The news media has the responsibility to provide citizens with information. In what ways does providing news through print, broadcast and the Internet help citizens to be self-governing, better informed and engaged in the issues and events of their communities? In what ways is radio an important means of conveying information to individuals in countries around the world? The news peg for this guide is the establishment of WTWP radio station by The Washington Post Company and Bonneville International. We include a wide array of other stations and media that are engaged in utilizing First Amendment guarantees of a free press. Activities in this guide, take students into the pages of The Washington Post where readers learn of the latest developments in technology, media personalities and the significance of radio in transmitting information and serving different audiences at home and abroad.

The Civil War spurred inventions and innovations that moved America into the industrial age, transformed naval warfare, and called for new modes of leadership.

Photography can be a cross-disciplinary tool for verbal literacy development, aesthetic and technical visual literacy instruction, and a study of the human condition.

The qualities that define leaders are ageless yet refined each generation. The census, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and gerrymandering impact elections every ten years.

Embrace wellness, from top to toe, inside and out. Health is examined through concussions, hair products, microbes, and the function and fashion of shoes. Students learn to read, apply and communicate for a healthier, informed community.

Letters to the Editor provide a brief and effective forum for citizens to express their views. Students employ their skills of comprehension, analysis, comparison, synthesis, and persuasion through reading and writing letters to the editor. They may also be used to understand attitudes of the past.

As explorers discovered new plants, they brought back drawings, specimens and seeds. Today, these once-exotic edibles are part of our daily lives as we stop at the grocery store, the coffee shop and nursery. Activities in this guide encourage interdisciplinary lessons in botany, nutrition, art, mathematics and community engagement.

The most populated country in the world, The People’s Republic of China is a fascinating mix of history, geography, culture and demography. Activities and reprinted Post editorial, commentary, articles and photography focus on modern China — its social, economic, political, scientific and technological dimensions — against the backdrop of its heritage.

As the United States commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, reflection on the causes and consequences, people and events involved, and impact on culture, technology, economy, and legal and social dimensions of the nation takes place. In addition to selected reprints from The Washington Post, this guide provides resources, vocabulary, study questions and a wide variety of suggested activities: a Lincoln quiz, personality and technology research projects, and a business-related advertising study. One project combines the research of Civil War personalities, creation of timelines and sending tweets.

The newspaper provides more than today’s news. It is the source of opinion, analysis and suggestions for daily living. Activities in this guide focus on photographic composition, the FED PAGE, guest commentary, incorporating history into news coverage, and finding the local angle in national and world issues. The articles in the guide provide points of discussion and models for student composition.

The national initiative to combat childhood obesity is the catalyst for articles and activities in this guide. News coverage of the kick-off and subsequent actions provides the public with information to evaluate the decisions of officials, to educate about health and nutrition, and to change behavior. Teachers will find activities in which comparsion and contrast can be used for before-and-after evaluation, style analysis and media assessment.

Advertisements highlight products, services and a corporation’s community involvement. Readers learn about the latest styles, sales and social issues. Suggested activities in this guide introduce the different types and purposes of ads and provide resources to evaluate, write and design ads. Legal and public notices provide a glimpse of economic and social conditions in a society. In Meet the Ad Manager, Carolyn Monroe provides insight into another career option.

The family stories that are passed from one generation to the next, those that are created within a family and those that are shared with a wider readership entertain, inform and educate. Activities in this guide provide approaches for collecting, composing and comprehending personal narratives. Two reprinted First Person Singular narratives capture the voices of their subjects and serve as models for young writers seeking family stories. Post articles relate family survival stories — a Suitland teenager with an injured heart, Haitian families living in a tent city, Afghani sisters seeking an American education, and a child of the “disappeared” redefining love.

Reading the Sunday Washington Post expands horizons, informs and provides educators with material to use in every classroom. Highlights and activities in this guide cover each section of the Sunday Post. They include the ethics of decisions made in selecting photographs for publication, using Dr. Gridlock’s tips, exploring the business side of the Olympics and writing for different audiences.

They entertain, educate and provoke you. An American art form, ranging from panels to continuity strips, comics provide storytelling and self-expression. A crossword puzzle, activity sheets and the works of Herblock, Tom Toles and Ann Telnaes are in this guide. Work on symbolism, syndication and freedom of expression add depth the study of comics.

This online guide is composed of previous and new activities for incorporating the Washington Post e-Replica Edition into the classroom. An exact digital copy of the newspaper accessed online with a password, the e-Replica may be read at school, at home, wherever there is an Internet connection. The activities in this collection apply to many disciplines. In addition to the reading, writing, mathematics and critical thinking skills that are exercised using The Washington Post, the e-Replica Edition utilizes technology and electronic information gathering skills.

