FOLLOW THE LEADER
Local elections take place this year in the United States. When will you be able to vote for the first time? Make a list of leaders mentioned in the Deseret Morning News. What do you admire about them? Would you like to see any of them as your town mayor or president of the United States some day? Why or why not?

A NEW GOVERNMENT
The government created by the American Founding Fathers was very different from the monarchies and dictatorships present in the world at that time. Use the Deseret Morning News to identify different kinds of governments. What type of rulers do they have? (King, queen, dictator, chancellor, etc.) Make a poster of world leaders and the types of governments they lead. Label those that allow free elections.

POLITICAL SYMBOLS
If you could create new symbols for the political parties to reflect today's concerns, what would you choose? Would you change the parties' names? Create a newspaper ad for one of the parties using the new logo you designed.

PROMOTING CAUSES
How many groups can you identify in the Deseret Morning News that want to promote their causes or interests through this year's election? Name them and their causes.

THE GREAT DEBATE
Ever since the famous Lincoln/Douglas debates in 1858, debates are often the most entertaining part of a campaign. Watch a television debate if any are available or read about one in the newspaper and pick your favorite candidate. Why does he/she appeal to you? How do the candidates handle the pressure? Do you see any humor, warmth or honesty? Does anyone trip over words? Does anyone appear sharp and confident? Write an opinion column for the Deseret Morning News explaining your impressions of the debate and the candidates.

CAMPAIGN BEAT
Newspapers tell you what the hotly debated issues are, where the candidates stand and what different interest groups want. Choose an issue and fill in a table naming the candidates and one or two issues, using information from the Deseret Morning News. Look for issues that relate to the economy, crime, the environment, education, health, welfare, technology and other concerns. Look for Utah candidates and issues (or even school issues and candidates).

TRIPLE SPLIT
American government is balanced by three different branches: legislative (Congress), executive (led by the president) and the judicial (Supreme Court). Clip news articles that feature these three branches. Paste them in three columns. Using the articles and a little research, write a paragraph to sum up the responsibilities of each.

ELECTION DICTIONARY
Collect several stories on elections from the Deseret Morning News. Circle election and political terms you find in the articles. Make your own "Election Dictionary" defining each term.

THE LIGHTER SIDE
The Deseret Morning News features the artwork of editorial cartoonists. The cartoons reflect a humorous look at political issues both national and local. During campaigns, cartoons often feature the faces of political candidates. Clip some from the Deseret Morning News. Study their style, then create your own caricature of your favorite candidate. Don't be afraid to exaggerate!

POLLING PLACES
Use the list of polling places in the Deseret Morning News to determine what kinds of buildings are used for elections. What kinds are used the most? Where can people in your neighborhood go to vote? How many different polling places are used by families of your classmates?

FOCUS ON CHARACTER

Questions about character, past mistakes and scandals may affect a candidate's ability to win elected office. What do you think about this type of investigative journalism during a campaign? Do the voters have the right to know about a candidate's personal life or past mistakes? Write a letter to the editor about the positive or negative aspects of this type of journalism.

SLOGANS AND BANNERS
Make a list of political slogans and banners that you find in the Deseret Morning News and other media sources. Do any seem especially clever, fun or appealing? Make up a slogan for your favorite candidate and create campaign buttons for friends and family.

Holidays, events and celebrations in NOVEMBER

Family Stories Month

Discuss with your family what some of your family stories might be. These might include funny, interesting, exciting, unusual, embarrassing, scary, frightening or sad incidents that happened in your family, either to the family as a whole, or to different individuals. Some of these could start, "Remember when... " Choose one of the family stories that might lend itself to a comic strip or cartoon. Using the comics in the Deseret Morning News as examples, draw a cartoon about your family story. Don't worry if you're not an artist. You can use stick figures or copy some of the comic characters in the Deseret Morning News.

National Adoption Month
November 7-13
National Adoption Week

Pretend you are the adoption agency for the comics in the Deseret Morning News. Choose a character from the comics that will be put up for adoption. Study the comic strip to learn as much as you can about this character. (You may want to look at this comic strip each day for several days to learn even more.) List the good qualities you think this character has, then list the problems this character has. Look through the rest of the comics and choose a person or family to adopt this character. Explain your choice. How will this person or family be able to help the comic character they're adopting?

