1. Renaissance

February is Black History Month, and one of America's most influential African American writers was born in that month. Writer Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, and became an influential part of the Harlem Renaissance, the African American artistic movement of the 1920s. Though he wrote novels, plays and essays, Hughes is best remembered for his poems, which spoke about being black in America and drew from his personal life, current events and the rhythms of jazz and blues music. Find a news story that interests you in today's newspaper. Write a poem, rap or rhyme in response to it. Share with the class.

Learning Standard: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as personal narratives, persuasive essays, lab reports, and poetry.

2. Major League

Baseball great Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919. Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, becoming the first African American baseball player in the Major Leagues in the modern era. On the 50th anniversary of his debut, Major League Baseball honored Robinson by retiring his number, 42. The Major Leagues also honor him on Jackie Robinson Day every April 15, the day Robinson first took the field with the Dodgers. Look through the newspaper, or use the Internet, to find someone you think should be honored for something he or she has achieved. Write a newspaper editorial explaining who the person is and why you picked that person.

Learning Standard: Exploring and reflecting on universal themes and substantive issues from oral, visual and written texts; identifying and explaining how individuals in history demonstrate good character and personal virtue.

3. More Black History

All this month, Americans are learning more about the contributions of African Americans. Find an article in this week's newspaper about an African American who is achieving great things. Then, using other resources, research an African American from the past who excelled in the same field. Write brief biographies of each person and then compare the two people.

Learning Standards: Understanding narratives about major eras of American and world history by identifying the people involved, describing the setting and sequencing the events; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Pandora

The science-fiction epic "Avatar" has become the highest-grossing movie ever, earning more than $1.86 billion in ticket sales around the world. "Avatar" takes places in a fictional world called Pandora. Director James Cameron spent years fine-tuning all the details of Pandora and its inhabitants, the Na'vi. In groups, use the newspaper for ideas to come up with your own plan for a science fiction or fictional land. Describe what it would look like and what kind of creatures would inhabit it. Would they look like people, or totally different? Think about what kind of air they would breathe, what they would eat and how they would live. Draw a picture to illustrate your ideas. Share what your group created with the class.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance.

5. Cousteau

Oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau published a book called "The Silent World" on February 3, 1953. The book is a memoir of his underwater adventures. Cousteau spent years exploring the ocean. He helped developed the aqua-lung, which allowed a diver to stay under water for hours, and hosted a TV series called "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau." Find an article that talks about humans negatively affecting the ocean or ocean life. In groups, research solutions to the problem you read about. Discuss what your group learned with the rest of the class.

Learning Standards: Explaining how humans modify the environment and describing some of the possible consequences of those modifications; describing the consequences of human/environment interactions in several different types of environments.