1. Bowl Season

College football is hugely popular in the United States. And the interest doesn't end when the regular season stops. "Bowl games" featuring top teams will be played from now until the first week of January, and a national champion will be crowned at the end. Top candidates for that honor this year are the University of Alabama and the University of Texas, which will meet in the national championship game January 7 in Pasadena, California. Alone or with a partner, find a story about a football team that will play in a bowl game this year. Then draw a comic strip showing what you think might happen in the team's game. Share with the class.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources; using the craft of the illustrator to express ideas artistically.

2. Playing Winnie

African American actress Jennifer Hudson won an Academy Award Oscar for her role in the movie "Dreamgirls." But her selection to play the wife of South Africa's first black president has caused debate in the African nation. A group representing movie makers in the country says a South African actress should play Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who once was wife to Nelson Mandela. The group said using an American actress would hurt South Africa's efforts to build its own movie-making industry. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela worked tirelessly to get her husband released from prison during the 27 years he was held for seeking equal treatment of blacks and whites in South Africa. After Mandela was elected South Africa president, the couple were divorced in 1996. As a class, talk about people in the news whose lives could be made into movies. Pick one and write a paragraph describing why you would like to see a movie about this person.

Learning Standards: Developing and applying critical standards for individual use; identifying and explaining how people demonstrate good character and personal virtue; acquiring information from multiple sources; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

3. Camera Happy

One of the challenges for people who run zoos is how to keep the animals entertained. A zoo in the European country of Austria has come up with a solution that's picture perfect. The zoo in the city of Vienna gave an orangutan named Nonja a camera! But not just any camera. This special camera gives Nonja a raisin every time she takes a picture. Not surprisingly, Nonja has been taking LOTS of pictures of her life as an orangutan -- and she has become something of an Internet star. The zoo created a special photo gallery for Nonja on the social Web site Facebook and has been posting her pictures for all the world to see! As a class talk about some of the amazing and interesting things animals can do. Then find a photo of an animal in the newspaper. Write a complete sentence describing two amazing or interesting things this animal can do.

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.

4. Space Travelers

Would you like to take a trip into space? Not as an astronaut, but as a tourist going on an adventure. As soon as the year 2011, a few very rich space travelers may get a chance, if plans by the Virgin Galactic air travel company go right. Last week Virgin Galactic gave the public its first look at an aircraft called SpaceShipTwo that has been designed to take tourists into space, six people at a time. Trips won't be cheap -- about $200,000 per person -- but already more than 300 people have signed up. Eventually, Virgin plans to take "thousands" of people into space aboard the 60-foot-long spacecraft. As a class, talk about an adventure you would like to have. Then find a place mentioned in the newspaper where you would like to have that adventure. Write the opening paragraph for a story about your adventure in this place.

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

5. A Holiday Toy Scare

If you watch TV or go to toy stores, you know that the Zhu Zhu Pets robot hamsters are some of the most popular toys for the holidays. But a lot of parents became worried when a group that studies toy safety raised concerns that the toy may contain unsafe levels of a chemical that can cause health problems. The GoodGuide toy group raised questions about the fire-prevention chemical antimony, but a review by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that Zhu Zhu Pets meet national safety standards. That's good news for parents, since more than 6 million Zhu Zhu Pets have been sold this holiday season. With a partner, find a toy you would like in an ad in the newspaper. Write a letter to your parents -- or to Santa! -- explaining why you want this toy and why you should receive it for the holidays.

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