National American Indian Heritage Month

How many of the following words that came from different American Indian tribes can you find in the Deseret Morning News? avocado, chili, chocolate, coyote, guacamole, tamale, tomato, barbeque, hammock, potato, bayou, canoe, Eskimo, moccasin, moose, muskrat, opossum, pecan, raccoon, skunk, togaggan, tomahawk, cashew, cougar, petunia, piranha, hogan, iguana, jaguar, papoose, pemmica, sego (lily), squash, teepee, totem, woodchuck, wickiup, wigwam.

How many references to the following states that have names with American Indian origins can you find? Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Dakota, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Misissippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin.

National Family Caregivers Month
November 20-26
National Family Week

Find the obituaries in the Deseret Morning News and scan through them to see how families are mentioned in a description of people's lives. How important do families seem to be? How many obituaries mention children? grandchildren? great-grandchildren? Make a chart showing the number of family members mentioned in obituaries. What is the average number of children and grandchildren among those listed in the newspaper?

November 1
First Weather Observations Made by U.S. Weather Bureau, 1870

Find the weather page in the Deseret Morning News. Make a list of all the different kinds of information you can find related to weather. Where is the warmest weather in the U.S. forecasted? Where is the coldest weather? What international cities have a forecast closest to the forecast for Salt Lake City's weather?

November 1
National Author's Day
November 14
Favorite Authors Day

Find the serialized story printed in the Tuesday edition of the Deseret Morning News in the Education section. What is the name of the author of this story? Who is the illustrator? Find some information about him at the end of the chapter or on the NIE Web site under serialized stories. What other books has he written or illustrated? What was his inspiration for writing this story? Go to the Deseret Morning News NIE Web site under Serialized Stories to read about him. Who is your favorite author? What did he/she write? Why is this person your favorite author?

November 1
National Family Literacy Day

Find the literacy activities under "activities, grades 7-12" on the left-hand index of the NIE Web site. Select some of the activities and do them together with your family. Take turns reading chapters of the Deseret Morning News' current serialized story, "Up in the Air: The Story of the Wright Brothers," and identify which parts of the story match up with historical facts you find about the Wright Brothers, their lives and efforts to fly.

November 1-7
Notary Public Week
November 7
Notary Public Day

Look in the dictionary to find out what a notary public does. Then look through the classified ads in the Deseret Morning News to identify any jobs or businesses that might need the services of a notary public for some business transaction. Do a little research to find out how a person becomes a notary public. (Hint: You might try calling or visiting a bank to ask.)

November 2
Day of the Dead in Mexico

This day for honoring relatives that have passed away is similar to Memorial Day in the United States. Watch the Deseret Morning News for notices of family honoring a departed loved one. They appear from time to time near the obituaries. Use these as examples of what might be written, then write your own notice about a relative that has passed away, honoring him or her.

November 3
Sandwich Day
Birthday of the 4th Earl of Sandwich, 1718

Ever since the Earl of Sandwich put meat on bread to eat it, sandwiches have been very popular. What kind of sandwiches do you like? Poll your class to see what kinds of sandwiches are the most popular. Using the food ads and recipes in the Deseret Morning News, identify ingedients you could use to invent a new sandwich. What could you put together that would taste good and be interesting? Give your sandwich a name.

November 5
First Patent for an Automobile Issued to George B. Seldon of Rochester, NY, 1895

Find the section of the Deseret Morning News classified ads that contains cars and other vehicles. How many different kinds of vehicles are there categories for? If you were planning to purchase a vehicle, which category would you choose? Select three vehicles you would like to own. Compare the three of them using the information given. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each vehicle?

November 7
Notary Public Day

See November 1-7, Notary Public Week

November 7-13
National Adoption Week

See National Adoption Month above.

November 8
Election Day

Follow election news in the Deseret Morning News and see "Inside the Newspaper" above for newspaper Election Activities.

