Earth Day
Middle School
Earth Day, which began on April 22, 1970, was the dream of one man -
Gaylord Nelson. Take a minute to read the history
of Earth Day.
Since Earth Day is this month, we are going to take some time to reflect on the Earth
and our environment. First, you will be watching a presentation of Dr.
Seuss' The Lorax on a computer in the lab. After
you watch the video, you will be creating a
newspaper about The Lorax using Microsoft Word and then
taking a short quiz about The Lorax.
Create Your Newspaper
(See a sample
paper with instructions)
Your
newspaper should be saved as Earth Day in your folder and
should include:
- Create a Nameplate for your paper which should
include the name of your paper and the Issue
number and/or date. Be creative with this - both in naming your
paper and the fonts used. Use word art
or a fancy font but the information must be readable. Include a picture if wish. Your nameplate
must be in the header of your Word document.
Don't know how to edit the header of your document?
- Select View > Header and Footer
- Edit your nameplate information in the header
- Select Close to return to the standard part of your
document. Note: The header will appear to be grayed out or a
lighter color than you used - it really is the color you
selected and will print that way but shows the way it does
so you know the information is in the header of your
document.
- Two columns for your articles. If you've ever read a
newspaper, you'll notice that the information is broken in to
columns. Set your columns before you start writing:
- Select Format > Columns
-
Select the number of columns you want
by clicking on one of the preset buttons or by entering a
number in the "Number of columns" box
-
Use the
default width and spacing that Word provides.
-
Click the "Line between" check box to insert a line
between the columns if you wish.
-
Click OK.
- Write your Feature Article. You are a reporter writing
an article about what happened with the Lorax and the Once-ler
and the Truffula trees, etc. Read the sample
paper to see what your article should include. Don't forget
a title and a byline for your article and you must include at
least one picture with your article! If you need help
remembering what happened during The Lorax, there is a
copy of this book in the class that you can look at or you can see
the text here.
Some hints:
- Most newspaper articles justify the text so that it
fits equally right to left.
- White space on the page (spaces between paragraphs, for
example) and short paragraphs work best.
- You can get some clip art pictures at LucyLearns.com
for your article or some pictures from the see the text
here link above or create your own images of Truffula
Trees, The Lorax, Bar-ba-loots, etc. using Paint or
PhotoFiltre or KidPix. Any pictures you use should fit into
your document with the text and not just be centered in the
column. To do this:
- Click on your picture to select it.
- Select Format > Picture > Layout Tab
- Select the appropriate option: to place your photo to the
right of your text, select Tight and Right and
to place it to the left of your text, select Tight
and Left
- Write the Letter To The Editor from The Lorax. Once
again refer to the sample
paper to see what this should include. Remember you should
be writing this from the point of view of the Lorax.
- Create an ad for Thneeds. Be creative with this one. If
you think that the Once-ler is stuck with a warehouse full of
these, create a Clearance Sale ad. If, on the other hand, you
think that these are now rare, create an ad that reflects that. Do not just use text for this ad. It needs to be visual to catch
the eye of your prospective buyers.
Newspaper Checklist: You must answer YES to all of these
questions to be finished with your newspaper.
- Does your newspaper have a nameplate with a newspaper name and
issue number and/or date in the header of your document?
- Is your newpaper formatted in two columns?
- Does your feature article have a Title and a Byline?
- Does your feature article attempt to answer the Who, What, Where, When,
Why & How questions of what happened in The Lorax?
- Did you include at least one picture in your feature article?
- Does your letter to the editor contain persuasive
language?
- Is the letter to the editor written from the point of view of
the Lorax?
- Do you have an eye-catching ad for Thneeds?
- Is your newspaper saved as Earth Day in your folder?
Lorax Quiz
If you answered YES to all of the above, take the Lorax
Quiz and then you can visit some Earth Day fun sites -
scroll up for these and check the right-hand side of your screen.
Grading
(55 Points Possible)
Item Description |
Points |
Nameplate is in the header of the document and
includes the name of the paper and an Issue Number and/or an
Issue Date. The newspaper is formatted in two columns. |
5 |
|
|
Feature Article attempts to answer the
who, what, where, when, why & how questions in an
unbiased way with no spelling (Dr. Seuss words may show as
misspelled and that is fine) or major grammar errors. There is at
least one picture or illustration included with the
article. The article has an appropriate title and a
byline. |
20 |
|
|
Letter to the Editor is written from the point
of view of The Lorax and contains persuasive language with
no spelling or major grammar errors. |
10 |
|
|
Thneed Ad is complete and
"eye-catching". |
10 |
|
|
Lorax Quiz - All questions are answered
completely and correctly. Deductions will not be made for
spelling and grammar errors. |
10 |
1 point will be lost for each error on the quiz and error or
incomplete item on the newspaper.
|
Earth Day Fun
Do not go to the fun sites until
you have completed your assigned work!
|