1. Saint Joan

Joan of Arc, the national heroine of France, was born on January 6 in 1412. She was brave and determined and led the French Army to victory at a time when many men believed that women were not important or capable. Use today's newspaper to find a story about another person who has succeeded despite great obstacles. Write a short paragraph about what this person has accomplished.

Learning Standards: Identifying and explaining how individuals in history demonstrated good character and personal virtue; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

2. Cotton

Inventor Eli Whitney died on January 8, 1825. Whitney is best known for creating the cotton gin, a machine that separates the seeds in cotton from the fibers, eliminating the need for workers to separate the seeds by hand. Find an example of another invention in the newspaper. Do some research and write a short report explaining who invented it and what it is used for. Draw a picture or diagram to go with your report.

Learning Standard: Conducting investigations by formulating a clear statement of a question, gathering and organizing information from a variety of sources, analyzing and interpreting information, formulating and testing hypotheses, reporting results both orally and in writing, and making use of appropriate technology.

3. Adventure

Explorer Edmund Hillary was one of the world's great adventurers. On January 4, 1958, he reached the Earth's South Pole after traveling through snow for hundreds of miles. A few years earlier, he had climbed to the top Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. If you were going to set off on a big adventure this year, where would you go? Using the newspaper for ideas, pick a country or area you'd like to visit. Research in books and online to learn more about your pick. Then write a paragraph explaining why you'd like to go there.

Learning Standards: Describing, comparing and explaining the locations and characteristics of races, cultures and settlements; locating and describing the diverse places, cultures and communities of major world regions.

4. Dear Abby

The advice column "Dear Abby" was first published on January 9, 1956. It was later syndicated to appear in newspapers across the country, and today it runs in 1,400 newspapers worldwide. Readers write in with problems, and "Abby" (real name Jeanne Phillips) offers suggestions. Pick an article in the newspaper about a problem in the world. It can involve a government, a company, a person or anything else. Pretend you're an advice columnist and write a letter offering advice on how to solve the problem.

Learning Standards: Selecting appropriate strategies to construct meaning while reading, listening to, viewing or creating texts; describing and explaining the causes, consequences and geographic context of major global issues and events.

5. Hold Your Horses

An idiom is an expression that has a specific meaning, but not the meaning it sounds like it should have. For example, you might say that a task is "a piece of cake." What you're really saying it that it's easy to accomplish, not that it tastes good! Or you might tell a joke that makes a friend "crack up" - which means you made your friend laugh, not split into pieces. Every language has its own idioms. Find five examples of idioms in the newspaper or online. Write a translation of each idiom and illustrate them with cartoons.

Learning Standards: Investigating idiomatic phrases and word origins and how they have contributed to contemporary meaning; using the craft of the illustrator to express ideas artistically.