The world’s longest fingernails. The world’s most tattooed person. The heaviest object to be lifted with a tongue. These are just some of the entries in the Guinness Book of World Records. Last week, thousands of people around the world tried to break records as part of Guinness World Records Day. In London, 28 women limbered up and crammed themselves into a mini-car to set a new record. In Australia, a record was set for musical didgeridoo playing, and in India, more than 2,500 women set a record for dancing a traditional Kaikottikali dance. Search your eEdition and the Internet for interesting things people do around the world for fun or to set records. As a class, discuss something you could do together to set a new world record. Draw a comic strip for the eEdition showing your class trying to set the record.

It’s a Record!

Name Game

Answering the Important Questions

Girl Wonder

Holiday Search

What’s in a name? New parents spend hours and hours looking through name books trying to find just the right name for their child. Names aren’t just what we call people, though. They also have meaning. The name David, for example is Hebrew for “beloved.” Alejandra is Greek for “defender.” Now the Detroit Police Department in Michigan is searching for the perfect name for a horse recently added to its mounted police force. What kind of name would you give the horse? Search your eEdition and the Internet for names you think would be a good fit. Draw a picture of the horse with its new name underneath. Write a sentence or paragraph explaining your name choice.

Boys play football. Girls play with Barbies. Don’t tell that to 9-year-old Samantha Gordon of Salt Lake City, Utah. She has become a nationwide sensation after her father posted video highlights of her playing tackle football with the boys. She scored 35 touchdowns and ran for almost 2,000 yards in just one season. The videos of Samantha have gone viral, and even players in the NFL are becoming fans

of Gordon, whose nickname is “Sweet Feet.” She has appeared on daytime talk shows and “Good Morning America” on TV, and last week she got to meet NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young and watch the Monday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears. Several players think she should be a candidate for college’s biggest award, the Heisman Trophy. As a class, search your eEdition and the Internet for stories about Gordon or other girls doing things normally associated with boys. Write a paragraph about the ways girls have made great gains in achieving equality.

There are six important questions that all journalists must answer to have a complete story. They are commonly called the five W’s and one H. Readers or viewers want to know who, what, where, when, why and how something happens. Often these questions are answered within the first three to five paragraphs of a story. Search your eEdition for five stories that you think are interesting. Print them out, and for each highlight the answers to the five W’s and one H. Use a different colored highlighter or colored pencil for each of the six different answers.

It’s almost December, and that means there’s lots of holiday news, because Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa all take place in that month. Use the search functions of the eEdition to see how the holidays are being covered in the news. Search each day for several weeks for the words “Christmas,” “Hanukkah,” “Kwanzaa” and “holiday.” Log your findings and record how many times each word is used each day and whether the word is used in a story, event listing or photo caption. Make a chart to show your findings. Then discuss the holiday traditions celebrated by the different families of the students in your class. Were some traditions new to you?

Common Core/National Standards: Engaging in a wide range of discussion topics; using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; knowing the different visual characteristics and purposes of art to convey ideas.

Common Core/National Standard: Asking and answering such questions as who, what, where, when, why and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Common Core/National Standards: Using appropriate technology resources to access information and communicate electronically; describing uses of technology in daily life; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

Protests against animal testing for medical trials have taken many forms — picketing, fliers, petitions and demonstrations. Camille Marino crossed the line, however, when she wrote threatening blogs about Wayne State University professor Donal O’Leary. Marino was arrested in Michigan after violating a restraining order that had directed her not to publish O’Leary’s home telephone number and address. In one blog, Marino wrote, “I hope you die a painful death comparable to those you forced your victims to endure.” Marino claims her writings are protected under the freedom of speech rights guaranteed by the First Amend-ment to the U.S. Constitution. Search your eEdition and the Internet for examples of writers expressing strong opinions. Write an opinion essay of your own on whether all speech should be protected.

Free Speech or Threatening?

A Christmas Argument

A Fibber Paradise

The New Breed of Reporters

Search for Opinion

Is a Christmas Nativity scene in a public park offensive? One atheist in Califor-nia thought so and took the issue to court. Last week, a federal judge ruled with atheist Damon Vix and said that a church may not put up a large Nativity scene in a Santa Monica public park because it violates the U.S. Constitu-tion’s separation of church and state. Last year, Vix had put up a large banner next to the scene with images of Santa Claus, Jesus, King Triton and the devil with the question, “What myths do you see?” Some people in Santa Monica have expressed disappointment that a 60-year tradition won’t happen any more. Search your eEdition and the Internet for stories about arguments between religious orga-nizations and non-believing atheists over Christmas Nativity scenes. As a class, debate whether or not Nativity scenes should be allowed in public spaces or should be confined to church properties.

