1. Disease

More than 20 million people in the United States have asthma, a disease that makes it hard to breathe. It's one of the country's most common diseases and one of the most costly diseases, too. That's because many people with asthma don't understand how to manage it, so they wind up in hospital emergency rooms. Last week a doctor at the Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri said that a breakthrough treatment might be available soon. The new treatment actually changes the shape of a person's lungs to prevent asthma attacks. In the newspaper, read about a scientific or medical discovery or advance. Write a short report summarizing what it is and what impact it might have.

Learning Standards: Asking questions that help students learn about the world; designing and conducting investigations using appropriate methodology and technology; learning from books and other sources of information; communicating findings using appropriate technology; reconstructing previously learned knowledge.

2. Equality in Education

March is Women's History Month. Pretend you are a parent of a daughter who will be graduating from high school in the next five years. Look through the stories, photos and ads in the newspaper for information about fields of education that will be important in the work world over the next 20 years. Write a letter to your daughter recommending which of these fields of education she should pursue, and why. Finish by discussing as a class which of these fields might have been blocked to girls 25 or 50 years ago.

Learning Standards: Evaluating employment and career opportunities in light of economic trends; using research to organize and create texts to persuade others to take a particular position.

3. Census Takers

The U.S. government is mailing out census forms to homes across the country and urging people to fill them out and send them back. The government conducts a census every 10 years. The census gathers information about the country's population, including how many people there are, where they live and what they do. Create a "census" questionnaire based on this week's newspaper. In groups, make a list of five questions about the newspaper. For example, you might ask "Where do people mentioned in the newspaper this week live?" or "How many articles are on an average page in the newspaper?" Compile information to answer the questions. Then display the information in charts or graphs.

Learning Standards: Using reading for multiple purposes, such as enjoyment, clarifying information, and learning complex procedures; organizing data using tables, charts, graphs, spreadsheets and data bases.

4. Advertisement

Michigan-based Domino's Pizza more than doubled its profits for the last quarter, thanks in part to an ad campaign that panned its own pizza. Domino's ran a series of documentary-style commercials with customers complaining about the pizza, and Domino's workers reporting that the company has changed and is now using a better-tasting recipe. In groups, pick a product in the newspaper and design a commercial for it. Write a script for your commercial and create a visual aid, such as a poster, chart or other prop. Present your commercial to the class.

Learning Standards: Analyzing how purchasers obtain information about goods and services from advertising and other sources; communicating information accurately and effectively and demonstrating expressive abilities by creating oral, written and visual texts that enlighten and engage an audience.

5. Rotation

The length of a day on planet Earth may now be shorter because of a massive earthquake that struck Chile, a country in South America, a NASA scientist said last week. Scientist Richard Gross said that the earthquake was so strong it may have affected the rotation of the Earth, making each day shorter by 1.26 milliseconds. In groups, use the newspaper, books and the Internet to create a presentation for the class about ways natural events or those caused by humans affect the Earth or life on Earth. It can focus on a news story, an event, a person or anything else your group finds interesting and wants to share with the class.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources; explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on the environment; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance.