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Here's another - Tuesday, Sept. 8, International Literacy Day and also the day Missourian newspapers will be delivered to school for the start of the 2009-10 Newspaper In Education program.
There are several new features this year as well as the tried-and-true favorites from years past, but with updated elements.
For example, the popular Kid Scoop feature that appears in the newspaper each weekend now has an online version with even more games and activities for kids, as well as resources for students, parents (like tips on how to keep kids entertained) and teachers (such as an NIE lesson library).
Dawn Kitchell, educational services director for The Missourian, said the new feature offers so much more, that after a test run during the newspaper's summer reading program, she decided to continue it into the school year.
Also, The Missourian's Book Buzz program, now in its seventh year, has recently gone to the birds - Newsbee is tweeting about all of his latest children's book news and Picks on Twitter. To follow him, go to http://twitter.com/newsbeebuzz
New This Year
Those first newspapers (the Sept. 5-6 issue) to be delivered to classrooms will let students and teachers hit the ground running with a full-page feature on the third annual Tour of Missouri professional bicycling race, which runs Sept. 7-13.
Although the race won't come through Washington, as it has the last two years, the feature will detail the different stages of the race, include bicycling information and trivia, and link to an online component that will allow students to follow the race as it progresses across the state.
"The Tour of Missouri is a really unique sporting event in the United States and following the race exposes students not only to our state geography, but through the 15 different teams they're also linked to other U.S. states and countries worldwide," Kitchell said. "And bicycling is a sport that so many of us can participate in, even just for fitness or recreation."
The cycling piece will be followed up with a Constitution Day feature from the Missouri Press Foundation in the Sept. 12-13 issue of The Missourian.
"By law, schools are required to educate students about the Constitution on Sept. 17," noted Kitchell, "Yet three years after a new federal law took effect, a 2007 follow-up survey found that a majority of American students aren't even aware that Constitution Day exists.
"Every year since the law was enacted, we've been publishing an educational resource in The Missourian for teachers to use on Constitution Day," she said. "Hopefully, our teachers are taking advantage of it and our students have a good understanding of our nation's founding document."
Also in September, The Missourian will start an eight-chapter serial story on Abraham Lincoln. "A Fine Fella" tells how, in his rugged youth, America's most beloved president was molded to guide his country in the dark days of the Civil War. The story shares his adventures on the frontier, his youth sorrows and the humor that kept his spirit alive during the low points of his life, as well as how he formed his opinions about such issues as slavery, and how he learned to live with sorrow and defeat.
Kitchell said the story should appeal primarily to elementary- and middle school-aged students, and a companion teacher guide will provide activities correlated to Missouri's state learning standards. The guide is available online now at www.emissourian.com by linking to the Missourian In Education pages.
One chapter of the story will be published in each weekend Missourian from Sept. 19-20 through Nov. 7-8.
The Missourian will help students with geography in November with a two-part series created by the Missouri Geography Alliance and the Missouri Press Association (MPA). The two features will run in conjunction with Geography Awareness Week Nov. 15-21.
The following week, The Missourian will present the first of a series by MPA and The Missouri Bar on the rights and responsibilities of being a good citizen. The "Citizenship Handbook" will run in the Nov. 21-22 and Nov. 28-29 issues.
In January, The Missourian will take part in the annual statewide reading campaign, "Reading Across Missouri," organized by MPA. This year's eight-chapter serial story, "Colorful Characters," tells the story of a young George Caleb Bingham growing up along the Missouri River.
This young boy's fascination with the colorful characters who were going West in the 1820s became his subjects on canvas. Years later, as a great American artist, he painted men and women of great stature, as well as the many unnamed, and very colorful, characters in and along this great American river.
The chapters will run each weekend from Jan. 9-10 through Feb. 27-28.
And following "Colorful Characters," The Missourian will offer more Missouri history in a 12-part series, "Great American Lives of 19th Century Missouri" will run from March 6-7 through the end of the school year. Famous Missourians to be featured include Auguste Chateau, Belle Star, Daniel Boone, Dred Scott, Jesse James, Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder), Sans Nerf, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, Susan Magoffin and Mark Twain.
"As a companion to this series, the Washington Historical Society will create a series highlighting local Missourians from the Washington area," said Kitchell.
