1. Lessons on Life: How can we learn from tragedies? Think about an occasion when your emotional being was hurt terribly. Perhaps a friend spoke unkind words about you behind your back, etc. How did you recover from the situation? How did the experience make you a better person, more equipped for things ahead? Write a journal entry about a painful experience and why it is not so painful now. What did you learn from it?
Use the Deseret Morning News to answer the following: After what has happened in southeast Asia, California and southern Utah recently (or even to the shuttle on February 1, 2003,) how should we move on from here? What is being done to help people recover from these tragedies? What does the paper tell us about steps being taken to try to protect people from this happening again?

2. Good and bad things happen all the time: They can happen to other people, other family members, neighbors, best friends, and they can happen to us. How do we handle talking about these painful times? No one is immune to these experiences in life, but it is helpful to talk about them. We need to know how other people have handled these issues so that if or when we face similar times, we can have the consolation in knowing where we can get comforting advice.
In the Deseret Morning News, read about someone involved in one of these tragedies. You may want to check the Internet for more details. Write a sympathy letter to this person's family. Give them comforting words about the person's life and accomplishments.

3. Making changes: Tragedies draw our U.S. citizens closer to each other and to others in the world. In the Deseret Morning News, read about people who make changes. Considering your age, talents and capabilities, what do you want to do in the next year, to make a difference? Plan a patriotic march? Organize a blood drive? Help someone in need? Tutor a fellow student? Strive to do your best at _______? Create a list of five resolutions and choose one you will work on. Develop a long-term plan for what you will do. Check your plan in a month, six months and a year. See how well you can stick to your plan to make a difference in this world.

Thanks to Kathy Metallo, Newspaper In Education Coordinator, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC, for these activity ideas.

Holidays, events and celebrations in FEBRUARY

National African American Heritage Month
Black History Month

Photographs are one way that newspapers tell the story of people, their community or the country. The achievements and activities of African Americans are a big part of that story, and their pictures are found throughout the paper. This is very different from 50 or even 25 years ago, when African American achievements didn't get as much attention. Look through the Deseret Morning News today or over several days and clip a picture of an African American who interests you. This can be a news photo, a sports photo, a business photo, an entertainment photo -- the choice is up to you. Study the photo. Look at exactly what the person is doing, where the person is pictured, how the person is dressed, the person's expression or body languge. Imagine you are the photographer. Using this information as starting point, write a creative, imaginative story about your person. Make your story take place before the photo was taken, or after the photo was taken. Share stories with your classmates.

Spirit of Teachers Month

Think of some of the good things teachers have done for you over the years you've been in school. Who were some of your favorite teachers? What was it about them that you liked or benefitted from? How is your understanding or your life different because of one or more of your teachers? Write a letter to the Readers' Forum of the Deseret Morning News explaining what one of your teachers did for you that helped you and thanking them for teaching. See the letters in the Readers' Forum as examples of how to write a letter to the editor. Note their length and style. Send your completed letter with your name, grade and school to Kid Scoop, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City UT 84110 for possible publication.

Wise Health Consumer Month

Use the Deseret Morning News to collect ads for health products or companies in direct competition for their products or services. What is the strategy each uses to try to capture a bigger share of the market? Identify at least 10 words that are designed to try to entice us to buy a particular health product. Identify ads that are designed to appeal to the following groups of consumers and list the product and store for each item: women, men, teenagers, children, high income, low income, people in a specific occupation.

February 1
National Freedom Day

Newspapers are independent of government control. The founding fathers of this country guaranteed freedom of the press in the Bill of Rights so that the press could serve as the "public's watchdog." They wanted citizens to know what the government was doing at all times. Locate at least three articles in the Deseret Morning News about a national elected official (the president or a member of congress). Clip out the article and paste it on another piece of paper. Explain why you think it is important for citizens to know about the news that was reported in the articles. How does this piece of news relate to your own freedom? Write your explanations next to each article.

