>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm siena. let's start with our top story for this week. >> this report is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. this is tuckahoe high school. like all high schools across the country, every year, a lot of the students here become new drivers. [ engine revving ] and that causes concern down the block at the william e. cottle elementary school.

and that's why this assistant principal is visiting the 5th-grade classes. >> we have high-school students that drive up and down this street and this neighborhood all the time, right? there's a good chance some of them are driving in the neighborhood while texting or on the phone. okay? and if people who are on the road are texting, what can happen? vincent. >> they can hit you. >> they can hit you, right? >> and that's where the nrsf the national road safety foundation, comes in. they've come up with a clever idea to get high-school students to pay attention to the message that distracted driving is dangerous -- give 5th-graders the assignment to create a presentation that will make an impression on the older students. >> this is a very important assignment, boys and girls. >> but there's one other problem that makes distracted driving near the elementary school particularly dangerous. >> there's no sidewalks.

you have to walk on the road where cars drive. >> they're mostly on the street with their bikes, riding their bikes and walking, so it's so important for drivers to not be distracted. [ up-tempo rock music plays ] >> while the students were given the option of creating a poster, a poem, or an essay, the favorite choice seemed to be the poster. >> well, i'm creating a poster that i hope most kids will like, respect and listen to and realize is important. >> our title is that. "distracted driving is a recipe for disaster." >> distracted driving kills. like, the five seconds it takes to answer a text or a phone call can mean a lifetime to you or somebody else. >> the three best presentations were chosen to present at the high school. >> so, we're very excited about it, the high-school students are excited, and i think there's nothing better than peers to delivering a message. >> hey. good morning, everyone. [ applause ]

we're very happy that we're able to participate in the project. i think it's a great opportunity for high-schoolers to actually get the perspective of a 5th-grader here. in a very short time, they're actually gonna be sitting where you are now. so, i think it's a great idea, and we're gonna start off with two students, franz and hayden. >> we chose to make this "recipes for disaster" because well, we were kind of aiming for it to be almost like a cookbook. >> ingredients for big car crashes are eating while driving, drinking before or while driving, texting while driving, reaching into the back while driving, waving to a friend while driving, or messing with the radio while driving. >> i have a slogan at the top that says, "is the message worth your life?" and that basically means, like even if you look down just for a second, is that one message

really worth, like, your life? and so here i just drew a picture of somebody texting, and it was a red light, and they didn't realize 'cause they were on their phone, and somebody was crossing the street. and then i also wrote another little slogan, and it says "distracted driving is not cool. spread the news around your school." >> what i focused on was rubbernecking, which is basically turning your head away from the road to, say, look at maybe, a deer or road work. >> when you text and drive, it's almost like rubbernecking. you take your eyes off the road. and you can go through the intersection, and you can get into a head-on collision. >> i thought it was really informative. i was so surprised how much they actually knew. like, i never knew what roadnecking -- what was it? >> rubbernecking. >> rubbernecking. i never knew -- i never knew that even existed. >> you know, we're seeing a

different perspective from what high-schoolers know, and it's really cool to see what their idea is and their perspective on it. >> usually, they have the high-schoolers talking to the younger kids about, like, how to drive and what's right and what's wrong, but i think it's good that we were able to, like, listen to what they have to say because they have a voice, too so it was nice that we got to hear their point of view. >> i agree. i think that, you know, having younger kids teach the older kids was interesting, and then it's great to know that they're learning it at a young age. >> i think it's really important for our high-school students to make sure they don't get distracted while driving, 'cause it could cost lives. >> and that, after all, was the intent behind the program -- to get young drivers to recognize the dangers of distracted driving before tragedy happens. for "teen kids news," i'm nicole. >> it's something some kids do on purpose and others do by accident. either way, it can really hurt your grades. i'll tell you what it is in my report.

>> teens are often under a lot of pressure to do well in school, but that doesn't mean it's okay to copy someone else's hard work. teachers call it "plagiarizing," but, as emily reports, you can also call it "cheating." and don't think you won't get caught. >> you've probably heard the word "plagiarize," but what exactly does it mean? >> when you take somebody else's words or ideas and you use them as your own. >> that's exactly right. in fact, the word "plagiarize" comes from the latin word for "kidnap," only instead of stealing a person, modern plagiarizing means stealing someone else's work. now, most of us won't copy another person's work exactly. we know that's cheating. but what if we rearrange things a little? >> everything is changed around just slightly just so you can call it your own piece of work. everybody does it. it doesn't mean it's right or wrong, but it happens. >> it depends how much you change the words around. if you change the words around a

lot and it really sounds different, then it's not. [ record scratches ] >> sorry. rearranging the words does not get you off the hook. unless you're stating something commonly known, an historical or scientific fact, if the information and ideas are not your own, you need to cite the source. to cite, or make a citation, is to state where the idea came from. >> it's certainly okay to get information from books or download information from the internet and put that wording into your own words, but you still need to cite it, so quoting and rephrasing both need to be cited in the same way. >> we talked with a college professor because a survey for the chronicle of higher education says students are arriving on campus with bad habits. college presidents say plagiarism is increasing, and they blame the internet. so much information is available

