WHO DID YOU PICK?
This is the year for municipal elections. How old do you have to be to vote in a state or national election in the United States? When will you be able to vote for the first time? Will your class hold mock elections of their own this month? If so, how did your class elections turn out in comparison with the real elections? How do you feel about the winners and losers following the Nov. 8, 2005, elections? Why?

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 or stories that feature these three branches. Complete a classroom bulletin board that is divided into three sections for each of the branches of government and place all each Deseret Morning News article or story in the correct sections.

ELECTION DICTIONARY
Select several stories on elections from the Deseret Morning News. Circle in crayon, all 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 (or winner of the election). Don't be afraid to exaggerate!

SLOGANS AND BANNERS
Make a list of political slogans and banners that you have seen in the Deseret Morning News and other media sources. Did any seem especially clever, fun or appealing? Did you see anything in the newspaper or in other media to make you feel some of the campaigning was unfair or unkind? Do you think slogans, banners, signs and other forms of campaigning should be positive or negative? Why?

Holidays, celebrations and other events in NOVEMBER

Family Stories Month

Locate the serialized story that appears each Tuesday in the education section (C section) of the Deseret Morning News. Read each weekly chapter with your classmates or family and talk about what happens in each chapter. Clip out the chapters and paste them into a booklet so at the end of the story, you will have the whole book compiled. Watch for other serialized stories in the Deseret Morning News.

National American Indian Heritage Month

Utah has a history full of events of note with the American Indian. What are some of the tribes that had early roots in Utah? What parts of the state did those American Indians inhabit? Search for articles in the Deseret Morning News that tell about events happening in those parts of the state. How are things different in those areas now from the way they were when early American Indian tribes inhabited them? Would you rather have lived then or now? Why? Pretend you are a reporter for the Deseret Morning News and could interview any American Indian that once lived in what is now Utah. What are some of the questions you would ask? What do you think would be some of the most important things readers would like to learn from your newspaper article? Why?

Peanut Butter Lover's Month

Do you like peanut butter? What is your favorite way to eat peanut butter? Peanuts are part of the basic food pyramid for good, healthy eating. Find pictures in the Deseret Morning News of other healthy foods and clip them out. Form them into a food pyramid by pasting the pictures on another piece of paper. How many of the food groups have you had today? List the good. healthy foods you've eaten today and then list the not-so-healthy ones. Which have you had the most of?

November 1
National Authors' Day

Who is your favorite author? What is your favorite book? The Deseret Morning News often features book reviews of childrens' books along with articles on reading by columnist, Marilou Sorenson. Watch for some of these columns to see if you have read any of the books being reviewed. Choose your favorite book and write a comic strip review on it, with the comic strip characters telling all about the story. Share with your classmates.

November 2
Daniel Boone's Birthday

November 2, 1734 is the day Daniel Boone was born. How many years ago was that? Look through the Deseret Morning News to find at least 20 items that were not invented when Daniel Boone lived. Paste the items you have clipped out of the newspaper on another sheet of paper and tell how you think Daniel Boone would have used each one.

November 3
Birthday of the Earl of Sandwich and Sandwich Day

Do some research on the Earl of Sandwich. You may want to check the Deseret Morning News archives at www.deseretnews.com/archives for information. What is your favorite kind of sandwich? Take a class poll to see the favorite sandwiches of other classmates. Transfer the results to a bar graph. Now, look for grocery store ads in the Deseret Morning News to find where you can get the best buys on items needed for your sandwich. Write down the store, the address of the store and the prices of the foods, to see if you would be able to shop there with an adult who could take you. How far would you have to travel? How much would the food products cost?

November 4
National Candy Day

What is your favorite kind of candy? Pretend you have invented a new kind of candy and you want to have Deseret Morning News run a large display (picture) ad of your product. What would you want the ad to look like and what would you want it to say? Draw a picture of your ad and ask your teacher if you and your classmates could put all your new display ads on a classroom bulletin board.

November 8
National Young Readers Day

Work with a few classmates in reading the Deseret Morning News for 20 minutes each day of school for one week. Read in small groups or alone and at the end of the week, join together with your group to write a list of all the things you learned from your silent newspaper reading time that you didn't know before.

