Do you know about Mix It Up at Lunch Day? Started 11 years ago by the Southern Poverty Law Center, it encourages the country’s schoolchildren to hang out with someone they normally might not speak to.
How often do you do this at school? Are you in a clique? If so, how welcoming do you think your clique is to others? Do you think efforts like Mix It Up Day are a good way to break down social barriers? Why or why not?
Nathan Weber for The New York Times At Moto in Chicago, a dish consisting of snails that appear to be crawling up a stick in a tangle of wild mushrooms, edible flowers and a garlic-herb “moss.” Go to related article »Use the related article to answer basic news questions.
WHO is Mary Stewart?
WHERE does she live?
WHAT are some lessons she has learned about raising snails?
WHAT do her snails like to eat?
WHY do select restaurants prefer to buy snails from Ms. Stewart?
WHEN did Ms. Stewart become interested in snails?
HOW did she become interested in raising snails?
HOW did you get interested in doing something you do well?
Related: See related slide show. In addition, read our resource page “All About Food” and our 2010 lesson “Organic, Slow or Local: Exploring Food-Based Communities.”
Test your math skills with this question created by Scott Matthews at Math for America from the article “Education Department Report Shows More Borrowers Defaulting on Student Loans.”
After you’ve clicked “submit answer,” more information will appear.
Use our questions for test preparation or just for fun. Find more here:
See what you know about the news below. To prepare, you might scan the articles or summaries on today’s paper. Good luck!
adjective: extremely conservative
noun: an extreme conservative; an opponent of progress or liberalism
The word reactionary has appeared in 99 New York Times articles in the past year, including on April 20 in “The Man Who Made Rock ’n’ Roll Safe Enough for America” by Stephen Holden:
Sanjit Das for The New York Times Lakha Khan, right, playing the sarangi, and his son Dane, left, on the dholak. Two entrepreneurs are trying to bring the music of the Khans’ caste, the Manganiyars, to a wider audience. Go to related article »
Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.
Overview | What aspects of our lives deserve saving for future generations? What relics and traditions are in danger of disappearing forever, and should be preserved? In this lesson, students examine a range of efforts to preserve history and culture, from rural India to the Apollo lunar missions. Students can take the role of preservationist, investigate cultural theft and play referee on local and international preservation debates.
Doug Mills/The New York Times President Obama stepped away from his preparations on Sunday to visit a campaign office in Williamsburg, Va., and meet volunteers, including Suzanne Stern, left, and Alexa Kissinger. Go to related article »Update: 9:09 p.m. | Students, react here as you watch the debate. We’ll be live-moderating until just after the event ends. See our list of questions at the end of this post.
Navesh Chitrakar/ReutersYouths in Katmandu, Nepal, held a candlelight vigil on Monday for Malala Yousafzai, who remained in fragile condition after being wounded by a Taliban gunman. Go to related article »Use the related article to answer basic news questions.
WHO is Malala Yousafzai?
WHY was she flown in an air ambulance out of Pakistan on Monday?
WHERE was she taken?
WHAT is special about Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she will be treated?
WHEN did Ms. Yousafzai first gain public attention?
HOW old is Ms. Yousafzai?
HOW has Pakistan reacted to her shooting?
HOW did she resist the Pakistani Taliban order that girls should not receive an education?
Related: See “Taliban Reiterate Vow to Kill Pakistani Girl”, “Pakistanis Unite in Outrage Over Girl’s Shooting by Taliban” and other articles about Ms. Yousafzai.
In addition, read our 6 Q’s About the News “14-Year-Old Pakistani Activist Targeted” and our Student Opinion question “What Would You Risk Your Life For?”
The question was written by Shannon Doyne. It comes from the article “Female Stars Step Off the Scale.”
After you’ve clicked “submit answer,” more information will appear.
Use our questions for test prep or just for fun. Find more here:
See what you know about the news below. To prepare, you might scan the articles or summaries on today’s paper. Good luck!
The Learning Network provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on New York Times content.
Teachers can use or adapt our lessons across subject areas and levels. Students can respond to our Opinion questions, take our News Quizzes, learn the Word of the Day, try our Test Yourself questions, complete a Fill-In or read our Poetry Pairings.
Join the conversation by commenting on any post. We'd love to hear what you think!
Editor Katherine Schulten has worked in education for over 25 years as a teacher, school newspaper adviser, literacy consultant, curriculum writer and editor.
Deputy Editor Michael Gonchar began his career as a humanities teacher, then worked for 10 years as a school and instructional coach specializing in helping to open and guide new small schools.
“ POTUS won this one, but are there really ANY undecideds out there today? Did this change anyone's vote? Doubtful.”
“ Thank you, Obama, for FINALLY bringing up Romney's 47% percent comments. They were extremely offensive, and they needed to be addressed.”
“ To be perfectly honest, I wasn't impressed with either candidate in the first debate, and neither of them are impressing me now. As much as I try to pay attention to their responses, I can't help but notice how much they revert back to the same topics and examples, how much they point fingers at and try to vilify each other rather than support themselves, and how much they sidestep questions in order to continue arguing about the subject from 30 seconds ago. The winner of this election will be the candidate who can listen to the voters and answer the questions that the voters want to be answered. But right now, unfortunately, neither of the two men on center stage are demonstrating those qualities.”
“ I like the format of this debate much better than the last. Its good to to hear questions from the actual people of America. Obama is definitely much stronger this time around. I would really like to see someone in the audience ask "Where is your 5 trillion dollars coming from, Mitt Romney?"”
“ Right now, I can see Romney pulling ahead. His 5-point plan is intriguing, and has some very good ideas. Obama, however, is definitely clinching the women's votes. He is clearly doing all he can to even out the gender playing field, and you can tell that people are appreciating that. One different thing about this debate is the moderator. As opposed to being a silent little mouse, she's the equivalent to Kanye West. "Yo Mitt, Imma let you finish, but Obama here's got some ideas too!"#hths”
“ During this "town hall", I like the fact that unsure voters are able to get their questions and issues addressed in person by the candidates. However, although I know that it isn't possible to go into the specifics of each of their plans, it still irks me! How are they going to reduce tax rates? How are they going to access all these resources?”
“ I love watching these debates...Obama is doing well, and Romney's sitting quietly. Once Obama finishes, Romney comes up with a witty reply to which Obama must instantly trash talk him. Body language, in my opinion, is a bigger factor than the word's they're saying.In my opinion, Obama appears nervous. ”
“ Thank you so much for the resources. My grade level team is very excited to work hard with incorporating this website in our lessons. Thank you for your hard work.”
“ From this first half hour of the debate, I think Obama is catching up on the ground he lost in the first debate. He is prepared with answers, facts, and plans.”
“ the moderator is doing better than the previous one, Jim. She is much more aggressive, and is able to stop the candidates (for the most part) from arguing and going over time. She is able to tie in the questions together, and to me, the debate (or the part I've seen so far) is seeming to flow smoother. ”
“ President Obama is definitely taking a MUCH more aggressive stance in this debate. After the public and media deemed his first debate's performance lackluster, he's tried to come up with more concrete answers and use better body language/tone of voice. While Vice President Biden was very passionate and aggressive, I think Obama is using the perfect blend of passion, aggression, and politeness. ”
