Know Your World Extra articles from February 2006

Know Your World Extra archives from February 2006

Castaways.(icebergs near Petermann Island )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Isn't this ice arch too cold for a dance party? After all, the arch is part of an iceberg floating near Petermann Island in Antarctica. That's one of the coldest places on Earth. Plus, icebergs aren't very safe. The International Ice Patrol...

Who needs snow?(snowboarding in summer)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... How does an Olympic snowboarding team practice during the summer? The athletes can use T-boards. "The body movements used in T-boarding are very similar to snowboarding," says Peter Foley, the U.S. snowboard head coach. T-board is short...

Destiny's Child grows up.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... These singers are going out on a high note. Destiny's Child stopped making music together in September, but they aren't calling it quits because of an argument. Unlike many bands who split up over a fight, Destiny's Child ended their band...

What's Usher into?(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 3, 2006... Usher's a busy guy. The heartthrob singing sensation just started his own record label, called US Records. He's already signed rapper Rico Love and singers One Chance and Ryon Lovette. At the same time, he's been working on two film projects,...

Cool dates.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 3, 2006... * February 7 Punk'd actor Ashton Kutcher turns 28. * February 8 Musicians go for the gold at this year's Grammy Awards. * February IO The Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, start today. * February 14 Cut out some...

The need for speed: Noelle Pikus-Pace didn't give up, even after a runaway bobsled broke her leg in two places.(Cover Story)
February 3, 2006... OVERVIEW Skeleton sledding is a high-speed, headfirst run down a bobsled track on a tiny steel sled. Noelle Pikus-Pace was the reigning World Cup champion of the sport when a runaway bobsled broke her leg in two places on October 19. She...

Should doping athletes do time? Cops at the Winter Games want to throw steroid users in jail.
February 3, 2006... OVERVIEW Under Italian law, athletes caught using performance-enhancing drugs can be subject to jail time. The International Olympic Committee would prefer to keep doping athletes out of jail and punish them by taking away their medals....

Halfpipe to history: Britain's youngest 2006 Winter Olympian takes off.
February 3, 2006... OVERVIEW Seventeen-year-old snowboarder Ben Kilner is heading for Turin as the youngest member of Great Britain's Winter Olympic team. BEFORE READING Introduce Vocabulary: halfpipe, supportive, extreme BACKGROUND * The...

The Valentine's Day boat bet: the impossible race that everybody won.(Play)
February 3, 2006... Cast of Characters Narrators 1, 2--people who tell the story Mr. Tyler--the Earth science teacher Briana--Lea's best friend Lea--a science whiz Martin---the school's best basketball player Jackson---Martin's best...

Stuck in 1982! Tyler James Williams is the star of Everybody Hates Chris.
February 3, 2006... OVERVIEW Tyler James Williams is the 13-year-old star of Everybody Hates Chris, a sitcom based on comedian Chris Rock's tween years in the early 1980s. BEFORE READING Introduce Vocabulary: character, old school, new school,...

The Olympic rings.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The Olympic Rings--Each of these Olympic rings has part of a word in it. If you put them in the correct order, they make a sentence. Answer Key Let's go, U.S.A.!

From the editor.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
February 3, 2006... Part of knowing your World is knowing what your world likes. And the world likes the Olympics. NBC's coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City took first place in the ratings race, averaging 35.1 million viewers each of the first...

Gold-medal detective.(sports quiz)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The equipment athletes use and the clothes they wear give you clues about what kind of sport they play. For each question, read about the person and then circle their sport. 1. Mike is wearing a lot of pads. He is carrying a long, wooden...

The bottom of the world.(map reading)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Study this map of Antarctica. It includes the South Pole, which is the southernmost point on Earth. Circle the correct words to complete each statement. 1. The Antarctic Peninsula is part of East Antarctica | West Antarctica. 2. Queen...

Race to the finish.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... How much do you remember about the play? Answer the questions below. 1. What does Mr. Tyler teach? A. math B. language arts C. Earth science D. Spanish 2. Why is Briana excited? A. She likes boat races. B....

Mega versus mini.(word structures)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The beginning letters of a word are called a prefix. A prefix can give you a hint about what a word means. For example, if a word begins with mega-, it means "big." When a word begins with mini-, it means "small." The chart below shows...

Who's going and who's staying?(synthesizing ideas)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Jennifer has two tickets to go to a concert. Her two best friends, Alicia and Simon, both want to go with her. Read what Alicia and Simon Say to Jennifer. Alicia: "I have my license. I can drive us there!" Alicia: "I've been your...

From the editor.(Teacher's Guide)(Editorial)
February 24, 2006... One of Know Your World Extra's goals is to empower readers. This issue honors Black History Month by telling stories of some African Americans who faced difficult problems head-on. They refused to give up, and they were ultimately successful....

