I'm a crayon fan too and spooned up a Washington Times article, "A Box of Possibilities," like it was Ben and Jerry's, all the while thinking of my students.

I am always prowling for newspaper articles to use with my middle schoolers. "You're reading what adults read," I tell them. I don't mention most newspapers are written on a sixth- to eighth-grade level, but even given that fact, my students read two or more years below so it's still a feather in their caps banned by our dress code.

The Powers That Be recently purchased each middle school a program authored by an internationally known literacy expert. The cost per set is several thousand dollars and consists of manuals, novels, novel guides and CD tapes of novels. I look forward to using it but I know novel-use is but one component of a best-practice literacy program.

My favorite component occurs every Friday and costs are minimum. I select a newspaper article to use with my students. "Python swallows alligator" and "Disney motto saves dad, son, lost at sea" are two examples. I choose articles based on human interest, or rather middle-school interest, but that is the iceberg's tip. Articles are nonfiction, authentic and timely. They become engaging platforms for the teaching of prediction, inference, main idea, fix-up strategies, vocabulary, geography. I think aloud as I read them to my students, sharing what goes on in my brain, or provide needed front loading so students can read them independently. I believe in the value of what I am doing.

Come in, the bell has rung. Go to the table and pick up a box of crayons. Yes, there's one box for each of you. Staples had them on sale for 49 cents each. Open it up, close your eyes, breathe deeply. O'deau Crayon is third scent most recognized by American adults. What does it make you think of? During pre-reading activities my students' answer: "Gross." "Waxy." "Bad." "Feet." "Candles."

Do you remember your first box of crayons, I ask? My girls get stars. "I got them in kindergarten." "I colored a heart." "I colored 'pitchers' for my mom."

The boys' answers were way outside the lines. "I ate them." (We discover and discuss the word nontoxic on the box.) "I stuck it up my nose." "I threw them." Fourth period was not an anomaly. Ninth period: "I broke them." "I colored on the wall," said Stedman as he proceeded to strip the paper off one crayon after another. The answers I anticipate are rarely rewarded; I love this job.

We continue to make connections. Ahsatan had crayons in Ethiopia. We find his birthplace on the map. Ditto for Lewis who colored with them in Mexico. We learn the word iconic. We learn each beautiful color is written in three languages. Abigail's eyes sparkle as the words escarlata and ceruleo and rosado clavel roll from her like Harold's purple crayon on white paper.

We make predictions. How long have crayons been around? How much did the first box cost? What are they made of? When the time came, these kids were bursting out of their wrappers to read. "I was right," shouted Raul. "The first box of crayons cost a nickel."

A Washington public charter school teacher quoted in the article said, "I get goose bumps remembering a crayon drawing I did in kindergarten. I thought I had made a mistake but the teacher said, 'No, that is OK.' I had taken a crayon and tried to color over it so I took scissors to scrape the color off." To check my students' reading comprehension, they had to recreate the "mistake." Stedman's was a rainbow masterpiece. Denzil had to reread to complete the task.

That's a typical Friday. I follow the article up by reading "Harold and the Purple Crayon" by Crockett Johnson to these kids, a book they could read themselves but so many of them weren't read to as tots. The next day I turn the article into test preparation questions, a necessary deed to prepare students for the state reading test. One question not included was : What is the main idea of the article? a) entertain readers with kindergarten memories, b) provide information on an iconic toy, c) promote authentic text, or d) maintain high reading expectations.

All of the above, wouldn't you agree?