February 1
Robinson Crusoe Day

Do some research to learn about Robinson Crusoe and the problems he encountered isolated on an island. Make a list of the things he needed. Then have a scavenger hunt in the Deseret Morning News to find items that could have been helpful to Robinson Crusoe to solve each problem. Don't forget to check the classified ads. An option would be to race to find something to solve every problem to see how quickly people can find answers and how creative they can be.

February 2
Groundhog Day

Check the Deseret Morning News for news about how people celebrate Groundhog Day. Where are people observing a groundhog to see if he can see his shadow? Check the weather report in the Deseret Morning News. If there will be six more weeks of winter wherever a groundhog sees his shadow, which cities in the United States are most likely to expect six more weeks of winter? What would be the prediction for Utah and the place you live?

February 2
Job Shadow Day

To "job shadow" is to follow someone all day as they work to better understand what they do. Look through the classified ads "Help Wanted" section to locate as many different jobs as you can. Which one would you most like to job shadow for a day? Why did you choose this particular job? What would you expect to see? What questions would you want to ask the person you would job shadow about his/her job?

February 5
National Weatherperson's Day

Find the weather map in the Deseret Morning News and identify what weather conditions exist in different parts of the United States. Select three different areas that have different weather conditions. Write a brief news story for each area, describing the weather conditions and the impact they are having on the area and how it may affect peoples' plans for the day.

February 5-11
National Consumer Protection Week

In colonial times, bartering was a common practice. Even now in some countries, bartering is a means of exchange. Instead of using money, people swap goods and products or services for other goods, products or services. Try bartaring by doing the following:
Clip pictures of toys, food and other items from the Deseret Morning News and glue each on an individual index card. Start exchanging cards with other students until you can successfully "bargain" for the item you most want to have, that you would buy if you were using real money.
When everyone is done bartaring, answer the following questions:
1. Was the swap for your final item fair?
2. Did the other person think it was fair?
3. Could this item be used again to get something else?
4. Why do you think we use money today instead of bartering?
5. Which way (barter or money) do you think is easiest? Why?
6. Who in the group did not trade items? Why not?

February 6
Pay-a-Compliment Day

Think of someone in your family, your friends or your school that you think could benefit from a compliment. Brighten that person's day by constructing an anonymous message using words, pictures or symbols from the Deseret Morning News to form a message with a compliment and then give it to the person without letting them know who it's from.

February 6-10
National School Counseling Week

What does your school counselor do to help students in your school? Make a list of the different duties a school counselor performs. Then choose a character from the comics in the Deseret Morning News that you think could use the services of a counselor. What does the comic character need help with? How do you think the counselor could help him/her?

February 7
Love Your Robot Day

Robots are used in manufacturing or in various businesses to help perform difficult, repetitive or dangerous tasks. What would you like a robot to do, if you could have one to help you? Make a list of different jobs you find listed in the Deseret Morning News "Help Wanted" section of the classified ads. Which of these jobs could possibly be done by a robot? Which could not? Why?

February 8
Anniversary of the Beginning of the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah

Renew memories of the Winter Olympic events by gathering information and doing activities on the Deseret Morning News NIE Web site at www.deseretnews.com/nie. See NIE Olympic Pages under Deseret Morning News Activities. Collect information from the Deseret Morning News on the anniversary activities for an Olympic scrapbook or notebook.

February 8
Boy Scouts' Day: Boy Scouts of America Founded, 1910

The Boy Scout organization encourages its members to "do a good turn daily." What do you think this means? What evidence can you find in the Deseret Morning News of someone doing "a good turn?" What could you do to do a good turn daily?

