Lessons from the Garden

Read this Time For Kids article on Gardening and answer the following questions.

1. What subjects are school gardens used to teach?

2. When did learning gardens become popular? When did they lose their popularity?

3. During which two wars did the produce from the gardens feed the country?

4. Why is there renewed interest in the gardens? Give three reasons.

5. How many school gardens are registered in the U.S.? How many are there in California alone?

Why We're in Afghanistan

Read this story and answer the following questions about the war in Afghanistan.

1. Where is Afghanistan located? Describe what the country looks like.

2. What is the Taliban? What did they do to the U.S.?

3. When American troops arrived in Afghanistan after Sept. 11,2001, what was their mission?

4.When was the Taliban removed from power? What changes occurred in Afghanistan by 2004?

5. What is the goal of the U.S. in sending additional troops to Afghanistan?

Earth Day

Read this Time For Kids article about Kid Reporter Sydney Turner visiting an eco-friendly house in the backyard of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. Answer the following questions.

1. Where is the Smart Home located?

2. What is the Smart Home made of?

3. Why is this home called a "Smart Home?" Why do you think it would be a good home to live in?

4. What kind of power does the Smart Home use? Why is this power good for the environment?

5. Would you want to live in a Smart Home? Why or why not?

Let's Save the Earth

Read this link on pollution and answer questions 1-4.

Then read this link on bottled water and answer questions 5-8.

#9 is an extra - be honest with this one!

1. What is Cammy Holmes doing along the Anacostia River ?

2. What does the organization called the Ocean Conservancy do?

3. How many tons of trash did volunteers collects along coastlines in 2006? Why do you think they had to collect so much trash?

4. About how many volunteers came out in Washington, D.C. for the International Coastal Cleanup? Is this a high number or low number? Why?

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5. So why don’t more people drink water straight from the kitchen faucet?

6. What natural resource is used to make plastic water bottles?

7. How many bottles of water do Americans buy per year?

8. Out of every six bottles of water Americans buy, how many bottles actually get recycled?

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9. Americans are "trashing" the Earth today. You all, as students, will have to deal with it when you grow up. Be honest - how do you fell about "adopting" a trashed Earth?

Chomp! Meat-Eating Plants

Plants are nice because they only absorb the sun's light for energy, right? Nope - not always true! Read this National Geographic article on plants that "eat" at this link and answer the following questions.

1. What is the name of the place that has a new exhibit about plants?

2. What are meat eating plants called?

3. Name two types of carnivorous plants and tell how each one traps its victim.

4. Why do you think an insect can't climb out of an Asian pitcher plant?

5. In what types of areas do most carnivorous plants live?

6. Do you think carnivorous plants can trap small animals? Why or why not?

Freaky Fish!

Look at the fish in the above picture. What do you notice about it? Yep, you guessed it - it's head is transparent, meaning you can see through it. Go to this National Geographic link and read page one of the article. After you read page one, watch the video clip titled "Fish With Transparent Head Filmed" and then proceed to read the rest of the pages of the article (four pages total). Answer the following questions.

1. What was your immediate reaction to looking at the Pacific Barreleye Fish?
2. What is MBARI?
3. What does pivot mean? Explain.
4. What species of jellyfish do the barreleye fish steal food from?
5. When swimming in the ocean, would you ever get to see a barreleye fish? Why or why not? (Hint: look on page 4)
6. Would you like to have a Pacific Barreleye as a pet? Why or why not? (At least 3 sentences)

Shakespeare!

William Shakespeare was one of the greatest playwrites of all time. His plays were written over 500 years ago and are still talked about today. Right click and open this brainpop link. Watch the video on William Shakespeare and answer the folllowing questions. (To login to brainpop, the username is E2t2 and the password is grant)

1. When was William Shakespeare born?

2. 14-lined poems are called _______.

3. What was the name of Shakespeare's theater?

4. What is a comedy?

5. What is a tragedy?

6. What is your favorite Shakespearian play and why? If you've never seen one of his plays, think of a play you would like to see and why.