Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs with meatballs have been recalled  that people shouldnt eat them. Campbell Soup Company, the makers of SpaghettiOs, say theyre being extra careful because a cooker in one of the companys Texas plants malfunctioned, and the meat was undercooked. The recalled products are stamped with EST 4K and have a use-by-date between June 2010 and December 2011. According to the USDA, there are no reports of illness because of the product. Search the newspaper for an article about a person or a group who is trying to get the word out about a recall, event, etc. Create an ad letting people know and persuading them to get involved.
Learning Standards: Demonstrating their ability to use different voices in oral and written communication to persuade, inform, entertain and inspire their audiences.

All in the Altitude
A NASA scientist believes altitude (AL-tih-tood) or geographic height could play a role in the World Cup  a big soccer tournament. Some of the World Cup games are being played in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is 5,500 feet above sea level. Thats even higher than the Mile High City, Denver, Colo., which is 5,280 feet above sea level. With higher altitude comes lower air pressure and aerodynamic effects, such as drag and lift. This means balls kicked in this years World Cup may travel faster and straighter. Choose a sporting event from the newspapers sports section. Write down a description of what might happen if the game was played in a forest, in a foot of water or in a hilly, sandy desert (on a cool day).
Learning Standards: Describing how things around us move and explaining why things move as they do; demonstrating and explaining how we control the motions of objects; and relating motion to energy and energy conversions.

Theyre Back!
Woody and Buzz Lightyear made their way back to the box office with a splash. Toy Story 3 opened in theaters on June 18 and sold $109 million in tickets during its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, which is a new record for a film produced by Disneys Pixar Animation. Look through the movie listings in the newspaper to find out which movies are playing at the most theaters and at the most times. What are your predictions for the three most popular movies? Why?
Learning Standards: Using patterns and their generalizations to make and justify inferences and predictions.

Brave Flight
The aircraft carrying American aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Frederick Noonan went missing on July 2, 1937, during their flight over the Pacific Ocean. The two were attempting to fly around the world. They were never found, but many stories have been told about what could have happened to these brave flyers. Find a comic in the newspaper about a character who did something brave or is facing a problem. Create your own cartoon about being brave and dealing with a problem.
Learning Standards: Expressing their responses and making connections between oral, visual, written and electronic texts and their own lives.

Hmm&Maybe a Mini Golf Course
A very large home  90,000 square feet  is for sale in Florida. Its got 23 bathrooms, 13 bedrooms, 10 kitchens, a 20-car garage, three pools, a bowling alley, an indoor roller rink, a two-story movie theater, a video arcade and a fitness center  plus a baseball field and two tennis courts. The catch is that its not done yet. It doesnt have any carpets, tiles or interior walls. The builders are selling it for $75 million as is. If the buyers want it finished, theyll need to fork over $25 million more. Look in the newspaper for a story about a project that is in the works, but hasnt been finished. Imagine you were asked to take over the project. What changes would you suggest to make the project better? Draw and label a picture of your completed project.
Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.