February 10
"All the News That's Fit to Print" Anniversary

During the 1800s, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, both newspaper giants, used stunts, crusades and sensational headlines to attract readers and increase circulation. Their brand of news writing was called "yellow journalism." Other newspapers reacted against their sensationalism. When Adolph Ochs bought the New York Times in 1896, he ran a motto on the masthead: "All the news that's fit to print." With your class, discuss what you think this phrase means. Compare different newspapers with the Deseret Morning News to see how they cover the same news. What kinds of things would be "UNfit to print" or photograph because of sensationalism?

February 10
Umbrella Day

Umbrella Day is a good time to think about weather. Use the Deseret Morning News to find the following weather-related items:
 1. weather map
 2. the word "cloud"
 3. a weather symbol for rain
 4. a weather-related job listing
 5. an international city where it's raining
 6. U.S. city with the lowest temperature
 7. air pollution index for Salt Lake City
 8. sports story about an event influenced by the weather
 9. local precipitation information
10. picture of a seasonal sport
11. photo showing "severe" weather
12. reference to weather in a comic strip
13. advertisement for a seasonal product
14. headline for a story or an ad using a weather word
15. U.S. city with rain reported

February 11
Be Electrified Day
Thomas Alva Edison's Birthday , 1847

Make a list of all the ways you use electricity in your home. Collect pictures from the Deseret Morning News of products that need electricity to work. Develop a classification system for the items you found, such as things used at work, at home, at leisure, etc. How would your life be different if one of your classifications didn't exist?

February 12
Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, 1809

We remember Abraham Lincoln as the president that championed civil rights by freeing the slaves in America in 1863. Today newspapers play close attention to peoples' rights, both as individuals and in groups. Find a story or stories in the Deseret Morning News that involve peoples' rights or loss of rights. Determine what the issue is, whether it applies to an individual or a group, and how the issue is similar or different from those of other groups.

February 12-18
Celebration of Love Week

Since this is the week of Valentine's Day, send someone you love a Classified Valentine. See the classified ads in the Deseret Morning News and write one that expresses your love for someone. Check the classified ads in the Deseret Morning News on Feb. 14. Are any of them valentines that express love to someone?

February 12-18
National "Family, Career and Community Leaders of America" Week

Do a bulletin board for this week by dividing the board into three categories: family, career, and community leaders. Select people mentioned or pictured in the Deseret Morning News during this week that fit into one of these categories. At the end of the week, determine which category had the most people in the news. What is notable about any of the people on your bulletin board?

February 13
Clean Out Your Computer Day

The existence of a "Clean Out Your Computer Day" indicates how widespread the use of computers has become in today's world. Using any part of the Deseret Morning News EXCEPT the classified ads, see how quickly you can find references to 20 different jobs. List the jobs on paper as you find them. When you have 20, evaluate the jobs you have listed. Which ones are likely to make use of a computer? What kind of skills do you think each job would require? Which job do you think would be best for you? Consider salary, steady work, personal satisfaction, talent/skill/education/ability to use a computer that would be needed. Write an explanation of what you could do to acquire the computer sills and other skills you would need.

February 14
Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a good time to remember people you love. Pretend you have a total of $100 to spend on three different people who are dear to you as family or friends. Look through the Deseret Morning News display and classified ads and select an appropriate gift for each person that you think they'd like to receive. Don't spend more than $100! Determine how you would present each gift to the people you chose on Valentine's Day. Explain why you selected the gifts you did for each individual. What item in the newspaper do you wish someone would give you for Valentine's Day? Why would you want that item?

For fun, do the following Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt:
1. Find something in the newspaper in the shape of a heart.
2. Find an activity in the newspaper that you would just "love" to do if you had the time and money.
3. Find 5 items that come in pairs.
4. Find an unusual gift in the newspaper that you could give to someone to express "I Love You."
5. Find an example of something that would improve your "HEARTiness" or condition of being physically fit.
6. Find someone in the news who is suffering from "heartache" caused by loss or despair. How could they be helped?
7. Find someone in the news who has "heart" or shows compassion for others.
9. Find an article with "heartening" news that would inspire confidence or hope in the future.
10. Find an example of someone who was "heartless" or totally lacking in compassion or caring for his or her fellow man/women.
11. Find an item in the newspaper that you would like to buy that would be a "sweetheart of a deal."
12. Cut words from the newspaper to construct a love letter, Valentine?s message, or poem. Sign it with the number 143 (from the newspaper), which stands for I Love You. ( I=1, Love=4, You=3).
(Adapted from ideas by Audrey Eoff, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas and Diane Goold, St. Joseph News-Press)

