1. Sheer Willpower

For some people, losing half their body weight would cost them their lives. But for Jarvez Hall, it meant saving his life. The former college football player weighed 548 pounds when he turned 28. He told ABC News that he started gaining weight when he was in middle school, and when people told him he was big and strong, it encouraged him to be big. After his mother died, he found himself getting dangerously big, however. He reached out to the television show “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss” and ended up losing more than 280 pounds. Find a newspaper story about someone who has shown tremendous willpower to change his or her life. Write a paragraph or short essay about what it would take to make that kind of change. Talk about ways you have shown willpower in your life.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

2. Cool at School

Going back to school for the fall is big news for students everywhere. Get excited about the new school year by cutting out pictures and words in the newspaper that represent things you would like to do or learn about in school this year. Make an art collage out of the pictures and use it to inspire you. Put your artworks up on a bulletin board to inspire the whole class!

Common Core/National Standards: : Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing knowledgeably and representing creatively.

3. Lunch With the First Lady

Imagine sitting down for a special meal at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama. The winners of a national healthy-recipe contest got to do just that last week. A total of 54 kids from ages 8 to 12 were chosen to attend the luncheon, after each submitted a healthy recipe that was particularly tasty. The luncheon featured some of the winning recipes. Just when the children thought it couldn’t get any better, an unexpected guest “crashed” the party, according to an ABC report. “Usually, I get invited to the state dinners,” said President Barack Obama as he came into the luncheon. “So this time I just had to crash. I had to crash the party, because I did not want to miss out on all the fun.” The First Lady said she was as excited about the event as the kids. As a class, search your newspaper for a recipe. Or find one online. With classmates or your family, brainstorm a healthier way to prepare the recipe.

Common Core/National Standard: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; understanding that the selection of foods and eating patterns determine nutritional balance; listing healthy options for health-related issues or problems.

4. Space Age Hover Craft

It’s “Star Wars” come to life. Aerospace engineers have developed a hover vehicle that looks remarkably similar to the hover bikes in the “Star Wars” movie “Return of the Jedi.” The vehicle moves with two rotors, and it responds to a rider’s leaning movements as land bikes do, according to a Yahoo! News article. It’s like a hovering All-Terrain Vehicle, one of the engineers told the Livescience website. Owners of the company that developed the craft said they envision it being used in many ways. According to the article, it could be used to fly doctors into areas way out in the country, allow patrol officers to protect the nation’s border regions or deliver supplies to remote areas for the military. Search your newspaper for stories about new types of transportation. Or find one online. Draw a picture showing an idea of your own for a new vehicle for the future.

Common Core/National Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; knowing the different visual characteristics and purposes of art to convey ideas.

5. Love That Baseball

In the United States, we take for granted that we will be able to watch any of the dozens of baseball games offered weekly on television. Heck, there are even TV stations that show nothing but baseball. Today’s fans have the W2XBS television station in New York City to thank for paving the way for bringing America’s pastime into our living rooms. On August 26, 1939, the station broadcast baseball for the first time on television — showing a doubleheader between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. Find a newspaper article about your favorite baseball team. Write a letter or essay describing what it would be like if you couldn’t watch the team on television. Include how you would get information about the team without TV.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.