1. NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN MAKE ELECTION HISTORY

When Crystalyne Curley was in third grade, a class trip to the Navajo Nation Council made her want to serve in government. Years later, voters chose her as the Navajo Nation’s first woman president. The Navajo Nation has its own government and makes decisions for its community. Native American women also reached milestones in other elections. Peggy Flanagan of the White Earth Nation became the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Deb Haaland of Laguna Pueblo became the first Native American woman elected governor of a U.S. state. Think of a place you could visit to learn how people help your community, such as a library, a fire station, or a town hall. Draw the place on one side of a postcard. On the other side, write a question you would ask someone who works there and one way you might like to help your community someday.

2. N.A.S.A. LOOKS FOR ITS NEXT ASTRONAUTS

NASA is looking for people to train as astronauts. Some of them could help explore the Moon through a program called Artemis. Others could work on space stations that travel around Earth. NASA looks for adults with years of schooling and work experience in fields such as science, engineering, or medicine. The people NASA picks will spend about two years training before they can be assigned to a space mission. NASA wants to learn more about ice in dark craters near the Moon’s south pole––help them by choosing three tools a crew could use to look for ice and study it. Write at least 2 sentences for each tool explaining what it would do.

3. WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO TYRA THE GIANT DINOSAUR?

In Drumheller, Canada, visitors can climb 106 steps and look out through the mouth of an 86-foot dinosaur sculpture named Tyra. The town is known for fossils, and Tyra gives travelers another reason to stop. But a dinosaur that tall costs a lot to paint and repair. The group that runs the attraction plans to close it in 2029, when its agreement to use the land ends. Some people want to raise money to keep Tyra in town. Others are looking at whether she could move to a new home. Choose what you think Drumheller should do about Tyra. The town could raise money to keep her, find her a new home, or close the attraction and save a piece for a display. Write a short note to town leaders that names your choice, gives one reason for it, and explains one problem the town would have to solve.

4. CELEBRATING DIWALI WHILE CARING FOR THE AIR

Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights. Many families celebrate with lamps, bright decorations, and fireworks. In the Delhi region of India, the country’s highest court allowed only certain fireworks during short periods over the holiday weekend. These fireworks are made to release fewer harmful chemicals, though they still add pollution. Delhi was already dealing with smog, a dirty haze that can make it harder to breathe. Cars and trucks, dust, and smoke from farm fires also contribute to the problem. Design a festival of lights scene: Make a paper collage for a Diwali celebration using pictures of lamps, colorful clothes, or flower garlands. Give your scene a title. Add a caption that explains how one detail brings light or color to the celebration without adding smoke from fireworks.

5. FLOODS BRING WATER TO LAKE POWELL

Heavy rain in the U.S. Southwest caused creeks to overflow, and some people had to leave their homes. The storms also sent water into reservoirs, which are lakes that store water for later use. Lake Powell, on the border of Arizona and Utah, rose more than 20 feet from its low point in September. Even after that rise, the reservoir was only a little more than one-quarter full. The region is still in a drought, a long period with too little rain or snow. Sometimes, a scary or challenging event––like heavy rains and flooding that made people leave their homes––can have a positive effect, too––like helping refill water reservoirs that were empty because of droughts. Think about an event in your own life that was difficult but something good ended up coming out of it. Write at least 5 sentences about your own experience and how it’s similar to this story.