Release Date: October 7-13
41-1 (00)
Especially
for
Mini Pa
ge
kids
and
their
families
TM
MIGHTY
FUNNY
®
© 1999 The
Mini PagePress
Publishing
Company Inc.
Distributed
by Universal
Syndicate
© 2000
The MinibyPage
Publishing
Inc.
Distributed
Universal
PressCompany
Syndicate
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Meeting for 200 Years
Congress in the Capitol
Our Constitution set up
three branches, or parts, of the
government: the legislative, the
executive and the judicial.
The U.S. Constitution gives the
power of making national laws to the
U.S. Congress. Congress is made up of
two “houses,” or groups, the Senate
and the House of Representatives.
Election
Day is
Nov. 7, 2000
The legislative (LEJ-uh-SLAYtiv) branch makes the laws.
The executive (ex-ZEK-yuh-tiv)
branch, headed by the president, carries
out the laws.
The judicial (ju-DISH-uhl) branch,
headed by the Supreme Court, decides if
the laws are lawful according to the
Constitution.
House chamber
Elections to Congress
The 435 members of the House of
Representatives serve two-year
terms. They are chosen from 435
different districts across the country.
Every two years they all must run for
re-election if they want to stay
in office.
The 100 senators serve six-year
terms. They do not all run for reelection at the same time. One-third
of the members run every two years.
This year, there are elections for
senators in 33 states. Senators from
the same state do not run at the
same time.
Senate chamber
For 200 years, since Nov. 22, 1800, Congress has been meeting in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Capitol does not have a front and back
door. We say that it has an east front and a west front. This is the view from the east front. Most visitors enter on this side. Only a few members
of Congress have an office in the Capitol. Most members’ offices are in nearby buildings.
The House of Representatives meets in the chamber
on the south side of the Capitol. This big room is the
largest room in the building. The representatives sit
on benches and do not have assigned seats.
A representative must
be 25 years old and must
have been a U.S. citizen
for seven years. The
number of
respresentatives is based
on the number of people
in each state.
A senator must be 30
years old and must have
been a U.S. citizen for
nine years. There are two
senators from each state.
photo courtesy U.S. Capitol Historical Society
photo courtesy U.S. Capitol Historical Society
Qualifications
The Senate meets in a chamber on the north side of
the Capitol. Each of the 100 senators has a special
assigned seat. The Republicans sit on one side of the
aisle and the Democrats on the other.
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
photo courtesy Architect of the Capitol
The three branches
of government
41-2 (00)
Release Date: October 7-13
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Picturing the Century for Kids
®
Science and technology
Time
line
The weather satellite
Tiros I sent back the first
detailed weather photos
from 453 miles up.
1960
1900
1910
The Russians
sent the first man
into space. His
Earth orbit lasted
108 minutes.
1961
1920
1930
1940
Yuri Gagarin
1950
National Archives photo
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The U.S. space monkey blasts off
Guide to
1960-1970
1960
1960
1970
1970
1980
1990
2000
In 1961, President John F.
Kennedy set a national goal of
placing a man on the moon by
the end of the 1960s. But before
human beings went into space,
NASA, the government agency
in charge of the space program,
sent up animals.
The photo above shows Enos,
a chimpanzee, before his launch
when he became the first
animal the United States put
into orbit around Earth.
Enos’ rocket trip took place in
November 1961, three months
before astronaut John Glenn
became the first American to
orbit Earth.
Sending Enos into space
helped NASA study the effects
of rocket launch, weightlessness
and re-entry.
This series is based on an exhibit “Picturing the Century” at the
National Archives. The Mini Page thanks curator Bruce Bustard for his
help with the series.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
TM
The Mini Page gang is standing in front of the Capitol Building in
Washington, D.C. See if you can find:
• caterpillar
• sailboat
• man’s head
• dog’s head
• number 3
• man in the
moon
• muffin
• letter A
• umbrella
• book
• word MINI
• question
mark
• letter W
• ear of corn • ladder • toothbrush • canoe • banana
TM
A book by Rachel
Carson, “Silent Spring,”
called attention to the
effects of pesticides and
chemicals on the
environment.
1962
The Russians sent
the first woman into
space.
1963
Valentina
Tereshkova
U.S. astronauts Neil
Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin
became the first
men to land on the
moon.
