For Kids
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America's Leading News Source
March 30, 2009
Vol. 77 No. 19
ISSN 1554-2440
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Teacher’s
Edition
ISSUE Sept.
DATES
1
Sept.
8
Sept.
22
Sept.
29
Oct.
13
Oct.
27
Nov.
3
Nov.
14
Dec.
1
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5
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Feb.
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Apr.
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America's Leading News Source
Teaching the Cover Story
The Tell-tale Heart
Standard
language arts—
Apr.
20
May
4
May
11 & 18
For Kids
Teaching TIP
of the week
TM
®
Using This Issue
● Poe is known as America’s
first great lyric poet, the inventor
of the modern detective story, a
Students should apply
pioneer of science fiction, and
knowledge of language
a master of horror stories.
structure, language con● In addition
to “TheKids
Tell-tale
ventions, media techniques,
America's Leading News
Source For
Heart,” some of Poe’s best-known
figurative language, and
stories and poems include “The
genre to create, critique,
Fall of the House of Usher,”
and discuss print and
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue,”
nonprint texts.
and “The Raven.”
● Poe’s death on October 7, 1849,
Summary
remains a mystery. Four days
Scholastic News presents a
before his death, he was found
classroom play based on an
unconscious in Baltimore,
adaptation of “The Tell-tale
Maryland, and was taken to a
Heart,” a spooky short story
hospital, where he ultimately died.
written by Edgar Allan Poe
So far, nearly 30 published theoin 1843.
ries exist about the cause of
his death, including murder,
Pre-Reading
diabetes, and epilepsy.
Discussion
● Who is Edgar Allan Poe? Have
Post-Reading
you read any of his works? If so,
Discussion
what did you think of them?
● How would you describe “The
Tell-tale Heart”? What did you
Background
like and/or dislike about the story?
● This year marks the 200th
anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s
Mini Lesson Plan
birth. He was born on January 19,
Have students split into groups
1809, in Boston, Massachusetts.
of four or five to write the next
● Poe had a traumatic childhood.
scene of the play, describing what
His parents, both professional
they think happens to the narrator
actors, died before he was 3.
after he confesses. Then have
John and Frances Allan raised
each group act out its scene
him as a foster child in
for the class.
Richmond, Virginia.
4
CELEBRATEEdition
POETRY
MONTH!
April is Poetry Month. This
week, Scholastic News,
Edition 5/6, focuses on noted
poet and author Edgar Allan
Poe with an adaptation of
“The Tell-tale Heart.”
EXTEND THE LEARNING:
• Use the language arts skill
on page 8 to help students explore the art of writing poetry
in a style similar to Poe’s.
Edition 3
BLACKBOARD IDEAS:
• Decorate your classroom
with photos of poets and
pages of poems.
• Write a list of words on your
blackboard, and have students create their own poems
using the posted words.
Enjoy!
—Dara Sharif, Editor
[email protected]
Resources
● Poetry for Young People:
Edgar Allan Poe by Brod
Bagert and Carolynn Cobleigh.
(Sterling, 2008)
● For more information and
some fun activities about Edgar
Allan Poe, go to www.poe200th
.com/students.php.
We are committed to your satisfaction. You can contact us at 1-800-724-6527.
A supplement to Scholastic News
SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • MARCH 30, 2009 T1
TM
®
is available in the
print version
of this
Teacher’s Edition
Standard
Science: Students should
understand that most objects
in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion,
and that these motions explain
such phenomena as the day,
the year, phases of the moon,
and eclipses.
Summary
stars. Next, it will most likely find
Neptune-size planets. Locating rocky
planets as small as Earth is expected
to take at least three years.
● Kepler has the largest camera ever
launched into space.
● Kepler’s telescope is so powerful
that from space it would be able
to detect a person in a small town
turning off a porch light at night.
NASA’s Kepler telescope was
launched on March 6. It will search
for Earthlike planets (on which life
may exist) that are orbiting stars
other than the sun.
Post-Reading
Discussion
Pre-Reading
Discussion
Mini Lesson Plan
● What are the eight planets
in our solar system?
Background
● Kepler is expected to first detect
giant gaseous planets like Jupiter that
circle close to and fast around their
● Will Kepler be successful in finding
Earthlike planets with life on them?
Why or why not?
Have students research Johannes
Kepler and write a paragraph about
why NASA might have named its
telescope after him.
Resource
● Keep up with the Kepler mission, at
http://kepler.nasa.gov.
