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September 2005
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Dear Educator:
Welcome back! In the world of education, September, not April, is a time for rebirth. The beginning weeks of a new school year are full of excitement and fresh promise for both students and teachers. As a teacher, you are undoubtedly looking forward to new friendships, challenges, and opportunities to get the best out of your students.
It's much the same at Weekly Reader. Our editors and graphic designers have spent the summer looking at how we can best make your job more rewarding and easier this school year. We've made our periodicals even more useful in the classroom. And we've added more products to the Weekly Reader line that we think will excite both you and your students.
Don't forget to check out this section of Weekly Reader's Web site every month during the school year for a new edition of the Weekly Reader Teacher's Companion. In it, we'll not only tell you what's happening that month in our Pre-K to Grade 1 publications, but also give you information about other Weekly Reader publications and programs designed to make your entire school year more fun and more productive. We're very glad to be starting up another school year as your educational partner. We hope this school year will be your best year yet!
—The Editors at Weekly Reader
WEEKLY READER IN YOUR CLASSROOM—SEPTEMBER
There are a lot of topics to look forward to in September issues of Weekly Reader. We've included a few highlights of upcoming issues below. Try posting a few clue words and pictures on your classroom message board the week before reading each issue. It's a great way to build background, assess prior knowledge, and get students excited to read their Weekly Readers!
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 PRE-K EDITION
Preschool is fun! Weekly Reader starts the year by featuring children at work in preschool, modeling many early learning activities. In an issue about colors, children are introduced to their Weekly Reader preschool friend Mingo the Monkey. (By the way, his favorite color is purple. Can you guess why?) Be sure to extend the lesson with concrete objects, such as colorful manipulatives, which children can use in sorting and counting activities. The issue about pets will encourage children to talk about their favorite animals. We know that by making personal connections, children retain more of what they learn.
Attention Teachers: Download Pre-k Edition, Issue 1, Teacher's Guide for more information.
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 KINDERGARTEN EDITION
This September is time for real school. Children may be worried about starting school in a large school building. The issues this month show many of the things children will do in school and will teach them about the school helpers they will encounter. Extend the issue about helpers by creating a chart that lists the names of your school helpers. The breakfast issue will serve to remind children of the importance of having something good to eat before coming to school. (After reading, display the Big Issue for parents and caregivers to see.) Encourage children—who may be unable to eat early in the morning—to bring a breakfast treat in to enjoy during snack time. To reinforce healthful breakfast foods, plan a surprise snack day. Serve a choice of healthful snacks, such as cheese, animal crackers, fruit, or pretzels.
Attention Teachers: Download Kindergarten, Issue 1, Teacher's Guide for more information.
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 GRADE 1 EDITION
Everybody needs rules. Teaching about school rules helps children get accustomed to their new teacher, new friends, new classroom, and new ways of doing things. The issue about school rules models some practical rules and explains why they are important. Be sure to have a variety of apples on hand when you pass out the issue about apples. Apples can be tied into so many lessons in addition to science—literature, math, language arts. You may also want to plan an event, such as "A is for Apples Day." Invite a parent to read a story about apples and to prepare a special apple-day snack to show children the variety of foods made from apples.
Attention Teachers: Download Grade 1 Edition, Issue 1, Teacher's Guide for more information.
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 GRADE 2 EDITION
Your second graders are no doubt busy learning about their new grade. But what might it be like for second graders to go to school in other parts of the world? Issue 1 of Weekly Reader Grade 2 Edition, "School Days around the World," takes students on an exciting journey to schools in other parts of North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. Readers will visit second grade classrooms in Central America, Europe, Asia, and Australia's Outback. On the activity page, students learn to write what makes their own school special. And don't forget "Whiskers's Corner" for an important lesson in citizenship about making new classmates feel welcome!
Attention Teachers: Download Grade 2 Edition, Issue 1, Teacher's Guide for more information.
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 GRADE 3 EDITION
If elephants could talk, what would they say to each other? Well, as Edition 3's first issue, "Look Who's Talking?" reports, elephants can talk. Scientists have discovered that elephants talk to each other in a sound range that humans can't hear. Each elephant, like each human, has its own unique voice. What do elephants talk about among themselves? Scientists are using special listening devices to figure that out. They hope that by learning "elephant talk," they will be able to better protect endangered African elephants. Students will also find stories in this issue about a new dinosaur find that changes science's view on dinosaur diets, and how a fourth-grade class in Florida recently made history. On the skills page, students learn classification skills and new vocabulary words.
Attention Teachers: Download Grade 3 Edition, Issue 1, Teacher's Guide for more information.
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 GRADE 4 EDITION
What's happening to the frogs and toads of Ecuador? They are disappearing at an alarming rate in the South American country. Issue 1's cover story, "Frogs at Risk," discusses why Ecuador's frogs are dying and why that is important to people in the United States. The issue also covers a number of other stories including the discovery of the bones of a huge Columbian mammoth near a river in San Jose, California, what states hurricanes have hit most often since 1900. (After Florida, can you guess what state has been hit the most by hurricanes in the last 105 years?) On the skills page, students learn to read a map of South America and practice reading skills. Also, don't miss Edition 4's year-long Mystery State Contest which fosters geographical knowledge by asking students to identify a state from provided clues! Clues are also available on our Web site.
Attention Teachers: Download Grade 4 Edition, Issue 1, Teacher's Guide for more information.
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 SENIOR EDITION
The September 16 issue of Weekly Reader Senior takes readers back to the glory and the mystery of ancient Egypt with "The King of Bling: On Tour with King Tut and His Treasures." Kids can relive perhaps the greatest archaeological discovery of all time: Howard Carter's opening of the untouched tomb of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922. Now museumgoers in the United States will be able to learn about King Tut and see what life was like for royalty in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. The exhibit, called "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," will tour a number of U.S. cities and, thanks to Senior Edition, your students will get their own up close and personal view of the famous boy king's exhibit. Senior Edition also takes an in-depth look at Africa and its many problems, including drought, famine, war, and the AIDS epidemic. Can the continent survive? Skills include map reading and graph reading exercises.
Attention Teachers: Download Senior Edition, Issue 1 Teacher's Guide for more information.
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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.
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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Take your class for a walk on the moon with this new IMAX® film! Bring the IMAX Experience into your classroom with a FREE Educator's Guide to accompany the film. Visit www.IMAX.com to find an IMAX Theatre near you playing the film today!
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Free Educational Lesson Plans on Home Safety
Visit www.homesafetycouncil.org and www.coderedrover.org for age-appropriate activities and lessons from the Home Safety Council. Download the new "Safety Rangers Say No to Dangers" program for use with your K –3 students to help reduce preventable injuries in the home.
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Quote of the Month:
""Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless."
–Mother Teresa
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