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WEEKLY READER IN YOUR CLASSROOM—APRIL
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Weekly Reader's Topics for Teaching
PRE-K EDITION
"Hello Little Duckling!" is a great way to introduce children to one aspect of the many things that spring brings. Use the issue to talk about how a duck grows and to reinforce learning about life cycles. Use the issues titled "We Like Trees!" and "Earth Is Our Home" to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. Tell children that taking care of Earth is important and even they can help take care of our planet. Display the Big Issue to review the photos of children taking care of Earth in different ways.
The make-a-book this month features a rhyming story about spring. As you read each page, invite children to repeat the rhyming word that ends each line. Then invite children to share some signs of spring. Make a list. Guide children in writing a poem using the words on the list that remind them of spring.
Attention Teachers: Download the Teacher's Guide for more information.
Weekly Reader Web Watch!
Print out this month's reproducible BLAST! (Balanced Literacy Activities and Skills for Today!) to help reinforce the sound of the letter d.
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 KINDERGARTEN EDITION
Meet a Manatee! Use the issue about manatees to talk with children about big ocean animals. Make a list of those animals. Display the Big Issue, and invite 20 kindergartners to stand in a line. Review with children that a manatee weighs about as much as 20 kindergartners. The make-a-book this month explores various types of weather in spring. Use the Big Issue to extend a science lesson about weather.
Display the Earth Day Big Issue to show children the different ways they can help take care of Earth. Challenge students. Ask them to make a list of ways that they helped take care of Earth for one week. Introduce Week 4 by taking children on a walk through a garden, or guide them on an imaginary walk. Point out any animals, flowers, colors they might see. After returning to the classroom, ask students to recall what they observed. Record their responses.
Attention Teachers: Download the Teacher's Guide for more information.
Weekly Reader Web Watch!
Print out this month's reproducible BLAST! (Balanced Literacy Activities and Skills for Today!)to help children practice writing and saying the letter a.
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 GRADE 1 EDITION
Trees are important! Use the Big Issue to introduce the issue about trees. Before reading, ask: Why are trees important? The Week 2 issue presents an opportunity for you to talk about action words. Ask: What do frogs do? List students' responses (swim, hop, leap, and so on). This issue will help teach about animals and life cycles. Review with students the stages of a frog's growth. Invite students to stand in a circle and act out each stage by identifying and describing it.
April 22nd is Earth Day. Talk about the problem of too much trash. Ask students to create something new from something used. Create a display of students' work including a note card listing the items used to make it. Extend the discussion about caring for Earth as you introduce the issue about ocean animals. Talk about how we might keep Earth's oceans clean. Before reading, invite students to say aloud the names of the animals they recognize.
Attention Teachers: Download the Teacher's Guide for more information.
Weekly Reader Web Watch!
Print out this month's reproducible calendar to help children practice using grammar and punctuation skills.
 GRADE 2 EDITION
This April, Weekly Reader, Edition 2 uncovers the layers of the rain forest and the animals that live in those layers, including tropical toucans, cawing macaws, dangling spider monkeys, slithering anacondas, and giant jaguars.
Next, Weekly Reader dives into the ocean to discover life down under and reveal how some sea creatures protect themselves from predators. In celebration of Earth Day, this issue also gives examples on how to keep ocean life safe from pollution.
Bees are the buzz at the end of the month. From the flower to the grocery store, Weekly Reader explains the steps to making honey. Each issue includes a Whiskers's Corner for an important lesson in citizenship and an activity that tests students's understanding.
Attention Teachers: Download the Grade 2 Edition Teacher's Guide for more information.
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 GRADE 3 EDITION
In April's issues of Weekly Reader, Edition 3, students will learn about the Amazon rain forest shrinking, Venice (Italy) sinking, and American students thinking-in Mandarin Chinese. April is also National Poetry Month! In honor of this month, Editions 3 and 4 are holding their annual poetry contest.
Attention Teachers: Download the Grade 3 Edition Teacher's Guide.
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 GRADE 4 EDITION
Can the Amazon rain forest be saved? In honor of Earth Day, your students will learn about efforts being made to protect this habitat from deforestation. We're also celebrating National Poetry Month with the poems of Angel Island-the port of entry for thousands of immigrants from China. Your students will read about the preservation of these poems. And don't miss our news shorts this month on the recent world population count, T. rex's long-lost relative, and a family of seven kids each with the name of a famous U.S. president. The stories are sure to inspire and generate classroom discussion. Our issues are also packed with vocabulary words, reading comprehension questions, and maps, charts, and graphs.
