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Letter to my 12th grade self (A)
Article posted June 18, 2008 at 09:19 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1663
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[Editor's Note: The 2007-2008 students have just graduated 5th grade. They have been in school for about six years. In another six years they will be a senior in high school. Believe it or not, they are about half way through their public schooling life! Below is a postcard they wrote to their "12th grade self." It will be mailed it to them in June 2014!]
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Article posted June 18, 2008 at 09:19 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 1663
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Do You Want to Live Longer? (A)
Article posted June 6, 2008 at 08:08 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 459
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Do you ever wonder about smoking? Will you ever smoke? Do you think smoking is cool? If so, you shouldn’t smoke!
First of all, people shouldn’t smoke because smoking can give you lung cancer. If you get lung cancer you may die. There is this thing called a tracheotomy. From smoking you can get that. It’s a tube that goes through your neck. You then talk like a robot. My cousin’s mother has a tracheotomy, and I saw her speak with it. She has a thing and she puts it in a hole in her neck and talks.
Also, smoking is addictive. A cigarette contains tar and nicotine. That is addictive. It makes you smoke even more. My daddy and my Papi started to smoke when they were young, now they still do because it’s addicting.
Most importantly, smoking can make your teeth yellow and smelly. That is what happens to most people who smoke. My dad and my Papi smoke and their teeth are yellow even though they still brush.
So, as you can see smoking is really bad for your lungs and teeth and it’s addictive. So that is why, DON’T BE STUPID AND DON’T SMOKE=http://
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Article posted June 6, 2008 at 08:08 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 459
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The Constitution Works: Justices’ Final Opinion (A)
Article posted May 29, 2008 at 02:50 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 394
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[Editor's note: "The Constitution Works" is a role-playing exercise that gives students a chance to learn about the United States Constitution and government. The students role play a hypothetical court case, Denver Dispatch v. United States. Students take on roles as a lawyer or Supreme Court Justice. They think about what is more important: the freedom of the newspaper to print what it wants OR the government's duty to protect our nation's security. Read more about the Constitution Works program HERE.
Denver Dispatch v. United States 2008
Docket Number 93-8000
1. The Story
The Denver Dispatch wrote about a secret weapons lab in Boulder, Colorado. The government argued that the Denver Dispatch let out too much information, so they went to court.
2. The Denver Dispatch Goes to the Supreme Court
The lawyers for the government argued:
· The Denver Dispatch gave out too much information.
· There isn’t as much Freedom of Speech during wartime.
· The articles might cause people to panic.
· The articles are a threat to national security.
The lawyers for the Denver Dispatch argued:
· The Denver Dispatch thought their articles were fine.
· The public has a right to know.
· If the virus leaked, the public would be ready.
The Supreme Court Justices decided:
The Supreme Court voted 7 to 2 in favor of the government.
Writing for the majority, Justice “J” wrote:
I vote for the government because the Denver Dispatch is telling too much information about the laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. The Government had good arguments like the newspaper getting into the wrong hands and the enemies could “accidentally” leak the Anthrax X. If the Denver Dispatch keeps on publishing then it will keep the government from doing its constitutional job which is keeping the nation safe. That would be a safety violation against the Nation. The Government had good petitioners and very well organized arguments. They also worked as a team which I thought was really interesting.
I think that if the Denver Dispatch hadn’t put so much information then I would have agreed. The Denver Dispatch argued that they had the freedom of the press from the First Amendment but that is not the whole Constitution. The Preamble says that the government’s job is to keep the nation safe. If the Denver Dispatch keeps on publishing then they are not allowing the government to do their job responsibly.
Writing for the majority, Justice “NinjaKitty” wrote:
I think the government was not correct but their presentation was a very convincing argument. They used three different cases, and they were very professional looking and they actually knew what they were talking about. Also they argued for National Security. They have my vote. I’d rather be alive and safe than informed.
