NIE | News in Education

1. Shrimp of the Deep

One of the great mysteries for scientists is what creatures can live underneath the giant sheets of ice that cover oceans near the Earth's North and South Poles. The world under the ice is not very friendly, because no light can reach there from above. But that doesn't bother some creatures. Scientists working near the South Pole in Antarctica have found that a jellyfish and a shrimp-like creature seem to like that lightless environment just fine. The creatures were discovered when U.S. scientists lowered a video camera through a hole in a 600-foot-thick ice sheet over the ocean in Antarctica. If creatures can live in water this cold and dark, scientists wonder if they could live in similar conditions elsewhere -- even in space. Moons orbiting the planet Jupiter, for example, are believed to have seas of liquid under their frozen surfaces. In groups, talk about things you would like to study if you were a scientist. Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper telling people why it would be important to study one of these subjects.

Learning Standards: Explaining how scientists decide what constitutes scientific knowledge; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance.

2. Nouns, Verbs and More

There are many ways to improve language skills. Try this activity with the newspaper.

A. Add your age to the number 7 to come up with a new number.

Age:_____________________

Number 7:_________________

Sum:_____________________

B. Now, starting at the front or back of the newspaper, count that number of pages.

C. Find a noun, a verb, an adjective and an adverb on that page.

Noun: __________________________________________

Verb: __________________________________________

Adjective: __________________________________________

Adverb: __________________________________________

D. Share your words with the class. If any are unfamiliar to you or classmates, look up the meaning in a class dictionary.

E. Finish by using your words in one or more complete sentences.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources; reporting the result of an investigation; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

3. State of the Birds

All over the world scientists are worrying how global warming could affect wildlife. And many scientists are especially worried about birds. In the United States warming could have "an increasingly disruptive effect" on all kinds of birds, according to a new wildlife report from environmental groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Warming would affect birds living in all habitats, according to the "2010 State of the Birds Report," but it could affect ocean and coastal birds most. Birds that nest on islands or low coastal areas could lose their nesting grounds if ocean waters rise, and threatened or endangered species like whooping cranes could face greater challenges for survival, the report said. As a class, talk about ways changes in habitats affect wildlife. Then find a wild animal or bird in the newspaper. Write out what kind of habitat the animal or bird needs and what changes could affect it.

Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on wildlife and the environment; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance.

4. High-Flying WASPs

March is Women's History Month, and this year a celebration in Washington, D.C., made history of its own. On March 10, the nation's first female military pilots received the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Capitol Building. The WASPs -- officially the Women Airforce Service Pilots -- were military flight pioneers during World War II nearly 70 years ago. More than 1,100 of them volunteered to fly non-combat missions during the war so that as many male pilots as possible would be available for combat. Women were not allowed to make combat flights at the time, but the WASPs paved the way for future women to become military pilots. As a class, talk about the achievements women have made in different fields and how women were blocked from some jobs in the past. Read a story about a successful woman in the newspaper. Then write a letter to her talking about how her success can inspire others to succeed.

Learning Standards: Identifying and explaining how individuals demonstrate good character and personal virtue; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

5. Sniffing Out Bugs

Dogs can be trained to do some amazing things. But did you know they can sniff out bedbugs? In many cities bedbugs are a growing problem, getting on clothes, hiding in mattresses and biting people while they sleep. Enter dogs like Cruiser, a trained New York City dog that is earning fame as a bedbug detective. Cruiser and other dogs are trained to recognize the smell of bedbugs, their eggs or the nests they have hidden in walls or mattresses. And they are very accurate. Studies by University of Florida scientists have found that well-trained dogs can accurately detect a single live bug or egg 96 percent of the time. That won't get rid of the bugs -- it takes a bug exterminator to do that -- but dogs are way faster than humans at finding them. As a class, talk about some of the things animals can be trained to do. Then find a story or photo of an animal in the newspaper. Think of things this animal could be trained to do and draw a comic strip of this animal doing one of those things.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.