This Week

SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • OCTOBER 29, 2007 T1 A supplement to scholAstic news

Teaching the Cover Story

Creepy CrittersStandardScience—Students should develop an understanding of the relation-ships among organisms in an ecosystem. Students should understand the impact of humans on the environment.

Summary Scholastic News takes a closer look at some misunderstandings about animals surrounding Halloween.

Background ● Bats are the only mammals that truly fly. (Flying squirrels and flying possums glide.) ● Echolocation allows bats to accurately determine the location of things, especially prey. However, contrary to popular belief, many spe-cies of bats have excellent eyesight. ● Many bats send out the click-ing sounds needed in echolocation through their open mouths. This often results in what many humans view as a menacing expression. ● Spiders are great hunters—of insects, not people. One of the most recognizable tools that spiders use to hunt is their webs. The webs either trap prey or alert spiders to

the approach of potential prey. ● Wolves, members of the dog family, are social creatures. They live in family groups, or packs. ● Wolves rarely attack people but have been hunted almost to extinc-tion in certain areas because of their attacks on livestock. ● About 1,900 species are listed under the Endangered Species Act. It sets guidelines for the conserva-tion of plants and animals listed by the federal government as endan-gered or threatened.

Critical Thinking ● What actions do you think should be taken to help pro-tect spiders, bats, and wolves?

Resources ● To learn more about endangered animals and what kids can do to help them, go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site at www.fws .gov/endangered/kids/index.html. ● The Encyclopedia of Endangered and Extinct Animals, by Michael Bright (Copper Beech, 2001) ● Gray Wolves: Return to Yellowstone (America’s Animal Comebacks) by Meish Goldish (Bearport Publishing, 2007)

Teacher’s editionoctober 29, 2007Vol. 76 no. 7issn 1554-2440

America's Leading News Source For Kids TM

Edition 5/6

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www.scholastic.com/news

Kids participatein election 2008! only at scholastic news:www.scholastic.com/sn56

Creepy Critters.........pp. 4-5 Standard: Science As halloween approaches, a look at some animals that have gotten a bad rap in popular culture.

News Zone...pp. 2-3 the two Koreas eye peace after 50 years; tween star hannah montana is the hot-test ticket in town.

Fight for Equality...............p. 6 A new stamp recognizes a school desegregation law-suit that was a precursor to the famous Brown v. Board of education case.

What Do You Think? .........p. 7 character education: sticky situation Defend Your Opinion: Debate Persuasive Writing: letters to the editor

BrainBusters.....p. 8 Reading: Graphic organizer news iQ: Reading comprehension Word Workout: Vocabulary skill

Reproducible Skills Pages map skill..............p. T3 Reading a Diagram.............p. T4

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Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation of the Scholastic News Edition 5/6 (as required by Title 39, United States Code). Date of Filing: October 1, 2007. Title of Publication: Scholastic News Edition 5/6. Frequency of issue: 24 times during the school year: Weekly during the school year except holidays and midterm. Location of Known Office of Publication: 2931 East McCarty Street, Cole County, Jefferson City, MO 65101-4464. Location of the Headquarters of the Publishers: 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012-3999. Publisher: M. Richard Robinson; Editor: Dara Sharif (both of 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012-3999). Owners: Scholastic Corp., M. Richard Robinson, Trust under will of Maurice R. Robinson, Trust under will of Florence L. Robinson, all of 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012-3999. During Preceding 12 Months Average Number of Copies: Printed each issue, 706,381; Paid Circulation, 657,686; Free Distribution, 35,560; Total Number of Copies Distributed, 696,246; Copies Not Distributed, 10,135; Total, 706,381. For Single Issue Nearest to Filing Date: Number of Copies Printed, 649,500; Paid Circulation, 501,875; Free Distribution, 20,692; Number of Copies Distributed, 522,567; Copies Not Distributed, 126,933 Total, 649,500.

HElP US HElP YoU! Take our online Teachers Survey. Your opinions count! To take the survey, go to www.scholastic.com/SN56fall07survey

Stamp on History.....p. 6Standard SOcial STuDieS —Students should understand the significance of landmark legal decisions in the struggle for civil rights and equal opportunities.

SummaryA new postage stamp honors the 60th anniversary of a trailblazing school integration case.

Background ● Mendez v. Westminster was a class-action lawsuit that involved more than 5,000 kids in Orange County, California. Parents sued to challenge some school districts’ practice of placing Hispanic children in separate schools. ● The families won, but the school districts appealed. In 1947, the U.S.

This Week onlinewww.scholastic.com/news

Teach Election 2008 by getting your students directly involved. On the Scholastic News Special Report “Countdown to Election 2008,” you will find lesson plans and reproduc-ibles to help you use the site in your classroom. Students can vote on campaign issues and debates. They can also vote for

their favorite candidates in the early primary states of New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, and South Carolina. Have them send in questions that Kid Reporters can take to the candi-dates as they report about the elec-tion live from the campaign trail. Follow the campaign online at www.scholastic.com/sn56.