November 8
National Young Readers Day

Look through the Deseret Morning News to find stories and other items that you think children would be interested in. Mark the items as Read Alone (for things you think children could read by themselves), Read To (for items you think someone else could read to a child) and Favorites (for items you think children would be especially interested in). Some items may fit more than one category. If possible, arrange to read one or more of your Read To items to a child.

November 8-14
Pusuit of Happiness Week

People have different ideas about what is happiness. What is your idea of happiness? What things would you need to do to pursue happiness? Select three different people from the pages of the Deseret Morning News. In each case, what do you think each is doing to pursue happiness? What do you think happiness is to each of them? Do any of your ideas of happiness match what you think their ideas are?

November 9
Puritans Reached Cape Cod and Began to Explore the Coast, 1620
November 19
Mayflower Arrived Off Cape Cod, MA, 1620
November 21
Puritans Put Ashore at Plymouth, 1620

Find the weather page in the Deseret Morning News. Which cities that are listed in the forecast are closest to Plymouth, MA.? Use a map or atlas or globe to help you determine. Use the weather map and information in the forecast to determine what the weather may have been like on these dates when the Puritans first landed in America.

November 11
Veteran's Day

Check the pages of the Deseret Morning News to determine how veterans of wars and military service are being honored on this day. What wars or conflicts are mentioned? How are veterans honored in the obituaries? What wars or conflicts or military service is mentioned in obituaries? What is the most and least recent wars or conflicts mentioned? What do you think people should do to honor those who serve their country? What people in your own community serve their community, state or nation?

November 13
World Kindness Day

Find five different items in the Deseret Morning News that indicate something someone did that was a kindness. Then make a list of five different things you could do that would show kindness to someone else. Follow up by doing at least one of the things you listed.

November 13-19
American Education Week

Collect at least five articles from the Deseret Morning News about education. Summarize each one and identify the 5 W's and H (who, what, where, when, why and how). Write your own article for the Deseret News about the value of an education.

November 13-19
Geography Awareness Week: Theme -- Migration: A Human Journey

This week focuses on learning about Migration: A Human Journey. How does geography affect the movement of people from place to place? How did the geography of Utah affect where the major part of the state's population is located? Collect items from the Deseret Morning News about locations of people and stories and determine what geographical features affect why they are in the news. Learn about National Geography Awareness Week at the National Geographic Society Web site.

November 14
Nellie Bly Started Her Trip Around the World in 72 Days, 1889

Do some research to learn more about Nellie Bly, why she took a trip around the world, and other things she did. Watch for a new stamp from the Post Office that honors her. Write a letter to the Deseret Morning News Readers Forum encouraging others to honor her and explain why you think she's a good choice to be on a postage stamp.

November 14-20
National Children's Book Week

Read some of the reviews of children's books by Marilou Sorenson that appear in the Deseret Morning News about once a month. Select one of the children's books she talks about, find a copy of the book and read it to a child. Or select a children's book that you like and write a brief review of it for the Connect 1-2-3 monthly educational section explaining why you think a child would like this book, then send it to the Connect 1-2-3 at Deseret Morning News NIE, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City UT 84110. Be sure to include your name, grade and school.

November 15
America Recycles Day

Look through the display ads in the Deseret Morning News to identify three different things for sale that are disposable. Determine whether any of these items could be recycled and how. Create your own display ad encouraging people to recycle in order to better preserve our environment.

November 16
UN International Day for Tolerance

In the Deseret Morning News, read about conflicts in the United States or elsewhere in the world. Identify the reason the conflicts exist. Determine if any of these conflicts would disappear or be lessened if people on both sides of the conflict practiced tolerance. Explain your answer. Discuss with your class what it means to have tolerance and how students could demonstrate tolerance in your school.

November 18
National Great American Smokeout

In addition to the huge health risks that tobacco causes, buying one pack of cigarettes a day wastes more than $1,000 a year. Other things you could have purchased with that money are your opportunity cost of smoking. Look through the newspaper and use ads to identify things you'd like to buy with the $1,000 you will have by not smoking. Make a list and add up the costs. See how close to $1,000 you can come without spending more than $1,000. What did you identify as your opportunity cost of smoking?

