1. Hot, Hot, Hot

It's been such a hot summer in many places that newspapers have been offering advice on how to keep cool. Find a picture of a person who is being affected by the weather in today's newspaper. Now help that person out by redrawing him or her, this time with objects or clothing that can help him/her keep cool or dry.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from visual, written, oral and electronic texts; using the skills of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

2. Smart Dogs

For millions of families, dogs are really great pets. Dogs also are really smart pets, according to new scientific research. One recent study found that dogs were the equal of two-year-old children when it came to some skills and abilities, and like human two-year-olds dogs can experience fear, anger, happiness and disgust. They also can learn words, with the average dog knowing about 165 and some dogs recognizing more than 200. With family and friends, talk about animals or pets you think are smart. Then pick one of these pets and draw a comic strip for the newspaper showing the pet acting smart - or outsmarting people!

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; representing creatively.

2. Bright Birds

Aesop's Fables are famous stories that teach lessons for life. In one famous fable, Aesop (EE-sop) told of a thirsty crow that got water from a pitcher by dropping in stones to raise the water to where the crow could reach it. A new study of birds related to crows shows that Aesop's tale really could have happened. Birds called rooks used the same approach to raise water in a container to get a floating worm. Stones dropped in water take up space filled by water at the bottom of a container and force the water higher. With family or friends, look for stories about science in the newspaper. Pick one and discuss why it is important and to whom. Write a sentence describing the thing that interests you most about the story.

Learning Standards: Explaining how scientists decide what constitutes scientific knowledge; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

3. A Big Melt

Scientists who study how the Earth's atmosphere is warming pay special attention to the Arctic region around the Earth's North Pole. This summer, the news hasn't been good from the Arctic. This month the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that the polar ice cap had shrunk an average of 41,000 square miles a day in July -- an area about equal to the state of Indiana each day. The rate of melting was similar to that of July 2007, the year when the ice cap shrunk to a record low of 1.7 million square miles. With family or friends, look for stories about summer heat or global warming in the newspaper. Use what you find to design a poster teaching people three things they should know about heat or global warming.

Learning Standards: Describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature and wildlife; explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; showing how science concepts can be interpreted through creative expression such as language arts and fine arts.

4. New Spacecraft

For 32 years America's NASA space agency has been using space shuttles to take astronauts and scientists into orbit. Now, however, the shuttles have grown old and need to be replaced. So NASA is turning to private businesses to develop new spacecraft to take people on space missions. The space agency has just announced it will spend up to $50 million to help companies get started with designs for new spacecraft. With friends, talk about things you would like to explore in space. Then write a short letter to the editor of the newspaper urging NASA to spend money on a mission you would find interesting. Be sure to give reasons explaining why your ideas deserve support.

Learning Standards: Explaining how we learn about the universe; explaining how scientists decide what constitutes scientific knowledge; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

5. Know, Wonder, Learn -- About the NFL!

Training camps have begun for the National Football League, and millions of fans are excited. Following football in the newspaper is a great way to build reading skills if you use the approach called Know, Wonder and Learn. With this approach, called KWL for short, you ask yourself questions every time you read something. First, you ask what you already KNOW about the subject. Then you ask what you WONDER or WANT TO KNOW about the subject. Then you read and ask what you have LEARNED about the subject by reading. Practice KWL by finding a short story in the newspaper about your favorite football team in the NFL. Write out what you already KNOW about the team. Then write what you WONDER or WANT TO KNOW about the team. Then read the story and write what you LEARNED about the team by reading.

Learning Standards: Making connections between key ideas in texts and students' own lives; acquiring information from multiple sources and then evaluating, organizing and communicating it.