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Arts

Face of Courage

November 6, 2017

JACOB TREMBLAY has some advice for kids who are bullied. “Kill them with kindness,” Jacob told TFK. “And if that doesn’t work, just ignore them.” The 11-year-old plays Auggie, a fifth grader who has had many surgeries on his face,…

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Business

Super Business Girl

November 3, 2017

ASIA NEWSON starts each weekday at 5:00 a.m. First, the 14-year-old helps her sister get ready for school. Then she eats breakfast and hops on a school bus in Detroit, Michigan, her hometown. After school, Asia stays for dance or…

United States

The Homework Debate

October 30, 2017

In July 2017, families in Marion County, Florida, got some surprising news about the school year ahead. “Traditional homework as we know it will disappear, at least for elementary students,” school superintendent Heidi Maier said in a voice message to…

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United States

Do Kids Need Homework?

October 30, 2017

Should elementary schools assign homework? TFK asked two experts to weigh in. Janine Bempechat is a professor of human development and psychology at Wheelock College, in Massachusetts. She studies kids’ motivation for learning. Below, she explains why homework serves an…

Technology

Game Changer

October 30, 2017

In Chris Aviles’s fifth-grade Innovation Lab, at Knollwood School, in Fair Haven, New Jersey, students have three options. They can create and edit videos, work on a podcast, or play a video game. Most kids choose the game. It’s Minecraft:…

World

TFK Explains: Spain

October 30, 2017

In October, people in Catalonia, a region of Spain, voted to secede. Here’s what you need to know. What is Catalonia? Spain is a country in Europe that is made up of 17 regions. Catalonia is one of these regions.…

Arts

New Destinations

October 29, 2017

Author Jeff Kinney likes to make people laugh. He kept that goal in mind while he was writing his latest book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway. The story features more antics of middle schooler Greg Heffley and his…

Time Off

Super Business Girl

October 29, 2017

ASIA NEWSON starts each weekday at 5:00 a.m. First, the 14-year-old helps her sister get ready for school. Then she eats breakfast and hops on a school bus in Detroit, Michigan, her hometown. After school, Asia stays for dance or…

World

A Test of Tolerance

October 27, 2017

On any given day, a train carrying immigrants arrives at the station in Malmö, Sweden. The people who get off do not speak Swedish or share the country’s customs. But they hope to make Sweden their home. Since 2013, hundreds…

Technology

Bodybuilding

October 23, 2017

In 2013, at 27, farmer Jake Hubbard of Chana, Illinois, lost his left hand in an accident. Recently, a group of eighth graders at nearby Rochelle Middle School came to his aid. As part of a STEM project, they helped…

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Technology

Emoji Evolution

October 23, 2017

Do you speak emoji? If you use a smartphone, the answer is probably yes. Emoji is a visual language capable of expressing all kinds of ideas and feelings. Are you mad, sad, or happy? There are faces that convey those…

Video

Health

The Benefits of Exercise

October 23, 2017

It comes as no surprise that exercise is good for your health. Experts have long cited studies that show positive changes happen to your body before, during, and after a workout. But recent research reveals more detail about the benefits…

United States

Boy Scouts to Welcome Girls

October 23, 2017

The Boy Scouts of America announced on October 11 that it will admit girls. Starting next year, girls in grades 1 to 5 will be able to join Cub Scout dens. The dens will be separated by gender. Each Cub…

Time Off

A Ghostly Tale

October 23, 2017

Want a bone-chilling Halloween read? Grab a flashlight and curl up with Olive and the Backstage Ghost, by MICHELLE SCHUSTERMAN. The creepy tale gives new meaning to the term stage fright. The main character, Olive Preiss, can’t perform when her…

Time Off

Haunts for Halloween

October 23, 2017

Author WILLIAM ALEXANDER loves reading ghost stories. He won the National Book Award for his first novel, Goblin Secrets. His new one, A Properly Unhaunted Place, tells another spooky tale. But it’s also about friendship, courage, and history. In the story,…

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Out of This World!

October 20, 2017

Astronaut SCOTT KELLY spent a year aboard the International Space Station without gravity, fresh air, or family. He endured physical and mental challenges to help scientists study the health impacts of long-term space travel. In his new book, My…

United States

California Fires

October 18, 2017

A state of emergency was declared in California last week, after more than a dozen wildfires broke out in the state. Most of the fires began on October 8, in Northern California. They grew rapidly, fueled by winds of up…

Technology

Building a Smart Kitchen

October 18, 2017

When it comes to getting help at home, people are putting technology to work. Robots have already taken over many of the tasks that most people consider a chore. A battery-powered robot can vacuum your floors. A robot can clean…

World

Troubled Waters

October 17, 2017

Plastic can be found in almost everything. That includes toys, food containers, and car parts. Most plastic can—and should—be recycled. Instead, it often is thrown away. Much of this plastic trash ends up in the oceans. It gets there mainly…

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Business

Sports Inc.

October 16, 2017

Joey Erace knocks pitch after pitch into the netting of his $15,000 backyard batting cage in southern New Jersey. His private hitting coach tells him to shorten his stride. The coach is charging $100 for this hour-long evening batting practice.…

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