November 18-24
National Farm-City Week

Using the Deseret Morning News, identify 10 things you would find in a city, 10 things you would find on a farm, and 10 things that could be either in a city or on a farm. Use all parts of the paper, including the comics, classified ads, sports, financial news and photos, as well as news stories and headlines.

November 19
Mayflower Arrived Off Cape Cod, MA, 1620

See November 9: Puritans Reached Cape Cod and Began to Explore the Coast, 1620

November 19
Moms and Dads Day

When an advertiser sells a product, he shows all of the best features of that product in hopes that the public will buy it. Locate an advertisement in the Deseret Morning News that tells only positive things about a product and consider the style of the ad. Make a list of the good qualities of your mom and/or dad or a mom or dad you know. Then create an advertisement selling the best qualities of the mom and/or dad you are featuring.

November 20-26
National Family Week

See National Family Caregivers Month above.

November 21
Puritans Put Ashore at Plymouth, 1620

See November 9: Puritans Reached Cape Cod and Began to Explore the Coast, 1620

November 24
Thanksgiving Day

1. ART: Look through the Deseret Morning News for advertising that catches your attention. Find at least four examples of ads you like. What are the reasons the ads are so enticing? Create a list of what made the ad stand out (for instance, was it the use of a border, the amount of white space, the colors, etc.). Now look through the newspaper and find at least 10 items (words, phrases, photos or graphics can be used) for which you are thankful this season. Create a Thanksgiving collage, employing some of the techniques you liked in your chosen advertisements. You may want to replicate the concept of the ad in your collage.

2. CAREER EDUCATION: Many employers hire seasonal help beginning this time of year to help with the holiday rush. Look through today's classified help wanted ads and see how many opportunities you can find for seasonal jobs. Which of the jobs do you think you'd enjoy most? Least?

3. ENGLISH/ LANGUAGE ARTS: Thanksgiving is a holiday seeped in tradition. For instance, every November, a Presidential pardon is issued to save a turkey from becoming Thanksgiving dinner; the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is always televised that morning live from New York; etc. Find examples of other Thanksgiving traditions mentioned in today's Deseret Morning News. Write a persuasive essay (including an introduction, body and conclusion) about why one of these traditions should be kept or eliminated. Your essay should include your opinions but should also be backed up with facts and statistics (either found in your newspaper, online or in your library).

4. GEOGRAPHY: The college football season is winding down. Look at today's sports section and find information about at least three college football teams that will be playing in ballgames during the Thanksgiving weekend. If you wanted to visit all three cities where the games would be played, what would be the smartest route to take and in what order would you want to visit? (Assume you'll be traveling by car.) Using a United States map, calculate how many miles you'd travel. What geographical features would you cross on your path (i.e. rivers, mountain ranges, deserts, etc.)? Find the latitude and longitude of each city in your list. What states are represented in your list? What regions? Use the weather map in today's newspaper to describe the probable weather in each of your chosen cities at this time of year.

5. HISTORY: Thanksgiving in America is traced back to the pilgrims and Native Americans. Using today's news stories as your guide, write a news article as if you participated in or observed the first Thanksgiving. Be sure to include possible quotes from some of the people who would have been present. When your article is completed, look at today's news to decide how to write a good headline. Now, write your own headline for your story. Remember, the goal of a headline is to briefly describe the article and to draw in the reader.

6. MATHEMATICS: You've been assigned to make the Thanksgiving feast at your house this year, using only $50. Use the grocery ads and any published recipes to decide what you'll make. Since this is your Thanksgiving feast, you're welcomed to be creative in what you cook. Decide on a main course, at least two side dishes and a dessert. Use the grocery ads to determine the following: 1) The total cost to purchase the ingredients needed, including the appropriate sales tax for your community (remember your $50 budget!); and 2) The percentage of your funds that will be spent on each item in your meal-the main course, both side dishes and the desert.