Writing for the majority, Justice “Kmoney” wrote:
In court the government spoke what they believed in, and they had really nice briefs. I think the Denver Dispatch has no right to put that much information in an article that might go out to the town! The public needs to know, though, so they should take off the picture and take off some of the safety procedures. The public also needs to know if there is an emergency. That’s why the public needs to know and the Government is absolutely right.
Writing for the majority, Justice “LillJJ” wrote:
The Government did very well presenting their case, communicating, and they looked very professional. I agreed with everything they said. When they brought up National Security, they had my vote. I think that people would rather be safe and alive than informed. I don’t even read the newspaper. They convinced me, and so my vote goes to the government.
Writing for the majority, Justice “Rman2000” wrote:
I vote for the Government because the Denver Dispatch only said the same thing: “The people need to know.” But the Government said that national security was at risk. The Government lawyers used the NEAR case, the SCHENK case, and the PENTAGON PAPERS. The Government also said the Denver Dispatch was giving too much information. I agreed with that too.
Writing for the majority, Justice “Railroad” wrote:
I am voting for the Government because of its arguments. They had really good facts. They also had a very good presentation. Their reasons are: if the government let the people know about Anthrax X the people might panic, terrorists might attack, and our enemies might develop a similar weapon and maybe use it against us. The Denver Dispatch had the right to publish the article but they abused their right by telling all of the secrets about that lab.
Writing for the majority, Justice “D-Man” wrote:
The government is right, the Denver Dispatch is giving away too much information. They have proof that the Denver Dispatch is giving away too much information; their proof is in the article itself! There were pictures, safety procedures, and information about Anthrax X. It was OK to give away information but it was not OK to give away too much information! Now that article will be a risk to national security if we do not stop them from publishing it.
Writing for the minority, Justice “J” wrote:
I, Justice Jackson, vote in favor of the Denver Dispatch because it is their right as members of the United States of America to be able to write whatever they want to say and to print what they. If the government felt that it would be a danger to our nation’s security they should know that it has been said in the biggest document in the world that they can print anything they want. It would be unconstitutional to strip them of this right as Americans.
Writing for the minority, Justice “BalletGirl” wrote:
I favor the Denver Dispatche’s arguments over the government’s arguments because I don’t think it is a risk of national security when the Denver Dispatch wrote these articles. Even though it is wartime (and that makes the 1st amendment rights tighter than usual), they were just informing the public of this lab. They did not, and I quote, “have an environmental impact statement” which research labs don’t need to have to do biological research but they do need an National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which they also don’t have. The Denver Dispatch was not trying to hurt or scare anybody and they weren’t trying to rebel against the government, they were only trying to inform the public. Yes, they gave out too much information but I don’t think they meant to give out that much information. In the next articles they will write they will be informed not to give out that much information as they did in their first article. They used the Near vs. Minnesota case a couple of times and made a point about why they were using it. They made connections with past Supreme Court cases, which is not that easy to do. Therefore and in conclusion, I am fully agreeing on the Denver Dispatch’s side.
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Article posted May 29, 2008 at 02:50 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 394
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Cooking Up a Conversation with Rachael Ray (N)
Article posted May 28, 2008 at 05:18 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 288
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Do you like Rachael Ray? Well I do because Rachael Ray, the
Star of such popular Food Network shows as 30-minute Meals and Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels, has a new book out. I read about how she has her own books and shows. Rachael always wanted to cook because when she was little her mom didn’t have a babysitter so Rachael went her mom to her restaurant. Ever since, she wanted to cook.
I think that she is good at cooking. I also think that she is good at being in TV because when I saw her show she didn’t make any mistakes. Other shows I see of people cooking, they made mistakes. They either put the wrong type of food or put too much of something.
Read More At:
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1738186,00.html
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Article posted May 28, 2008 at 05:18 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 288
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Hannah Montanna (N)
Article posted May 13, 2008 at 02:39 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 491
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Have you ever heard of Hannah Montana? Well, Hannah Montana is a great singer and a great actress. She has her own show, many CDs sold, and was in a movie. Hannah Montanna was in a movie that was 3D and it was good. There are many fans that like Hannah Montanna/Miley and I’m one. I think that Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana is so famous because of her music, movies, and shows. Hannah Montana/Miley sings and dresses differently. Hannah Montana puts less make up on than Miley. This is the reason children might like her because it’s like she has two worlds. Miley isn’t her real name. Her real name is Destiny Hope Cyrus. The reason why it was Miley was because when she was a little girl she used to smile a lot so they called her smiley and it was shortened to Miley.
