Recently added articles from Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication:
The candidates.(Biography)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Barack OBAMA "There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Barack Obama talks passionately about hope and unity every time he takes the stage. The ...
The team captains.(RESEARCH SKILLS)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... What's in the cards for your favorite candidate? Study up on the presidential hopefuls using books and the Internet. Then fill in the trading cards. Paste a photo on the front or draw a picture of the candidate. (You can find photos at www.weeklyreader.com/election.) ...
There's power in numbers.(POLITICAL PARTIES)(Organization overview)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Nothing in the U.S. Constitution requires political parties. However, people with common interests have found they have greater influence when they work together. Political parties nominate candidates and raise awareness about social issues. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...
Get the party started!(CRITICAL THINKING)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... When U.S. citizens don't agree with the major political parties, they can start their own. Create your own party by building a platform (that's a fancy term for stating your principles). Write down your beliefs about the three key issues below, and then design your party's symbol. ...
Road to the white house 2008: presidential campaigns start long before Election Day. Candidates spend years cultivating the fight reputation and gaining public support before officially filing for candidacy. Here is a time line of the 2008 presidential race, starting with the first candidate to throw his hat in the ring.(ELECTION PROCESS)(Chronology)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Feb. 23, 2006 First Official Candidacy Nothing is official until a candidate notifies the Federal Election Commission (FEC). By law, each presidential candidate must file a statement of candidacy within 15 days of either receiving the first $5,000 in campaign contributions or of ...
What matters to you?(GRAPHS AND CHARTS)
Sep 29, 2008 ... CNN regularly asks voters: "Which of the following issues will be MOST important to you when you decide how to vote for president?" These pie graphs show how opinions changed. Study the graphs, then answer the questions. 1. In the pie graphs, which issue grew the most in ...
Charming the Voters.(CAMPAIGNING)
Sep 29, 2008 ... The Internet opened up a wide new world for presidential campaigners. One thing hasn't changed, though: Winning the presidency still hinges on social networking. Here's a look at campaigning through the ages. 1800 When John Adams ran for reelection In 1800, campaign ...
Fact or opinion?(MEDIA LITERACY)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... You've probably heard people say: "Don't believe everything you read!" So how can you tell what's true, especially on the Internet?. Here are a few warning signs. Read them, and then circle six examples of those warnings in the story below. OPINION Does the author ...
Candidates campaign in the corn state.(MEDIA LITERACY)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... IOWA CITY, Iowa -- With a feverish excitement, a massive crowd of dozens of people welcomed presidential candidate Joe Snowblower to a bowling alley in Iowa City. You'd think he was a rock star! Snowblower's speech was brilliant. He was charming as he talked about ending the gas tax, a ...
If elected, I would ...(THE ISSUES)
Sep 29, 2008 ... <Pre> If Elected, I Would ... There are a lot of hot-button issues for voters this election year. Here's what the candidates are saying about three big ones: the economy, the war in Iraq, and immigration. Issue Obama ECONOMY The ...
Common Ground?(VENN DIAGRAM)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Research the candidates' positions on the economy, the Iraq War, and immigration. Then write the letter of each statement below in its appropriate place on the Venn diagram. Does the statement match the beliefs of Barack Obama, John McCain, or both? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...
The money chase.(CAMPAIGN FINANCE)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Running a presidential campaign takes an enormous amount of money. Candidates have to pay for advertising, technology, consultants, travel, the list goes on. This year's candidates spent a combined $800 million before the start of summer. To raise all that money, they need to attract ...
They spent how much?!(ECONOMICS)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Running for president is expensive. The candidates spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising, expert advice, campaign events, and transportation. See if you can put all that cash into perspective by answering the questions below. 1. Your parents wouldn't like it if ...
The big vote: welcome to Electoral College 101. Got questions? We have the answers.(THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE)
Sep 29, 2008; Tics, Paul E. ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What is the Electoral College? It's a group of people called electors who meet in their state capitals in December to vote for president. But I thought Election Day was November 4? It is, but on Election Day, voters aren't directly ...
Your election scorecard.(TRACKING ELECTORAL VOTES)
Sep 29, 2008 ... And the winner is ... Use the chart below to record the number of Electoral College votes each presidential candidate receives. The number beside each state and the District of Columbia is its total number of electoral votes. The candidate who has the highest number of popular votes in ...
Scrambled speech.(INAUGURATION DAY)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Uh-oh! Our new leader is ready to be sworn in, but the promise that every U.S. president is required to make is looking a little more "oops" than oath. Unscramble the letters, and write the correct words in the spaces provided. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, tackle the next step in ...
How to hold a weekly reader election.(EVERY VOTE COUNTS--Even for Teens!)
Sep 29, 2008 ... Who says kids can't vote? Since 1956, millions of children have cast their votes in Weekly Reader's exclusive presidential election poll. And they have got a knack for picking the next president. In 12 of the past 13 presidential elections, Weekly Reader kids have picked the candidate who ...
Was he texting?(WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... 1 LOS ANGELES--Was the engineer of a passenger train that crashed, killing 25 people, texting while driving? Federal investigators are trying to figure that out. The Metrolink train was carrying 225 commuters from Los Angeles when it slammed into a freight train on September 12. ...
"I wouldn't have sat down there either!".(QUOTE OF THE WEEK)(Steve Oswald quotation)(Quotation)
Sep 29, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] --Business owner Steve Oswald, who was so fed up with a ...
The new superstars.(WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP)(Brief article)
Sep 29, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [2] BEIJING -- Move over Michael. Phelps and Usain Bolt! There's a new pair o f Olympic superstars in town. Meet Erin Popovich and "blade runner" Oscar Pistorius. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 2008 Paralympics kicked off on September 6 ....