© 2014 Universal Uclick It’s a Kick! from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick The World Meets in This month, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ will kick off in Brazil. To celebrate this international sporting event, The Mini Page explores the historic soccer tournament and this year’s host nation. photo by Charles J. Sharp What The Iguazu Falls are formed by the Iguazu River on the border of Brazil and Argentina. is FIFA? Depending on the river’s water level, the FIFA (FEE-fah) is a French number of waterfalls it creates can vary acronym for the International between 150 and 300. Federation of Association Football. What It is the organization in charge of Americans the World Cup and other international soccer tournaments. There are 209 call “soccer” “associations” that make up FIFA, is called

each representing a different photo by Klaus with K “football” in country’s national soccer team. other parts FIFA was founded in 1904, The Christ the Redeemer statue on and its headquarters are in Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro is of the world. Zurich, Switzerland. one of the most famous monuments in American photo credit 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa the world. Towering almost 100 feet tall, it was completed in 1931 after nine years of football is a much different sport. How construction. many differences can you think of? The road to Brazil Getting organized CONCACAF teams advanced to the The FIFA World Cup is held once FIFA organizes members into six FIFA World Cup through qualifying: every four years and includes 32 confederations, or groups. Each the United States, Mexico, Honduras qualifying teams. Brazil’s team was an confederation is made up of teams and El Salvador. automatic qualifier because it is the from the same region of the world and Since 1930, 76 teams have appeared host nation. hosts a tournament to determine which in the World Cup, and each tournament The other 31 teams advanced teams qualify for the FIFA World Cup. has had at least one new participant. through FIFA World Cup Qualifying, For example, CONCACAF (KON-ka- This year, Bosnia and Herzegovina a series of tournaments and playoff kaf) is the confederation that includes makes its first appearance. matches that began in June 2011 and 35 teams from North America, Central Brazil is the only team to appear in ended in November 2013. America and the Caribbean. Four all 20 FIFA World Cup tournaments. from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Get Ready to Play The FIFA World 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Groups Meet Fuleco™ Cup™ has two stages, or parts: group play and knockout play. A B C In group play, each team plays the other Brazil Spain Colombia

three teams in its Image Courtesy of FIFA Croatia Netherlands Greece assigned group. If a team wins, it Mexico Chile Ivory Coast receives three points; a draw, or a tie, Cameroon Australia Japan The official mascot is awarded one point. The two teams for the tournament with the most points in each group is Fuleco™, a D E F three-banded then advance to the knockout stage, armadillo native where a loss means elimination. Uruguay Switzerland Argentina to Brazil. This Image Courtesy of FIFA Team USA is in Group G. Its Costa Rica Ecuador Bosnia and species of armadillo is schedule for group play is: England France Herzegovina found in a small area of eastern Brazil just Iran Monday, June 16 Italy Honduras south of the equator, and has suffered • Germany vs. Portugal Nigeria from loss of habitat. Its primary foods are ants and termites. • Ghana vs. USA G H • First match: Thursday, Remember Rio! Saturday, June 21 June 12 • Germany vs. Ghana Germany Belgium Rio de Janeiro will host seven Portugal Algeria • Final match: Sunday, June 22 Sunday, matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Ghana Russia • USA vs. Portugal July 13 including the championship game. In USA Korea • Total two years, Rio will also host the 2016 Thursday, June 26 Republic matches: 64 Summer Olympics. These will be the • Portugal vs. Ghana Will you watch the FIFA World Cup? Check first Olympic Games ever to be held • USA vs. Germany your newspaper to find out where to watch. on the continent of South America.

from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick TM FIFA World Cup™ Ready Resources C U P A E S E U G U T R O P E The Mini Page provides ideas for L B L F K W Q U A L I F Y A G websites, books or other resources that will Basset L R A I N F O R E S T Z E M R Brown’s help you learn more about this week’s topics. A A M F O P Y R P U O R G A A On the Web: Try B Z S O C C E R L J V E A Z H • usyouthsoccer.org T I G C K K W A R D S V T O C • bit.ly/1rWS67x ’n’ O L S U O N E G I D N I S N S At the library: Find O X L W U B M A E T V R W J I • “The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Kids’ F N O I T A R E D E F N O C D Handbook” by Carlton Books Words that remind us of the FIFA World Cup are hidden in the block below. • “The Everything Kids’ Soccer Book” by Deborah W. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: AMAZON, BRAZIL, CONFEDERATION, CUP, DISCHARGE, Crisfield DRAW, FIFA, FOOTBALL, GROUP, INDIGENOUS, KNOCKOUT, PORTUGUESE, • “Soccer” by Hugh Hornby QUALIFY, RAIN FOREST, RIVER, SOCCER, STAGE, TEAM, WORLD. 23-3 (14); release dates: June 7-13 TM ™ Mini Spy Rookie Cookie’s Recipe Mini Spy and her friends are playing soccer. Cherry and Banana Pudding See if you can find: q word MINI q ice cream cone You’ll need: q ruler q bell q doughnut q ring • 1 small box instant vanilla pudding • vanilla wafers • 2 cups milk • 3 bananas, sliced q golf club q pillow q tooth q net • 1 (8-ounce) container low-fat sour cream q pencil q kite q number 7 q bird • 1 (12-ounce) carton non-dairy whipped topping q hourglass q question mark • 1 jar maraschino cherries, drained What to do: 1. In a large bowl, combine the pudding and milk. 2. Add the sour cream, non-dairy whipped topping and cherries. 3. Layer the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass casserole dish with vanilla wafers and then banana slices. 4. Pour pudding mixture on top and spread evenly. 5. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour and then serve. Makes 8 servings.