I think that Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana is so famous because of her music, movies, and shows. I think that Miley is better if her name is Miley not Destiny. I like that name but not her. I think that I’m used to just calling her Miley or Hannah.
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Article posted May 13, 2008 at 02:39 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 491
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World's most expensive home (N)
Article posted May 12, 2008 at 02:41 PM GMT0 •
comment (3) • Reads 467
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Have you ever heard about a twenty-seven floor house? Well, I read an article about a house that has twenty-seven floors. The house has a space for helicopters to land. It will take 600 people to look after this house on a day-to-day basis. If the house has twenty-seven floors and they wanted to make one floor out of bamboo, they won’t make any of the other floors use it.
I think that this house is very, very, tall and that it’s really beautiful because for every floor there is going to be a different material.
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Article posted May 12, 2008 at 02:41 PM GMT0 •
comment (3) • Reads 467
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Miley Cyrus to write her memoirs (N)
Article posted May 2, 2008 at 03:31 PM GMT0 •
comment (4) • Reads 491
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Have you ever heard of Miley Cyrus or Hannah Montana before? Well, she is a famous singer and actress. In this article it said that Miley Cyrus wants to write her own book because she wants to inspire the young children to try to live their dreams. Miley is too young to vote or drive so she thought of making her own book. She said she will put photos of herself when she was a little girl, embarrassing pictures of her when she was a baby, and pictures of her family and friends. Also in this book it will be about her life growing up in Tennessee.
I think that her book will be fantastic, and everyone who likes her shows, movies, and music would want to buy her book. I also think that Miley should be making more books than just one. I think that she would be a good author.
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Article posted May 2, 2008 at 03:31 PM GMT0 •
comment (4) • Reads 491
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Frogs with no lungs discovered in Borneo (N)
Article posted April 18, 2008 at 07:18 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 399
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I read an article about frogs with no lungs. The scientist discovered frogs that don’t have lungs. The scientist seems to be happy. An Indonesian section of Borneo was the place where the scientist found the frogs. The frogs is two inches and it breaths through its skin. This frog is the first lungless frog to be discovered. Animals developed lungs when they moved from the sea to land millions of years ago. Scientists believe this frog has evolved backwards. It lost it lungs.
I think that the scientist shouldn’t be happy because the frog has no lungs and they are happy about that. I also think that it’s hard to breathe for the frogs because they breathe by using their skin.
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Article posted April 18, 2008 at 07:18 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 399
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Baby with two faces hailed as a goddess (N)
Article posted April 14, 2008 at 03:28 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 474
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Have you ever heard of a two face baby? I did and read about it. I read that that baby has problems. The baby was born with two faces. The baby is one-month-old and her name is Lali. She is already a very special child. Born with two faces, she has four sets of eyes, two noses and two mouths. However, in rural India where she was born, she is a miracle - the reincarnation (re-birth) of a Hindu Goddess known as Durga. Durga (pictured below) is one of the most powerful incarnations of god in the Indian mythology. She is always destroying evil and protecting mankind from pain and suffering. Doctors, who examined Lali when she was born, say that all her organs appear to be normal.
I think that this two face baby is very special because it has two faces, two noses, two mouths, and four eyes. I think many people would tease her because she has four eyes. What if she needs glasses and then she needs two pairs of glasses and then people would call her eight eyes because the glasses are like two eyes so that and her two eyes equals four and the same thing on the other side. So she has eight, four on one side and four on the other.
Read more at:
target=_blank>http://www.dogonews.com/dogo_news/2008/04/baby-with-two-f.html#more
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Article posted April 14, 2008 at 03:28 PM GMT0 •
comment (1) • Reads 474
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