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 These lessons go along with The Mini Page, a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children. The Mini Page was printed in The Rocky Mountain News.
(Click here to find out how to get licenses of the eEdition of The Denver Post which currently features The Mini Page. The eEdition is provided free of charge for classroom use to Colorado educators. Remember, with the eEdition, you have access to 4 weeks of The Mini Page at a time, plus you can access back issues as far back as April, 2004 in the eArchive.)
Click on the date and title in the list below for the lesson.
2007
Aug. 1 - Traveling by Train As many people wrap up their summer with a vacation, The Mini Page takes a trip on the train. We study the history of passenger trains and today’s inter-city railroad service, along with hobos and workers on a train.
Aug. 8 - Dog Parks With strict leash laws in most cities, many dog owners are choosing to let their pets run free at dog parks across America. The Mini Page explains good dog park etiquette and shows how much fun your canine can have at one.
Aug. 15 - Presidents’ Education Save your report cards, kids -— they might be in a museum someday. The Mini Page works with the National Archives and 12 presidential libraries to explore educational facts about our last 12 presidents.
Aug. 22 - Therapy Horses Therapists sometimes use horseback riding to help disabled kids and adults. The Mini Page looks at these programs and the horses used in them.
Aug. 29 - Homework Help With school on the horizon, some kids might need reminders about the best ways to do research for homework projects. The Mini Page offers guidance about using the Internet for research and finding a wealth of information in the library.
Sept. 5 - How Are We Alike? As kids welcome new students to their school, or become the new kid themselves, it's valuable to remember how much we're all alike. The Mini Page offers some ideas for focusing on our similarities and being kind to each other as school gets underway.
Sept. 12 - Math Fun Math can be so much more than just another subject in school. The Mini Page explores ways to make math fun and less intimidating, and highlights ways we use math all the time.
Sept. 19 - Coming to America The Mini Page celebrates Citizenship Day, Sept. 17, with an issue about immigration. We take a look at the history of immigration and the current issues for our country and its immigrants.
Sept. 26 - Puerto Rico The Mini Page commemorates Hispanic History Month with an issue about the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Oct. 3 - Animal Shelters What do animal shelters do? The Mini Page examines the different ways that shelters help animals: medical care, finding homes, spaying and neutering, and more.
Oct. 10 - Duck Migration Cold weather's coming, and it's time for the ducks to fly south. The Mini Page takes a close look at their journey.
Oct. 17 - Viruses and Bacteria With winter coming, it's important to get good habits started for staying healthy and in school. The Mini Page talks about germs and how we can stay well.
Oct. 24 - Mysterious Mummies (Halloween) With Halloween right around the corner, it's time to peer into the history of mummies. Turns out they're not so scary
Oct. 31 - A Book’s Look Children’s Book Week is in November. The Mini Page looks at the history of book illustrations and some famous illustrators who led the way.
Nov. 7 - America’s Warrior-Citizens For Veterans Day, The Mini Page examines the role of the Reserve forces, particularly the Army Reserve, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Nov. 14 - Quilt Stories Quilts do so much more than keep us warm! The Mini Page looks at the stories that quilts tell and how these pieces of art helped slaves find their way to shelter in 19th-century America.
Nov. 21 - Kids Giving Back Thanksgiving is a great time to do for others. The Mini Page finds kids who are giving of themselves to help others.
Nov. 28 - Let’s Dance! Dance isn’t just fun, it’s good exercise. The Mini Page looks at the history and origins of dance, along with how dance is used in schools for physical education and learning.
Dec. 5 - Unusual Holiday Gifts Sometimes the best gifts are the ones we make or give of ourselves. The Mini Page offers some ideas for holiday gifts.
Dec. 12 - Animals of the Holiday Season Certain creatures -— reindeer, donkeys, cardinals -— are always associated with the holiday season and winter. We learn more about some of these favorite winter animals and hear a few legends surrounding them.
Dec. 19 - Airline Travel History Based on a new exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, this issue of The Mini Page explores the history of airline travel.
Dec. 26 - Christmas Ornaments - Glass Christmas ornaments weren’t used until the 1800s. Most glass ornaments were hand-blown in Germany before World War II, when Americans began mass-producing them. The Mini Page takes a look at the history of these beautiful tree decorations.
2008
Jan. 2 - Resolutions for EveryBODY It’s time to think about New Year’s resolutions. The Mini Page offers some resolutions for a healthier body in 2008, including fitness, nutrition and safety tips.
Jan 9 - A 2008 Calendar for Kids It’s back! The new year couldn’t start off as well without a Mini Page calendar, so we’ll highlight all the important days to come in 2008.
Jan 16 - Meet Astronaut Barbara Morgan Last August, teacher Barbara Morgan traveled to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. She talks about her voyage and how she prepared.