Returning Favorites
Book Buzz, The Missourian's popular children's book recommendation program, begins its eighth year this September. Three books - one for young, middle and older readers - are featured in the first weekend issue of each month. Students are then given six weeks to read one of the books and write a review to be considered for publication in The Missourian. Reviews appear in the last weekend issue of each month.
As a prize for having their review selected, the students receive the next Book Buzz Pick in their age category.
"The Washington Optimist Club provides the funds to purchase the prize books for the Êreview winners," said Chris Stuckenschneider, Missourian book editor and Book Buzz coordinator. "We are grateful to them and to all the service clubs and individuals who continue to support literacyÊinÊourÊarea.Ê
"TheÊcommunityÊsupportÊofÊBookÊBuzzÊhasÊbeenÊincredibleÊsinceÊtheÊprojectÊwas startedÊsevenÊyearsÊago. It's a joy to go into the schools and see the Book Buzz books on display in libraries, and to hear students and their teachers talk about this Book Buzz Book orÊthatÊone - to discuss characters they like and can identify with. SoÊoften I wish members of service clubs could be with me to hear all the positive comments about this fabulous program that they support."
Baby Buzz, book reviews written by parent educators with the Washington School District's Parents as Teachers program for children birth to age 5, runs the second weekend of every month. And Novel Ideas, an adult book recommendation column, runs the third weekend.
"Baby Buzz has been a natural offshoot of Book Buzz, and it's been a gift to partner with parent educators," said Stuckenschneider. "Publishers send us books appropriate for babies and toddlers, and we pass the books along to the parent educators. They chose one book each month as the Baby Buzz Pick. Then they purchase copies of the book to use in their home visits with parents.
"It's another win-win literacy project and an excellent way for parents to hear about new books recommended by people who really know this age group."
A list of the Baby Buzz Books and the Book Buzz Books can be found at emissourian.com.
"This is an excellent resource for Êparents, grandparents and caregivers looking for quality childrens book to recommend," noted Stuckenschneider. "We hope to take some of the work out of book selection with our ongoing lists."
In October, students will again be given the opportunity to vote for their favorite Book Buzz Pick from the last year. The results will appear in the Nov. 7-8 issue of the newspaper, when the Book Buzz Pick of the Year is announced.
Ballots will be available to local librarians, published in The Missourian and at emissourian.com.
The fourth annual Run to Read event will be held Saturday, Oct. 10, beginning at Lions Lake and concluding at Four Rivers Area Family YMCA, where children's author/illustrator Marla Frazee will give a presentation on her new book, "All the World."
"That's really going to be a Day of Literacy," said Kitchell, noting The Missourian's second annual Champions of Literacy event will be held that evening at the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame.
Frazee also will be the guest of honor that evening, along with her friend and editor, Allen Johnson. They will give a joint presentation on children's book publishing.
The 10th annual Family Reading Night, sponsored in part by The Missourian's NIE program, is set for Friday, March 5, at Washington Middle School. The event will again feature a children's author presentation, reading rooms, crafts and other family activities.
Why Newspaper In Education?
Nearly two dozen teachers attended a summer workshop in July to help educators in their use of the newspaper as part of their curriculum. To Kitchell it proves there continues to be strong interest in using the newspaper in the classroom, which as an educator herself, she knows benefits students in numerous ways.
"Research shows again and again that classroom newspapers help improve reading, increase standardized test scores, build vocabulary and connect kids to their community," said Kitchell.
The Newspaper Association of America Foundation (NAA) noted in 2002 and 2006 that "Newspapers provide real life application to textbook topics. And students who use newspapers in the classroom keep reading -78 percent of young adults who used classroom newspapers and read teen-specific content (like The Missourian's My Mo section) say they still read regularly."
How to Participate
The Missourian, with support from community partners, provides classroom newspapers, curriculum and training at no cost to area teachers. Classroom subscriptions are available from early in September through May for once-a-week delivery of the weekend Missourian on Mondays.
Last year, The Missourian delivered nearly 4,000 classroom newspapers each week to 46 schools in the areas. These newspapers are used in all grades and diverse subjects to meet academic goals, improve civic literacy and promote lifelong reading.
Order forms for the new school year were delivered to all schools in The Missourian's circulation area last week and are available online at www.emissourian.com on the Missourian In Education pages.
For more information or to place an order, teachers can call 636-390-3029 or toll-free 1-888-239-7701, extension 3029.
