1. Hero Pilot

One of the most amazing news stories of the new year was the safe landing of a passenger jet in New York's Hudson River after both its engines quit when it hit a flock of birds. The US Airways plane had just taken off from New York City's LaGuardia Airport when it hit what investigators think was a flock of geese. Pilot Chesley Sullenberger quickly and calmly realized he could not make it back to the airport and decided to land on the water of the river. He coolly brought the plane down, and all 155 people on board were safely rescued. As a class, talk about jobs that require people to stay calm and cool when making decisions. With a partner find one in the news or Help Wanted ads of the newspaper. Write a paragraph explaining why calm thinking is important for the job.

Learning Standards: Generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

2. Friend of the Animals

Alison Sawyer Current is a writer who divides her time between her home in the state of Colorado and the island of Isla Mujeres in Mexico. In the U.S. she writes books like her novel "No Urn for the Ashes," and in Mexico she is a "friend of the animals." Current runs the Isla Animals organization that seeks to rescue and find homes for stray cats and dogs on the island in the Caribbean Sea east of the tourist town of Cancun. Many of the animals she saves are then adopted by families in the United States and Canada. Finding homes for unwanted animals is a challenge in every community. As a class talk about ways individuals and organizations could help. Then design a community service ad for the newspaper giving reasons people should get involved in this issue.

Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

3. New Desert Species

The animals that live on Earth are not the same today as they were earlier in our planet's history. Some have changed as they adapted to new conditions and some died out, or became extinct. In the Sahara Desert on the continent of Africa, scientists announced recently that they had found the remains of two species of extinct animals they never knew existed before. One was a flying pterosaur reptile and the other was a new sauropod plant-eater. The discovery of the creatures from 100 million years ago is being called one of the most important in the northern Africa desert in the last 50 years. As a class, discuss reasons some animals die out, or become extinct, over time. Then find stories and photos of five wild animals in the newspaper. Rank which are the most endangered on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being most endangered. Discuss as a class.

Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; understanding the nature of scientific inquiry; describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature and wildlife; applying critical standards for individual use.

4. Cowboy Poetry

Cowboys are famous for living and working on the land in states with big ranches and wide open spaces. Less known is that many cowboys write poetry and songs that tell stories about their lives herding cattle, riding horses or facing challenges of weather, nature mountains or plains. This week, thousands of cowboy poets have traveled to the state of Nevada for the 25th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering run by the Western Folklife Center. Think like a cowboy and find a newspaper story or photo that involves living or working outdoors or in places far from cities. Study the details of the story or photo. Then write a cowboy poem or song telling a story based on your news item or photo. Most cowboy poetry rhymes, so come up with some rhymes for your poem or song.

Learning Standard: Responding to a variety of written, visual and oral texts; writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as personal narratives, persuasive essays and poetry.

5. When Dad Is President

President Barack Obama is the first president in more than 30 years to have young children living with him in the White House. So just before he was sworn in as president last week, he wrote an open letter to daughters Malia and Sasha in Parade magazine, which appears on Sundays in newspapers across the country. "My own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfilment in yours," he wrote. "In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation." As a class, talk about issues that are important to children your age, and find examples in the stories of the newspaper. Then write a letter to Malia and Sasha on your own, telling them what you would do about an important kids' issue.

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