1. Learn from the Setting

The setting of a story -- where it takes place -- can often be important to understanding the action that takes place. This is true in real life stories as well as fiction. Scan the newspaper for a news story that interests you. On a sheet of paper, write out where the story takes place. Then write three ways the place affects what goes on in the story -- or how it could affect future events. Share ideas with family or friends.

Learning Standards: Selecting appropriate strategies to construct meaning while reading, listening to, viewing or creating texts. Examples include generating relevant questions, studying vocabulary, analyzing mood and tone, recognizing how authors and speakers use information and matching form to content.

2. Denim Discoveries

Researchers at Cornell University have found a new use for blue jeans: the making of solar cells. Current solar cells are mainly made from silicon, which can be heavy and inflexible. The researchers discovered a way to use the molecules often found in dyes for jeans to make an organic, flexible framework. They will now begin testing ways to fill this framework with other organic molecules. They hope to create a flexible, lightweight material for solar cells. The research is published in the Nature Chemistry journal. Search the newspaper over the past seven days to find an article about ways science and technology have been used to create new products. Or find an example online. Write a blog entry describing one of these products and why it would be an improvement or advance over previous products.

Learning Standards: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world contexts; analyzing properties of common household and agricultural materials.

3. Time Is Valuable

If you have ever said you needed 30 extra minutes in the morning, you now have proof that it's true. A new study that appears in the July Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that teenagers who had 30 more minutes before the start of school were more alert in class, in better moods, tardy less often and ate healthier breakfasts. Researchers say there's a good reason for it, too. Teenagers are often in their deepest sleep around dawn, which is when they typically have to wake for school. When sleep is interrupted, it can lead to grogginess. Many teens often do not go to sleep before 11 p.m. Print and save articles and ads in the newspaper that reflect a healthy lifestyle. Using information from the articles and ads, electronically develop an hour-by-hour plan for a daily schedule that includes the right amount of sleep, exercise and a healthy diet.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from books, maps, newspapers, data sets and other 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.

4. Hollywood High

School districts in the Los Angeles, California, area are looking for new ways to raise money, and they're turning to Hollywood. Schools are hoping to earn thousands of dollars a day by renting their campuses for movies, TV shows and commercials. It comes at a time when networks like the Disney Channel and MTV are trading reality shows for scripted shows that often feature kids at school. Recently, University High School in West Los Angeles was a location for the romantic comedy "Valentine's Day." School districts say they will use the money to save teachers' jobs, improve school facilities and recoup district funds. Read the newspaper to find ways businesses, organizations or individuals are coming up with new ways to make money. Brainstorm a creative way to make money during the summer by providing a service or product people need. Write a paragraph outlining your idea.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of oral, visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; describing, comparing and explaining the locations and characteristics of economic activities, trade, political activities, information flow and the interrelationships among them.

5. Expensive Protection

Starting August 15, U.S. banks may see a loss in revenue. That's when banks must get permission from existing customers before covering debit card purchases or ATM withdrawals when there isn't enough money in the account -- and charging a fee to do so. The new ruling on such "overdraft programs" was issued by the Federal Reserve, and began July 1 for new customers. Overdraft programs have been growing steadily in recent years, and by 2008 75 percent of banks automatically enrolled customers in them. Overdraft programs charge up to $39 if a customer spends more than what's available in the account, and last year banks collected $37 billion from overdraft fees. To make up for the lost money, many banks are choosing to charge for checking accounts that used to be free and adding monthly or quarterly maintenance fees to accounts. Search the newspaper for an article about bank regulations, consumer spending, etc. Write a letter to the editor expressing your opinion on the role and responsibility of banks to control consumer debt.

Learning Standards: Describing the roles of the various economic institutions that comprise the American economic system such as governments, business firms, labor unions, banks and households; using the persuasive power of text.