Editorial cartoonists provide a visual commentary on the current events, policies and issues that confront government officials and citizens. They provide an engaging means to study American history, allusions and personification, and art techniques. This guide features 16 of Herblock’s more than 14,000 cartoons for study in history, art, journalism and English classes — and by all who engage in civic discourse. Current events and history influenced the work of Herblock; he also exercised an influence on events as they unfolded. During a time when newspapers are letting go of their staff editorial cartoonists, it is important for society to re-examine the important role that insightful and observant cartoonists play in a democracy and a free press.

Learning does not take a break in summer. Find physics at a baseball game, swimming pool or amusement park. Take a Road Trip to lighthouses, find a fossil or count dragonflies. Many of The Post articles serve as models for writing assignments. Write about people, summer icons and group activity.

Ethical, legal, business, cultural and societal issues related to using social networking technology are covered in this guide. Post articles and suggested activities cover a variety of social networking topics — blogs and micro-blogs, digital gaming and netiquette, benefactors and imposters, texting and sexting, and personal and business communication. Internet safety and test-taking practice are combined in “You and Gaming” for younger students. Student activities cover business and marketing applications of social networking by educators and students, cartoonists and technology firms.

The Constitution provides the framework for the inauguration of a president, but the individual adds his own mark on the ceremony, expresses his philosophy in his address and begins his legacy that may impact the lives of future generations and the character of American society. In this NIE guide, teachers will find resources and worksheets to guide annotation of past presidents’ and Obama’s 2009 addresses, to report on Inauguration Day, to study Lincoln’s legacy and to test one’s knowledge of past inaugurations. Reprinted Post articles cover the Lincoln-Obama connection, the role of the speechwriter, Lincoln’s cottage and conservation of artifacts, another dimension of preserving a legacy.

Book World is awhirl with possibilities for teachers and students: To meet new authors and their books, to visit with familiar works from a new perspective, to attend mini-lectures on varied topics and to study models of book reviews. Writing a book review enhances reading skills; critical thinking; analytic, evaluative and explanatory abilities; and composition fluency. This guide’s content includes book reviews to use in the classroom, a close reading technique, guidelines to writing a book review, and exercises in reading charts and doing online research of publishing companies.

The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. was not its first nor its last, but it was the one that preserved the Greek-influence on the arts and culture of the Roman Empire. This guide provides close reading activities using The Post review of the National Gallery of Art Pompeii exhibit and a travel article, a Road Trip of mosaics in the D.C. area, and an art project to make mosaics using patterns found in the excavations of Pompeii. An e-Replica worksheet is provided.

Staying safe and keeping fit requires healthy decisions about the foods you eat, the exercise you get and the precautions you take. In this first of two NIE guides to feature fitness, Post reprints cover and the suggested activities focus on: Keeping safe while involved in sports activities, making the right food selections at home and school, enacting legislation and guidelines for healthier students and knowing what’s recommended to be healthy at each stage of life.

The primaries and the party conventions that nominate the 2008 Republican and Democratic candidates for president provide an array of opportunities to meet the people who want to be the next president and to focus on the issues that are important to individuals and the country. Reprints of Washington Post articles put into perspective summer’s nominating conventions (“The Ballot Brawl of 1924”), campaigning (“Permanent Campaign?”), the first woman to win a presidential primary (“The Force of Gender”), race in America (“Obama Urges U.S.: ‘Move Beyond Our Old Racial Wounds’”) and Internet influence (“Campaign.USA”). The Washington Post editorial cartoonist Tom Toles has used his pen and wit to provide visual commentary on the candidates, election process and issues. Twenty of his commentaries are included in this guide to give a visual timeline, to highlight events and issues during the race toward nomination, to stimulate discussion and to inspire students to create their own images.

Renewed interest in the environment and living by eco-friendly standards has influenced the building industry, consumer products and business ventures as well as our language and attitudes. A word puzzle, Green Scene quiz, suggested activities and study questions provide options for English, ecology, economics and health classes. Reprints of Post articles come from News, Style and KidsPost, Washington Business, Real Estate, Home and Sunday Source. Vocabulary, print and Web resources included.

