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Grades 2-5
Exercising the body
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Find newspaper photos of people taking part in sports or physical fitness activities. Look closely at each photograph and try to decide what parts of the body are exercised by each activity shown. For example, running exercises not only the legs, but also the hart, lungs and arms. Write a paragraph explaining what you like to do to get exercise.
Cinco de Mayo
May 5th, or Cinco de Mayo, is a national holiday in Mexico and is celebrated by many Mexican Americans. Look through all sections of your newspaper to find Mexican or Spanish words. Be sure to include the food section. Make a list of all the words and what they mean.
Mother's Day
May 9th is Mother's Day. What would you like to give your mother for Mother's Day? Go shopping in The Denver Post's advertisements. See if you can find something nice that costs $20. Can you find something nice for $10? How about $5?
Sell it in the classifieds
It's time for spring cleaning. Choose a household item or personal belonging that you have outgrown and would like to sell. Then write a creative classified newspaper ad for this item. You are limited to 20 words.
Grades 6-8
Older Americans
May is Older Americans Month. These days being older doesn't mean retiring. Look through the Denver Post for stories about people 60 years and older who are making news and doing important work. Make a list of all you find and next to their names tell why they are in the news.
National Teacher Day
May 4th is National Teacher Day -- a day to celebrate great teachers. Pick a teacher you know who you think is a great teacher. Write a feature story about the teacher that follows the model of a feature story in The Denver Post. Make a list of ten questions to ask the teacher. Include some quotes from the teacher's students about what makes him or her a great teacher.
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is May 9th. Newspapers often feature articles about special mothers on Mother's Day. Read an article on a special mother in the news. Then write an article about your own mother using the newspaper article as a model.
Eat what you want
May 11th is Eat What You Want Day. Look at the restaurant advertisements and recipes in The Denver Post. From these, write a description of what you would eat, if you could eat anything at all that you wanted, for one day.
Home-based vacation
It's time to think about summer vacation, but with the economy many people may not want to go too far. Look through your local newspaper for recreational ideas. Create a week's schedule of sightseeing, visiting museums, places of historic interest or natural beauty, or other fun activities that are in your area. Share your ideas with your family and use it to plan a week's vacation close to home.
Grades 9-12
Keeping it simple
It's prom season. With today's current inflation, what will it cost this year's prom goers for their prom night date? Look through your newspaper to find costs for the following: a dress and hair salon for the girl, renting a tux for the boy, dinner out, transportation, flowers, other incidentals. Are there any creative ways to cut the costs? Write an advice article for your school newspaper suggesting ways to keep prom costs down while still having fun.
TV or newspaper news
May 3, 1948 was the premiere of the CBS Evening News. How is a typical TV news segment different from a newspaper story on the same topic? View a story on a half-hour evening news show. Then look for the same issue written as a newspaper story. Which medium did a more thorough job covering the story? Which one did you find most interesting? Write an analysis of your comparison.
Cinco de Mayo
Wednesday is Cinco de Mayo, an important holiday for Mexicans everywhere. Many Mexican and Spanish words have entered the English language. Scan newspaper stories and advertisements for Spanish-sounding words and product names -- for example, "taco," or "salsa." Make a list of the words you find and try to use them in an essay about the influence Mexican culture has had in the U.S.
Finding a cure
The smallpox vaccine was discovered on May 14, 1876. Search The Denver Post eEdition for stories about diseases for which there are not yet any cures. Research one of these diseases and write a report about what medical breakthroughs or treatments are on the horizon.
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