1. CHOCOLATE COSTS

Last weekend was Easter, which means you’ve probably seen a lot of chocolate bunnies, eggs, and other festive spring shapes in stores recently. But what you may not have noticed is the prices of those treats going up. The cost of cocoa, which is what’s used to make all the chocolate treats you can think of, has gone up to the highest prices ever. A lot of the world’s cocoa is grown in West Africa, and farmers there have faced a lot of issues with their cocoa crops recently. Bad weather and cocoa plant diseases have affected how much cocoa they’re able to send around the world, which has made the price higher because there’s less of it to go around. Write a summary of this story, including at least five facts that you learned.

2. DOG DILEMMA

A German breed of dogs called dachshunds are very popular around the world. They’re also called “wiener dogs,” because they have short legs and long bodies that remind some people of hot dogs. However, a new rule in Germany could affect people who breed dachshunds and possibly even keep them from doing it at all. The new rule is meant to keep people from breeding dogs that will have health problems because of their breed—for example, some dogs with very short snouts, like pugs, have trouble breathing. Dachshunds could be affected by the new rule because of their short legs, which can lead to back problems. Write a summary of this story, including facts that you learned, and draw a picture to go along with it.

3. ABSENCE INCREASE

When was the last time you were absent from school? What about your friends? In the four years since the Covid-19 pandemic closed schools and made it normal for people to learn on their computers at home, there’s been a big increase in school absences. In some districts, the number of absences has doubled compared to before the pandemic. Students might miss school for many reasons, including illnesses, family vacations, or taking care of siblings. But even when make-up work is posed online, students aren’t learning as well when they aren’t in school. Write down a list of reasons why being absent isn’t good for a student. Share your list with your classmates and talk about why it’s important to be in school.

4. PROP DOOR SOLD

If you’ve ever heard about or seen the movie “Titanic,” chances are you’ve heard about one of the final scenes, where Rose floats on a door in the freezing waters after the Titanic sinks. The scene has been the subject of intense discussion on whether two people could’ve fit on the door while it stayed afloat. Now, the wood panel that Rose floated on was sold for $718,750 at an auction with other iconic movie props. The auction set records for how many people joined from around the world to bid on the movie props and costumes. Think about your favorite movie. If you could have a prop from the movie, what would it be? What would you do with it? Write a short, fictional story about your answers.

5. CANADA’S “FIRST LADY OF JAZZ”

Famous Canadian jazz singer Eleanor Collins died last week at 104 years old. She was the first Black person and first woman to host a television program in Canada with “The Eleanor Collins Show,” which ran for three months in the summer of 1955. She was an accomplished jazz singer but never made an album under her own name and rarely traveled to perform. Instead, she focused on her husband and four children, hosting her show and performing around their home of Vancouver, Canada. What would you ask someone that’s more than 100 years old? What advice could they give you? Write down some questions you would have for someone who’s lived an entire century!