1. Compare & Contrast

Different kinds of writing use different approaches to give you information. Some compare and contrast things. Some show cause and effect. Some tell things in sequence, or order. With family or friends, skim stories in the paper today. See if you can find an example of a writer comparing and contrasting, showing how one event caused another, or telling a story in order.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; summarizing the sequence of key events in stories.

2. Snack Attack

A high school in San Francisco, California, is making room for "smart" vending machines this fall. The machines will offer healthy foods and drinks such as fruit, vegetables, milk, water, juice and juice/water blends that have no added sweeteners, caffeine or herbal supplements. Best of all, students will get money back if they make enough good food choices. According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost every U.S. state is taking junk food out of school vending machines. A School Health Profiles Survey found that the median percentage of secondary schools that did away with non-nutritious snacks increased from 46 percent in 2006 to 64 percent in 2008. Search the newspaper for articles related to health, such as nutrition, exercise or disease prevention. Create a survey to find out your friends' nutrition and exercise habits, such as what kinds of snacks they eat and how often. After your friends complete the survey, discuss their opinions about the importance of making healthy choices.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about matters of interest or importance; comprehending what constitutes good health and nutrition; evaluating the impact on households of alternative solutions to societal problems such as health care or fitness.

3. On the Map

Next month scientists from the state of California and the U.S. government will begin creating the most detailed map of the California coastline ever attempted. They'll use laser beams, computer software and airplanes to map the state's 1,200-mile coastline. The new map will be so detailed that boulders and public telephones will even be identified. The data will help track ocean levels, beach erosion and flooding threats. The $3.3 million project, which will be overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is expected to be completed in December. Maps, graphs, charts and other visual aids are often used to help readers better understand information or a situation. Find an example in the newspaper. Write a paragraph describing ways the map, graph or chart is more effective than print alone in conveying information. Then write ways that text is better at conveying some kinds of information.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources; organizing and interpreting data using tables, charts, graphs, spreadsheets and databases.

4. Toasty Temps

So far, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2010 has been the warmest year worldwide since record-keeping began in 1880. March, April, May and June all have set new temperature records this year. Experts say the climate change is due to increases in greenhouse gases. And they say if nothing changes, torrential, flooding rains like those that devastated Nashville, Tennessee, in May, will happen more often. Droughts also may be more severe, and heat waves may happen more frequently. Not all agree with NOAA's predictions, however. A meteorologist who co-founded The Weather Channel says higher temperatures have been recorded because many of the weather stations used by NOAA are in warmer urban areas, and he also believes that oceans are going into a cooling cycle. Locate the weather page in your newspaper and choose a U.S. city from the high and low temperatures chart. Using weather forecasts from the archives and current information, create weather predictions for this city for each day next week.

Learning Standards: Using patterns and generalizations to make and justify inferences and predictions; explaining what causes different kinds of weather; analyzing the relationships between human activities and the atmosphere.

5. Inspiring Letters

It was 235 years ago when the United States created its first mail service. On July 26, 1775, before there were states, the postal service began in the colonies. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was in charge as postmaster general. Before that, few Americans sent mail to each other. And because there weren't any post offices, mail was usually left at places of business, such as inns, hotels and taverns. By 1789, there were around 75 post offices in the U.S. Now, there are more than 40,000 post offices, and around 212 billion pieces of mail are delivered each year to more than 144 million homes and businesses. Find a person in the newspaper that you admire. Write a letter to this person telling why you respect them and what they have taught you. For added fun, write a letter to a family member you admire.

Learning Standards: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as personal narratives, persuasive essays, lab reports and poetry.