 These lessons go along with The Mini Page, a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children printed in The Denver Post each Wednesday.
(Click here to find out how to get licenses of the eEdition of The Denver Post featuring The Mini Page. The eEdition is provided free of charge to Colorado educators for classroom use. Remember, with the eEdition, you have access to 4 weeks of The Mini Page at a time, plus you can access back issues from April, 2004 in the eArchive.)
Click below for current lessons (click on the date and title).
Jan. 11 -
Your 2012 Calendar The Mini Page 2012 calendar is full of events to look forward to this year, including the 2012 London Olympics and the presidential election. Page 2 is a light-hearted look at some of the superstitions, facts and sayings that surround each of our months.
Jan. 18 -
An Ancient Civilization The ancient Maya built advanced sky observatories and developed a sophisticated calendar system. Does the fact that their calendar ends in 2012 mean the end of the world? Many people today are having fun with this possibility. The Mini Page examines the science and the real prophecies -- about rain and the sun, not about the end of the world.
Jan. 25 - Pooh's Birthday A.A. Milne, the author of "Winnie-The-Pooh" and "The House at Pooh Corner," was born 130 years ago. The Mini Page takes a look at the author of these beloved books.
Feb. 1 -
Groundhog Day The Mini Page looks into the customs surrounding Groundhog Day and finds out more about this cute little animal.
Feb. 8 -
Exoplanets In the last two years, NASA's Kepler mission has discovered more than 1,200 exoplanets candidates, or what are believed to be planets outside our solar system. Until a few years ago, we knew of no other planets outside our own system. Now we've found marvels such as a planet made of diamond, a planet with an atmosphere as dark as coal, and a planet with two suns, like "Star Wars'" Tatooine. The Mini Page hitches a ride beyond our solar system to explore these strange new worlds.
Upcoming Themes (Some of the later ones may change or move).
Feb. 15 -
Be Kind, Be Mine! Valentine's Day is about more than romance. It's also Random Acts of Kindness Week. We'll learn more about how kids can spread kindness within their families, communities and at school.
Feb. 22 -
Neanderthals Why did Neanderthals die off about 30,000 years ago while modern humans survived? Who were these people so like ourselves? Until a few years ago, scientists believed Neanderthals were a different species than modern humans. But scientists have recently discovered that Neanderthals and modern humans did mix socially. The Mini Page looks at what we now know about these mysterious people, some of whom were probably our ancestors.
Feb. 29 -
Your Health Report Card The new year is a great time to remind kids about good health habits. The Mini Page gives readers a chance to "grade" themselves on their good habits and identify which ones need improvement.
March 7 -
Women in the Funny Pages Newspapers in Education Week is scheduled for March 5-9 this year. To celebrate it and Women's History Month in March, The Mini Page talks with female cartoonists. Newspaper comics are some of the first items read by children, so we'll learn how they're created and how women have come to be a force in the field.
March 14 -
Girl Scouting's 100th Anniversary On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low got 18 girls together for the first Girl Scout meeting. The Mini Page finds out what's new with Scouting and how the organization has changed since that first meeting.
March 21 -
Video Game Art The first of a two-part series, The Mini Page explores the evolution of video game art with experts at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Their new exhibit highlights the striking art and technologies that contribute to this new art form.
March 28 -
Video Game Music For hundreds of years, musicians have used music to enhance storytelling, composing for dramas from ballet to movies. Today, many of the top movie music composers also compose music for video games. The second of a two-part series, this Mini Page takes a look at some of the special creativity needed for games that change each time a new player takes over.
April 4 - Go Fly a Kite! Spring's windy days give us the urge to get outside with a kite. The Mini Page learns more about these high-flying works of art and some of the tricks of the trade.
April 11 -
Celebrate National Library Week The Mini Page talks with author Jack Gantos, winner of the 2012 Newbery award, and Chris Raschka, winner of the 2012 Caldecott award.
April 18 -
Geothermal Energy In honor of Earth Day April 22, The Mini Page researches geothermal energy. This type of energy, stored in the Earth and now being tapped to heat homes and provide electricity, is becoming more and more available as technology improves.
April 25 -
Coin Collecting April 15-21 is National Coin Week. The Mini Page discovers the hobby of coin collecting and some of the history of old coins.
 Go to the Mini Page Lesson Archive for previous lessons |
