1. America's Capital

Philadelphia and New York were both in the running for becoming our nation's capital but instead, the new American Congress voted on July 16, 1790, to approve a site on the Potomac River, which was nothing but swampland. They voted to form a federal "District of Columbia" and to name the city after George Washington, the country's first president. The city was designed by French architect Pierre L'Enfant. The first cornerstones for the White House were laid in 1793. In the newspaper, find a story about Washington, D.C., or events in the city. Write a short summary of the story. Then look at a map of the United States and find Washington, D.C.

Learning Standards: Using knowledge of an area's geography to understand the people who inhabit an area; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

2. Summer Has Come

Summer is here, and everyone is making summer plans. In today's newspaper, read an article about a newsmaker who interests you. Is the newsmaker doing something unusual or showing off special talents? With family or friends, talk about something you would like to see this newsmaker do this summer. Then write the opening to a short story about the newsmaker doing what you'd like to see. Get creative!

Learning Standard: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as stories, poetry, personal narratives, editorials, research reports, persuasive essays, resumes and memos.

3. Is It Art?

The difference between what is art and what is graffiti depends on the person viewing it. Many people in the city of Encinitas, California, think a tile and rock mosaic showing the Virgin of Guadalupe surfing is art. However, city leaders decided it was illegal graffiti and said it needed to be removed. According to an Associated Press story, the 10-foot-by-10-foot mosaic of the woman who represents the Virgin Mary to followers of the Catholic faith showed up just before Easter under a railroad bridge. The mosaic depicts Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe riding, "a white surf board decorated with the angelic face of Juan Diego, the ... boy who is said to have seen the Virgin on a Mexican hillside in 1531." The city has recently had the mosaic safely removed, and artist Mark Patterson is looking for a permanent home for the artwork. Look in your newspaper for stories about art or art events. With family or friends, talk about what would make good public art. Draw a picture of something that you think would be a great piece of public art.

Learning Standard: Applying artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning and intent in original works of art.

4. Happy Birthday, Disneyland

Animated and live-action movies made Walt Disney a household name. But when he opened the doors to Disneyland 56 years ago on July 17, he catapulted to worldwide fame. The park cost $17 million and was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California. It became home to many of Disney's most famous characters, such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Snow White, Dumbo, Cinderella and many more. Since the first park opened in 1955, the Disney Company has built theme parks in Orlando, Florida; Paris, France; Tokyo, Japan; and even in Hong Kong, China. The original Disneyland now gets more than 14 million visitors a year, and they spend close to $3 billion. With family or friends, look in the newspaper, and find a story about a Disney movie. Or find one online. Using characters from the movie, come up with a story of your own and illustrate it.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing strategically and representing creatively; writing fictional narratives.

5. Wacky Weather

So far this year, the weather has been a bit wacky. Many people spent the Fourth of July weekend at the beach. Others brought blankets and picnics to parks. And still others went snow skiing. Yes, you read correctly. Ski areas in California, Colorado and Utah got so much snow late in the winter season that they were able to open the lifts and welcome skiers outfitted in shorts, tank tops and bikinis on July 4. Other parts of the country could have used a little bit of the chill. Phoenix, Arizona, reached 118 degrees, which is still cooler than the U.S. record temperature of 134 degrees in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913. Using the weather maps in your newspaper, track the weather in your city for a week. Make a graph of the high and low temperatures each day.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources and then organizing and presenting it; using a variety of graphs to display statistical information.