1. Vets for Big Animals

Farming is still hugely important in the United States, because farmers produce food for the rest of the nation. But farmers who raise livestock like cows, pigs, sheep and goats are facing a problem that is growing. There aren't enough veterinarians to treat the illnesses and injuries of large farm animals. Most students who get medical training to become vets now prefer to focus on small animals like cats and dogs, and many large-animal vets are getting older and retiring. As a class talk about the different ways veterinarians help animals. Then find a story or photo of an animal in the newspaper. Draw a comic strip showing a veterinarian helping this kind of animal. Share and discuss with classmates.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about issues or topics of interest; writing fluently for multiple purposes; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

2. Proud Parents

The war in Iraq continues to affect thousands of American families. It also is affecting the race for vice president of the United States. Both Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin have sons who will be serving in Iraq. Biden's son Beau is a captain in a Delaware National Guard unit that shipped out last week to train for assignment in Iraq. Palin's son Track is a private first class in a Stryker Brigade Combat Team that has a year-long assignment in northern Iraq. As a class, talk about the challenges faced by soldiers in Iraq and the challenges their families face at home. With the newspaper or the Internet as a resource, research the names of local soldiers or military units assigned in Iraq. Write a letter to the editor of the paper thanking the soldiers for their service. Send letters to the soldiers as well.

Learning Standards: Responding to visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

3. Ike Makes a Find

Nature can do some amazing and unexpected things. Consider Hurricane Ike, which slammed into Texas last month. The wind and water of the huge storm destroyed a woman's beach house on the Gulf of Mexico. But when Dorothy Sisk returned to check the damage, she found that the storm had uncovered a giant fossil tooth. The six-pound tooth, according to scientists who looked at it, appears to be from a mammoth that lived in North America until around 10,000 years ago. Mammoths are ancient relatives of modern elephants. Studying the past can help people understand how life has changed on Earth. With a partner, find a photo of an outdoor scene in the newspaper. Pretend to be a scientist from the future and write down everything you could learn about life today by studying the photo.

Learning Standard: Explaining how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life; generating questions about the world based on observation.

4. Amazing Mammals

Mammals are warm-blooded animals whose bodies are covered with hair and whose mothers feed their young with milk. Some of the most amazing animals in the world are mammals, including lions, tigers, bears and elephants. But mammals are in trouble around the world, and nearly one out of every four may face extinction in the future, according to a world-wide conservation group. In a new report, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature says the cutting of trees in forest habitats is the biggest threat to land species and accidental deaths from fishing activities is the biggest to marine species. In the stories, photos and ads in the newspaper, find examples of five mammals. Make a chart, showing where each lives, what each eats and what are the biggest threats to it in the future. Learning Standard: Describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature, wildlife and the environment; organizing information in charts, graphs and tables.

5. Flashcar Learning

With the holiday season coming, a father and inventor in Pennsylvania wanted to make sure his children got a gift that not only would be fun but would help them learn. So Matthew Chalal came up with a board game called Flashcar, which uses the popularity of race-car driving to help kids build math skills. To compete in Flashcar, players have to answer math problems connected to racing to advance on the board. While competing to finish first, players build skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. With a partner find a story in the sports, business or entertainment sections of the newspaper that involves numbers. Brainstorm an idea for a game based on the numbers in one story. Write out two math problems that could be part of your game.