November 8
U. S. Election Day

Local elections are taking place in the United States this year. What are the two major political parties in the United States today? If you could create new symbols for the political parties, what would you choose? Draw the symbols on a piece of art paper. Would you change the parties' names? Review some of the advertisements in the Deseret Morning News. Create a newspaper-style ad for one of the parties using the new logo you designed.

For more election activities, see "Inside the Newspaper," above.

November 8-14
Pursuit of Happiness Week

What are some of the things that make you happy? Why? Look through the Deseret Morning News for articles about people who have made other people happy. Clip out your favorite to share with your classmates. What could you do this week to make someone else happy?

November 10
Birthday of the Television Show, "Sesame Street"

Have you ever watched "Sesame Street?" Did you like it? Why or why not? Create a four-frame (box) comic strip, like one from the Deseret Morning News, with at least three characters from "Sesame Street." Share with your classmates.

November 11
Veteran's Day

What is a veteran? Do you know any veterans personally? Follow the Deseret Morning News on and around Veteran's Day for articles about our country's veterans. Compile a classroom bulletin board by displaying the articles you found, surrounding a picture of the American flag.

November 13-19
American Education Week

What do you consider to be the best part about the education you receive? Why? Follow the Tuesday education section of the Deseret Morning News for articles, information and instructions for learning. Read the weekly Kid Scoop Page and do the activities. Submit any poems, short stories, jokes, riddles, movie and/or book reviews, etc. for possible publication. Send to: Kid Scoop Page, Deseret News, P.O. Box 1257, SLC, UT 84110.

November 13-19
Geography Awareness Week

In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing the third week in November as Geography Awareness Week (GAW). Every year since then, the National Geographic Society has promoted the importance of geography to the public and to schools throughout the United States and in Canada during Geography Awareness Week. During that time approximately 1.5 million students have participated in geography-related activities.

The Deseret Morning News is a perfect tool for studying geography. Put a world map on a classroom bulletin board or in your home. Clip datelines (words at the beginning of news articles that tell where that certain story was reported from.....originally, the date was also included in the newspaper) from the newspaper and paste them around the map. Then connect the dateline to the place on the map using markers, crayons or yarn, attached to stick pins. How many different datelines did you find? How many of those were local? How many were national? How many were world-wide?

November 14-20
National Childrens' Book Week

What is your favorite book? Why do you like it? If you were to write a book, what would it be about? Why? Draw a picture of what the book jacket would like. Design an advertisement for the book that could appear in the Deseret Morning News. Use catchy phrases and important information to entice other people to want to buy and read your book.

November 14-20
World Kindness Week

See how many articles and/or stories you can find in the Deseret Morning News about people being kind to other people. Pretend you are a reporter for the Deseret Morning News and you have been asked to interview someone in your family or your school who has had an act of kindness done for them. Write your interview and put it on nice paper to give back to the person you interviewed so they can keep it as a remembrance of the kindness that was done for them.

November 15
America Recycles Day

Do you participate in recycling? What items do you recycle? Conduct a class poll to see what other items your classmates recycle, if any. Compile these into a bar graph to see what items are most often recycled. Compose an editorial that could be used in the Deseret Morning News A section to signify the importance of recycling.

November 19
Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address that was delivered in 1863 by United States President Abraham Lincoln. Locate a copy of the address so you can learn about it. Do some research to discover five facts about the Gettysburg Address that you didn't already know. What are some of the important things talked about? Pretend you are a feature writer for the Deseret Morning News and you have been asked to write a feature story about President Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. Use the information you gained in your research to compose your story. Share with your classmates.

November 19
Arrival of The Mayflower off Cape Cod, Massachusettes in 1620

Since the Mayflower was a small ship with many passengers, what things do you think the Pilgrims would have been able to bring with them for their trip? What would you have wanted to bring with you? Why? The Pilgrims came to the new country for an opportunity to experience freedoms they hadn't had in the old world. Look through the Deseret Morning News for articles and/or stories about freedoms we have now in America that the Pilgrims wouldn't have had in England. Why do you think those freedoms are important? Would you have had the courage to face a new land in search of freedom? What would be the most frightening thing about that? What would be the best thing about it?

November 20-26
National Family Week

Think about some of the characteristics of people in your family. Look through the comic pages of the Deseret Morning News to find comic strip characters that resemble each member of your family. Draw a photograph frame on a piece of art paper. Clip out each character that reminds you of someone in your family and paste them all inside the frame to compile a "family photo" to share with your family. Be prepared to explain why you chose each character that you did to portray each of your family members. Have fun!

November 20-26
National Game and Puzzle Week

What kinds of games and puzzles do you like to play? Why? Create a Newspaper BINGO game of your own by drawing squares on a piece of paper or cardboard, five across and five down, with a FREE square in the middle. Make as many copies as you need to play the game with friends or family. Clip words or pictures from the Deseret Morning News sports section and paste them in different squares on different BINGO cards. Write down all the words you choose so that when a "caller" for the game is selected, he/she will know which words to call out. After a winner is selected, trade cards, choose a new caller and play again.

November 24
Thanksgiving

What are some of the things you are most thankful for? What do you do on Thanksgiving to make it a special day? Write down some of your families' traditions and send them in for possible publication in the Deseret Morning News Connect 1-2-3 educational section that appears each month in newspapers going to schools. Be sure to include your name, grade and school. Send submissions at least a week prior to Thanksgiving. Mail to: Connect 1-2-3, Deseret Morning News, P.O. Box 1257, SLC, UT 84110 or send an email to: nie@desnews.com.

November 24
Thanksgiving -- A Dozen More Things to Do

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 interesting to you? 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, using some of the techniques you liked in the ads you chose. You may want to copy the ideas from 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 in the Deseret Morning News and see how many opportunities you can find for seasonal jobs. Which of the jobs do you think you'd enjoy most? Least? Why?

3. LANGUAGE ARTS: Thanksgiving is a holiday that is rich 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 short paragraph about why one of these traditions should be kept or not. Your pararaph 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 coming to a close. Look at today's Deseret Morning News 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, figure out how many miles you'd travel. What geographical features would you cross on your trip (i.e. rivers, mountain ranges, deserts, etc.)? Find the latitude and longitude of each city in your list. What states are named in your list? What regions? Use the weather map in today's Deseret Morning News to describe the probable weather in each of the cities you chose at this time of year.

5. HISTORY: Thanksgiving in America is traced back to the Pilgrims and Native Americans. Using today's Deseret Morning 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 catch the reader's attention.

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 in the Deseret Morning News to decide what you'll make. 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 money that will be spent on each item in your meal - the main course, both side dishes and the dessert.

7. MUSIC: Christmas is known for a variety of music. 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 from the Deseret Morning News 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 clipped 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 your classmates.

8. NEWSPAPER KNOWLEDGE: Write the word T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G down the left-hand side of a piece of art paper. Look through the Deseret Morning News to find examples of articles, advertising and/or photos that begin with each letter. Write a sentence to describe the word and identify where in the newspaper you found it.

9. SCIENCE & HEALTH: Many fitness clubs and weight-loss programs encourage people not to overeat during the holidays. But, because it almost always happens, those same organizations count on increasing their membership as soon as Christmas is over! Develop a plan 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 time off from school.

10. SOCIAL STUDIES: Different people celebrate Thanksgiving in different ways. Look through today's Deseret Morning News to find ways that individuals, groups or families are celebrating the holiday throughout Utah and throughout America. Other countries also celebrate holidays similar to our Thanksgiving. Find examples of some of these 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 Deseret Morning News for examples of organizations that are requesting holiday food donations. Hold a canned food drive in your classroom or at your school and donate the food to the charity your classroom chooses.

12. JUST FOR FUN: Go on a newspaper scavenger hunt for the following Thanksgiving- related items in the Deseret Morning News: 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 words "thanks" or "Thanksgiving;" 7) The word "turkey" or a picture or photo of one; and 8) Something to read about in the Deseret Morning News that you think the first Thanksgiving guests would have been surprised by the most.

(These dozen ideas come from Emily R. Workman, NiE Program Director, The Benton County Daily Record & Northwest Arkansas Times. Revised by Deseret Morning News NIE personnel.)