1. Shipwrecks! Pirates! Arrrrrgh!

Science and technology have changed almost everything people do. So it’s no surprise to learn that they have changed the way adventurers search for shipwrecks and treasure. A company called Odyssey Marine Exploration has won world-wide fame for using new tools of technology to find and recover treasure from old shipwrecks. Now the company’s work is on display at the Detroit Science Center in Michigan as part of a national tour of an exhibit called “Shipwreck! Pirates & Treasure.” As a class, talk about ways people could use high-tech devices to recover treasure from shipwrecks. Then find high-tech items in the ads of the newspaper. Talk about what each does and how it is an improvement on how things were done before.

Learning Standards: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world-contexts; generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious.

2. Old Gold

Speaking of treasure, a gold necklace has been found in South America that scientists believe is the earliest gold jewelry made in the Americas. The necklace, believed to be nearly 4,000 years old, was found in a burial site near Lake Titicaca in southern Peru. As a class, talk about how scientists study places where people lived long ago to learn about their customs or lifestyles. Then pick a partner and go through today’s newspaper. List 10 things in ads, photos and stories that would tell future scientists how Americans live today. Explain your choices to the class. Learning Standard: Responding to a variety of written, visual and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others.

3. Silent Spring

On April 13, 1962, a woman named Rachel Carson released a book that became famous called "Silent Spring." This book explained how chemicals used to kill insects endangered birds, wildlife and the environment. The effect of the book was so great in America that some say it was the start of the nation’s environmental movement. As a class, read an article in this week's newspaper about a way in which human actions have affected the environment. Then design a poster explaining the situation to others.

Learning Standard: Describing ways in which humans alter the environment; showing how science concepts can be interpreted through creative expression such as language arts and fine arts.

4. Family Camp

When spring arrives, many families start thinking about summer camps that children could attend. But how many think about camp the WHOLE FAMILY could attend? Lots, according to the American Camp Association. Family camp programs have more than doubled in the United States in the last 15 years, the ACA reports, and now about one in every four camps offers programs in which parents can go to camp with their kids. As a class, talk about whether you think going to camp with your family would be fun. Then draw a comic strip for the newspaper showing what it would be like if your family went to summer camp together! Learning Standards: Using the craft of the illustrator to formulate and express ideas artistically; engaging each other in conversations that attempt to clarify issues.

5. Know, Wonder and Learn Some More

The best way to build reading and learning skills is to repeat activities that make you stronger. The Know, Wonder and Learn approach is an example of this. With this approach you ask yourself questions every time you read something. First you ask what you already KNOW about the subject. Then you ask what you WONDER or WANT TO KNOW about the subject. Then you read and ask what you have LEARNED about the subject. Practice this approach with the entertainment section of the newspaper. Find a story about a person or subject that interests you. Discuss or write out what you already KNOW about the subject. Then discuss or write what you WONDER or WANT TO KNOW about the subject. Read the story and discuss or write what you LEARNED about the subject by reading.

Learning Standard: Making connections between key ideas in texts and students' own lives; acquiring information from multiple sources and then evaluating, organizing and communicating it.