You will need an adult’s help with this recipe. from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Meet Lisa Loeb Lisa Loeb is a singer, songwriter and children’s book author. Her most recent children’s book-CD combination is “Lisa Loeb’s Songs for Movin’ and Shakin’.” Lisa has acted in several TV shows and movies. She has been the voice actor of Milli the Microphone in the Disney Channel series “Doc McStuffins” and Princess Winger in the Disney

photo by Justine Ungaro Junior series “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.” Lisa, 46, was born in Maryland and grew up in Dallas, Texas. In college, she joined with singer Elizabeth Mitchell in the musical group Liz and Lisa. They later joined forces to create a children’s book-CD combination, “Catch the Moon.” Lisa now lives in Los Angeles. She started the Camp Lisa Foundation to help kids go to camp.

from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick

from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Standards Spotlight: TM Mighty The World Meets in Brazil Funny’s Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each Mini Jokes week we identify­ standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer All the following jokes have something in common. Can you activities that will help your students reach them. guess the common theme or category? This week’s standards: • Students understand the human and physical characteristics of places. Lillith: What is a chauffeur’s favorite (Geography: Places and Regions) • Students understand that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, beverage? challenge, self-expression and social interaction. (Physical Education) Leslie: Limo-nade! Activities: 1. Use newspaper pictures and words to make a poster announcing the FIFA World Cup™. Luna: What player on a baseball team pours 2. In your newspaper, circle pictures of items that could help athletes train for the lemonade? FIFA World Cup™. Larry: The pitcher! 3. Find three newspaper stories about countries in South America. 4. How are these important to Brazil: (a) Summer Olympics, (b) Portugal, (c) rain forests and (d) the three-banded armadillo? Laurie: Which lemon buys things at an 5. Plan a trip to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup™. List the places you would visit. Find at least five items in the newspaper you would take with you. auction? (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) Lulu: The highest “bitter”! from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Discovering Brazil

Brazil is South America’s largest Brazil was selected as nation — and the fifth-largest the host site for the 2014 country in the world. It also ranks FIFA World Cup™ on Oct. fifth in population, with more than 30, 2007. This is the fourth FIFIA 200 million people. World Cup™ to be held Experts believe that indigenous in South America, and (in-DIH-jih-nus), or native, tribes the first since 1978. lived in Brazil as far back as 10,000 Brazil also hosted the years ago. Some of the oldest pottery tournament in 1950. The 12 host cities for the ever discovered in the Western tournament matches are: Hemisphere was found near the • Belo Horizonte Amazon River. It dates back some • Brasilia 8,000 years, making it nearly twice • Cuiaba as old as the Egyptian pyramids. • Curitiba Several dozen “uncontacted” native • Fortaleza tribes still live in Brazil, mostly • Manaus deep in the densely forested regions. • Natal These groups still live as they have • Porto Alegre for centuries, without technology or • Recife knowledge of the outside world. • Rio de Janeiro • Salvador • Sao Paulo The Amazon River The rain forest Brazil is perhaps most famous The Amazon rain for two of its natural wonders: the forest would cover Amazon River and the Amazon rain most of the lower

photo by Oscar Pereira da Silva forest. 48 U.S. states. It Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvarez Cabral The Amazon River is the second- stretches into parts arrived off the coast of present-day Brazil longest river in the world by length of nine nations, on April 22, 1500. He claimed the land for — only the Nile River in Africa is though most of it his home country and is often credited longer. However, it is the largest is located in Brazil. with discovering South America. river by discharge, or the amount It is home to an estimated 40,000 Portugal’s influence of water it carries to the ocean. The species of plants and trees and Brazil was claimed as a colony by Amazon carries more than 55 million millions of animal species — more Portugal, a relatively small European gallons of water to the Atlantic Ocean than 90 percent of which are insects! nation famous for its explorers and every second! sailors. As a result, Brazilians primarily The Mini Page thanks the Federation speak Portuguese — not Spanish, as do Next week, The Mini Page is about Internationale de Football Association most other South Americans. orangutans who get some new toys! (FIFA) for help with this issue. The Mini Page Staff Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist