1. Tell It in Order

There are many ways to tell stories, and you can see examples in the newspaper. An approach that is used often is to report a story in the order it happened. This is called chronological (KRON-o-LOJ-i-kal) order. Newspaper reporters sometimes do this. But often they tell the most important thing first, and then tell the order. With family or friends, read a story in today's paper that interests you or has action. After you have finished, read it a second time noting the key points of action. Number the actions in the order you think they happened.

Learning Standards: Summarizing the sequence of key events in stories; employing multiple strategies to construct meaning while reading.

2. What Kind of Music?

Newspapers cover all kinds of entertainment, and they pay a lot of attention to music. When it comes to music, everyone's taste is different. The kind of music you like tells something about your interests. And it may also say something about how you look at the world. With family or friends create a chart of the types of music your family likes. Find examples in the stories and listings in the newspaper or use the Internet. Write a paragraph describing the kind of music you like. Then write a newspaper headline describing your musical tastes.

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

3. Red Light, Green Light

It was 96 years ago when the first electric traffic signal was used in the United States. The light was put up on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5, 1914. It was based on a design by James Hoge, who received a U.S. patent for what he called the "Municipal Traffic Control System." The original design had four pairs of red and green lights that told drivers at each corner when to stop and go. With family or friends, find an article or ad in the newspaper involving an invention that has made your life easier, safer or more fun. Write about what this invention does, how you use it and how it has helped your life.

Learning Standards: Applying knowledge, ideas and issues drawn from texts to students' lives and the lives of others; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Doggie Time Out

A police dog from Sun Valley, Idaho, is back to work after being punished for attacking another dog for no reason. A 5-year-old German shepherd named Dax was suspended from his "job" for a few weeks after attacking a small schnauzer named Max. Dax will receive more training so it won't happen again. He has been on the police force for four years and is trained to find illegal drugs, missing people and crime scene evidence. Find an article or photograph in the newspaper that involves someone who did something illegal or not nice to someone else. Write a letter from the person who behaved badly to the person or group he or she hurt. In the letter, explain why what was done was wrong and how he or she plans to make up for it.

Learning Standards: Demonstrating the ability to write clear and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs and compositions; responding to a variety of visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others.

5. Earth-Friendly Supplies

The newest theme for back-to-school supplies is "biodegradable" (BY-o-dee-GRAY-da-bull). If something is biodegradable, it will break down or decompose in soil or in a garden compost pile. One company, Paper Mate, will have biodegradable pens and mechanical pencils for sale this fall. Other companies have come out with biodegradable rulers, pencil cases, project folders and other items often found in backpacks. Using the display ads in the newspaper, choose a back-to-school supply you use. Could this item be made so that it would be biodegradable? Why or why not? If not, find a school supply item that could be made to be biodegradable. Create an ad for the newspaper for this biodegradable product so that kids and parents would want to buy it.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of written, visual and electronic texts; explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on the environment; representing creatively.