4 hot topics.(Teacher's Guide)
February 24, 2006... Reading Level 3.7 OVERVIEW This month's Hot Topics section covers a penguin exercise program in Japan, the rocketing career of comedian Lil' JJ, and the latest honor bestowed on South African civil rights icon Nelson Mandela--a...

In their own words.(Reading Comprehension)
February 24, 2006... Civil rights leaders use words to inspire people to take a stand. Read the following quotes from famous activists. Then circle the letter for the best answer to each question. "Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'What are you...

The four corners.(Map Reading)
February 24, 2006... Study the map below. Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet at a single point called the Four Corners. Circle the correct word or words to complete each sentence. 1. Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is north | south of Phoenix,...

Shopping list.(Synthesizing Ideas)
February 24, 2006... If you read someone's shopping list, you might be able to figure out what they plan on cooking. Read the lists of items that the people below are buying at the supermarket. Then, in the blank spaces provided, write what you think the shoppers...

Remembering a hero.(Reading Comprehension)
February 24, 2006... How much do you remember about the play? Circle the letter for the best answer to each question below. 1. Which state was Rosa Parks from? A. New Mexico B. Michigan C. Alabama D. California 2. Which group did Parks join? A....

Are you a peacemaker?(Writing Practice)
February 24, 2006... Have you ever helped end an argument between your family members or your friends? If you have a story about how you've helped people get along better, write it in the space below. Then send it to us! We'll post some of our favorites on our Web...

A skater's pradise.(World Wonders)
February 24, 2006... What can slice 3,000 feet of stone? Two things--water and time. That's what carved these amazing cliffs in northern Arizona. They're called the Vermilion Cliffs. (Vermilion means "red") They are made of layers of colorful shale and sandstone....

Fitness flappers.(Hot Topics)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2006... It's easy to gain weight in the winter--even for penguins. But the Asahiyama Zoo in northern Japan isn't going to let its 15 king penguins get flabby. The zookeepers are making the penguins exercise! Twice a day, the bouncing birds go on a long...

Mandela to the rescue!(Hot Topics)(Nelson Mandela in comics)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2006... Nelson Mandela, 87, is a hero to people all over the world because he won equal rights for blacks in South Africa. Now he's a hero in his own comic-book series! The comic books in the Madiba Legacy Series tell how Mandela overcame a racist...

From class clown to comedy star.(Hot Topics)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2006... This classroom comedian is on his way to stand-up stardom. The 15-year-old Lil' JJ is looking to launch his own sitcom, and he already hosts Nickelodeon's Friday Night Slime Time. So how did this teenage fast-talker get his start in the...

Cool dates.(Hot Topics)(Calendar)
February 24, 2006... FEBRUARY 27 Former presidential daughter Chelsea Clinton turns 26. MARCH 5 The best movies of 2005 get their golden Oscar trophies at the Academy Awards tonight. MARCH 6 NBA giant Shaq turns 34. MARCH 9 Bow Wow...

OutKast's tribute: find out how this hip-hop supergroup came together with civil rights leader Rosa Parks.(Cover Feature)(Cover Story)
February 24, 2006... Hip-hop supergroup OutKast is planning an album and a TV program honoring Rosa Parks. Group member Andre 3000 and singer Gwen Stefani have already dedicated a song to Parks. And they aren't the only celebrities who have b spoken up about...

Just say no to snow? Some schools want to give this logo the cold shoulder.(Debate It!)
February 24, 2006... Some people want schools to ban the frowning snowman. Fashion is fun, but can it be dangerous? Sometimes the symbols companies put on clothing can cause problems. Right now, antidrug activists are taking aim at the frowning snowman (above...

Serving up success: meet Adreena Winnfield, the Best Teen Chef.(Teen Scene)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2006... Adreena Winnfield is really cooking. The 18-year-old chef won a full scholarship to the culinary art program at the Art Institute of California in Orange County. Now she's on her way to becoming a professional chef. Adreena beat 19 other...

A quiet hero: fifty years ago, Rosa Parks took a stand that changed the country forever.(Readers' Theater)
February 24, 2006... Rosa Parks was first arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Two months later, as shown here, she was arrested for protesting during the Montgomery bus boycott. Cast of Characters Narrators 1, 2, 3, 4 Bus driver...

Kick the clique: open up your circle of friends.(Reality Check)
February 24, 2006... Ever notice that the same people sit together in the cafeteria every day? There's one table for the athletes, one table for the skaters, one table for the hip-hop crowd, and so on. Do people ever switch tables? Do they mix it up? If they don't,...

Mixing it up.
February 24, 2006... Ready to kick your clique? You aren't the only one. A group called Teaching Tolerance helped these two schools put together a Mix It Up activity. During their lunch period, students from different cliques got together for some fun activities,...

What's so funny?(Extra Stuff)
February 24, 2006... Nice ride. But does it come With air conditioning? Why is this guy so happy? What does he know that we don't? Make some tracks of your own: Fill in his bubble, and send it in. Include your name, grade, and city or town. E-mail your entries...