Jan 23 - A ‘Thoreau’ Life The Mini Page examines the life and philosophies of Henry David Thoreau. We cover his famous books and explain a number of quotes from him.
Jan . 30 - On the Road for Votes It’s the height of primary season, and the candidates seem to never sleep as they move around to different states. We’ll talk about what it’s like on the road for them and for the journalists who cover them.
Feb. 6 - Communications Good communicating is an essential life skill. The Mini Page identifies some ways to become a good communicator.
Feb. 13 - Chinese New Year In August, the Summer Olympics will begin in Beijing, China. The Mini Page will take several different looks at China this year, starting with the Chinese New Year. This issue will also include information about one or two of the Olympic events to come.
Feb. 20 - Washington’s Chivalry Rules In honor of George Washington’s birthday, The Mini Page will highlight some of his “Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” Our first president had written 110 of them by age 16.
Feb. 27 - Sojourner Truth To commemorate Black History Month and Women’s History Month, The Mini Page takes a close look at Sojourner Truth, the 19th-century abolitionist and activist for women.
Mar. 5 - NIE Week — What’s NEW in NEWspapers? Newspapers are having to adapt to many other media competing for their readers’ attention. We’ll take a look at what newspapers are doing to meet these needs.
Mar. 12 - History of Instruments March is Music in Our Schools Month, and we’ll celebrate by looking at the long history of some favorite instruments.
Mar. 19 - Pandas The second in our China series, this issue will showcase giant pandas. With only about 1,000 left in the wild, these creatures are popular attractions at zoos.
Mar. 26 - UN Year of Planet Earth The Mini Page explores some alternative fuel sources in recognition of the United Nations Year of Planet Earth.
April 2 - Frogs Are Facing Extinction Experts say half of all frog species are facing extinction, largely because of a fungus that has spread to frog populations around the world. Read more about this dangerous development and what it means to our ecosystem.
April 9 - Dr. King’s Work Lives On It’s been 40 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. The Mini Page looks at the work he was doing when he died and how his colleagues and family honored his legacy after his death.
April 16 - Meet Author Laura Amy Schlitz The Mini Page introduced the authors and illustrators honored with the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, and the Coretta Scott King awards for 2008.
April 23 - China’s Regions As part of our series about China, The Mini Page examines the regions of that vast Asian country. Page 2 will introduce two more Summer Olympic sports.
April 30 - What is Cinco de Mayo? Many people believe Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s independence day. But in fact, the holiday celebrates a major victory over the French in the 1800s. The Mini Page explains how this holiday came to be so important to Mexican-Americans.
May 7 - Plant a Seed With Mom For Mother’s Day, why not plant an edible garden? The Mini Page tells you how to plant vegetables, herbs and fruits in a container garden with Mom.
May 14 - Summer Reading Summer’s just a few weeks away! The Mini Page gives some great ideas for books you can take along on your summer journeys.
May 21 - Talking Trade The Mini Page explores the idea of trade between countries, including China, site of the upcoming Summer Olympics. This issue also includes explanations of canoe and kayak events in the Olympics.
May 28 - Memorial Day What are people at home doing to support the war effort and our troops abroad? To commemorate Memorial Day, The Mini Page finds out about some great projects that are lending a hand.
June 4 - Summing Up the School Year With many schools closing, it’s a perfect time to reflect on this year’s accomplishments and set some goals for the summer, next year and beyond. The Mini Page explores dreams and goals and suggests some ideas for things to achieve this summer.
June 11 - Take Dad Fishing! Anglers know that fishing together is a great way to share good times and make memories. The Mini Page covers different kinds of fish and fishing environments and suggests some ways to keep the day all about Dad or another special man in kids’ lives.
June 18 - Internet Safety With school out, many kids are spending more time at the computer. This issue reminds kids and parents about the safe ways to use the Internet and have fun.
June 25 - China’s Resources As part of our monthly look at China, this issue explores the resources found there, from people to minerals. On page 2, the Olympics block explains taekwondo and judo.
July 2 - A’Camping We Will Go To celebrate Fourth of July, why not take off on a camping trip? The Mini Page offers lists of gear, things to do, and songs to sing around the campfire.
July 9 - Urban Farming Where does our food come from? If you said “The grocery store,” it’s time to get in touch with our food sources. The Mini Page explains urban farming and buying locally and tells why these trends are growing.
July 16 - Yesterday’s Games Summer’s only about half over, but the kids are already bored. The Mini Page revives some of the games that parents or grandparents played as kids, but that may not be as familiar to today’s screen-oriented youth.
July 23 - China’s Landmarks The Mini Page points out some remarkable landmarks in China and explains two more Olympic sports. (This is the last of the monthly China issues.)
July 30 - Zoo Disaster Plans When natural or manmade disasters strike, what happens to zoo animals? The Mini Page finds out.
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