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Health

Bug Off

May 23, 2018

For many Americans, spring and summer mean more time outdoors­—and lots of bugs. In fact, diseases spread by insect bites have tripled in the United States in recent years. That’s according to a new report by the Centers for Disease…

Video
Prince Harry Marries Meghan Markle

World

The Royal Wedding

May 21, 2018

Millions of people around the world watched the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19. The ceremony was held at St. George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England. Markle made headlines when she walked down the…

Time Off

Girl on a Mission

May 18, 2018

At the start of Amal Unbound, a new novel by Aisha Saeed, 12-year-old Amal is content with her life in Pakistan. She loves learning and dreams of being a teacher when she grows up. But Amal’s dreams are crushed when…

Health

Wiping Out Trans Fats

May 16, 2018

On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a plan to rid the world’s food supply of trans fats. These unhealthy substances have been linked to chronic illness. The WHO is a United Nations agency that works to promote good…

World

Preparing for Peace

May 14, 2018

The United States and North Korea are preparing for historic peace talks. The talks will take place next month in Singapore. President Donald Trump will meet with the North Korean leader. His name is Kim Jong-un. It will be the…

Video

Time Off

Bringing History to Life

May 11, 2018

Who was Albert Einstein? Or Amelia Earhart? What about Joan of Arc? You can learn all about these and other historical figures in a new series on Netflix: The Who Was? Show. The sketch-comedy series premieres on May 11. It’s…

Environment

An Epic Eruption

May 9, 2018

On May 3, Hawaii’s Big Island experienced a major volcanic explosion. The volcano Kilauea pushed lava and toxic gas from its vents and opened fissures, or cracks, beneath a nearby residential neighborhood. On May 4, the seismic activity caused a…

Video

Science

The Science of Summer Fun

April 30, 2018

Walk up a set of stairs. Sit in a pool of rushing water, and look down at the slide before you. Push off— whoosh! —and let gravity take it from there. This year, more than 85 million people around the…

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Spanish

United States

A Plan for Parks

April 27, 2018

The National Park Service (NPS) has backed down from a controversial plan. It has decided not to double admission prices at 17 popular national parks. Instead, it will raise fees by $5 at 117 parks across the United States. In November, the NPS announced that it…

Arts

8 Questions for Amanda Gorman

April 27, 2018

In 2017, Amanda Gorman, then 19, was named the first National Youth Poet Laureate. She spoke with TFK’s Brian McGrath about how poetry can give voice to a new generation of leaders. Has poetry always been a part of your…

World

A Prince is Born

April 27, 2018

Britain’s royal family has a new member. Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, welcomed their third child on April 23. The couple presented the baby to photographers just seven hours after his birth. Prince William said they…

World

End of a Dynasty

April 27, 2018

For the first time in almost 60 years, Cubans will have a president who is not a member of the Castro family. President Raúl Castro (above, right) formally stepped down on April 19 and the Cuban government appointed Miguel Díaz-Canel…

Time Off

All in the Family

April 27, 2018

Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in theaters on June 15. In Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Elastigirl is busy fighting crime while Mr. Incredible takes care of their kids, Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack. Life isn’t easy for the family,…

Time Off

Unfinished Business

April 27, 2018

In 2013, Gennifer Choldenko published the third book in her Tales from Alcatraz trilogy. At the time, she thought she was finished with the series. It tells the story of Moose, the son of a guard at the prison on…

United States

Cactuses at Risk

April 20, 2018

The sun goes down and a truck pulls up to a giant saguaro (sa- wah -ro) in the Sonoran Desert. Poachers wearing protective gloves step out. They dig up the cactus, wrap it in a carpet, and drive away. Cactuses…

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Spanish

Community

Inspiring Educators

April 20, 2018

This year, Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 7 to 11. To celebrate, TFK asked five successful people to write about one of their most memorable and inspiring teachers. Bill Gates Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates uses his wealth to help…

Time Off

Liar, Liar

April 19, 2018

Can you tell when someone is lying? Pants on Fire is a new podcast game show by Gen-Z Media that puts listeners’ truth-detecting skills to the test. In each episode, kid contestants are asked to decide which of two “experts”…

Time Off

Rhyming in the Ring

April 19, 2018

Knockout, by K.A. Holt, is about a boy named Levi. As a baby, Levi suffered from a medical condition that made it hard for him to breathe. Now a seventh grader, Levi has recovered but still feels trapped. His dad…

Business

TFK Explains: The Facebook Data Breach

April 13, 2018

What exactly happened? In 2014, a political data company based in the United Kingdom 
gained access to personal information about Facebook users. The company, Cambridge Analytica, used that information to get to know many American voters. Its purpose was to…

Time Off

The Key to Creativity

April 13, 2018

Where does creativity come from? And what does it look like? These are the questions Colby Sharp, a fourth-grade teacher in Michigan, wanted to help his students answer. “I realized that ideas can come at any time and can take…