ELEMENTARY (Grades 2-5)

The first comic strip
The first newspaper comic strip was printed on February 17, 1896. Cut out your favorite newspaper comic strip for a week. Paste the strips on a piece of cardboard and then cut apart the frames or boxes of the strip. Give the pieces to another student. Ask that person to put the frames together in a way that tells a story.

Happy Valentine's Day
February 14th is Valentine's Day. Clip newspaper pictures and advertisements about Valentine's Day. Create a Valentine's card for a friend using your clippings for decoration.

Honest Abe
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He is one of this country's most beloved presidents. Read newspaper stories about President Bush as well as the candidates who are running for president. Based on your reading, write down three pieces of advice you think Abe Lincoln could give to president Bush and the candidates about how to be a good president.

An interesting business
Clip newspaper articles about different kinds of businesses in your area. If you could own one, which one would you choose to own? Write a paragraph about the business and what makes it sound interesting to you.

INTERMEDIATE (Grades 6-8)

Lincoln time travel
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. Imagine if he came back for a day and read today's newspaper. What story would surprise him most? What story would make him happiest about the state of the nation today? What story would make him saddest? Explain your answers.

Get a different name
One group says February 13 is a day when we may change our names to whatever we wish. If you could change your name for a day, what name would you choose? Use you newspaper for ideas. Circle all of the names you like in the first few pages of your newspaper and pick one to use for a day. You can mix and match first and last names if you like.

Save energy, save money
Many people pay higher energy bills in the winter. Use your newspaper to find examples of common household products that use energy. Clip pictures of these items and use them to create a poster that tells people how they can use less energy.

Cold weather business
The winter is not all bad news for businesses. Some businesses see their sales go up as a result of snow and cold weather. Look through your newspaper's advertisements and business section. Make a list of all the businesses that might profit from the cold and wintry weather.

ADVANCED (Grades 9-12)

Serial comics
The first newspaper comic strip appeared on February 17, 1896. One popular kind of comic is the serial comic, that is, one that continues its story from day to day. Study a serial comic in your newspaper. Then find a news story that could be told in the form of a serial comic. Sketch out a five-day strip to tell the story.

Voting rights
Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820. She was a famous suffragette who was arrested for voting in 1872. Do some research on voter suppression tactics that some people say have been used in recent years and even in the current year. Pretend you are Susan B. Anthony. Write an editorial expressing what you would say about elections and voting in the U.S. today. What can be done to make the voting process fairer?

A delicious Valentine's Day
Many restaurants prepare special Valentine's Day menus for February 14. Plan your own 4-course Valentine's Day meal by looking in your newspaper for recipes and checking the grocery ads. Include an appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. Make sure you include something with chocolate.

What was he thinking?
On February 14, 1849, President James Polk became the first president photographed in office. Clip photos of President Bush in the newspaper over a period of a week. Paste each on a piece of paper. For each photo, write a talk balloon that has the president commenting on what he might be doing or thinking when the photo was taken. The comments may be humorous or serious.