1. Old Bones Honored

The remains of two sailors have been buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery 150 years after they died. They had been aboard the ironclad warship Monitor, when it sank during a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in 1862. The Monitor is credited with helping save the Union in the U.S. Civil War. More than 500 people attended the ceremony, including regiments of Civil War re-enactors and elderly women in mid-19th-century hoopskirts. The sailors have never been identified, but researchers now say they have narrowed the choices to six possible identities. Investigators are convinced that eventually they will learn the sailors’ stories through scientific study of their bones. As a class, talk about different ways science can help investigators solve problems or mysteries. Then find an example of such scientific problem-solving in the newspaper or online. Draw a picture showing how science helps people solve the problem or deal with the situation. For added interest, divide into teams and research the history of the Monitor, including its historic duel with the Confederate ironclad Virginia at Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Common Core/National Standards: Responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement engaging and disagreement; engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points.

2. The Biebs Was Booed!

It’s one thing to keep an audience of adults waiting, but not little girls “who need to go home and go to bed,” as one mother said. That’s why pop star Justin Bieber was booed by the audience at a concert in London, England, after he showed up on stage 40 minutes beyond schedule. Some little girls in the audience were in tears, said the mother of one 9-year-old. The 19-year-old star never quite explained why he was late (“technical issues” was given as the reason). But he did apologize “for anyone we upset.” As a class, talk about music performers you would like to see live on stage. Then pretend you were an audience member when a performer showed up late. Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper, expressing how you would feel.

Common Core/National Standard: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; producing clear and coherent writing appropriate to an audience and task.

3. No Decaf for Bees

Honeybees prefer certain flowers for the same reason many adults prefer Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts — the caffeine. A new study says certain flowers (including the coffee plant, of course) give the bees a shot of the chemical caffeine, which perks them up. It also perks up their memory, so they recognize from the scent that it’s a flower with caffeine in its nectar. The bees then seek out those flowers, and transfer their pollen in the process. In the newspaper or online, find a story or photo involving an animal. Read the story or study the photo. Then write a summary of one behavior of the animal and why it behaves that way.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; responding to the ideas and feelings generated by written texts.

4. Hotter Than Ever

If people think we’re experiencing global warming now, we apparently haven’t seen anything yet. New research into the Earth’s climate indicates that if current warming trends continue “by the year 2100, we will be beyond anything human society has ever experienced.” The research, reported in the journal Science, provides a detailed view of the effects of global warming and how the planet’s average surface temperature has fluctuated since the end of the Ice Age, when humans abandoned hunting and gathering in favor of a settled, agricultural lifestyle. In teams or pairs, see what you can learn about global warming in the newspaper and online. Report what you find to the class, including what scientists say about humans’ contributions to global warming.

Common Core/National Standards: Integrating information presented in different media or formats to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue; responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement engaging and disagreement; engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

5. How the Wolf Got There

To explorers and scientists, the Falkland Islands wolf has long been a mystery. How did this land-based mammal become a resident of these islands more than 300 miles off the coast of South America in the South Atlantic Ocean? Now researchers writing in the Nature Communications journal think they have the answer. They believe that 18,000 to 19,000 years ago, a shallow strait between the islands and the South America mainland would freeze over in the winter, and that the wolf (now extinct) would travel over it in pursuit of penguins, seals and sea birds. How come such a big animal did this, while smaller animals, such as rodents, didn’t? Because, a researcher replies, plant-eating rodents “were not really that interested in hunting marine animals” for food. As a class, talk about ways that geography affects the lives of animals, birds or people, and how features like land forms, lakes, forests or marshes help determine what kinds of wildlife live in an area. Then find a photo of an outdoor scene in the newspaper. Write how the geography features of the place in the photo would affect or attract wildlife.

Common Core/National Standards: Integrating information presented in different media or formats to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue; responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement engaging and disagreement; engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.