For decades, sports reporting was the bastion of men. They knew the games. They could go in the locker rooms. They could write with a veritable potpourri of sports lingo. Now that all-male club has become co-ed with female reporters on the sidelines, in locker rooms and in the commentary chairs. They know the lingo and the games and take their jobs seriously. Many male athletes didn’t get the memo

that these are professional journalists, however. Recently, Baltimore Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones ended an interview with a female reporter by wink-ing at her and saying, “Thank you, gorgeous.” Cam Newton, the quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, called a female reporter “sweetheart” during a press conference. As a class, discuss the challenges female reporters face covering male sports. Talk about what things teams or leagues could do to ensure that women in sports journalism are taken seriously. Write a short editorial expressing your view.

Parents always tell kids not to lie, but in the European country of England last week, being a great fibber was something to be celebrated. A contest was held to award the title of “world’s biggest liar.” Each contestant had five minutes to impress the judges with the most whopping but convincing lie. (Politicians and lawyers were barred from compet-ing, as they are considered to have an unfair advantage, according to an Associated Press article.) Search your eEdition and the Internet for odd stories. Using those stories, have your own liars contest as a class. Write a short news story summarizing the highlights of the contest.

An eEdition offers a variety of features that let you find information quickly. And once you find something that interests you, eEditions let you learn more with search features. With the toolbars or Index, find the editorial page in today’s eEdition. Click on an editorial to enlarge or display it. As a class, read it to see what it is about and what points the writer is emphasizing. Then use the Search or Advanced Search feature of the eEdition to see what stories have ap-peared in the eEdition about this subject. Write a paragraph describing the issues that inspired the editorial. Then write how having the tools of the eEdition can assist readers in gathering information.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

Common Core/National Standard: Responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement and disagreement.

Common Core/National Standard: Engaging in a wide range of discussion topics.

Common Core/National Standards: Locating information from electronic resources; describing the impact of technology use on individuals at home, at school and in the workplace.

Common Core/National Standards: Responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement and disagreement; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task.

Students looking to bulk up are turning more and more to supple-ments, including anabolic steroids, according to a recent study. One in 20 middle school and high school students report using steroids, while many more say they use protein drinks that contain muscle-enhancing additives such as creatine. A doctor from the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, said the pressure to use protein drinks and steroids starts in high school — especially among athletes. Using anabolic steroids may help young athletes build muscle mass, but the side-effects of these drugs can be devastating. Break up your class into several small groups. Assign each group a side-effect of steroids to research. Combine all the results of the class’s research to write an eEdition editorial warning of the dangers of steroids.

The Cost of Bulking Up

Adoption Celebration

Kooky Crimes

Saving Traditions

Holiday Party

November is National Adoption Month, a chance to celebrate and recognize people who have adopted children in need of a home. Pamela Stewart of Michigan is one of those people. She adopted two children from a mother of 12 who couldn’t support her whole family. In the past, adoptions were closed and adoptive children and biological parents had no contact. Now, more and more adoptions are open, and adoptive parents provide letters and pictures to the biological parent and sometimes even allow visits. Stewart has a very open arrangement under which she has outings that include her adoptive children and their biological mother. Search your eEdition and the Internet for stories about adoptive children and their families. Write an opinion essay on whether adoptions should be open or closed.

The Sioux Nation in the state of South Dakota is getting some famous helping hands to purchase land considered sacred to the tribe. Rapper and actor Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, singer/actress Bette Midler, actor Ezra Miller and hip hop producer Sol Guy have all stepped up to help the tribe raise $9 million to purchase nearly 2,000 acres located close to the famous Mount Rushmore. The tribe is using an

online campaign to raise the remaining $2 million needed by November 30. When Combs tweeted, “Help Save the Sioux Nation!” with a link to the fundraising website, nearly $6,000 in donations quickly poured in. Miller traveled to South Dakota to film a short documentary to encourage people to donate. Search your eEdition and the Internet for stories about Native Americans trying to protect their land. Divide into smaller groups and have each group report on a specific tribe through a Power Point presentation.

If you think talking on your cell phone or texting while you’re driving is bad, a man in the European nation of Germany got caught with a full-fledged office in his car. When he was pulled over for speeding, officers found a wooden frame on his passenger seat that held a laptop on a docking station positioned for easy driver access, a printer, a router, a wireless Internet stick and an antenna. The police couldn’t prove he used any of his office equipment while driving, so he only was given a ticket for speeding. Search your eEdition or the Internet for odd crime stories. As a class, discuss them. Then write a rap, poem or rhyme summing up one story.

December is almost here, and it is a big month for holidays, with celebrations for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Pretend you are planning a holiday party for December. Scan the ads in the eEdition for foods or decorations you would like for your party. Then print out the ads for the items you would like to buy. Compare prices so that you get the most for your money, and write a paragraph explaining what you would purchase. Write a second paragraph describing how the eEdition helped you plan your holiday party.

Common Core/National Standard: Conducting short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

Common Core/National Standards: Engaging in a wide range of discussion topics; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

Common Core/National Standards: Understanding the operations and functions of technology systems and becoming proficient in the use of technology; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

Common Core/National Standard: Conducting short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.