7. MUSIC: Christmas is known for a variety of music. Your assignment is to create a song that will establish Thanksgiving as a musical holiday! Work with at least two classmates on this project. Clip out at least 10 headlines and divide them into their parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.). Your goal is to create a Thanksgiving song that incorporates only the words you've cut out (you do NOT have to use all the words you've clipped, but you cannot use any words you haven't!). Use any familiar tune to set your words to music, and share with the class.

8. NEWSPAPER KNOWLEDGE: Write the word T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G down the left-hand portion of a plain piece of paper. Look through the newspaper to find examples of articles, advertising and/or photos that begin with each letter. Write a phrase to describe the word's significance to today's news and identify where in the newspaper you found it. (EXAMPLE: T-echnology: this refers to section D of today's newspaper, which contains the Business section and often includes stories about new technological developments in music, computers, games and more.)

9. SCIENCE & HEALTH: Many fitness clubs and weight-loss programs encourage people not to overindulge during the holidays. But, because it always happens, those same organizations count on increasing their membership as soon as Christmas is over! Develop a strategy to help your family avoid gaining weight this holiday season. Use grocery ads to design a healthier menu for your family's holiday meals. Also look in today's Deseret Morning News for physical activities your family can enjoy together during your vacation.

10. SOCIAL STUDIES: Different people celebrate Thanksgiving in different ways. Look through today's newspaper to find ways that area groups and families are celebrating the holiday throughout our region and throughout America. Other countries also celebrate holidays similar to our Thanksgiving (obviously not started for the same reason). Find examples of such countries. Research in the news, the Internet and in your library to find out the major differences in how the holidays are celebrated outside of the United States.

11. COMMUNITY SERVICE: Some people in our communities don't have as much to be thankful for as others. Look through your newspaper for examples of organizations that are requesting holiday food donations. Hold a canned food drive at your school and donate the food to the charity your classroom chooses. OR: Look at your newspaper for words and or phrases that remind you of Thanksgiving. Use those words and phrases to design decorations (banners, placemats, etc.) for an area homeless shelter or soup kitchen. If possible, schedule time for members of your class to hand deliver the items. If not, be sure to mail them in plenty of time to arrive at the organization before the holiday arrives.

12. JUST FOR FUN: Go on a newspaper scavenger hunt for the following Thanksgiving-related items: 1) A food that you'd like to eat for Thanksgiving; 2) A place you'd like to visit during Thanksgiving; 3) Something for which you're thankful this year; 4) Information about a Thanksgiving-related event in your area; 5) Someone who has reason to be thankful this year; 6) The word "thanks" or "Thanksgiving" in today's newspaper; 7) The word "turkey" or a photo or graphic of one; and 8) The thing in today's news that you think the first Thanksgiving guests would be surprised by the most.

(Thanks to Emily R. Workman, NiE Program Director, The Benton County Daily Record & Northwest Arkansas Times, for these activities.)

November 27
Nobel Peace Prize Established

Use the archives at www.deseretnews.com to look up articles about current Nobel Prize winners. What different prizes are awarded? What do prize winners receive? Who are the 2005 winners in the different categories? What did they accomplish? When and where will the prizes be awarded? Watch for information in the Deseret Morning News about more information on the awarding of Nobel Prizes this year.

November 29
Newspaper Day

When reading news articles or other non-fiction, there is almost always an organizational pattern that can be identified. When you recognize the organizational pattern, it is easier for you to understand the content of the article and to read more quickly. Look for each of the following five types of organizational patterns in the Deseret Morning News:
chronological order -- Find articles that are written sequentially or almost like a time line.
compare and contrast -- Find articles that usually take two or more items and discuss how the items are alike and how the items are different.
cause and effect -- Find articles that focus on the cause of the problem and the long and short-term effects.
problem and solution -- Find articles that talk about society's problems and possible solutions to these problems.
descriptive example -- Find articles that focus on describing a person, place or event in detail, giving examples and possibly defining key words.
After practicing this skill in the newspaper, try looking for the same patterns in your textbooks.
(This activity comes from Reading First, a teacher's guide for research-based reading instruction found on this NIE Web site under Teacher's guides.)