(bright guitar music) - you're watching teen kids news. i'm veronique. here's this week's top story. (funky music) one of the biggest decisions you have to make in high school is whether to take ap classes. as amelia reports, it's a controversial issue. aps are classes you can take in high school that are taught on the level of a college course. many high schools offer ap classes in subjects like biology, calculus, english literature, music theory, and history, to name a few. the ap in ap classes stands for advanced placement. ntbus sot actually say tha really stands for added pain.- um, they're pretty hard. they're definitely a lot more work,

trying to stay up with them. - probably twice as much and a lot of information to retain when you're studying. so it's difficult. - well, ap classes is definitely a lot more homework. but i mean, for me it wasn't that much of a challenge. you just have to be prepared to know that there's a lot more work. as far the actual like work load it's a lot, but it's nothing that's like, t hard. you just have to make sure you pay attention you're on top of your stuff. - no question about it. ap classes are hard. more is demanded from you,eyre work tha so why t - i think it's a good way to challenge yourself, especially going into, you know, after high school there's college. and that's pretty much a big transition, since it's a heavier workload going into college. so i think it's like a good experience. and then it gets you prepared. - i think that people take ap classes to boost their gpa and to get into a better college. - so that hopefully that you can pass them and not have to take them in college. - well, aps count for college credits, so that's obviously a benefit. and they're just more challenging classes if you're looking for that.

- good point. most experts say the advantages of aps are they challenge you. since ap grades count more than regular grades they could boost your gpa. they may help you to get into a better college. they prepare you for the level of work you need to do in college. and you may save money by getting college credit or scholarships. however, not everyone believes aps are worth it. some say students can become overwhelmed by all the work. then there's the expense. to get credit for aps, you have to take ap tests, and those cost about $100 each. but probably the strongest argument is that some colleges are no longer granting credit for aps. in fact, dartmouth says giving credit towards g ap classes. so are aps worth it? when teen kids news continues, we'll get advice from an expert. we'll be right back. - [announcer] closed captioning is brought to you by.

(bright guitar music) orinui- ng o on the pros and cons of taking ap classes in high school. joining us is a regular guest on teen kids news, rob franek. he's a college prep expert from the princeton review. welcome back - good to be back. thanks for the invitation. - are aps ov - i don't think aps are overrated. in my , therree thinn rtunity mcoakwho aroncause yoswuestionge you challe in high schoo it ou somee cr when you're in school. and three, it could qualify you for better placement when you're actually matriculating into college to get into a more advanced course. - just so we're clear, what's the difference between aps and honors classes? - it's a good question and generally speaking there are just different levels of academic rigor that most high school students get to choose when they're picking their high school courses. regular level courses, advanced or honors level courses,

and ap courses. so ap being the crown and the most competitive for most schools. - can you explain how getting a good grade in an ap class can boost your gpa? - certainly. when thinking about ap courses alone many of them are weighted differently for a typical high school and a high school student's gpa. so let's say, for example, that most high school students in america are given grades on a 4.0 scale. some courses, ap courses might be one of them might be on that 5.0 scale. so they are simply weighted differently because of the rigor of those courses different from an advanced course or a regular level course. - does that mean then, that a student can get a b in an ap class and still have a 4.0 gpa? - absolutely. students can still get a b and have a 4.0 gpa. and i think that that's important but i also think that the most important thing in taking an ap course

or really any of those advanced courses is that it answers that question for admissions counselors and admissions committees. and that question is, did you challenge yourself with rigorous course work in high school? and if you're taking the most rigorous courses, then the answer to that question is always yes. and it will reflect in a very positive light for you on your college application to that school. - can you give us some insight on what an ap test is like? - sure. i mean, ap tests and students that we're broadcasting to now will certainly know this. there are multiple choice questions. some questions are going to be short answer questions. ap exams might have a performance or an art package that students might have to review for that, as well. but generally speaking multiple choice questions and open, short answer questions typically are on the ap exam. - if i want to take aps, how many do you suggest? - that's a good question and one that comes up pretty often. here's the simple answer.

there's no perfect number of ap courses to take. you should never overload yourself with more ap courses than you think that you can handle. - a lot of students think that you can actually save money in college by taking ap courses. is that true? - it's true in part. and there's a couple of ways that ap courses are very attractive. we talked about a couple of them before. advanced placement, so placing out of particular course work once you're enrolling in college. and there's some offset of some credits. but generally speaking students that are full-time enrolled in a college, there's going to be value by way of placement rather than dollars put back in your pocket. - so in your opinion do the pros of taking aps outweigh the cons? - absolutely. ap courses are a coup for students, for all of the reasons that we talked about. it's very attractive from an admission perspective to please that admission counselor and that admission committee. it can also make us as students more attractive to earning scholarship dollars, the grant and merit-based dollars before

that we were talking about based on the academic rigor of our courses. and aps are generally the crowning jewel in that category. - great advice. as always, thanks for speaking with us, rob. you're sort of teen kids news's very own in-house ap guru. - you guys are great and thank you so much. - since getting into the top colleges is so competitive mostno doubt do whatever we can to increase our chances. but if you're only taking aps in hopes of reducing tuition you should first check out which schools will still give credit.en km amelia. - e the grade, an e to build your vocabulary. teen kids news will be right back.

