What was that mysterious place where human skulls stared at passersby through the plate-glass window? Mary and Gloria Navarro asked themselves that question each day as they walked by a shop called "Mama Roots" on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, a working-class section of San Diego. When the 10-year-old twin sisters joined an after-school program aimed at building literacy skills, it gave them a reason to find out about those skulls.

The girls interviewed the shop manager, John Lee, about magic and ghosts and witches. They then wrote a story about the shop and shared it with their classmates. After receiving suggestions to improve the piece, Mary and Gloria rewrote the story (see "View from the Classroom: Student Writers Hone Their Skills"). It turned out much better the second time, Mary says.

The Adams Avenue Newspaper Project teaches grade-school students to explore their community as if they were reporters. While journalism programs have long been used at the secondary-school level, studies show that they can also benefit the teaching and learning of younger students. Editing workshops that teach students to critique each other's work, special guest speakers from local media, and instruction in computerized newspaper design all help enrich the students' journalistic efforts.