1. Battlefield Instant Replay

Some NFL fans would say instant replay changed the sport of professional football. Now, the military may make use of the same video technology used in the NFL. For a few years now robots and other devices have been collecting intelligence and surveillance video. In just one month last year, U.S. Air Force drones collected around 1,800 hours of video in Afghanistan. As the number of robots increase on the battlefield, so will the amount of video and its capabilities. The Harris Corporation, which provides the technology for instant replay for the NFL and Major League Baseball, is working with the Pentagon to customize a video analysis system. Although it's not always practical, instant replay could help in many situations. Search the newspaper for an article about a situation in the news in which instant replay could have helped. Based on information in the article, write a play-by-play of the events.

Learning Standard: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world contexts; re-creating events from the past.

2. It's in the Smoke

Everyone knows that cigarettes can cause cancer. But now U.S. researchers have found that Americans inhale even more cancer-causing agents than smokers in the countries of Canada, Britain and Australia. The reason is most likely because of the tobacco blend used in U.S. brands, Dr. Jim Pirkle of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on the new research. "All of these cigarettes contain harmful levels of carcinogens, but these findings show that amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines differ from country to country, and U.S. brands are the highest in the study," he said. As with many unhealthy and dangerous habits, some people continue to smoke cigarettes. Search the newspaper to find an example of something unhealthy, such as bad eating habits. Create an editorial cartoon for the newspaper offering your opinion about this habit.

Learning Standard: Acquiring information from multiple sources; comprehending what constitutes good health and nutrition; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

3. Wave Your Flag

June 14 is Flag Day. Imagine that you were starting a new country.

Consider what principles your country would be founded on. Now go

through the newspaper and cut out pictures and words that symbolize your nation's ideals. Using the pictures, words and symbolic colors, create a flag for your nation. Use the chart below to gather information.

Learning Standard: Functioning as literate individuals in varied

contexts within students' lives in and beyond the classroom. Examples

include using text resources while thinking creatively, making

decisions, solving problems, and reasoning in complex situations.

Your nation's name:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Color: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Color: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Color: Why you chose it to represent your country:

Color: Why you choose it to represent your country:

Color: Why you choose it to represent your country:

4. Movie Meltdown

Memorial Day weekend at the box office is typically a highlight for the movie industry. But not this year. About 23 million Americans showed up at movie theaters this last holiday weekend. That was the slowest Memorial Day weekend turnout in 15 years. However, there has been some success this year in Hollywood. "Avatar" got ticket sales rolling and became the biggest film of all time. And revenue is a little ahead of last year, due to price increases. According to Hollywood.com, the average movie ticket in the United States now costs $7.95. Movie makers are hoping for a prosperous summer. "Toy Story 3" is due out June 18, followed by "The Twilight Saga's Eclipse" June 30. Look in the newspaper to find a movie currently in theaters that you have seen. Write a review of the movie.

Learning Standards: Developing and applying critical standards for individual use; acquiring information from multiple sources; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

5. 'The King' Makes History

It was 14 years ago when "The King" of NASCAR raced his way into history books. On June 15,1986, at the Michigan International Speedway, Richard Petty made his 1,000th start, making him the first stock car racing driver to log that many starts in his career. However, it didn't happen without controversy. Some would argue that it was actually the driver's 999th career start. Varied record keeping and statistics practices over the years are to blame for the discrepancies. Petty retired in 1992. New details can change a lot in a story. Choose a subject that has been written about in the newspaper the past week. Log new details that came out as the story unfolded day after day . Then write which new details were most important and how the outcome or impact of the story changed as a result.

Learning Standard: Acquiring information from multiple sources; organizing and presenting the information; interpreting the meaning and significance of the information; using a variety of electronic technologies to assist in accessing and managing information.