ELEMENTARY (Grades 2-5)

April Fools' Day
Look at the headlines on the front page of your newspaper. Create your own April Fools' Day front page by rewriting all of the headlines to say something that is just the opposite of what the truth is.

Weather poetry
April is National Poetry Month. Read the weather forecast in your newspaper. Write a poem about the weather that is expected for tomorrow.

Moving from here to there
Collect newspaper photos and advertisements that show different ways that people get from place to place. Use these to make a poster titled "Forms of Transportation." Remember to include ways that people travel on their own human power.

Questions for your candidate
Who is your favorite presidential candidate? Pretend you are a news reporter going to interview him or her. Write down five questions that you would want to ask this person. Base your questions on stories in your newspaper about the candidate.

INTERMEDIATE (Grades 6-8)

Prevent animal cruelty
April is Animal Cruelty Prevention Month. Look for stories in your newspaper that have to do with the treatment of animals. Pick an article that has to do with a specific animal. Based on the article, design a poster that tells people about this animal and what they can do to make sure the animal is treated more kindly.

Biggest news of the month
As March comes to an end, think about what happened during the month. Make a list of the ten biggest news stories of the month. Write a couple of sentences about each story and explain why that story was so important.

Going to a new land
Imagine what it must be like to be an immigrant in a country. Pick a foreign country from your newspaper and pretend that you have to move there. From news stories and other research, learn as much as you can about that country. Then write down what you and your family will have to know before moving there, including climate, cultural information, current political situation, and more. How hard do you think it would be to make the adjustment?

Review a book
April 2nd is International Children's Book Day. Newspapers often print reviews of books. Read one or more of these. Write a review of your favorite children's book in the style of a newspaper book review.

ADVANCED (Grades 9-12)

April Fools' Day
Tuesday is April Fools' Day. Write a fake news story that is a spoof of a story you find in your daily newspaper. Make your story humorous and be sure to give it a punchy headline.

Remembering Dr. King
April 4th marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King successfully used non-violent civil disobedience to gain civil rights for American minorities. Look in the newspaper for a situation where people are struggling for human rights in some other part of the world. What do you think Dr. King would advise these people? Pretend you are Dr. King and in his voice, write a letter proposing a plan of action that involves non-violent resistance to the oppression they are facing.

A welcoming statue
Fredric Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, was born on April 2, 1834. The Statue of Liberty may be one of the biggest and most beautiful welcome signs in the world. Clip news articles about landmarks and buildings in your state. Based on the style of these structures, design a new landmark or statue that would welcome people when they come to your state.

Fairy tale theme
April 2nd is the anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Anderson, the author of such classic fairy tales as "The Ugly Duckling," "The Emperor's New Clothes," and "The Princess and the Pea." Use one of these stories as the caption and theme for an editorial cartoon about a current story in the newspaper.