Make this the summer you read and read and read! The loss of reading skills over the summer is called the “summer slide”. There’s no room in your academic plan for going backward! Studies show that students who read outside of school build vocabulary and learn important background information. Read whatever you enjoy, but make sure you carve out some time to read each and every day. Visit the library often, exchange books among your friends, start up a book club…..but read, read, read and you’ll be off to a great start in September.

April

Earth Day was established April 22, 1970. In the years since then, everyone has become more aware of how fragile the earth is, and how important it is that we take care of our resources. Many agencies have banded together to form the Earth Day Network. (http://www.earthday.org/) People all around the world are making a real effort to keep our air and water clean. Farmers are taking care to conserve soil and water resources. What can we do on an individual level to conserve and protect resources? Check out this website to find out what YOU can do to make a difference: http://www.50simplekids.com/.

March

Many of our favorite children’s and young adult authors were born in March. Carl Hiaasen (Hoot, Flush, Chomp), Ezra Jack Keats (The Snowy Day, Goggles), Patricia MacLachlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall), Lois Lowry (The Giver), and Virginia Hamilton (M.C. Higgins the Great) to name a few. Learn about these and other authors on their personal websites, and check Wyoming Junior High electronic catalog to find copies of their books.

February

February is Black History Month….and there are so many people whose lives we honor and celebrate. Well-known, people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and Malcolm X come to mind. There are many other African- Americans who have made a difference. Do you know about Rebecca Cole, who was the second black woman to graduate from medical school back in 1867? At a time when women just “didn’t” go to medical school, it was an amazing accomplishment.  Patricia Bath is the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention. She invented the Laserphaco Probe for the treatment of cataracts. Benjamin Oliver Davis served as a lieutenant in the Spanish-American War and in 1899 enlisted in the regular army. He rose through years of service to become, in 1940, the first African-American general in the U.S. army. You can learn about these people and many more here: http://www.factmonster.com/spot/afroambios.html.

January 2014

The first Super Bowl was played in 1967…the Green Bay Packers defeated Kansas City. Sports are a hugely popular past time all around the world. Although very few, very gifted athletes will have an opportunity to play professional sports, it’s important for everyone to find sports and activities they’ll enjoy participating in to promote good health all their lives. Here’s a link to an article about the importance of exercise:  http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/exercise_wise.html#. If you pay attention to good exercise and nutrition during your teen years, you’ll reap the benefits now and in your adult years. 

 

The Wright Brothers’ first flight was in 1903. Wow! Look how far flight has come in 100 years. The first flight covered 59 seconds over a distance of 852 feet. In 1961 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made one orbit around the earth, and in 1998 the first module of the international space station was sent aloft. The space station is the largest artificial body in space and it’s possible to see with the naked eye. Have you seen it orbiting the Earth? I have and it was awesome. If mankind progressed from a 59 second flight to an orbiting space station in only 100 years, imagine what the next 100 years will bring! Learn more about space, and space exploration from NASA at a site tailored specifically for teens: http://missionscience.nasa.gov/.

November:

The second week of November is National Geography Awareness week. As time goes on, the world seems to get smaller and smaller. More and more people travel internationally, and we use products and eat foods from all around the world. Think about your circle of friends…they can probably trace their roots to many different continents. A well-educated person has a strong understanding of the world we live in, and how people and places are interconnected. Click on http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/kidsteens_welcome.html and tour all of the places the National Geographic Society can take you.