Debate trains students to look at all sides of an issue, to examine complex ideas and to develop oral, research and critical thinking skills. Debate is intrinsic to American culture, from debating societies to Lincoln-Douglas debates and televised debates of candidates for president. Activities in this guide include a Socratic seminar, analysis of a televised debate and an in-class debate. The Washington Post provides resources to use with the suggested activities — a Tom Toles editorial cartoon, guest commentary, movie review and two articles covering Campaign 2008.

A caring environment is a precursor to a nonviolent society, tolerance of differences is a necessary component of a caring environment, and a caring environment reacts to a community problem. Staff and students of Newport Mill Middle School, recipient of one of ten 2007 National Schools of Character awards, share some ways to create a caring school community. Ellen Turverey, school counselor, and Beth Shevitz, seventh grade World Studies teacher at the Kensington, Md. school, share a lesson they developed that demonstrates how a news story can be the starting point to discuss social issues, traits that lead to a better society and how bad situations might be improved. Post and KidsPost articles and resources are provided.

All students should experience art — as producers, viewers and critics. Students create an artwork after reading about animals; attend an art exhibit to collect data and to evaluate works of American and international artists; and produce their own exhibit. The suggested activities and student handouts in this guide utilize KidsPost, Style & Arts and Weekend sections of The Washington Post. Activities include viewing parts of a work and completing a zigsaw puzzle to develop observation skills, writing a review, wall text and a press release, and reading about art and artists.

World and local leaders, celebrities and the kid across the aisle — all have the potential to amuse, instruct, exasperate and inspire you. They can be the subject of an article, a feature, a short story, play or poem. In this guide we focus on Washington Post columns (Life Is Short, A Local Life), obituaries, and KidsPost mini-profiles. This guide includes a biography project with five parts: research an American, write a news story, present an oral report, make a puppet and entertain parents in character. Bart Barnes gives a first-person account of being an obit writer at The Post.

Many health issues provide stimulus for lessons in economics, privacy vs. public health concerns, illegal vs. legal transport of goods and medicines, laws and ethics. This guide focuses on the current news: an outbreak of mumps in the Midwest and the spread of the H5N1 strain of the influenza virus. The concerns about avian flu also provide opportunity to teach students about the Spanish Flu that killed more than 50 million people around the world and to introduce students to careers in virology and epidemiology. The activities in this guide suggest the range of approaches that can be taken using Washington Post news articles, features, graphics and commentary. Studying etymology, reading of maps and bar graphs, and comparing the Spanish flu to today’s spread of disease — many of the activities cross disciplines.

Poetry, whether found or written hard-sought word by word, allows a multitude of voices, expresses many emotions and provides insight into history and contemporary life. One doesn’t usually think of a newspaper as a textbook or resource for poetry study, but they share many of the same characteristics: brevity, conveyance of human experience and a framework for history as well as perspective on contemporary life. In April KidsPost holds it annual poetry writing contest. On April 16, 2006, Book World featured poets and poetry in celebration of its tenth anniversary. Several articles from that issue and previous columns are gathered in this guide for teachers’ convenience and inspiration. Suggestions are made for their use, but are only a few of the ways this material might be used in your classroom. Word Find and found poetry will appeal to your youngest students. Pairing of “A Stock Idea” and “Poetry in Motion” or combining “A Simile Is …,” “Comparable to What?” and “Fast Break” in “A Decade of Poet’s Choice” will provide advanced students a synthesis exercise.

Take a look at language and the work of linguists. Activities in this guide encourage students to consider the importance of language in interpersonal communication and international exchange, to appraise the benefits and hazards of a limited knowledge of languages, and to discuss its impact on globalization. In legal and policy matters, the work of a linguist can help speakers to understand past usage and its impact on current connotation and denotation as seen in "A Linguist's Alternative History of 'Redskin.'" Two activities provide a study of etymology. Washington Post and KidsPost articles, suggested activities, reproducibles, and other resources are provided in this guide.

Whether a classic, a family favorite or a recent release, books can influence the lives of young readers. This guide offers KidsPost and Post articles, activities and resources to encourage your students to be readers, examines propaganda and sweepstakes, and provides an introduction to Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico (1982). Post writer Michael Farquhar explores the use of propaganda in children’s literature in a KidsPost article. Middle school and older students can explore the use of sweepstakes to promote products aimed at children in Caroline Mayer’s “Young Eyes on the Prize.” Background information on a Supreme Court decision prepares students to role play, making decisions about school library content and acquisitions.