Attention Teachers: Download Grade 4 Edition Teacher's Guide.
 SENIOR EDITION
Weekly Reader's Topics for Teaching
This month, Senior Edition focuses on Iraq. Students will learn about the country's three major religious and ethnic groups and will read about the steps Iraq is taking to become a democracy. The article is accompanied by map and chart exercises.
In other issues this month, students will learn about the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment, Tyrannosaurus Rex's oldest ancestor, and species recently discovered in Indonesia. Each issue is packed with pictures, charts, maps, and graphs to help bring the stories to life.
Attention Teachers: Download the Senior Edition Teacher's Guide for more information.
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Weekly Reader Featured Products Let You Make a Connection!
NEW
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Life Cycles of Plants and Animals
- Put a fascinating "spin" on science!
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- Articles adapted from ScienceSpin, Weekly Reader's monthly science supplement
- Also available: Land, Water, and Resources; Insects and Bugs; and The Atmosphere and Beyond.
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Take a Look Inside!
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To download, view, and print PDF files, you must have a copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed. Visit Adobe's Web site to download Acrobat Reader.
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Grade 2
Health Alert! for Grades 3–4
The student practice books in this series discuss the importance of personal care, nutrition and exercise, causes of illness, and how to stay safe. Cross-curricular connections strengthen skills in reading comprehension, writing, math, science, health, and social studies.
Staying Healthy Student Practice Books are also available for grades 1 and 5–6.
Each Book Includes:
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Staying Healthy Series
Healthy Inside, Healthy Outside Student Practice Book for Grades 5–6
Invite students to complete various activities based on elementary health curriculum and reinforce reading comprehension. Students explore the many facets of growing up, how to cope with stressful situations, and how to develop healthful eating habits. Staying Healthy Student Practice Books are also available for grades 1, 2, and 3–4.
Each Book Includes:
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Each book includes:
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Science Spin Student Practice Books
NEW
Land, Water, and Resources
- Put a fascinating "spin" on science!
- Standards-based scientific material on Earth's natural resources helps students develop literacy and critical-thinking skills. 32 pages.
- Articles adapted from ScienceSpin, Weekly Reader's monthly science supplement
- Also available: Life Cycles of Plants and Animals; Insects and Bugs; and The Atmosphere and Beyond/
| Title |
Grade(s) |
Item # |
Price |
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| Life Cycles of Plants and Animals |
1-2 |
#104 |
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#105 |
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| The Atmosphere and Beyond |
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Weekly Reader Featured Products Let You Make a Connection!
Current Science Student Practice Books
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Engage your students in science with high-interest articles and activities taken from Weekly Reader's Current Science magazine. The fascinating science information helps reinforce real-world science and language arts skills. 32 pages.
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| Life Science: Reading and Science Skills |
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Weekly Reader has teamed up with a variety of high-quality organizations to produce educational materials that we believe will benefit your classroom. Check out their Web sites below. We guarantee that you'll find something to enliven your classroom and make teaching more effective!
Internet safety message: We recommend that you view all Web sites before sharing the URLs with students.
Deep Sea 3D will transport your students deep below the ocean surface to discover some of the most exotic creatures on the planet, from the bizarre Rainbow Nudibranch to the giant Pacific Octopus. Witness their humorous, threatening and sometimes peculiar behavior as they depend on one another for survival to maintain a balanced ecosystem.
A comprehensive Educator's Guide for grades 3-9 is provided FREE when you book your school trip. This tool allows you to extend your Deep Sea learning experience into the classroom with engaging lesson plans and activities tied to the film. Curriculum tie-ins include oceanography, language arts, science, math and more!
For more information on the film, for a list of theatres and more, please visit: www.imax.com/deepsea.
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The AICPA and Weekly Reader Corporation Consumer & Custom Publishing are proud to offer "Budget Buzz," a financial literacy program targeted to 4th grade students and their teachers. The program instructs students on creating a budget and running a small business such as a lemonade stand. If teachers would like to have a CPA visit their classroom and talk to the students about financial literacy topics, please send an e-mail request with contact information to financialliteracy@aicpa.org.
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The ocean is full of fascinating creatures and this Web site will make a big splash with kids! Help make waves and protect our Water Planet by subscribing to Cousteau Kids, a magazine for kids ages 8-12 developed by The Cousteau Society and published by Weekly Reader. Dive deep into the Teacher's Guide that accompanies each issue.
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Quote of the Month:
"The wilderness is near as well as dear to every man.""
–Chinese proverb
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