1. All the Information

When you read non-fiction -- biographies, textbooks, the newspaper -- you can help yourself by learning how to use all the information available. This would include chapter titles, headlines, text breakers, captions, illustrations or notes. These elements usually are set off in different kinds of type from the main text, and you should read these before anything else to get an idea of what the text is about. Then you can read the text. Practice this by using the newspaper. Find a story that has a photo, graph or illustration. Read the headline, any sub-headlines, text breakers, captions or blowup quotes. Then write down what you think the story will be about. Then read the story and write down what the story was about. How accurate were your predictions?

Learning Standards: Reading fluently for multiple purposes; explaining how the characteristics of various written and visual texts and the textual aids they employ (e.g. subheadings/titles, charts and indexes) are used to convey meaning.

2. What a Wizard

The seventh and final Harry Potter novel was released on July 21, 2007. In the United States alone, 12 million copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" were initially printed. The world-famous adventures of this boy wizard were created by British author J.K. Rowling, and more than 400 million books in the series have now been sold. The books have been translated into more than 60 languages and have been credited with raising childhood literacy around the world. Skim the newspaper to determine your favorite type of article, such as news, features, sports or opinion. Write a blog or journal entry about why you like to read this type of story. Then write about other things you like to read and why.

Learning Standards: Reflecting on students' own developing literacy, setting learning goals and evaluating their progress; reading and writing fluently for multiple purposes.

3. Panic Button

Facebook has now joined Bebo and MySpace in adding a "panic button" for its users in the United Kingdom in Europe. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), a U.K. government-run organization, had asked the social networking sites to add a button that would allow minors to quickly and easily report suspicious activity to authorities. It's not yet known if the feature will be available for U.S. users. Find an article in the newspaper about social networking, identity theft or another issue regarding privacy. Create an editorial cartoon expressing your opinion on the issue.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; using the craft of the illustrator to express ideas artistically.

4. What Lies Beneath

In the midst of the area affected by the BP oil spill, two previously unknown species of bottom-dwelling fish called pancake batfish have been discovered. Researchers identified the new species living in the Gulf of Mexico. Pancake batfish are rarely seen because they prefer to be deep in the water. They have round, flat bodies with big heads and mouths, and they drag themselves with arm-like fins along the bottom of the Gulf. The new species were first believed to be the same, but researchers found distinct differences. The discoveries appear in the Journal of Fish Biology and have been named Halieutichthys intermedius and H. bispinosus. Search the newspaper for an article about any living thing. Pretend you have discovered a new species similar to the one in the article. Compile a list of questions you would ask to determine if the species is truly different.

Learning Standards: Explaining how scientists construct and scientifically test theories concerning the origin of life and evolution of species; comparing ways that living organisms are adapted (suited) to survive and reproduce in their environments; analyzing how species change through time.

5. Baseball's Second Half

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is now history, and teams are gearing up for the second half of the season. Go to the sports section and find the Major League Baseball standings for the American and National Leagues. Clip them from the paper and compare them side by side. Which American League team has the best record to date? Which National League team has the best record? Which Major League Baseball team has the worst record in both leagues? Write a prediction of which teams you think will win the American and National League championships this year, and explain why. Then write a prediction of which team you think will win the World Series.

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