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Welcome to issue 8 of Know Your World Extra. Scroll to the bottom of the page for additional activities for your students.

Background Information About Issue 8
Feature-A New Life
Before Reading: In some worn-torn areas across the world, children are kidnapped and made to fight in rebel armies. These children are often abused and forced to take drugs. They are also forced to murder--sometimes for reasons they don't even understand. Emmanuel Jal was a child soldier for the Sudan's People's Liberation Army. Fortunately, he was able to escape; now Jal is a rappers who spreads a message of peace.
Tap Prior Knowledge: Ask students if they've heard of Emmanuel Jal. What do they think the life of a child soldier is like?
Background Information:
-It is estimated that more than 300,000 children are fighting in armies worldwide.
-Some children as young as 7 or 8 are forced to fight.
-The problem is mostly seen in Africa and Asia, but child soldiers are also seen in the Americas, Eurasia, and the Middle East.
-Both boys and girls are forced to fight.
-Emmanuel Jal's music is a  combination of rap, soul, Afro-beat, and gospel.

Debate It!-A Weighty Issue
Before Reading: Some schools are sending home Body Mass Index (BMI) reports with their children so that parents can see if their children are healthy. However, if children see it they might not understand the information and be teased for being over or underweight.
Tap Prior Knowledge: Why is it unhealthy to be over or underweight? What are some ways to stay healthy? Why might some children be upset to take home a BMI report?

Readers' Theater-Wanted: Robin Hood
Before Reading: This is the tale of Robin Hood, but not the one you and your students might be familiar with. Everyone knows that Robin Hood robbed from the rich and gave to the poor; this story tells you how he became an outlaw to begin with.
Tap Prior Knowledge: What is the story of Robin Hood?

Reality Check-Control the Kitchen
Before Reading: Sometimes recipes are hard to decipher. We break down the terminology in easy-to-understand terms, and give a cornbread recipe that your students will eat right up!
Tap Prior Knowledge: What is your favorite recipe? What are some cooking abbreviations?

What's So Funny
In issue 8, we showed you some winners of our What's So Funny page, which showed a man painting a yellow line on the road. Here are more of our favorite entries:

• "I hope no one wants to follow the yellow brick road today!" Eric B., Savannah, TN 
• "This is going to take awhile." Seth B., Herington,  KS
• "I wish I had a bigger brush." Angela A., Hudson, MA
• "Why oh why did I yell at my boss?" Stuart E., Galt, MO
• "I knew I should have gone to law school." Ashlee R., Copeland, KS
• "Art may be about patience, but this is ridiculous." Jesse L., Las Vegas, NV

Check back next month for new What's So Funny entries!

Extra Activities
Our teacher's guide offers activities to enhance the articles in the issue. Click here and here for additional activities.

Your opinions matter! Is there something you want to see on the Web site? Do you have any questions or comments about the issue? E-mail us at kyw@weeklyreader.com. We want to hear from your students too. In every issue, we'll publish letters to the editor.