Are you opinionated?

Hey Elementary School students:

Are you opinionated? Do you have strong views on what is happening here in Tampa Bay with our sports teams, parks, schools and neighborhoods? Ernest Hooper and Sue Carlton are both local columnists for the St. Petersburg Times. This means they write their opinions about what is happening in Tampa Bay to share with hundreds of thousands of Times’ readers each week. Look for their columns in the “B” section of the Times or search for their columns in the paper’s archives by inputting their names in parenthesis like this: “Sue Carlton” or “Ernest Hooper.” Read a few of their columns to get an idea of the kinds of things they write about then think of an issue you would like them to share. Whether it is a new baseball stadium, the rights of students to hang out at Baywalk, or your concern about the homeless; write your idea for a column in the comments box by clicking the comment bar below. Be sure to give specific details about your column idea and why you think the Times’ readers would want to learn about this issue.

The student who has the best idea for a column will win a “Morty the Blogging Bee” stuffed toy, donated by the local non-profit organization, Charity Works. The “Mortys” will be awarded at the end of each month through May 2009. Ernest Hooper and Sue Carlton will select the column ideas they like best so be sure to think about what they like to write about before you enter your idea in this blog.

At the end of your blog response, make sure you write your first name and last name initial, grade, teacher’s name (from the class where you did the blogging) school and city. It should look like this:

Tammy J., 5th grade
Ms. Fraser’s English class
Williams Elementary School
Tampa

Good luck and keep blogging!

Are you hungry out there?

Hey Elementary School students:

Do you like to cook? Or in the bigger picture, do you like to eat? The St. Petersburg Times’ Food Editor Janet Keeler does a great job sharing recipes and writing about food trends and nutrition for the Times.
This week, be sure to read the Taste section of the Times and look for articles written by Janet. The Taste section comes out every Wednesday but you can access it at any time using the Times’ e-Edition. Select an article written by Janet and write your opinion about what she wrote in this blog by clicking the comment bar below. Explain what you think her recipes might taste like (You can even make one that looks good by yourself or with your family!) and whether or not you agree with her opinions on food.

The student who does the best job blogging about the Taste section in this blog will win a “Morty the Blogging Bee” stuffed toy, donated by the local non-profit organization, Charity Works. The “Mortys” will be awarded at the end of each month through May 2009. Janet Keeler will read all the student blog entries and select the one she likes best as the winner.

At the end of your blog response, make sure you write your first name and last name initial, grade, teacher’s name (from the class where you did the blogging) school and city. It should look like this:

Tammy J., 5th grade
Ms. Fraser’s English class
Williams Elementary School
Tampa

Good luck and keep blogging!

Seen any good movies lately?

Hey Elementary School students:

How would you like to get paid to go to the movies every day? The St. Petersburg Times’ Film Critic Steve Persall watches and writes opinions (called reviews) about most all movies that come to Tampa Bay theaters so our readers will know whether or not to spend their money on a Friday night trip to the theater. Most of the movie reviews come out in Thursday’s Times Weekend section of the paper. Persall has a special section in each Thursday’s Weekend publication called the Family movie guide. This is where he gives a short review of all the G, PG and PG-13 films playing that week. If you don’t have a copy of Thursday’s Times handy, use the e-Edition or the Times’ archive to find last Thursday’s family movie guide. Read each short review carefully and grade the movies you have seen with a school type grade (A+ to F-) just like Steve Persall does. If you disagree with Persall’s judgment on a movie, write a response to him in this blog by clicking the comment bar below. Explain what your favorite character or part of the movie was and feel free to ask him questions about his opinions as well. Be sure to check back later as Mr. Persall has agreed to answer any questions you might have right here on the NIE blog.

The student who does the best job describing a movie in this blog will win a “Morty the Blogging Bee” stuffed toy, donated by the local non-profit organization, Charity Works. The “Mortys” will be awarded at the end of each month through May 2009.

At the end of your blog response, make sure you write your first name and last name initial, grade, teacher’s name (from the class where you did the blogging) school and city. It should look like this:

Tammy J., 5th grade
Ms. Fraser’s English class
Williams Elementary School
Tampa

Good luck and keep blogging!