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Grades 2-5
Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month. Look through your newspaper to find women in different types of jobs. Make a list of ten women in ten different jobs.
Healthy eating
March is National Nutrition Month. Find recipes in The Denver Post for healthy meals, and collect articles about foods that are good for you. Then make a poster showing a selection of good things to eat. Draw or print out pictures of these foods, label them and tell why each is good for you.
Optimism vs. pessimism
March is Optimism Month. Look up the word "optimism" in the dictionary. The opposite of optimism is pessimism. Look through your newspaper and list all the articles that make you feel optimistic. Then make a second list of all the articles that make you feel pessimistic.
The Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was started on March 1, 1961. Peace Corps volunteers help people in poor countries around the world. Look through today's newspaper for examples of nations that could use the help of the Peace Corps. Make a list of these countries. Next to each country on your list, write a sentence explaining what kinds of volunteers the nation needs.
Remembering Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904. His rhyming books are still among the most popular children's books. Find words on the front page of your newspaper that rhyme with each other. Using these words, create your own short rhyming story. If you can't find a word to rhyme with another word, make one up. Dr. Seuss did it all the time.
NCAA games
Look through your The Denver Post sports section for the NCAA tournament brackets. Make your guesses about which teams will win each game and fill them in. Compare your bracket with how the tournament actually happens. How did you do?
Phoning it in
Life was revolutionized when Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone on March 7, 1876. Carefully read the stories on the front page of The Denver Post. For each story, point out how a reporter, while writing the story, may have used the telephone to gather information.
Spring clues
Spring is just a couple of weeks away. All parts of your newspaper, from advertising to comics, should have signs that spring is on its way. Be a spring "detective." Find as many clues as you can that have to do with spring and warmer weather.
Making life easier
Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin on March 14, 1794. The cotton gin made it easier for farmers to harvest cotton. Find a story or photo of a machine in The Denver Post that makes life easier today. Write a paragraph explaining how different life would be today without this machine.
Spring cleaning
Is there a piece of clothing or favorite toy that you would like to sell? Read some classified ads in The Denver Post to get an idea of how these ads are written. Then write your own ad using language that would make people want to buy your items.
Incredible Kids
March 18th is Absolutely Incredible Kid Day, a day set aside for adults to write to children to tell them how wonderful they are. Find articles in your newspaper about kids who have done something special. Make sure to look at several issues of Colorado Kids in the Tuesday Denver Post. As a class, vote on your top three and write letters to them.
Out like a lamb?
They say March comes
in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. For the last five days
of March, track the weather in your area including the temperature
highs and lows. Was the weather more like a lamb or more like
a lion? Write a poem comparing the weather to one of the two.
Grades 6-8
Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month. Some people hoped that Hillary Clinton would become the first American woman president. Who would you choose to be the first? Look through your newspaper and make a list of women you think are qualified to be president, then pick one. Write an essay about why you think this woman would make a good president.
You are what you eat
March is National Nutrition Month. Look for stories in the newspaper about foods and health. Using the information in these stories, write down three ways you can make your diet healthier.
Poison Prevention Awareness
Month
Look through your newspaper's ads and list every item that would be poisonous if swallowed. Design a warning symbol that could go on the packages of such items.
Believe it or not
Ripley's "Believe It or Not" made its television premiere on March 1, 1949. It featured stories that were true, but incredible. Look for newspaper stories that could make it on to the "Believe It or Not" show. Create a "Believe It or Not" poster with your findings.
Deficit spending
The U.S. has the largest deficit in its history, which means it is spending much more money than it takes in. Look for articles in your newspaper about how the government spends its money. Find an example of something you think the government is wasting its money on. Write a paragraph telling why you think this money is wasted and what you would rather see this money spent on.
Fall of the Alamo
The Alamo fell on
March 6, 1836. American history might be very different if Texas
had remained a part of Mexico. Skim today's newspaper. List
the news items that probably would have changed or that would
not have occurred if Texas had not become part of the U.S.
International Women's Day
March 8 is International Women's Day, a day to honor women, especially working women. Look through The Denver Post, including the front section, business section, and features, for stories about women with unusual or exciting jobs. Write a short report about one of these women and why you think her job is interesting.
Science questions
The great physicist Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. Look through your newspaper for articles and features that discuss science. Come up with a list of science questions you have about these news items. Then pick three and do some research to learn the answers to your questions.
Incredible kids
March 18th is "Absolutely Incredible Kids Day." Look through your newspaper for stories about incredible kids. Make sure you look in Tuesday's "Colorado Kids" section. Write a short report about one of the kids in the articles and tell why you think the kid is incredible.
