Weekly Reader, Edition 4 (including Science Spin) articles from October 2004

Weekly Reader, Edition 4 (including Science Spin) archives from October 2004

Color your plate: bright foods are good for your health.(HeaLTH news)(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... Have you had your colors today? Nutrition expert Mary Towne-Merritt from Madera, California, told Weekly Reader that eating colorful fruits and vegetables is good for you. She says that kids should get a minimum of five servings of fruits and...

$how me the money! The World's Fair of Money wows Pittsburgh.(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... Bling, bling! Collectible coins and currency worth about $1 billion were on display at the World's Fair of Money. The fair was held this August in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During the five-day event, money was displayed for looking at,...

Take a stand: Bush and Kerry face off on key issues.(George W. Bush and John F. Kerry)(Cover Story)
October 29, 2004... Election Day is almost here. On November 2, voters will decide whom they want to be the next U.S. president. Will it be Republican George W. Bush or Democrat John Kerry? To find out what the candidates have to say about some of the election...

You decide!(QUiCK Takes)
October 29, 2004... We went on a class field trip to a museum today. One of my friends took a souvenir from the gift shop without paying for it. I know that stealing is wrong, but I don't want to be a tattletale. What should I do? Tell us what you would do...

What a pain!(Koko, a gorrilla, communicates her toothache with sign language)(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... Dentists recently went ape for a gorilla named Koko. The 33-year-old gorilla used American Sign Language to complain about a toothache. Sign language is a form of communication made up of hand movements, facial expressions, and body...

Super stats.(causes behind voting abstention)(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... Reasons Why People Don't Vote Excuses, excuses! There were 130 million people who reported that they were registered to vote in the 2000 presidential election. Of those people, 19 million did not vote. Take a look at some of the top...

Chart smart.(voting stats from 2000 elections)(Brief Article)
October 29, 2004... This year's election race promises to be a close one. Look at the graph, which shows the percentages of registered voters in various age groups who went to the polls in the 2000 election. Then fill in the oval for the best answer. Who...

Know the news.(BRain BuiLDeRS)
October 29, 2004... How much did you learn from this issue? Fill in the oval for the best answer to each question. 1. At least how many servings of fruits and vegetables should kids get each day? (A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 5 2. Where did the...

Word wise.(BRain BuiLDeRS)
October 29, 2004... A noun is a person, place, or thing. Circle the election-related words below that are nouns. election campaigned choose decided president voted won government ballot

Honest Abe's library: Lincoln's papers get a new home.(Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library)
October 22, 2004... A group of librarians in Springfield, Illinois, has been booked up. The librarians are busy making sure the world's largest collection of information on President Abraham Lincoln gets to its new home safely. The documents are on their way...

From sea to space: astronauts take to the ocean to practice medicine in space.
October 22, 2004... Astronauts are diving into a new kind of mission. Their special voyage is taking them more than 60 feet beneath the ocean's surface. The astronauts--called "aquanauts"--are training for space missions in an underwater laboratory called...

Calling all spiders! Meet a scientist who searches for spiders and works to change their reputation.(Cover Story)
October 22, 2004... Does thinking about spiders and and their hairy bodies, long legs, and sticky webs make your skin crawl? Many people shiver at the thought of spiders. That is not the case for Rich Bradley (right), a real-life Spider-Man. He can't get...

You decide!(QUiCK TaKeS)
October 22, 2004... A girl in my class played a joke on me. She put a plastic spider on my desk. I thought it was real at first and screamed. Now I'm embarrassed because the whole class laughed at me. What should I do? Tell us what you would do at...

Super stats.(fruits and vegetables)(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... Happy fall! It's pumpkin season. A pumpkin grown by a New Hampshire man in 2002 holds the record for the heaviest pumpkin of all time. Check out how this pumpkin weighs up against other supersized record holders. Record Breaking...

Election central: issue: homeland security.(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... This week Grade 4 looks at where the two major candidates for president stand on homeland security. Both candidates recognize that the world has changed since the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11,2001. Each candidate has his own...

Game boy.(Neil McCalmont invents a new game, U.S. Presidents: Not Your Typical Trivia Game)(Brief Article)
October 22, 2004... Which president got stuck in a White House bathtub and had to be rescued? Give up? It was William Howard Taft, the 27th U.S. president. That is 8-year-old Neil McCalmont's favorite fact from the trivia game he created about U.S....

Know the news.
October 22, 2004... How much did you learn from this issue? Fill in the oval for the best answer to each question. 1. Which president is being honored with a new library in Springfield, Illinois? (A) George Washington (B) Abraham Lincoln (C)...

Chart smart.(spiders)
October 22, 2004... Don't let spiders bug you. They're not insects. Check out the differences between spiders and insects. Use the chart to answer the questions that follow. SPIDERS INSECTS NUMBER OF LEGS ...

Word wise.(BRain BUiLDeRS)
October 22, 2004... Write the word from the spider story that best completes each sentence. species predators spinnerets 1. Spiders use -- to make webs. 2. The wolf spider is a common spider --. 3. Spiders are -- because they hunt...

Extreme action: skateborders get a jump on good health.(Cover Story)
October 15, 2004... What a lift! Skateboarding's image get a makeover Alex Warhall is on a roll! The 11-year-old boy regularly practices his kickflip and heelflip at a skate park in his neighborhood in New Haven, Connecticut. If kickflip and...

Path to the presidency: how does the president get elected?(RACE to the WHITE HOUSE)
October 15, 2004... (1) On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry have been racing along the campaign trail for months now. With Election Day around the corner, they have their eyes on the finish line. Take a look at the path...

