1. Giant Squid

Giant squid are among the great mystery creatures of the ocean. Scientists know they can grow to be up to 40 feet long, but there is still much to learn about them because they live in deep water and are hard to catch. This month, scientists studying sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico south of the United States unexpected caught a giant squid in their nets -- the first time researchers have captured one in the Gulf. The captured squid, which was nearly 20 feet long and weighed more than 100 pounds was sent to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History to be studied. It had been swimming more than 1,500 feet below the surface of the Gulf. As a class, look in the newspaper for stories or photos about oceans or ocean creatures. Read one together. Then draw a comic strip for the newspaper telling something that ocean creatures could teach scientists about life on Earth.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

2. Photo Power

Photos are an important way that newspapers give information about what's happening in the world. Pretend that you are a newspaper photographer. Listen as your teacher reads a story from today's newspaper. Then draw a picture of a photo you might take that includes as many details as you remember from the story. Share and discuss as a class.

Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; identifying and using aspects of the craft of the speaker, writer and illustrator to formulate and express ideas artistically.

3. An Army First

Command Sergeant Major Teresa King is tough -- Army tough. And now the 48-year-old career soldier has made history for the U.S. Army, taking a job for which toughness counts. King has been named the first woman ever to be in charge of an Army school for drill sergeants. Drill sergeants train new soldiers, and they are known for yelling orders and demanding that recruits be all they can be. One of 12 children, Sergeant Major King said her father taught her strict discipline growing up and to always "give a hard day's work for whatever I earned and take no short cuts." As a class talk about ways toughness is important for soldiers in the U.S. military. Then find a job in the newspaper that requires toughness of some kind. It can be mental toughness, physical toughness or another kind. Write a sentence explaining why toughness is important to the job.

Learning Standards: Identifying and explaining how people demonstrate good character and personal virtue; acquiring information from multiple sources; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Baby, It's Cold Up There

When studying the Earth's solar system, scientists have often figured that the farther things were from the sun at the center of the system, the colder they would be. Now astronomers for America's NASA space agency have discovered what they think is the coldest spot in the solar system -- right on the Earth's moon! An orbiting probe that is mapping temperatures on the moon says a spot on the moon's south pole may be the coldest in the solar system with a temperature measured at 397 degrees BELOW ZERO. That is just 62 degrees warmer than the coldest temperature possible, scientists said, and a degree colder than the coldest temperature on Pluto, which is 40 times farther away from the sun. As a class, find stories about space in the newspaper or online. Pick one and read it for meaning. Then write a sentence or short paragraph describing the thing you found most interesting in the story.

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

5. Mini rex

Among dinosaurs, the huge and fierce Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the most feared meat-eaters. Now a fossil discovery in the Asian nation of China has revealed that T. rex had an early relative that was much smaller -- though just as fierce. Scientists working in northeastern China have found a fossil of a T. rex relative that stood just nine feet tall and weighed 150 pounds -- 100 times smaller than the giant T. rex that roamed the Earth millions of years later. The smaller Tyrannosaurus relative lived about 125 million years ago, while the giant T. rex lived from 90 to 65 million years ago. Though smaller, the older T. rex was still nasty. "What we're looking at is a ... fast-running set of jaws," one scientist said. As a class, talk about what scientists can learn from fossils of dinosaurs and other ancient creatures. Look for fossil news in the newspaper or online. Then write a short poem or rhyme titled "If I Found a Fossil... ."

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; explaining how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life; showing how science concepts can be interpreted through creative expression such as language arts and fine arts.