February 15
Susan B. Anthony Day

Susan B. Anthony is remembered as a champion of suffrage, abolition, temperance and equal rights. The 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was credited to her efforts. Use several editions of the Deseret Morning News to identify women in the news. Determine what jobs, rights or responsibilities each woman mentioned or pictured has. Contrast what you find with the situations women have in other countries or used to have in this country.

February 19-25
International Friendship Week

Consider what it means to be a friend. What qualities do you think a friend should have? What do you think you should do in order to be a good friend to someone else? Check the comics in the Deseret Morning News. Which of the comic characters has qualities that would make him or her a good friend? What qualities do some comic characters lack that would keep them from being a friend?

February 20
Presidents' Day

Presidents' Day recognizes the important role that presidents have played in our country's development. For the next two weeks, collect news about our current president, George W. Bush. When you have collected several articles, use the information in them to try to determine what some of the duties of our president are. What kinds of activities does he participate in? Do any of his activities indicate specific powers he holds as the President of the United States? Do some research to find what duties, responsibilities and powers our U.S. President has. How long does he hold office? Who would take his place if something happened to him?

February 22
George Washington's Birthday, 1732

George Washington, the Father of our Country, was a strong supporter of newspapers. In the winter of 1777 while quartered at Princeton, he helped to found the New Jersey Gazette to bolster the morale of the patriots and give them something to read besides the British Gazette. Pretend you wrote for Washington's newspaper. Do some research about the conditions of that time, then write a brief news story that could have been in Washington's Gazette.

February 26
Grand Canyon National Park and Zion National Park Anniversary

Both these parks were formally established by Congress in 1919. Bryce Canyon National Park was established in 1928. Locate these three parks on a map. Since they are all reasonably close to each other, design an ad for the Deseret Morning News that would encourage people to make a visit to all three parks. Be sure to highlight something worth seeing in each park. Use the ads in the Deseret Morning News to give you ideas.

February 27
International Polar Bear Day

Create a spider diagram for Polar Bear. Put "polar bear" in the center of your diagram. Then find words, pictures or symbols that describe or relate to a polar bear. Place these on lines that extend around the the word polar bear. When you find a word that relates to one you already have on your diagram, add it as an extention to the line you created for the word it relates to. See how many related items you can collect to add to your diagram.

February 27-Mar. 3
Read Me Week

During this week, read the Deseret Morning News each day. Find articles or photos that attract your attention, seem to be particularly interesting or important to read. Collect at least one item for every day of the week that you can put on a "Read Me Week" poster or page in your notebook. Compare your choice of "Read Me" items with choices your classmates made.

February 28
Floral Design Day

Floral designs are used in many places. For a period of about two weeks, scan the pages of the Deseret Morning News to find examples of floral designs in the newspaper. Collect as many samples as you can, then create your own floral design. Combine your design with the samples you found in a collage.

February 28
Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras (which comes from the French and means Fat Tuesday) is a celebration in New Orleans each year on Fat Tuesday, 47 days before Easter Sunday. It's colors are purple (for justice), green (for faith) and gold (for power). People dress in costumes and masks and watch parades and attend balls. Make a Mardi Gras mask to display, and decorate it in purple, green and gold. Attach things you cut out of the Deseret Morning News that you think are things to celebrate. You can include things that make your life easier or are things you appreciate having or that you'd like to have. Collect articles from the Deseret Morning News about Mardi Gras and how it's celebrated.