Turn-of-the-century D.C. reflected the industrial revolution's improvements in transportation, art movements and the changing lifestyles of Americans. As the city closed the open sewer that the Washington Canal had become and paved some streets, an aesthetic sense was expressed in its bridges and the creation of Potomac Park. "A Wildlife Sculptor and a Tale of Three Bridges" gives the story of Alexander Phimister Proctor and his work in D.C. "Map It" highlights the new bridges, radiating trolley lines and new communities. Patterson Clark's illustration focuses on dress, children and the street scene at the turn of the 20th century. A map of downtown D.C. in 1886 is provided on which to plot businesses mentioned in a fictitious, though accurate, letter written in 1902. Two timelines give perspective on world events and American businesses, including toy manufacturing. "The First Draft of History" provides the Virginian-Pilot and Washington Post coverage of the Wright Brothers' flight for comparison and a check on accuracy. "1902 Year of the Teddy Bear" is a visual literacy activity using Clifford Berryman's editorial cartoon that began the teddy bear craze. "I.D. the Trademarks" can be used as in introduction to the Law and Order lesson or the Stock Market Game. Why have these businesses survived since the turn-of-the-century and others disappeared? "Law and Order" explains patents and trademarks, from the first trademark law passed in 1881 to today in concise language. "Be Inventive" is a product development and trademark activity. Sidebars provide resources for field trips, children's toys and literature of the period, art movements and lifestyle, and vocabulary.

Fourth of nine once-a-month guides that feature an illustrated segment of the history of the Washington area, Technology Shapes The Capital City focuses on the developments in transportation and communication that influenced the commercial and population growth of the Washington area. The illustration, map and Q&A present antebellum Washington. Through the timelines and activities, students are introduced to the era of canals and steamboats along the Potomac and the first railroads. "A Walk Through Time" introduces the federal period in Georgetown and can be used as a model for a walking tour of students? neighborhoods. "First Draft of History" introduces the penny press and newspapers in D.C., 1800-1860. The crossword puzzle features transportation in the early 1800s.

Third of nine once-a-month guides that feature an illustrated segment of the history of the Washington area, Capital Created focuses on laying the foundation for a city and nation in Washington, D.C. The illustration, map and Q&A present the original boundary lines, government buildings, bridges and canal. Reproducibles are provided to study spanning the Potomac River, the Battle of Bladensburg and attacks on Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Transportation from 1700-1850 is considered in "Getting Around in Dust, Over Rocks and Across Rivers." In "The First Draft of History," a 2003 Supreme Court decision is the news peg to illustrate how reporters include history in their coverage to relate current events. "Law and Order: The Foundation" introduces Marbury v. Madison and establishment of judicial review. A timeline for 1750-1850 and academic content standards are included

First Towns, second of nine once-a-month guides that feature an illustrated segment of the history of the Washington area, focuses on European exploration and settlement along the Potomac River. Resources are provided to research explorations of North America, 1600 - 1750, or for younger students to do a word find. The illustration, map and Q&A focus on the first European settlements in this D.C. area: Alexandria, Georgetown and Bladensburg. Students learn about the first printing presses and newspapers in the colonies in "The First Draft of History." Government under British rule and colonial legal systems is introduced in "Law and Order: British Rules and Colonial Acts." Two timelines for 1600 - 1750 and academic content standards are included.

Workplace conditions and safety, the role of immigrants in the American work force and the power of the vote to bring about change can be addressed through the activities in Triangle Fire. Excerpts from David Von Drehle's Triangle Fire are used in three exercises with reproducibles: "The Cutter's Art," "The Workplace at the Turn of the Twentieth Century" and "Tammany Hall and Workplace Safety Reform." Until 9-11-01, The Triangle Waist Company fire was the worst workplace disaster in New York history. An interview with David Von Drehle provides insight into the writing process and the author's perspective on the lessons to be learned from March 25, 1911. Academic content standards are included.

"INSIDE Journalism: Composing Columns" provides insight and how-to information to better express one's views, using the work of columnists as models. Finding one's voice is the underlying theme of the activities. Marc Fisher, one of many voices in the columns published in The Washington Post, explains the role of a newspaper columnist, tells about his writing process and shares a column written just for KidsPost. Reproducibles help students understand how to vary ledes in their columns and essays. The Post timeline highlights the era of Katharine Graham and the beginning of the modern Washington Post -- the pressman's strike, the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. Use "You and Your Rights" section to discuss freedom of religion and tolerance. The case study's focus is Islamic dress for women. Vocabulary and resources are included.