online that it's where most of us turn first nowadays, whether we're working on 7th-grade homework or a senior project. >> i use the internet to do class research all the time. >> i use it to look up stuff if it's not in the textbook. >> because it's more convenient than books and you don't have to go through a process of a library. >> the experts tell us online research is fine so long as you cite the source of the information just as you would if you took it from a book. keep notes as you go along and don't fall into the "cut and paste" trap, thinking you'll go back and find the sources later. >> a lot of times, what happens is a student hasn't really managed their time properly, so they're in a rush to finish the paper, so they'll forget to cite something or they'll turn some phrases around, using their own language, thinking that that's okay. >> along with taking time to cite your sources, it's a good idea to find out just how your particular teacher wants you to do it. that can vary from class to class and grade to grade.

>> i think in terms of what middle schoolers should do especially, is get into good study habits and not rush things or get things going there at the last minute. >> whether you're plagiarizing on purpose or by mistake, keep in mind that educators are using computers, too. >> just as it's easier for students to inadvertently cheat because of the internet, faculty also can use the internet to catch it. oftentimes, a faculty member will recognize a phrase as a little off, maybe based on who the student is, and they'll simply take that phrase and throw it into google, and they'll realize where that came from. >> plagiarism has probably been around since humans first started writing, though with stone tablets, it took a lot longer. >> do you have your computer set up with a cool screensaver, like a photo montage? sorry, but that screensaver is an energy spender, and a blank

screen is not much better if the power is still on. if we all turned our computers off when we're not using them, it would make a big difference. the government says that could save enough electricity each year to power vermont, new hampshire, and maine. so, a blank screen can be a beautiful thing.

[ bat cracks, crowd cheers ] [ bat cracks ] >> so, way back in the early days of baseball, there was a player named ty cobb. cobb was a very famous center fielder in the early 1900s. he holds the record for the highest lifetime batting average of any player in all of baseball history. his lifetime batting average is .367. that record has stood for nearly 100 years. i'm matt for "teen kids news."

[ patriotic music plays ] >> the medal of honor is the highest award the united states can bestow on a person for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. >> actually, 19 people have received more than one medal of honor. in some cases, it was for the same action, receiving them from both the army and the navy, for example. the most famous case probably, though, is george armstrong custer's brother thomas custer, and he was killed at the battle of little big horn with george armstrong custer. but thomas custer had been a cavalry commander during the civil war, also, and at the end of the war, in two separate actions, he received the medal of honor, which didn't make george too happy, and at

one point, he wrote to his wife that at a formal dinner, tom had shown up wearing both his baubles. >> stay with us. there's a lot more coming up on "teen kids news." we'll be right back.

>> this report is brought to you by a grant from the connecticut tobacco & health trust fund.

>> if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend who smokes, you can do them a huge favor. you can help them to quit. katie tells us how. >> if you don't smoke -- and hopefully you don't -- no doubt you'd like to see your boyfriend or girlfriend kick the habit. >> if i had a boyfriend who smoked, i'd want them to stop because it's really bad for their health, and... >> their breath would be pretty bad. >> they always kind of smell like cigarettes, which is just not something that i would find attractive. >> and it really yellows and like, decays at your teeth which is also pretty gross, and i just wouldn't want to have to be a part of that. >> smoking is really addictive. >> and they'd be spending a lot of money on it, too. >> so, i wouldn't want to kiss anyone that has smoke on their breath... >> 'cause it's disgusting. >> kissing someone who smokes would be like kissing a cigarette. >> like kissing the bottom of a toilet bowl. >> a barbecue or a chimney. >> a smokestack. >> it's like kissing a fireplace. >> something smoky and disgusting. >> the road of a highway.

it's just a lot of nasty materials and things like that. >> so, the question is, how can you get them to quit? to give us a few tips is dr. dana cavallo. she's from the yale school of medicine. hi, doctor. >> hi. thank you for having me. >> our pleasure. you work with high-school students across connecticut. do you find that we can actually help to get a boyfriend or girlfriend to quit? >> absolutely. i think -- i think if you really want to help your boyfriend or girlfriend quit smoking, you can be there for them and encourage them in a gentle way to quit smoking. >> is it best to encourage them to stop all at once or slowly? >> you know, i think that's a great question, but i really think that depends on the smoker. some teens prefer to, you know stop all at once and schedule a date to quit and do it cold turkey. other kids prefer, you know, kind of gradually decreasing their smoking over time. it might be easier with some of the withdrawal symptoms that go along with quitting.