You decide!
October 15, 2004... Our teacher gives us a science quiz each week. I notice that my classmate often copies my answers. I think it's unfair that he cheats when I study the night before. How should I handle the situation? Tell us what you would do at...

Election central: issue: education.(QUiCK TaKeS)
October 15, 2004... Each week until Election Day, Grade 4 will look at where the two major candidates for president stand on important issues. This week's issue is education. President George W. Bush In 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left...

Driving votes.(Brief Article)
October 15, 2004... Start your engines! Now that election season has revved up, a group of musicians from California has found a creative way to encourage people to get out and vote for president on November 2! The musicians are traveling from coast to coast...

Super stats.(stats regarding sports Injuries)(Brief Article)
October 15, 2004... Sports Injuries Play it safe when it comes to team sports and wheel sports. Wearing the proper safety equipment and following the rules will lower the risk of injury. Take a look at how many U.S. kids ages 5 to 14 were injured during...

Map mania.(BRain BUiLDeRS)
October 15, 2004... Skateboarding became popular in southern California during the 1960s. Study the map. Then answer the questions that follow. 1. Which city is the capital of California? (A) Los Angeles (B) Carson City (C) Sacramento 2....

Know the news.(BRain BUiLDeRS)
October 15, 2004... How much did you learn from this issue? Fill in the oval for the best answer to each question. 1. Which comes first in the election process? (A) primaries (B) conventions (C) Election Day 2. Where were the nominating...

Word wise.(BRain BUiLDeRS)
October 15, 2004... Write the election word from the issue that best completes each sentence. debate primary convention 1. A -- is a special state election in which people vote for their party's candidate for president. 2. Each party...

Colds and flu, what are you?
October 15, 2004... Name -- Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Sounds like you may have a cold or the flu! Colds and the flu are infections of the respiratory system, which allows us to breathe. That means colds and the flu affect your nose, throat, and lungs. Both...

A sharp point: understanding editorial cartoons.
October 8, 2004... When you read a newspaper, do you usually open it to the comics section? Many people do! That's because those cartoons are funny. The cartoons in the comics section may make you laugh, but another type of cartoon will also make you think....

A numbers puzzle: scientists piece together the number of pandas in the wild.(Cover Story)
October 8, 2004... Counting giant pandas in the wild is no easy task. Just ask a team of scientists who recently put their detective skills to the test. The scientists trekked through dense forests in central China to search for clues of giant pandas....

Super stats.(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Did you know that October is adopt-a-shelter-dog month? During this month, people are encouraged to adopt dogs from local shelters as pets. Take a look at how dogs stack up against some other pets in the United States. Math Blast:...

Pencil power.(kids' letters to the presidential candidates )(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Nine-year-old Luke from Florida has some advice for the next president of the United States. "Please make world peace and stop world hunger," he says. Luke is one of hundreds of kids around the country who have written letters to George...

Election central: issue: environment.(Brief Article)
October 8, 2004... Each week until Election Day, Grade 4 will look at where the two major candidates for president stand on important issues. This week's issue is the environment. President George W. Bush President Bush says that he has worked to...

You decide!(QUiCK TaKeS)
October 8, 2004... Your soccer team just lost a game. One of your friends missed an easy goal. The rest of your teammates are angry and are yelling insults at your friend. What should you do? Go to www.weeklyreader.com/kids to tell us how you would handle...

Know the news.
October 8, 2004... How much did you learn from this issue? Fill in the oval for the best answer to each question. 1. What type of cartoon expresses an opinion about people or news events? (A) editorial cartoon (B) comic (C) illustration ...

Map mania.(BRain BUiLDeRS)
October 8, 2004... Giant pandas once made their home throughout most of southern China. The map shows how their habitat has become much smaller. Look at the map and fill in the best answer to each question below. 1. What is the capital of China? (A)...

You be the editor.
October 8, 2004... Circle two mistakes in each sentence. 1. scientists counted giant pandas in china. 2. Giant pandas are fighting four survival in the wild 3. Did you no giant pandas like to climb trees.

Protecting the planet: kids from 50 countries gather to make a difference!(2004 International Children's Conference on the Environment)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... Twelve-year-old Alice Abassah from Africa cares about the environment. She recently started a clean-up program in her home country of Ghana. "I was inspired by my teacher to go around once a week and collect litter," Alice told Weekly Reader....

Five largest countries.(SUPER STATS)
October 1, 2004... Children from 50 different countries, including the world's five largest, gathered for the 2004 International Children's Conference on the Environment. Take a look at the sizes of the five biggest nations in the world--and the animals that...

You decide!(BRain BUiLdeRS)
October 1, 2004... My friends and I were playing after school. We found some fireworks in David's garage. David and the rest of the group want to go to the park to set them off. I know fireworks are dangerous, but I'm afraid to speak up. I don't want my friends...

Mystery state contest.(BRain BUiLdeRS)
October 1, 2004... Four of the five Great Lakes can be a bit touchy here. Lake Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior all border this state. Lake Ontario is the only one that doesn't. This state is also the only one divided into two parts, the Upper Peninsula and...

Vocabulary in context.
October 1, 2004... Directions: Read each sentence, and fill in the circle before the word or words that mean the same as the underlined word. Use other clues in the sentence to help you figure out the meaning of the underlined word. Sample His...

Word analogies.
October 1, 2004... Directions: An analogy compares two things that are somehow related. Read each sentence. Then fill in the circle that best completes the analogy. Sample Football is to sport as fall is to --. (A) month (B) season (C)...

Reading comprehension.
October 1, 2004... Directions: Read the passage. Then fill in the circle for the best answer. The Liberty Bell is a symbol of freedom in the United States. This famous symbol, which weighs 2,080 pounds, recently got a new home. It was moved from Liberty...