"Shirley, One of the Best," sampling the spectrum of sports coverage in The Post from the early days of N.W. Baxter and Shirley Povich to today's editors and reporters, provides examples for your sports writers. In the KidsPost article, "Following the Bouncing Ball," sports reporter Steve Wyche takes readers courtside as he covers the Wizards and in "Meet the Sports Editor," Cindy Boren takes us behind the byline to get articles ready for publishing. "Who Was Shirley Povich?" and "A Changing Community, A Changing Role" both provide a look at the reporting of 75-year-Post veteran sports columnist, reporter and editor Shirley Povich. Six articles in "Sports Classics in the 20th Century" give a glimpse of yesterday's athletes and sports history as reported in The Washington Post. "How to Write a Sports Story" and "Sportswriting by the Numbers" guide students through the writing process. "Be a Good Sport" is for younger readers to think about sportsmanship. "You and Your Rights" focuses on athletes' freedom not to speak out on sensitive issues and citizenship which demands they speak up.

The lessons in "INSIDE Journalism: Now You're in the Know," focus on the Monday through Friday sections of The Washington Post. "Blood Hounds 'Volunteer' Without Even a Bow-Ow," an article from the Health section, combines science, technology and a child's love for animals while introducing students to a business in Annapolis. "Inside the Post," a reproducible search of the sections, should lead to discussion of the organization of the Post and current events. A more challenging selection from the Business section, "How to Unlock a Value Chain," introduces students to a computer-assisted research project. Michael Getler in "Meet the Ombudsman," tells about his role as a liaison between The Post and its readers. The Post timeline and "A Changing Community, A Changing Role" take students to 1933-1945. The modern Washington Post began in 1933 when Eugene Meyer purchased the newspaper and established 7 principles to govern newsgathering. Vocabulary and resources are included.

After a brief introduction to the history of shoes, students learn why their sneakers cost what they do. Word Study and "The History of the Sneaker" give glimpses of foot coverings through the centuries. Students are asked to design tomorrow's shoe and name it. "Girls Against Boys" gives them insight into market research. Two reproducibles are provided: "Sneaker Economics 101," a graph activity using data from 1995 and 2002 from Nike, and "A Shoe Is a Shoe Is a Shoe," a comparison-contrast writing assignment. For enrichment and civic awareness, students may read "For Some, an Uncomfortable Fit" then discuss and research sweatshops and the use of child labor. Vocabulary, Web and print resources are included.

Evaluating a Web site and avoiding plagiarism are the focus of the "Research Integrity" curriculum guide. After reading the KidsPost article on homework help Web sites and discussing when to use these sites, students will focus on concepts in the "But Can You Trust It?" sidebar. A reproducible, "Evaluate a Web Site," vocabulary and Web resources are provided. "Word Study: a look at plagiarism" and the reproducible "Practice in Paraphrasing" help teachers to focus attention on writing the research paper and academic honesty.

Students' ubiquitous backpacks provide incentive to apply percentage in daily life. After reading KidsPost articles about the healthy weight to carry in a backpack, students are ready to complete a worksheet, engage in more math activities and participate in a week-long survey. The Word Study focuses on "carry." A crossword puzzle and a close-reading worksheet are included as well as enrichment activities.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" provides the timely vehicle to introduce the basics of movie review writing. An interview with Washington Post movie reviewer Desson Howe gives a glimpse into the life of a critic. It is clear that Howe has academic training and a love of movies. Movie trivia questions get students thinking about their own knowledge of movies and the economics of the motion picture industry. Teachers are provided guidelines for movie review writers, film vocabulary and a checklist for students to use when writing their first movie reviews. Word Study focuses on movie lingo. In the Money vocabulary and Post articles are used in the enrichment activity that introduces students to the business side of franchises, product placement and endorsements. Just for fun, a Harry Potter matching challenge is provided.

After reading about the new Sumatran tiger cub and chief tiger keeper at the National Zoo, students will research rare and endangered species. "Earning His Stripes" and "Tigers in Trouble" are stimulus for further study of the five remaining subspecies of tigers and other rare and endangered animals. Teachers are provided Web and print resources, classroom activity, research assignment and a list of 130 rare and endangered animals found at the National Zoo. The Word Study Focuses on "extinction." Students who wish to vote on a name for the new Sumatran tiger cub should be given "What's In a Name?"

As students read about the changing colors of leaves in fall, they also learn about photosynthesis and the life cycle of leaves. Study questions and Web resources that provide experiments and more activities are provided to accompany the KidsPost article, "Fall Guys: Colorful Show Signals The Approach of Winter." A reproducible evaluation form can be used with the descriptive writing assignment. The Word Study looks at the etymology of photosynthesis. A reproducible gives basic information on anthocyanins, carotenoids and chlorophyll.