1969
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The
TRY ’N
FIND
CAPITOL
Words that remind us of the Capitol are hidden in the block
SET
BAS WN
BRO
THE S
N E WU N D ’ S
HO
below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if
you can find: CAPITOL, CONGRESS, ROOMS, HOUSE,
REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, WING, DOME, CEREMONIES,
INAUGURATION, EAST, WEST, PARK, LAW, SITE, OFFICE,
MEET.
H O U S E A I WW A E G D O I
VISITING THE
CAPITOL IS FUN! B L X S I T E B F E H K O F L
S E I N O M E R E C S C M F M
L A W E A S T D N Y C T E I P
E W I N G Q L O T I P A C C A
F R E T A N E S S M O O R E R
G N O I T A R U G U A N I U K
C O N G R E S S H V Z M E E T
S E V I T A T N E S E R P E R
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
TM
41-3 (00)
Release Date: October 7-13
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Mini Page Dinosaurs From A to Z Poster-Plus is ideal for classrooms or kids’
bedrooms at 21 1/4" by 32" with information on both sides. To order, send check or money
order only, for $3.00 plus 75¢ postage and handling per copy to: Dinosaurs From A to
Z Poster-Plus, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, Mo. 64141. Make checks payable to
Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Super Sugar Cookies
Rookie
Go dot to dot and color.
TM
You’ll need:
• 1 cup sugar
• 11/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
What to do:
1. Combine sugar and butter in a medium
bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy.
2. Add eggs. Mix well.
3. Stir in flour. Mix well.
4. Stir in vanilla and salt. Mix well.
5. Place by teaspoonfuls on a greased
cookie sheet. Flatten with the palm of your hand.
6. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
Makes about 5 dozen.
Yariv Milchan
Meet Christina Aguilera
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Singer Christina Aguilera, 19, was 6
years old when she began singing.
Today she is one of the country’s hottest
singers.
Her first performance was at a school
talent show. At just 10, she sang the
national anthem at a pro sporting
event. Two years later she joined “The
New Mickey Mouse Club.”
Last February she won the Grammy
Award for Best New Artist.
Christina was born in Staten Island,
N.Y., the oldest of five kids. They grew up in Wexford, Penn.
Her father, who is from Ecuador, works in the military. Her
mother, who is Irish-American, is the president of her
daughter’s fan club. She used to play the violin and piano in
an orchestra.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Funny Phonics
TM
It’s fun to learn phonics, or the sounds that words
make. This week’s target sound is the one made
by the PR blend, as in the word princess.
The ABC’s of Dinosaurs!
Inside you’ll find:
Illustrations; the name of each
dinosaur with its meaning and
pronunciation; where and when they
lived; where their bones were found;
what they ate …and more!
To order, send $4.95 plus $1.00 postage and handling for each copy. Send only check or money orders
payable to: Andrews McMeel Publishing, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, MO 64141.
Please send _________ copies of The Mini Page Dinosaurs from A to Z book (Item #7809-7) at $5.95 each,
including postage and handling. (Bulk discount information available upon request.)
Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________________________________________
City: ________________________________________________________ State: _____________ Zip: ____________
Q: Why should you never complain about
the price of a railway ticket?
A: It’s bound to be fare!
Q: Why does a prisoner eat a lot of chocolate?
A: He wants to break out!
Q: What is the difference betwen a
prize fighter and a
man with a cold?
A: One knows his
blows, the other
blows his nose!
Go on a PR word
hunt. What other
words can you find
using the PR
blend? What sound
do you hear?
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
TM
41-4 (00)
Release Date: October 7-13
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
200 Years of the Capitol
The first meeting in the Capitol
Building the Capitol
IN THE
SOUTH …
When our
country was
just
beginning, the
U.S. Congress had
many arguments
about where the government’s new
“Federal City” should be.
Finally, in 1790, the Congress
decided on a site right in the middle of
the 13 states, between Maryland and
Virginia, near George Washington’s
home, Mount Vernon. Some described
the site as a wilderness in the woods
on the Potomac River.
John Adams, our
second
president, spoke
at the first
meeting of both
houses of
Congress in the
new Capitol on
Nov. 22, 1800.
Congress was
composed of 32
members of the
Senate and 106
members of the
House of
Representatives.
John Adams
As our country grew, so did the Capitol.
A site to see: The
Architect of the Capitol
is at: www.AOC.gov
We have shaded the new areas.
