1. What a Diamond!

Diamonds are among the most valuable jewels in the world. But few are as valuable as a rare blue diamond that sold at an auction in the European country of Switzerland this month -- for a record $9.5 million! Diamonds are formed when the element carbon is placed under great pressure for millions of years under the Earth. Blue diamonds are the second rarest kind of diamonds after red diamonds. The record-setting diamond was discovered last year in a mine in the nation of South Africa that is famous for producing the blue gems. As a class, talk about things that are valuable to you or your family. Then look through the ads in the newspaper and pick three things you consider valuable and would like to buy if you had all the money you would need. Write a sentence for each explaining your choice.

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.

2. Help for the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are tremendously important to Michigan and the other states that surround them. And now the federal government is proposing to spend millions of dollars to help the lakes. President Obama has proposed spending $475 million to clean up beaches, rivers and wetlands around the lakes and to remove poisonous chemicals that have settled in the bottom of rivers that flow into the lakes. The plan would take several years to complete if approved by the U.S. Congress as part of the nation's spending budget this year. As a class, talk about ways people can help clean up the environment. Then find a story or photo involving an outdoor area in your state. Write ways people could clean up or help this outdoor environment.

Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature and wildlife; acquiring information from multiple sources.

3. Very Old Art

Artists have been using their imagination to show their view of the world for thousands of years. But a new discovery in the European country of Germany proves that people were creating a special kind of art much earlier than thought. A 35,000-year-old carving found in a cave is believed to be the oldest sculpture of a human ever created. The sculpture, which is just two-and-one-half inches tall, is the figure of a woman carved from ivory. Art experts feel it could have been worn on a string and may have been a symbol of birth or fertility. As a class, talk about different kinds of art, such as sculpture, paintings, statues or specially designed buildings. Then find examples of art in the photos or ads in the newspaper. Pick one that you like and write a sentence or two explaining why you like it.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; describing, comparing and explaining the locations and characteristics of races, cultures and settlements; applying critical standards for individual use.

4. Very Famous Art

One of the most famous artists of all time was the Italian master Michelangelo. Michelangelo lived from the year 1475 to 1564 and created sculptures, drawings and paintings -- including one that covered the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Every museum wants to own a Michelangelo painting, and the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas now has one of the rarest. The Kimbell just purchased a painting done by Michelangelo when he was just 12 or 13 years old. The painting is a religious work showing "The Torment of Saint Anthony," in which winged demons are trying to pull the saint out of the sky. As a class, talk about the kinds of art you like to create. Then find a photo in the newspaper you like. Re-tell the story of the photo in your own style in an artwork.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; applying critical standards for individual use;

generating questions about important issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious.

5. Oldest Earth Surface

The surface of the Earth is always changing. Areas get buried by dust blown by the wind or turned upside down by earthquakes or volcanoes or other violent events. A new study in the Middle East country of Israel, however, has found a large region in the Negev Desert that has been sitting unchanged and exposed for about 1.8 million years. That would make it the oldest known expanse of surface area in the world, scientist from Israel's Hebrew University said. And it would make the area four times older than the next oldest area, a desert in the U.S. state of Nevada. As a class, talk about the different features of the Earth's natural surface. With a partner, then find a natural feature in a photo or story in the newspaper. Write a paragraph describing how you think this area has changed from the past, and how it might change in the future.

Learning Standards: Describing the natural characteristics of places and explaining some basic causes for those characteristics; generating scientific questions about the world based on observation; describing major features of the Earth's surface; describing natural changes in the Earth's surface; explaining how surface features change; writing fluently for multiple purposes.