- want to do well in school? my advice is to take all the advice you can get. here's christin with some tips to help you make the grade. - to build your vocabulary you need to persevere. that's today's word, persevere. it means to be constant to a purpose, even in the face of obstacles. here's one way you can persevere in building a great vocabulary. when you encounter a word you don't know, take a moment to look it up. but just looking it up isn't enough. n u need

so add it to your calendar say, a week or two ahead. persevere. p-e-r-s-e-v-e-r-e. when that day rolls around see if you remember what the word means. if you do, congratulations. you've mastered a new word. ou don't remember it, look it up again. and now, make it your word for the day. use it as often as possible. that's a great way to persevere in putting it into your memory. i'm christin persevering towards helping you make the grade. - ever take a close look at your state flag? you should, because you might be surprised at how much you can learn from it. (rhythmic percussion music) - in 1796, tennessee became our 16th state. america now stretched west to the shores of the mississippi river. then in 1812, the united states went to war with britain again.

many tennesseans volunteered to fight for their new country. they were commanded by general and soon to be president andrew jackson. that patriotic spirit earned tennessee its nickname the state. but another 80 years would pass before it got its own state fl - this is one of my favorite flags because it's simple. it uses red, white, and blue ign actually that was submitted dieroy reeves. and the three stars represent the three parts of the state of tennessee. there's western tennessee, between the tennessee and mississippi rivers; there's middle tennessee which is known for the tennessee river and also bluegrass country; and then the great smoky mountains are in the eastern part of tennessee, and that's what the third star is meant to represent. - the design celebrates unity, by enclosing all three stars within a circle. and the red, white and blue colors celebrate tennessee's unity with america. a distinctive blue edging ensures the flag can be easily recognized even on days when there's no breeze

to unfurl it. with flag facts, i'm harry. (bright orchestral music) - they've led the country. how much do you know about them? here's this week's chance for you to guess the president. he was a football star at the university of michigan. he led the country after the first-ever resignation by a president, richard nixon. nixon left office because of a scandal. he forged a nuclear weapons agreement with our cold war rival, the soviet union. and he fought rising prices with a program called whip inflation now, win. so do you know who it was? our 38th president gerald r. ford. he was criticized for making the unpopular decision to pardon president nixon. but though he lost his campaign to stay in office he was praised for healing the country.

with guess the president, i'm luke. this message about drinking and driving is brought to you by the national road safety foundatiounky dance music) - cool party! - what do you guys wanna drink? - can i have a head-on collision with a concussion twist? (brakes squealing) - make mine a fatal accident with no survivors. (brakes squealing) - [girl] and you? - a designated driver, please. you know, just a bottle of water. - awesome. - you're a lifesaver. (bright guitar music) (bright funky music) - we've got to take a quick break but we'll be right back with more teen kids news.

can be lifesaving. that's why knowing first aid is so important. here's a tip from the american red cross. (gentle bright guitar music) - attila the hun, jazz musician tommy dorsey, and the man who wrote the play streetcar named desire, iams. they all had one thing in common, they choked to death. - choking is very common and with the proper training you can learn how to help someone who might be choking. - what is choking? - choking occurs when something gets stuck in your throat. - how do you know if someone's choking? - if they can't make any noise

they can't cough speak, breathe then they're choking. they might even be making the universal choking sign. but it's important to know that if somebody's coughing or making any sort of speaking sound, they're not actug yet.it's just the body trying to get thebject out. - t do we do? - i've brought my friend cami here. she's gonna help us learn what to do if somebody is conscious and choking. so first, i need to make sure she's choking. she's not making any sound. are you choking, cami? she might nod or make a big face at me. i'm gonna tell someone else to call 911 because i wanna make sure help is on the way. and i am going to place one of my arms across her chest and have her bend forward, all the way at the waist. and i'm gonna find a spot right in between her shoulder blades, and give five really forceful back blows right in between the shoulder blades. i'm not actually giving cami back blows because she's not actually choking but in real life it would be really forceful. and if that doesn't work i'm gonna have her stand up. i'm gonna ask her, "can you show me your belly button? "just point to it, perfect." i'm gonna make a fist. thumb side of my fist goes right above her belly button. grab my fist with the other hand

and i'm gonna give five abdominal thrusts to force air underneath the object. it's like a j or a scooping motion when you're actually giving the abdominal thrust. if that doesn't work, i would go back and forth, back and forth between the back blows and abdominal thrusts to try and get the object out until the ambulance arrives. wanna give it a shot? - yeah, sure. - come on over. okay, so we've confirmed she's choking. we've sent someone to call 911. take one of your arms all the way across and have her do what? - bend over for me, please. - great. - and between the shoulder blades-- - right up here, great. and it would be one, two, three, four, five. great, and that didn't work, so stand her up. what do we need to find? - her bellybutton. - great. yes, beautiful. good, and how many? - five.- okay, , two, four, five. great, and hopefully that works. unless, if it doesn't, you keep going until the emts get there.

