1. Food

Last week many Jews celebrated the holiday Passover. During the eight days of Passover certain foods are prohibited, such as bread, cookies and noodles. But other foods are added to meals, like crackers called matzos and a coconut pastry called a macaroon. Use articles and ads in the newspaper to put together a festive meal you'd like to eat. Pick out enough food to feed yourself and your family. From prices listed in ads, total how much it would cost to buy the things you selected. Find a job in the classifieds that lists a wage or salary. Figure out how many hours would you have to work at that job to earn enough money for your meal.

Learning Standards: Using economic reasoning when comparing price, quality and features of goods and services; using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to solve problems.

2. Ronald McDonald

The organization known as Corporate Accountability International is asking Ronald McDonald to retire. The watchdog group says that the McDonald's mascot encourages kids to eat unhealthy fast food, which contributes to the nation's "childhood obesity crisis." The group wants the company to stop advertising to children because more and more children are overweight. Mascots are used by many companies, organizations and sports teams. Find examples in the newspaper. In groups, design a mascot or symbol for your class or school. Show your design to the class and explain what it represents.

Learning Standard: Focusing on meaning and communication while listening, speaking, viewing, reading and writing in personal, social, occupational and civic contexts.

3. Xerox

The Xerox copy machine just turned 50. Now that everyone relies on computers and e-mail, the copy machine has become somewhat outdated. But for years a copy machine was a key part of a productive office and even considered one of the most successful products in American history. Look through the articles and ads in the newspaper and pick three common products that you, your school or businesses use all the time. For each product, write down what it is and what it's used for. Then pretend the product doesn't exist, and write a few sentences explaining how someone could accomplish the same task without the product.

Learning Standard: Asking questions that help students learn about the world; designing and conducting investigations using appropriate methodology and technology; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Art

Artist Pablo Picasso died on April 8, 1973, at age 91. One of Picasso's most famous paintings is called "Guernica." It's based on the bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica by German and Spanish war planes in April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The painting is abstract and it depicts death, violence and suffering. Pick an article in the newspaper this week and create a drawing, painting or collage in response to it. Give your work a creative title and discuss it with your classmates.

Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

5. Dr. King

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was leading a protest of sanitation workers who were fighting against poor working conditions. Find another example in the news of a leader like Dr. King fighting for people's rights. Do research with the newspaper, Internet and other resources and write a biography of the person.

Learning Standard: Demonstrating the ability to write clear and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs and compositions.