Oh no! Frogs are going extinct!

Did you know that because of a certain fungus the Earth's population of frogs is facing extinction? Just like the dinosaurs, frogs may one day no longer exist. The fungus is called the chytrid fungus and feeds on keratin, which is a part of the skin that makes it sturdy and tough. Scientists believe that a third of the Earth's population of frogs may face extinction, and some species have already been wiped out. Currently there is no effective treatment for the fungus, but scientists are working hard to help the frogs.

Our first BINGO Luncheon!

Yesterday three students were invited to the first BINGO luncheon of the year for getting a BINGO on their reading cards. In Ms. Lipsky's class we have a Reading BINGO card where every square is a different genre, or type, of book. The three students that made it each read at least five books from different authors, and on different subjects. One student read four books that had won Newbery Awards! We ate lunch outside in the beautiful sunny, yet breezy weather and enjoyed orange and blue cupcakes. :) Will you be invited to the next BINGO Luncheon?

Recent Space Discovery

Last week scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) discovered a giant ring around Saturn. The ring is made up of ice and dust particles and is -316 degrees Fahrenheit. That's realllly cold! The ring starts about 3.7 million miles from Saturn, and extends another 7.4 million miles. "The newly found ring is so huge it would take 1 billion Earths to fill it," a JPL scientist said. No one had ever looked at Saturn with an infrared telescope until now, so they were never able to see it. The discovery of the "super-sized" ring may answer questions about Saturn's moons and their dark spots.

In the picture (which is an artist's interpretation of what the ring looks like) you can see the huge ring tilted around the planet Saturn. The inset (the picture in the circle) shows an enlarged Saturn.

Comment with your thoughts:

1. What do you think of this new discovery?

2. Think about the main idea of this article and write a new title.

3. What was the author's purpose of this article?