SCHolASTIC NEWS • EDITIoN 5/6

EDIToRIAl• editor: Dara sharif

• associate editors: F. Romall smalls, elena cabral• copy chief: Renee Glaser

• copy editor: maria mahon ART

• Group art Director: Felix Batcup • art Director: Beth Benzaquin

• associate art Director: winnifred whipple• Senior cartographer: Jim mcmahon

• Photo editor: Richard servissPRoDUCTIoN, IMAGING AND SYSTEMS• assistant Production Director: clarence e. miles

• Production editor: Anthony Giammanco • Digital imaging Group: marc stern,

• Joseph cuiccio, Robert Dicaterino• Technical coordinator: elliott hillSCHolASTIC NEWS oNlINE • executive editor: suzanne Freeman

• associate editors: Zachary Jones, laura leigh Davidson • assistant editor: Anne morrill

• Photo Research: Jessica moonSCHolASTIC ClASSRooM MAGAZINES

President, Scholastic classroom & library Publishing: Greg worrell • VP, editor in chief:

Rebecca Bondor • associate editorial Director: lee Baier • Design Director: Judith christ-lafond

executive Production Director: Barbara schwartz • executive editorial Director, copy Desk: craig moskowitz • Publishing System Director: David

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Manufacturing coordinator: Georgiana Deen CIRCUlATIoN AND MARkETING

• VP Marketing: Jocelyn Forman • Marketing Manager: Dayna Desimone

CoRPoRATE • President, chief executive Officer, and chairman

of the Board of Scholastic inc.: Richard Robinson.

Ninth Circuit Court upheld the ruling in favor of the families. The case led to the passage of a state measure that repealed all California school codes mandating segregation. ● The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed a brief supporting the families in the Mendez case. Lawyer Thurgood Marshall would later cite the Mendez case to successfully argue against segregation in Brown v. Board of Education.

Critical Thinking ● Why do you think the Mendez case ultimately had an impact on the whole nation?

Resources● Visit the U.S. National Archives at www.archives.gov/midatlantic /education/desegregation/.

T2 SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 •OCTOBER 29, 2007

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T4 SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • OCTOBER 29, 2007

© 2007 by Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.

America's Leading News Source For Kids TM

Edition 5/6

®

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1.How many legs does an insect have? _____________________________________________________

2.How many more legs has a spider than an insect? _________________________________________

3.Does the spider or the insect have compound eyes? ________________________________________

4.List the three main body parts of an insect. _______________________________________________

5.List the two main body parts of a spider. _________________________________________________

6.Using complete sentences, write a paragraph explaining the differences between a spider

and an insect. ___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Bug BreakdownSpidersareoftenmisunderstoodcreatures.Mostpeoplethinkthatspidersareinsects,buttheyarenot.Learnwhatmakesaspiderdifferentfromaninsectbyreadingthediagramsbelowthatcompareandcontrastthesebugs.Then,answerthequestionsthatfollow.

_

pedipalp(used to guide

food to mouth)

jawswithfangs

simpleeyes

spinnerets(silk-spinning

organs)

Spider

1. cephalothorax(head and thorax

combined)

2.abdomen

TwoMAINbody

pArTS:

leg

leg

leg leg

leg

leg

leg

leg

Insect

ThreeMAINbody

pArTS:

antennae

(used to taste, smell, and feel)

compoundeye

compoundeye

wing

1.head

2. thorax

3.abdomen

leg

leg

leg

leg

wing

legleg

T4 SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • OCTOBER 29, 2007

© 2007 by Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.

America's Leading News Source For Kids TM

Edition 5/6

®

SkillS PageName: _____________________________________________________

re

Pr

od

uc

ib

le

Sk

il

lS

Pa

ge

Am

eric

a's

Leadin

g N

ew

s S

ou

rce F

or

Kid

s

TM

Ed

itio

n 5

/6

®

readiNg a diagraM

1.How many legs does an insect have? _____________________________________________________

2.How many more legs has a spider than an insect? _________________________________________

3.Does the spider or the insect have compound eyes? ________________________________________

4.List the three main body parts of an insect. _______________________________________________

5.List the two main body parts of a spider. _________________________________________________

6.Using complete sentences, write a paragraph explaining the differences between a spider

and an insect. ___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Bug BreakdownSpidersareoftenmisunderstoodcreatures.Mostpeoplethinkthatspidersareinsects,buttheyarenot.Learnwhatmakesaspiderdifferentfromaninsectbyreadingthediagramsbelowthatcompareandcontrastthesebugs.Then,answerthequestionsthatfollow.

_

pedipalp(used to guide

food to mouth)

jawswithfangs

simpleeyes

spinnerets(silk-spinning

organs)

Spider

1. cephalothorax(head and thorax

combined)

2.abdomen

TwoMAINbody

pArTS:

leg

leg

leg leg

leg

leg

leg

leg

Insect

ThreeMAINbody

pArTS:

antennae

(used to taste, smell, and feel)

compoundeye

compoundeye

wing

1.head

2. thorax

3.abdomen

leg

leg

leg

leg

wing

legleg