1. Flying High

Female military pilots today have women like Mary Livingston of Manistique, Michigan, to thank for their careers. Thirty-five years ago this month, Livingston was one of the first 10 women to graduate from Williams Air Force Base in Arizona as Air Force pilots. Livingston was a 25-year-old engineer when she graduated, but she had started flying at age 16, according to a Detroit Free Press article. Despite being trained as pilots, the women were not allowed to fly fighting missions. Instead, they flew tankers that refueled planes and cargo transports. Livingston went on to become a pilot instructor. In teams or as a class, find a newspaper story about a woman doing a job that only men used to do. Or find one online. Write a summary of the article.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

2. 'Me Love Cookie!'

Jim Henson was born on September 26, 1936. You may not know who Jim Henson is, but you probably know some of the creatures he created. They include Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Grover. With the Muppets, Henson had an amazing talent for creating characters who seem like people — loving cookies, being really smart and wanting to get along with others. His characters also are fuzzy and lovable. In teams or as a class, read a short story about an interesting person in today's newspaper. Then draw a picture of a "muppet" that has some of the same traits as the person in the article.

Common Core/National Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; reading and writing fluently at grade level.

3. Election 2012: The Goal of Good Health

A big topic in this year’s race for president is health care. President Barack Obama began overhauling the U.S. health care system with a new health care law designed to make sure all Americans have health insurance to pay for care when they are sick or injured. Under his health care law, insurance companies also won’t be able to deny someone coverage because of an existing condition, and the uninsured should be able to get coverage through the Medicaid and Medicare programs. Republican Mitt Romney proposes to repeal Obama’s national health care law because he feels states should be responsible for their own uninsured. He said he also wants to encourage tax-reduced saving accounts that could be used to pay for health insurance. As a class, find stories about the candidates’ views on health care (the Associated Press has written an online article that outlines the candidates’ stands on different issues). Then divide the class into two groups, with one group being the Republicans and the other the Democrats. Debate how health insurance should be provided to keep families healthy.

Common Core/National Standard: Propelling conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas.

4. Peanut Butter Debate

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a favorite of children around the country, but they also are becoming a cause of arguments. Some schools are banning all peanut products, because of students with severe peanut allergies. One child in Viola, Arkansas, had his sandwich taken away at lunchtime because of the rule, according to a Yahoo! News article. Some parents believe all students shouldn’t have to give up peanut butter because a few students have allergies. Other parents want to protect their children from being exposed to peanut products, which can cause severe, life-threatening reactions. One in every 25 kids now suffers from peanut allergies and about 18 percent of them have attacks at school, according to health experts. As a class, find a newspaper or online article about a school setting special rules to protect individuals or groups of students. Write a short opinion essay giving your view on what schools should do to deal with issues like peanut butter safety.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

5. Finding Neptune

It was 166 years ago that the eighth planet from the sun was discovered. The planet Neptune was discovered by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle on September 23, 1846. Its existence originally was hypothesized by a French astronomer named Urbain Jean-Joseph Le Verrier, who studied disturbances in the motion of the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus. He told Galle that he thought another planet existed, and Galle found it using a telescope. Neptune is a giant, blue, gas planet that is four times as big as the Earth. Find a newspaper story about a recent space discovery. Or find one online at www.nasa.gov. Draw a picture showing what researchers have discovered.

Common Core/National Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; knowing the different visual characteristics and purposes of art to convey ideas.