1. Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the achievements of Hispanic Americans and educates all Americans. It was established by the U.S. Congress to honor Hispanic Americans and runs from September 15 through October 15. The starting date was chosen because it is the day five Latin American countries became independent. The ending date comes just after the Hispanic celebration known as Dia de la Raza (Day of Our Race). Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month as a class by looking through the newspaper to find stories about Hispanic Americans in the news or stories about countries in which Hispanic Americans have roots. Write a complete sentence explaining the news in one story. For more fun, look through the newspaper for places in the community with Hispanic names and talk about how they got them. Learning Standards: Locating and describing the diverse places, cultures and communities of regions; acquiring information from multiple sources.

2. Scary, Scary Night

Nature is beautiful, but it also is powerful. This week a Florida boy and his father are lucky to be alive after learning that lesson the hard way. Twelve-year-old Chris Marino and his father Walter were swept out to sea by powerful currents and survived by treading water to stay afloat for more than 12 hours overnight. The father was found by the U.S. Coast guard eight miles from shore and his son two hours later, one mile from his father. Treading water is a skill swimmers are taught to stay afloat while staying in the same place. As a class, find stories or photos involving nature or weather in the newspaper. Talk about the dangers people could face from nature or weather in the situation. Then talk about things people could do to stay safe. Learning Standards: Responding to visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; analyzing how humans and the environment interact.

3. Super Sharp Satellite

Satellites do amazing things when launched to orbit the Earth. They help signals for cell phones go through, transmit radio and TV programs and take pictures of outer space. Now a new satellite launched from a U.S. Air Force base in California will be able to take super-sharp pictures of the Earth. The GeoEye-1 satellite is so powerful it can show details of an area the size of home plate on a baseball field from more than 400 miles out in space. As a class, talk about inventions that have helped people explore space or help people on Earth from up in space. Then watch for stories about space in the newspaper. Keep a scrapbook of stories and discuss them as a class. Learning Standards: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world contexts; explaining how we learn about the universe.

4. Secrets in the Ice

Global warming is causing changes in the coldest parts of the world. Ocean ice sheets are breaking up at the North and South Poles and icy glaciers are melting on the world's highest mountains. In the European country of Switzerland, a melting glacier is giving scientists a look at items used by people 3,000 to 6,000 years ago. Among the items discovered as the ice melted in the Swiss Alps include leather clothing, a bow, arrows and an unusual birch-bark quiver to hold the arrows. As a class, talk about how the things people use tell scientists about the way they live. Then find 10 things in newspaper ads that you think would tell future scientists important things about the way people live today. Explain your choices. Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about issues or topics of interest; comprehending the past.

5. Season's Over for Brady

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was the NFL's Most Valuable Player last year after throwing for a record 50 touchdowns and leading the Patriots to within one game of a perfect 19-0 record. This year, Brady badly injured his left knee after being hit in his team's opening-game win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Now the Patriots will have to go on without their top star. As a class, talk about things people can do when they lose a leader. Then write the three most important things below.

Learning Standards: Generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious; identifying and explaining how individuals in history demonstrate good character and personal virtue.

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