1800
1. The first wing
1807
2. The second wing
1865
1827
1859
1857
3. Middle section
4. Bigger dome and two
more wings
By the time of
Abraham Lincoln’s
second inauguration in
1865, the Capitol
looked much like it
does today. Presidents
used to be inaugurated
in ceremonies held on
the east front.
Abraham
Lincoln
At right is a view of the
Capitol from the west
front. Notice that it
does not have a porch
with a pointed roof. The
west front faces a big
park called the Mall.
Our next president will
be sworn into office on
Jan. 20 of next year.
Inaugurations are now
usually held on the
west front.
Today the
Capitol is:
photo courtesy U.S. Capitol Historical Society
A contest was held to see who would
design the Capitol Building. William
Thornton, who was a doctor and an
amateur architect, won. His winning
design is pictured in the drawing above.
He received $500 and a city lot.
The Senate and the House of Representatives
met in this wing in 1800. The Supreme Court
met there in 1801. The congressmen had
trouble finding places to stay in the new city
of Washington that was being built around the
Capitol. Most stayed in boarding houses.
photo courtesy the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
drawing courtesy U.S. Capitol Historical Society
photo courtesy Library of Congress
IN THE
NORTH …
photo courtesy Library of Congress
Carpenter’s Hall in
Philadelphia was
the site of the first
meeting place of
the Continental
Congress in 1776.
Congress met in
13 different
buildings in eight
different cities
before it moved to
Washington, D.C.
George Washington was very interested in
the Capitol’s progress. He helped select the
architect and the site, and laid the
cornerstone. This ceremony often
To find out who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives, check out:
celebrates the start of a new building.
www.fec.gov/2000/state99.htm
To find out if your state has a Senate race, check out:
The Mini Page thanks the U.S. Capitol
www.fec.gov/2000/state20.htm
Historical Society for help with this
Next week, we celebrate the White House’s 200th year as our president’s
issue. You can visit the society’s site at:
official residence.
www.uschs.org
• 350 feet wide
(about the length
of a football field).
• 751 feet long
(about the length
of two football
fields).
It has:
• 540 rooms.
• 658 windows.
• 850 doorways.
• about 3
million visitors
each year.
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
Release Date: October 7-13
41-5 (00)
TM
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Teacher’s
Guide
For use by teachers and parents at home and at
school. For use with issue: Congress in the Capitol
in
TM
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on _________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is
camera-ready, one columnby-41/4-inch ad promoting
Issue 41.)
Main idea: This issue is about the Capitol. The following is a list of activities to be
used with this issue. They are listed in order of difficulty, with the easier prereader assignments listed first. Most of the activities are for younger readers. Ask
the children to do the following:
1. Look through the ads in your newspaper for five things you might find in the
Capitol. (For example, a computer or a pen.)
2. Look through your newspaper for pictures of politicians. How many can you
find? Are there any of President Clinton, Vice President Gore or Gov. George
Bush?
3. Discuss the following: Why is the Capitol such an important building? Have
you ever visited it? If so, what was it like? If not, what would you like to see in it?
What do you think it would be like to be a representative or senator? Why are
they important jobs? What do you think it would be like to be president and have
your inauguration on the west front of the Capitol?
4. Pretend you are going to visit Washington, D.C. Look on a U.S. map and find
out which states you would have to travel through to get there from where you
live.
5. Find the following words in this issue: Constitution, formal, site, aisle,
candidates, chamber, inauguration, process, citizen, architect, federal. Define and
make up a new sentence for each one.
(Note to Editor: Above is the Teacher’s Guide for Issue 41.)
G oo
ds p o r t
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Learn all about
the U.S. Capitol
Supersport: Shannon Sharpe
Height: 6-2
Birthdate: 6-26-68
Weight: 232 College: Savannah State
Shannon Sharpe is in his first year as a tight
end for the Baltimore Ravens. He spent the first
10 years of his career playing for the Denver
Broncos.
Last year he had 23 receptions for 224 yards.
He scored 10 touchdowns in both 1996 and 1998.
He has played in seven Pro Bowls in a row and two Super
Bowls. He has had seven seasons in a row with at least 50
catches, the most by a tight end in NFL history.
Shannon was born in Chicago and grew up in Georgia. He
studied criminal justice in college. He has a daughter, Shannen
Kaley. His brother Sterling plays football for the Green Bay
Packers.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 41, to be used
in place of ad if desired.)
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.