June 01, 2016 : What Will You Write About?

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in The Denver Post. This issue of The Mini Page is available through the eEdition Archive to registered eEdition subscribers

Click here to download the PDF for this lesson

Activities:

1. Paste a newspaper photo a t the top of a piece of paper. Under the picture, write words that describe people or items in the photo; then write words t hat show actions in the photo. Now use words from your list to write at least two sentences about the photo.

2. Pick a movie title from the entertainment pages of the newspaper. Now write a new story to go with that title.

3. Why are these steps important in the writing process; (a) reading a draft out loud, (b) checking for spelling and punctuation, (c) organizing ideas in a web or outline and (d) sharing your writing?

4. Select a story you find interesting from the newspaper. Organize the information from the story in a web or informal outline. Now take the same information and rewrite it into two different writing genres, such as a poem, a script or a conversation between two people. Share your rewrites with friends to see which one they like best.

5. Read an international or news story from your newspaper. Notice how all the important information is in the first and second paragraphs. Now read a story that is an interview with an interesting person. How is the information organized differently? What are the advantages of each type of organization?

Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page content and offer activities that will help your students reach them.

This week's standard:
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. (English Language Arts: Communication Skills)

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)