Know Your World Extra articles from October 2003

Know Your World Extra archives from October 2003

At SparkTop.org, being one-of-a-kind rules!(Spark Top[TM])
October 17, 2003... That's why this Web site offers so many ways to express yourself. You can create artwork, poetry, and music mixes. You can send voice messages to your friends. You can even create your own "brain," and then use it in the "HeadZipper" game. ...

Popular punk: for a small guy, Ryan Pinkston has made it big!(teen tracks)
October 17, 2003... If you think being a teen and being short is no fun, you haven't met Ryan Pinkston. Ryan is 15 years old. He stands only 4 feet 9 inches. Yet he is having the time of his life. Ryan, in fact, is a rising star. You may have seen him in...

Sharing a shell.(Snapshot)(two-headed tortoise)(Brief Article)
October 17, 2003... Are two heads better than one? Noel Daniels of South Africa found this two-headed tortoise in his backyard. It hatched from an egg laid by one of his seven pet tortoises. In the egg, the animal probably started out as twins but never fully...

Get a whiff of this!(Science)(smell cameras)(Brief Article)
October 17, 2003... Do the photos of your summer trip to the lake smell kind of fishy? Do your pictures from last Thanksgiving smell like turkey and pumpkin pie? Not yet, they don't. But someday they might. Two American scientists have invented a camera that...

Sink your teeth into this!(Fashion)(vampire costumes)(Brief Article)
October 17, 2003... Blame it on Buffy. On TV, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a hit for seven seasons. Buffy bit the dust last May (the show, not the actress). Even so, vampire style is all the rage. Vampires are Halloween classics. But for some people, pointy...

Quack attack!(Weird Stuff)(bathtub toys adrift)(Brief Article)
October 17, 2003... A floating flock of rubber duckies and other bathtub toys is giving new meaning to the term "current events." In 1992, more than 29,000 of the toys fell from a cargo ship during a Pacific Ocean storm. Since then, the plastic animals have...

Queen mummy?(History)(Nefertiti)(Brief Article)
October 17, 2003... She had beauty. She had style. She had grace. Some people adored her, but many did not like her at all. Does that sound like a modern pop diva? Guess again. She was Nefertiti (nef-ehr-TEE-tee). She was queen of Egypt more than 3,300 years...

Street sorrow: how do you feel about roadside memorials?(debate it!)
October 17, 2003... You are riding in your car, rolling down the highway. You're singing along with the radio. It's a beautiful day. You're feeling great. Something on the side of the road catches your eye. What is that? You see a small cross in the grass. It...

Scare tactics: teens create a "haunted house" for Halloween. But who will have the last scream?(extra play)
October 17, 2003... CHARACTERS Narrators 1 and 2: people who tell the story David Knight: a 14-year-old high-school freshman Monica Leo} David's friends and classmates Julie Knight: David's 12-year-old sister Mr. Black: a caretaker Jason...

Who killed the iceman? Scientists try to solve an ancient murder mystery.(news feature)
October 17, 2003... The men faced off with their weapons drawn. They fought to the death for more than a day. When it was over, bloody stab wounds and bruises covered their bodies. At least one man was dead. A Weird Find In 1991, hikers found a man's...

Believe it ... or not! Sometimes you can't trust everything you read.(reality check)
October 17, 2003... Did you know that Saddam Hussein is using killer dinosaurs to get revenge on the United States? Did you know that a vampire duck killed eight people in China? Totally bogus! Stories like those can be found in newspapers called tabloids....

Mind games.(just for fun)
October 17, 2003... The answers to the riddles below are weirder than you might think! 1. In 2004, how many months will have 28 days? 2. How much dirt is in a hole that is 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep? 3. What is the five-letter word in this sentence...

Close-up.(just for fun)
October 17, 2003... Look closely. Can you tell what is pictured here? STUDENT EDITION: * Close-Up (page 16): a jack o' lantern.

Lighten up.
October 17, 2003... "I'M THE PIZZA FAIRY! I'M HERE TO REPLACE THE SKIN ON THE ROOF OF YOUR MOUTH!"

Fact check.(Interacting with text)
October 17, 2003... The News Feature article "Who Killed the Iceman?" contains many facts that you probably did not know. Read each question below. Then search the article for the fact that will answer each question. Write the answer or answers in the blank space...

Scare tactics.(Reading for comprehension)
October 17, 2003... How well do you remember the play Scare Tactics? Answer the questions below to find out. Check the correct answer to each question. Name-- Date-- 1. Which type of scary video do the teens watch first? --a. a slasher...