and how are you feeling now, cami? - a lot better. - choking is no joke. you need to act fast. it's literally a matter of life and breath. for tkn, i'm alexa. - you can find more first aid tips by following the link on our website, teenkidsnews.com. (playful bouncy music) - this is called the starry night. it's one of the most well-known paintings by the dutch artist vincent van gogh. the scene is of the town of saint-remy in the south of france. it might surprise you to learn that when van gogh painted this peaceful scene, his life was anything but peaceful. in fact, van gogh was a patient in an insane asylum in the same town. during his year in the asylum, he painted more than 100 pictures of the area as well as of the asylum itself.

sadly, mental problems dogged van gogh much of his life. he's the artist famous for cutting off part of his ear, supposedly in a fit of depression. so apparently van gogh's nights and days were anything but starry. with art smart, i'm katie. - to snack or not to snack that is the question. (audience applauding) well, actually it's not. but with apologies to shakespeare we really should be asking what are the right snacks? and when should we eat them? most of us already know what the right snacks are. for example, fruits; veggies like carrots; nuts, especially almonds and walnuts; string cheese; and peanut butter. - these types of foods provide you with natural sugars, healthier fats and oils, and they give you some fiber. - be sure to pay attention to portion size. a handful of nuts is healthy. an entire bowl of nuts is, well, nutty, i guess. what you really need to be careful of are processed foods things like candy, chips, and other snacks

that have bad fats and oils as well as hidden sugars. when and why you snack is also important. sometimes we eat just because we're sad, bored, or even angry. - keep your emotions in check. ask yourself, do i really need this snack? am i really hungry? that's what we call eating mindfully. - also, be mindful of going too long without eating. too many of us think we'll be healthier if we skip all snacks. - [margaret] if you're waiting four to six hours without eating a meal, that's probably too long and you're gonna end up over-eating. - snacking is one of life's little rewards. if you're a typical, active teen, there's nothing wrong with snacks. just do it wisely. as shakespeare wrote in julius caesar, "et tu, frute?" actually, he never said that, but he could've. for teen kids news, i'm daniella. (bright funky music)

- learning how to create things with balloons

is a great skill to have. it's also a great way for a teen to make some extra money. sandi masori, america's top balloon expert and author of the diy balloon hat bible, shows us how. so you've said that a great place for a teen to set up to sell balloons is in a public place like a park. what do you think is the best sculpture to make there? - well, i personally love hats. hats are so visual, so colorful, and they become a walking advertisement. - right. - and the thing is being an entrepreneur is not just having the skills to make money but also knowing it's a little bit of marketing, knowing where to go. so a park is a great place. and how do you know if the park is gonna be busy enough? i mean, one, if you've got a good visual when you pull in you can see if there's kids there. but another way to know is if there are if there's an ice cream truck there. or if there's several ice cream trucks there. there's some parks in my area where there are like three or four ice cream trucks because they are so busy so you know thnna be a ton of kids there. and as soon as you make the first balloon and a kid walks away with

it you're gonna draw a crowd. so you might even, you know, call a kid over and make the first one for free. not, not looking for tips or anything like that, because the gonna be your billboard to get you more. so i'm gonna show you just a simple hat, a two balloon hat. really effective but really simple. so we st a fully-inflated balloon. it has a good burp. let some air out, so it's not too tight. and we're gonna put a bubble in the end, and then i'm gonna wrap it around your head. we always wameasure the head of the person we're gonna and then i'm just gonna squeeze and twist. hat i would callick hat, t going up, and then we have the hat. now i'm gonna take a second balloon and i'm just gonna twist make a little ontk or the bubble at the bottomf it. and now i'm gonna spiral these two together just like that and and i'm gonna bring this extra piece here to the back of the hat. i'm gonna make a bubble, and squeeze and twist. and then i'm just gonna nd of bend it a little bit and shape it. an here somethinat's really fast, easy, fun, and will bring your crowd to you.

- cool.e are ess has. they're only limited by your imagination and skill. for teen kids news, i'm emily. - well, that brings teen kids news to an end for this week. thanks for joining us.see you next week. (bright gu) - [announcer] write us at info@teenkidsnews.com. here's a shout-out to pr newswire for including teen kids news on their big screen in times square, new york city.

>> announcer: the following is a paid presentation for star shower laser magic, brought to you by bulbhead. the holidays are coming, and you know the drill. drag out those boxes of tangled lig thtsththe cold.it's a job everyone dreads, and all those lights can cost big bucks, not to mention your electric bill. all chaewyears olagutionary new holiday lighting concept called star shower laser lights. since then, it's become a holiday lighting sensation for millions of homes, replacing the old string lights with something way more spectacular. but wait! this year there's shower laser magic, an exciting new technology featuring moving images that will bring your home to life like never before. santa will be dancing all the way to your chimney, vibrant snowmen will blanket your walls, and stars will have your home glowing with christmas spirit. even choose the traditional laser dot pattern. it's your choice with star shower laser magic. plus, stay tuned and find out

how to get bonus halloween images, like swarming spooky ghosts absolutely free.