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The Teaching Center for each issue will be available two weeks before the issue date.
Please feel free to contact us at wrnews@weeklyreader.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Go to the Teaching Center for "Oh, Baby!," September 23.
Click here for the answer key.
In This Issue
In this issue, your class will read about a famine that currently affects millions of people in Somalia, and what kids can do to help. Students will also learn facts about the East African nation.
News Brief: Oxford dictionary adds new words.
News Brief: Experts dig up the remains of a sea creature.
News Debate: Should written homework be banned on weekends?
Info Zone: Explore the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Your Turn: A boy helps bring honeybees back to life.
Brain Builders: Hunger in Africa (Read a Map)
Click here to download the first of two reading assessments to share with students.
Download the tracking guide here.
Common Core State Standard
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade reading and content, choosing f lexibly from a range of strategies.
Concepts of Comprehension©
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Vocabulary in Context means figuring out the meaning of a word by looking at the words and sentences around it. Reinforce this skill with the work sheet on page 3.
National Standards
SOCIAL STUDIES (NCSS)
Cover: Emergency in Africa
• Production, distribution, and consumption
• Global connections
Page 6: Mall of America
• People, places, and environments
SCIENCE (NSES)
Page 2: Monster at Sea
• Organisms and environments
GEOGRAPHY (NCGE)
Page 8: Hunger in Africa
• Use maps to acquire information.
LANGUAGE ARTS (NCTE/IRA)
Teacher’s Guide (page 4)
• Students conduct research.
Varied Reading Levels
• Find an easier version of the cover story in this issue’s digital edition at www.weeklyreader.com.
• Try “Monster at Sea” on page 2 with more advanced readers.
• Share “Busy Bee” on page 7 with struggling readers.
Online Exclusives
Digital Edition: an exciting multimedia version of the cover story, with videos, slide shows, and interactive features
News Quiz: a weekly news scavenger hunt based on the issue
Coming in the Next Issue: Oct. 14, 2011
Ship, Ahoy!: Experts confirm they have found a famous pirate’s ship.
TEACHING THE COVER STORY
Emergency in Africa
Millions of hungry people in East Africs need food now.
Before You Read
Help students locate Somalia on a map. Then ask: What might daily life be like for people there? What might be some of the challenges that they face? Why might some people in Somalia not have enough food to eat?
Vocabulary
crisis: an emergency
drought: a long period of dry weather
famine: an extreme shortage of food, causing people to become very ill and possibly die
refugee: a person who leaves his or her home to escape danger
Background
• How do world leaders define a famine? The United Nations declares a famine when 20 percent of a country’s population has fewer than 2,100 calories of food a day; more than 30 percent of that region’s children suffer from acute malnutrition; and there are two deaths per 10,000 people, or four deaths per 10,000 children, every day. Factors that could contribute to a famine include a pandemic illness, large-scale displacement, and limited access to water.
• When did the famine in Somalia begin? Off icials declared a famine in the country in July. Since then, the crisis has spread to at least six regions of the nation, with widespread hunger reaching Djibouti, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Those countries are in East Africa.
• What health problems have threatened Somalia’s residents since the famine began? In addition to the risk of contracting measles, people are facing a cholera epidemic in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. The region is suffering from triple the number of cholera cases it had this time last year.
• Is this Somalia’s first famine? No. The country endured a major crisis beginning in the early 1990s when its central government fell apart. By 1992, drought and ongoing conflict had caused a famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Think Critically
What else might leaders be able to do to help hungry people in Africa?
Extend the Lesson
Have students research Somalia using books and the Internet. Each student should come up with at least 10 facts about the nation. Then ask each student to write three paragraphs about the country, based on the information he or she found.
Web Resource
For student-friendly resources to teach about world hunger, visit www.wfp.org/students-and-teachers/teachers.
Lexile rating: 820L
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TEACHING THE NEWS BRIEF
Monster at Sea
Scientists find the remains of a sea monster in Antarctica.
Before You Read
Ask: What types of animals lived millions of years ago?
Vocabulary
fragment: a piece
plesiosaur: a type of prehistoric marine animal that roamed Earth 205 million to 65 million years ago
Background
When were the remains of the plesiosaur found? Experts uncovered the bones during a trip to Antarctica from 2006 to 2007. They collected more than 5,500 pounds of material, such as rocks, fossils, and plants. Scientists are studying that material to learn more about life in Antarctica millions of years ago.
Think Critically
How might scientists have determined how many years ago the sea creature lived?
Extend the Lesson
Explain to students that scientists have sorted prehistoric marine reptiles into three main groups: plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs. Then ask students to research each type of animal. Have each student write one paragraph about each group, including information such as the animals’ size and diet.
Web Resource
To learn more about plesiosaurs, visit www.plesiosauria.com.
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TEACHING THE INFO ZONE
Mall of America
Explore the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
Tip: Have students research the heights of the five monuments and graph their findings to see how the memorials compare.
Before You Read
Ask students: Who was Martin Luther King Jr.? Why might U.S. officials have built a memorial honoring him?
Vocabulary
despair: hopelessness
Background
Why does the King memorial feature three stones? They represent a metaphor King made in his “I Have a Dream” speech: “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” The two peak-like stones represent the mountain of despair. The stone with King’s likeness carved into it represents the stone of hope.
Think Critically
The King memorial is directly between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. Why might off icials have chosen that spot?
Extend the Lesson
Ask each student to research a different landmark or memorial in Washington, D.C. Then have each student create a travel guide describing his or her spot.
Web Resource
Find more information about the King monument at www.mlkmemorial.org.
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Click on each image to download a PDF of that activity. Click here for the answer key.
Use this activity to help students determine the meaning of unknown words.
Help students learn how to gather and evaluate data by sharing this activity.
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Grades 4 to 6 Teaching Centers and Issue Dates, 2011-2012
Senior Managing Editor: Clara Colbert
Senior Editor: Brooke Ross
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answer key
Couldn't access the answer key - every time I clicked on the link it sent me to the study guide - but no answers - I was trying to print them out to have a parent volunteer grade them easily - very frustrating
answers
When I try and look up answers for my class i can't find the answers on the website. When I order the weekly reader it doesn't give me the answer key ---------------
---very, very angry! Not my favorite website at all!
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Answer Key
I'm sorry you're frustrated by finding answers for your class's assignments. We've put all answers in our subscriber-only (i.e., gated and password-protected) area. If you click on "Printable Teacher's Guide" in the right-hand column, you can log in and get the complete teacher's guide with answers.