This Week
Online
www.scholastic.com/news
Student Poets
“Write It” is a rich online resource
that can help bring the art of poetry
writing to life for your students. The
Web site has interactive modeling,
a student publishing center, and a
forum for sharing teaching ideas
with other educators. Just click on
the “Poetry” tab on the left-hand side
of www.scholastic.com/writeit
and you will find step-by-step lesson
plans and printables to help you
guide your students through the
poetry-writing process.
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SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • EDITORIAL: Editor: Dara Sharif • Senior Associate Editor: Jennifer Marino • Associate Editor: F. Romall Smalls • Copy Chief: Renee Glaser • Copy Editor: Veronica Majerol; art: Design Director: Doreen
Walsh • Art Director: Abbie Kulhowvick • Associate Art Director: Winnifred Whipple • Senior Cartographer: Jim McMahon • Photo Editor: Jessica Moon; Production, IMAGING and Systems: Assistant Production Director: Clarence E. Miles
• Digital Imaging Group: Marc Stern, Bonnie Ardita, Bianca Beeman • Technical Coordinator: Elliott Hill; Scholastic News Online: Associate Editors: Dante Ciampaglia, Laura Leigh Davidson • SCHOLASTIC Classroom Magazines:
President, Scholastic Classroom & Library Publishing: greg worrell • VP, Editor in Chief: Rebecca Bondor • Creative Director: Judith Christ-Lafond Executive Production Director: Barbara Schwartz • Executive Editorial Director, copy Desk: Craig
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T2 SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • MARCH 30, 2009
Writing SKILL
For Kids
TM
America's Leading News Source
Edition 5/6
Skills Page
America's Leading News Source
®
Name: _____________________________________________________
Example: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura
Amy Schlitz has all the qualities of good storytelling. It has wonderfully written
characters that come to life on every page.
Write your introduction: ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Body
Describe how the text or book you have selected matches or falls short of what you think is good writing.
List one or two examples of how the author meets or fails to meet your expectations.
Example: As the plot of the novel thickens, the author’s easy-to-understand writing
style makes the story very believable with realistic plot twists.
Write the body of your critique: _____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion
Summarize your overall opinion of the text or book. Explain how the text or book is either an example of
good writing or an example of poor writing.
Example: The fun, descriptive style of this novel helps create unforgettable
characters. Strong characters are at the heart of every great book.
Write your conclusion: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
©2009 by Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.
SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • MARCH 30, 2009 T3
For Kids
State the name and author of the text or book about which you are writing. Then state your opinion about
whether the text or book was well-written and why. To help you form your opinion, consider the story being
told, the author’s style of writing, and the quality of the characters.
r e p r o d u c i b l e s k i l l s pa g e
Introduction
®
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is celebrated as one of America’s top poets and authors.
Writing was not the only thing for which he was famous. He was also one of the best
literary critics of his time. Literary critics are like book reviewers. They write about
and comment on the quality of writing of the works of other people. Now, it’s your
turn. Be a literary critic like Edgar Allan Poe. Choose a piece of text to read, and
critique it. Follow the steps below, and write a literary critique on the lines provided.
Edition 5/6
The Critic’s Eye
Language Arts
For Kids
TM
America's Leading News Source
Edition 5/6
®
America's Leading News Source
For Kids
®
Edition 5/6
Skills Page
Name: _____________________________________________________
Identifying Figurative
and Literal Language
r e p r o d u c i b l e s k i l l s pa g e
When we use language, sometimes we want the words to mean
exactly what they say. This is called literal language. At other
times, we want words to create an image or suggest an idea.
This is called figurative language.
For example:
Literal: I can’t find my keys and I keep forgetting appointments.
Figurative: My mind is oatmeal.
Decide if the sentences below use literal or figurative
language. Then, place an “L” or an “F” before each one.
____ 1. Eric thinks doing schoolwork is one big video game.
____ 2. Lauren has made up her mind to volunteer every Tuesday after school.
____ 3. Thinking about summer camp makes me feel like a bundle of joy and sunshine.
____ 4. As I delivered my speech, my voice sounded as if I’d swallowed rocks and sand.
____ 5. Emma may seem clumsy, but onstage she dances like a gazelle.
____ 6. Jacob expresses many feelings through his photography.
____ 7. My teammate is a snail and a turtle combined!
____ 8. Before the soccer match, both teams attended a sportsmanship program.
____ 9. I have a ton of paperwork to do before I can enjoy the sun this summer.
____ 10. Sometimes I have to be my little brother’s brain.
©2009 by Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.
T4 SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • march 30, 2009