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each...

Adjective or adverb?(from the desk of)
November 21, 2003... An adjective describes a noun. An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or even another adverb. Adverbs tell when, where, how often, or how much something happens. You read a story about overweight dogs and cats in this issue. Read the...

Movie magic: think about it. Take a look. Moviemakers often get their ideas by reading a book. Page by page, they go. Then their ideas start to grow. They start out with one, then two. Before long, they've got something for you to view.
November 14, 2003... Hollywood filmmakers often like to go by the book, turning pages into movie hits. Quicker than you can say "muggle," Harry Potter soared through J.K. Rowling's books onto the big screen. Harry wasn't alone. Stanley Yelnats was digging up...

Starring Sally.(nine-year-old actor Dakota Fanning )(Interview)
November 14, 2003... Nine-year-old Dakota Fanning stepped into a world most kids only dream about. She got to hang out with a hat-wearing, talking cat! Dakota, who has been acting since she was 6 years old, plays Sally in the movie Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the...

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words!
November 14, 2003... Have you ever heard someone say, "Every picture tells a story"? Take a look at the picture below from the movie Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. A caption describes a photo. Write a one-sentence caption to describe what is happening in this...

Action!
November 14, 2003... Imagine you are a filmmaker. You have to pitch an idea about, or make a persuasive argument for, adapting a children's book for a film. Choose a book that you've recently read that hasn't been made into a movie yet. Answer the following...

Reading assessment, grade 4, fall 2003: read each story. Then fill in the oval for the best answer to each question.
November 14, 2003... A Early last year, a lone orca was spotted in Puget Sound near Washington state. Many people think orcas are whales. Orcas are actually the biggest dolphins in the ocean. They usually swim in groups. Scientists figured out that the orca was...

Beverage battle.(School News)
November 7, 2003... Soft-drink companies are in fizzy competition. Many people in the United States are overweight. In the face of the nation's growing health and nutrition problems, many schools have banned soft drinks and other high-sugar snacks from vending...

Heimlich hero.(Health News)
November 7, 2003... Fourth grader Steven Vance of Michigan recently saved his mother's life. His mother was eating a piece of chicken when it suddenly became lodged in her throat. She began to choke in front of Steven and his 7-year-old twin brother and sister....

A Titanic wreck: nature and human visitors are taking their toll on the world's most famous shipwreck.
November 7, 2003... It has never been smooth sailing for the Titanic. On April 14, 1912, the luxury liner struck an iceberg on its first voyage and sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. Now the world's most famous shipwreck is rapidly falling apart,...

Kids News debuts.(News Clips)
November 7, 2003... If you like reading Weekly Reader, you can now catch your favorite periodical on TV. Weekly Reader is part of a new television program called Kids News. Every weekend, kid anchors and reporters deliver news of interest to kids. Weekly...

Super-sized guinea pig.(News Clips)
November 7, 2003... This guinea pig wouldn't make very good class pet. That because it was about the size of a buffalo! Scientists recently discovered the fossils of a giant rodent that weighed 1,545 pounds and lived 6 million to 8 million years ago. This...

Honoring Veterans.(News Clips)
November 7, 2003... Many schools across the country are closed on November 11 to observe Veterans Day. This holiday is set aside to honor people who have served the United States in war. According to the Pentagon, 150,000 American troops served in the war...

Study the map.(Brain Builders)
November 7, 2003... Study the map, which shows the Titanic's route and wreck site. Then fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. In which ocean did Titanic sink? (A) Pacific Ocean (B) Indian Ocean (C) Atlantic Ocean ...

Word wise.(Brain Builders)
November 7, 2003... Circle the best definition for each boldfaced word. 1. The Titanic is deteriorating faster than expected. (A) improving (B) adding (C) worsening 2. The Titanic was hailed as "unsinkable." (A) proven (B)...

Know the news.(Brain Builders)
November 7, 2003... How much did you learn from this issue? Fill in the oval in front of the best answer to each question. 1. Which beverage can be found in vending machines in New York City schools? (A) Coke (B) Pepsi (C) Snapple 2....

Shipwrecks!(from the desk of)
November 7, 2003... The chart below contains facts about ten shipwrecks that occurred during the past 150 years. Read the chart and fill in the oval next to the correct answer. 1. Which of these ships sank in 1915? (A) General Slocum (B) Lusitania...

Have a news debate.(from the desk of)
November 7, 2003... Read the story "Beverage Battle" on page 2 of the student edition. Then look at the question below. This activity will encourage you to think about both sides of an issue. In the boxes that follow, give reasons some people might answer yes or...