>> okay. so, how do you recommend that we start to help our boyfriend or girlfriend stop smoking? >> well, i think the first thing we need to do is support them through the entire process. it is very helpful to work with them to sort of figure out when they want to quit and how to prepare themselves and their environment for quitting, so certainly, it's helpful to, you know, get rid of all their cigarettes. we call this a search-and-destroy mission. helping them sort of, you know announce to everyone -- let all their friends know that they're quitting smoking so that people can be there to sort of praise them through their efforts and keep encouraging them. accompanying them to smoke-free activities is important. smokers tend to hang out with other smokers, so maybe helping them to go to places where you can't smoke or doing activities or hobbies that, you know, are smoke-free. >> should you encourage them to

use those gums or patches that drugstores sell? >> nicotine replacement therapy like the nicotine gum or patch are not sold over the counter to anybody under the age of 18, so i would suggest that your friend talk to their doctor or another health professional if they want to discuss medication options. >> i understand that there are certain situations that are more likely to make someone who's trying to quit want to smoke. what can we do about that? >> yes. there are what we call high-risk situations that might make a smoker want to smoke. they tend to associate certain people or places, things feelings with smoking. so, as a friend, you can sort of encourage that friend to avoid some of those situations -- maybe not hang out with other smokers, especially in the beginning of the quit process, talking them through an urge helping them, when they're

stressed, to find new ways to kind of cope with stress other than lighting up a cigarette. i think that's -- i think that stuff's really important in helping a person get through those triggers or those high-risk situations. >> but how do we avoid being nags? >> [ chuckles ] well, no smoker likes to be harassed about their smoking and it's frustrating for them to hear people sort of giving them a hard time about their smoking, so the best thing you can do as a friend is to be positive encourage your friend in a gentle way, point out the positive attributes that you've noticed form them quitting smoking, like how they smell good or how they look healthy or how they have more money to spend on some fun activities. so, really staying positive and not being harsh. quitting smoking is really tough, and it might take multiple attempts to quit, so kind of being there and just -- every day they go without smoking is a day working towards

their goal to quit. >> great advice. thanks, dr. cavallo. >> you're welcome. thank you. >> remember, research shows that 85% of teens who smoke have thought about quitting, so you'll be helping them to do a good thing.

this video was submitted by a student through the teens dive smart program. for more information on teen safety visit ensdrivesmart.com. >> in latin, "ante" means "before." "bellum" means "war." put them together, and you get a word that describes a unique time in american history -- the years before the civil war. as lauren reports, not everything from those days is gone with the wind. >> the great antebellum homes of historic savannah, georgia evoke memories of genteel southern life, yet these stately structures came very close to being destroyed not once but twice. the first time was during the civil war. after burning atlanta, general sherman began his famous march to the sea. the story goes that when he

reached savannah, sherman was so taken by the city's beauty, he spared it. the second time these homes came close to destruction was during the 1900s. developers began tearing them down for parking lots and new buildings. but seven women banded together and formed the historic savannah foundation. not only did it save the homes it helped create one of the largest national landmark districts in the nation. savannah was georgia's first city. it was founded in 1733 by james oglethorpe for king george ii of england. oglethorpe was a visionary. he designed america's first planned city around 24 large open squares with their giant oaks and hanging spanish moss. but he was also a realist. the general made the streets between the squares wide enough to accommodate an army. this way, soldiers could be moved quickly from one part of town to another. during the american revolution

three black soldiers from haiti fought here alongside the americans and french against the british. this monument honors revolutionary war hero general pulaski, who died during the battle of savannah. cotton made savannah wealthy. in fact, eli whitney developed his cotton gin just outside of town. until the civil war, savannah was a major port for the slave trade. today river street is crowded with tourists and shoppers. you can ride the trolley or book a seat on an old-fashioned riverboat. the pirates' house has been a meeting place for seafarers since the mid-1700s. the founder of the girl scouts juliette gordon low, was born here. because of a yellow fever epidemic in the early 1800s, many homes were built with unusual outer stairs. people believed that by raising the first floor, they'd be breathing cleaner, safer air.

as we now know, yellow fever isn't carried by bad air but by mosquitoes. even the cemetery is picturesque, in an eerie way. there are tombstones dating back to colonial times. this was also a popular place to hold duels. many of the losers are buried here. in the late 1800s, fire destroyed the cathedral of st. john the baptist. only the exterior walls and twin spires survived. but the church was quickly restored to breathtaking splendor. savannah's home to the nation's oldest black baptist congregation, as well as one of the oldest jewish congregations. the organist at this church wrote a song for thanksgiving. it was an instant hit, and we still sing it today, but at christmastime. the song is "jingle bells," though it's hard to imagine sleighs dashing through the snow in steamy savannah.

for "teen kids news," i'm lauren. >> that wraps up our show, but we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." thanks for joining us, and have a great week. >> here's a shout-out to pr newswire for including "teen kids news" on their big screen in times square new york city.

adventures brought to youy seaworldnd busch gardens. for more than 40 years working to preserve the world were. it's "puppy night"-- one step on a long road that leads to something special-- a canine companion for independence. hi everyone, i'm jack hanna