1. Inventor

Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847. Edison greatly influenced modern life as the inventor of the incandescent light bulb, the movie camera, the phonograph music player and many other things.

Look through the newspaper and find a mention of an ordinary object people take for granted, such as the light bulb. Write a short paper imagining what life would be like if the object had never been invented. Think about what processes would change and what other inventions wouldn't exist that rely on the object.

Learning Standards: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as personal narratives, persuasive essays, lab reports and poetry; demonstrating understanding of the complexity of enduring issues and recurring problems by making connections and generating themes within and across texts.

2. Abraham Lincoln

On February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born. Lincoln was one of the best political writers in history. Consider the beginning of his Gettysburg Address--"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure." Find an article in this week's newspaper about an issue or an event that you feel needs addressing. Write a speech that informs and inspires.

Learning Standard: Demonstrating how the language used in oral, written and visual communication is related to successful discourse.

3. Punxsutawney

Last week on Groundhog Day, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil came out of his home and saw his shadow. According to tradition, that means six more weeks of cold winter weather in the nation's northern states. How else do we know winter is hanging around? Using the newspaper, write a list of signs that winter is still here. (Some hints: Is there an article about people skiing? Is the weather forecast snowy?) Make the longest list you can from information in stories, photos and ads. Then compare lists with your classmates to see whose list is longest.

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

4. The Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annual award nominations were announced last week for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and so on. In a televised ceremony next month, Hollywood celebrities will watch the Academy give out its famous "Oscar" statues to the winners. In groups, form your own academy to give out newspaper awards. Look through the newspaper and select the best news article, feature article, reporter, photo, comic or cartoon and advertisement. Then discuss your group's selections with the rest of the class. Be prepared to defend your picks.

Learning Standards: Responding personally, analytically and critically to a variety of oral, visual, written and electronic texts; developing and applying critical standards for individual use; providing examples of how texts influence students' lives and their role in society.

5. Scream

On February 12, 1994, thieves broke into the National Art Museum in the European country of Norway and stole "The Scream," a famous painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. Munch painted in the Expressionist style, in which artists create very emotional works of art. "The Scream," for example, conveys both fear and anguish. Pick an article in the newspaper, and write down two or three words that describe the main emotions in the article and the emotions you feel while reading it. Create a piece of art that represents those emotions.

Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.