1. Cast Your Cookies

In less than three weeks, the nation will vote to choose a new president. Until then, everyone wants to know who will win -- Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama. The answer may be found in cookies. Bakeries in 22 states are offering cookies with pictures of Obama, McCain, Democrats and Republicans and asking customers to cast their votes by buying the candidate or party they support. Results in the 2008 National Cookie Poll are added up each Friday by the Retail Bakers of America group, and posted on the Internet at 1-800Bakery.com. As a class, follow the news about the election in the newspaper this week and talk about what people should look for in choosing a president. Finish by taking a secret, written vote for president. Add up the results and show the votes as a bar graph.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; presenting and organizing information in maps, graphs, charts or timelines.

2. Cyclones on Saturn

With its beautiful rings, the planet Saturn is the most spectacular in Earth's solar system. Now scientists from America's NASA space agency have discovered new spectacular features. Pictures sent from the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn show giant cyclone storms swirling on Saturn's north and south poles. The cyclones are "hundreds of times stronger" than hurricanes on Earth, scientists say, and probably were caused by huge thunderstorms in Saturn's atmosphere. As a class, talk about things scientists can learn by studying the planets that orbit with the Earth around our sun. Then use the newspaper and the Internet to find a story about a space mission. Draw a cartoon or comic strip showing what scientists hope to learn with this space mission.

Learning Standards: Understanding the nature of scientific inquiry; explaining how we learn about the universe; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

3. Really Old Tracks

Fossils are always teaching people new things about life on Earth. A new discovery in the state of Nevada has revealed that living things walked on legs 30 million years earlier than scientists believed in the past. Fossil footprints in Nevada of what is believed to be a centipede or legged worm date back 570 million years, an Ohio State University professor reported this month to the Geological Society of America. That would mean more advanced life forms developed on Earth at least 30 million years earlier that scientists had thought. In teams or as a class, find a story about another scientific discovery in the newspaper. Talk about it and write a sentence describing what is most important or interesting about the discovery.

Learning Standards: Explaining how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life; showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world contexts.

4. Holiday Fun

Jim Henson created the Muppets and "Sesame Street" characters like Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster. He also made movies with his loveable puppet creatures. For the first time, his company is releasing one of those movies, "The Christmas Toy," on DVD for this holiday season. The movie, which features Henson's usual furry puppets, tells the story of toys that come to life on Christmas Eve. Think like a movie-maker and find toys in the ads of the newspaper that you would like to feature in a holiday film. Alone or in teams, brainstorm things that might happen in your movie if one or more of these toys came to life.

Learning Standards: Responding to visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

5. Venus Flytraps

Venus flytraps are among the most amazing living things on Earth -- a plant that catches and feeds on insects. Now environmental leaders in the states of North and South Carolina are worried that building homes, shopping centers and golf courses on lands where flytraps live is threatening the existence of these unusual plants. The flytrap's natural habitat exists only within a hundred miles of the Carolina coasts, an area that is now booming with development. As a result, flytrap habitats are being squeezed out. As a class, talk about challenges faced by wild plants or animals in your area. Write a short editorial for the newspaper offering your opinion on one challenge. Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature, wildlife and the environment; writing fluently for multiple purposes.