Whales are the largest mammals on Earth, yet most of them feed on tiny sea creatures called krill. But long ago, giant meat-eating whales swam the seas, and the fossil remains of one have been found on a beach near Santa Cruz, California. Workers removing a slab of rock from the beach discovered the skull and backbone of a toothed whale that scientists believe lived 5 million years ago. With friends, talk about ways that fossils teach scientists about the past. Then look for stories about oceans and beaches in the newspaper. Write out three questions future scientists might ask if they were studying these areas years from now.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; explaining how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life; generating scientific questions about the world based on observation.

2. Help for Condors

To Native American tribes of Northern California, the condor is a sacred and holy bird. Its feathers once were used in special ceremonies, but for nearly 100 years condors have not lived in the wild along the coast of the state. Now, a Native American tribe near the Klamath River is using modern science to bring back the giant birds, whose wings can stretch more than 9 _ feet from tip to tip. Scientists for the Yurok Tribe are testing the bodies of animals condors might eat to see if they contain chemicals that would harm condors or prevent their eggs from hatching. With family or friends, talk about ways that people can help or hurt large birds or wildlife that live in an area. Then design an ad for the newspaper explaining ways people in your area could help wildlife or birds.

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.

3. Ready, Set, Dive!

People do some weird things to set records. Consider the 2,486 scuba divers who got together this month in the Southeast Asian country of Indonesia. On command, they all jumped in the water of the ocean off the coast of North Sulawesi, to set a new world record for "Most People Scuba Diving Simultaneously." The previous record was set in 2006, when 958 divers took part in a mass dive. With family or friends, look through the newspaper for a week for news about people doing weird things for fun. Or find examples on the Internet. Talk about something odd you would like to do for fun. Then draw a comic strip for the newspaper showing you having fun in this activity.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; using the craft of the illustrator to convey information artistically.

4. Fun With Baseball

Baseball is a summer sport that millions of people follow. And when the final weeks of the season arrive, even more tune in to see who will win places in the playoffs that come at the end of the regular season. With family or friends, look at stories in the newspaper about the playoff races in the National and American Leagues. Which teams are likely to be in the playoffs? Which teams need to play better to get into the playoffs? Pretend you are sports editor for the newspaper and want to assign a reporter to cover one team in its run for the playoffs. Which team would you choose? Write a paragraph explaining your choice.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; acquiring information from multiple sources.

5. End of Summer

The end of summer is a time when kids think back on the things they enjoyed most during their vacation. Or they think about things they want to do with their friends and families before the Labor Day holiday signals the start of fall. With family or friends, look through the newspaper and find two things you would like to do before Labor Day on September 7. Then write a short poem, rap or rhyme explaining your choice. Perform your creation for friends, or draw a picture to show why it's important to you.

Learning Standards: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as stories, poetry and personal narratives; responding to a variety of visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others.