Spring begins
Spring begins on Saturday, March 20th. Look in your newspaper for stories and pictures that show how the arrival of spring affects your community's daily activities. Select one activity affected by the arrival of spring and write a poem about it.
Give me liberty
On March 23,1775, Patrick
Henry said, "Give me liberty or give me death." Check
today's newspaper for stories about people in other nations who
are fighting for more freedom. Make a list of all the nations
you find. Locate these nations on a world map or globe.
A picture = 1000 words
The great American photographer, Edward Steichen, was born on March 27, 1879. Find what you consider to be the most interesting photograph in your newspaper today. Write a short story using the photograph as the basis for your story ideas.
Newfangled machines
On March 28, 1797, Nathaniel Briggs was granted a patent for the washing machine. Use your newspaper to make a list of ordinary machines people use every week. Next to the name of each machine on your list, describe how people did the work of the machine before the machine was invented.
Land for sale
On March 30, 1867, the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Alaska has been in the news more since Sara Palin, then governor of Alaska, ran for Vice-President of the United States and also because of its oil reserves. Search in the eEdition for articles about Alaska. Based on what you find, write a brief description of the state.
Grades 9-12
Women leaders
March is Women's History Month. Look through your newspaper and from what you read, make a list of the ten most powerful women in America today. Give reasons for your choices.
Ethics awareness
March is Ethics Awareness
Month. Look for news articles about situations that involve questionable
ethics. Write a brief analysis of this situation examining the
ethical lapses that occurred. Then state what you think the consequences
should be for those involved.
Good news in the news
March is Optimism Month. Look through The Denver Post for stories that give you reason to feel optimistic. Find at least five such stories. Summarize each story and in each case explain why the story inspires optimism.
Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904. One of his most famous children's books -- "The Lorax" -- is a dark warning of the consequences of environmental destruction. Find a newspaper article about an important environmental issue. Write a children's rhyming book in the style of Dr. Seuss based on this issue.
Women in sports
During Women's History Month, track the amount of coverage given to women's sports vs. men's sports. For the next week, total the number of column inches of sports stories in each issue. Then measure the number of those inches devoted to women's sports. What percentage of the total coverage do women athletes receive? Which sports dominate that coverage? Write a letter to the editor stating your opinion about their coverage.
Patriotic inspiration
On March 3, 1931, the "Star-Spangled Banner" became our national anthem. Using your newspaper, find a story that makes you feel patriotic. Write the lyrics for a patriotic song inspired by this story.
Voting rights
March 7, 9 and 21 mark the 45th anniversary of the Selma Civil Rights Marches. Marchers, who were asking for federal protection of voting rights, were met with a violent response from police. Look through your newspaper for stories about this historic anniversary. Then do some research on recent elections. Write an editorial on whether or not you think all voters are treated equally today.
Modern explorers
Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer for whom the Americas were named, was born on March 9,1451. Look through The Denver Post for examples of modern day explorers. This would include any people who are breaking new ground in their fields, like researchers working on new drugs, scientists developing new technology, ocean or space explorers, and so on. Write a short report on one of these "explorers" explaining what the person's work is and why it is important.
Deadly flu
On March 11, 1918, the first cases of the Spanish flu were reported in the U.S. By the end of 1920, 500,000 Americans had died of this deadly flu. This year, scientists are worried about a new strain of swine flu - H1N1. Search for news articles about the flu. Then write an article summarizing the current status of the disease including information about where it spread, and how deadly it has been.
Uncle Sam
The symbol of Uncle Sam was first used in an editorial cartoon on March 13, 1852. Do you think it is a good symbol for our country? Create a new and updated idea for a symbol of the U.S. to use in editorial cartoons.
More March madness
Read sports stories about basketball. List the words in these stories that describe actions, such as "run," "shoot," "slam," and so on. Find two synonyms for each word you listed. Rewrite one story using some of these synonyms you found. Does your story sound more or less exciting than the original?
Spring begins
Find a photo in your
newspaper that shows some sign of spring. Use the photo as inspiration
to write a spring haiku.
St. Patrick's Day ads
March 17th is St. Patrick's Day. Look through your newspaper for ads that are promoting products using a St. Patrick's Day theme. Then write a short essay on how businesses use this holiday to sell their products. In your essay, try to answer these questions: Why do advertisers use this holiday? Is it an effective marketing strategy? Which businesses benefit most from St. Patrick's Day?
Organized workers
Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927. He helped farm workers organize for better working conditions. Look for news stories about labor issues, workers' rights, and unions. Write an essay talking about the role of unions in today's economy. Are they still necessary to protect workers or have they outlived their usefulness?
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