1. Fear Itself

On March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. In his famous inaugural address, Roosevelt outlined his "New Deal" and told Americans that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." In recent years, Americans have had to come to terms with a variety of fears and anxieties. Find an example of a person in the news who is confronting a fear, or who has overcome one. Write a short editorial commenting on what the person has done, and how that can help others respond to their own fears.

Learning Standard: Responding to a variety of texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others.

2. Privacy

A school in Pennsylvania is in hot water for possibly looking into students' homes via webcam cameras in computers. To give all students equal computer access, Harriton High School in the town of Lower Merion gave out laptops to all students. At the same time, it set up the laptops so that the school could turn on the computers' webcams and take photos. The school is saying that it only took photos if a laptop was reported lost or stolen. But one student says the school took photos of him even though his laptop was never reported missing. Find an article about computer or Internet privacy issues. It can involve a school, a business, a government, a person or a Web site (such as Facebook). Write an outline of the article. Then discuss what you found with the class.

Learning Standards: Demonstrating knowledge of changes in technologies and the effect those changes have; engaging peers in constructive conversation about matters of public concern by clarifying issues, considering opposing views, applying democratic values, anticipating consequences, and working toward making decisions.

3. Government

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the government body that regulates the nation's food and drugs. Now the FDA wants to stop drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline from selling its very profitable drug Avandia. The drug, which treats diabetes, has been linked to heart problems. Read about the FDA in the newspaper, online or in books and think about whether or not consumers should rely on a government agency like the FDA to let them know if they can eat, drink or use products. Then pick a side and write a newspaper editorial defending that position.

Learning Standard: Evaluating how effectively the federal government is serving the purposes for which it was created; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Seuss

Children's writer Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904. Dr. Seuss's books, including "The Cat in the Hat," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Green Eggs and Ham" and many others, use rhymes, repetition and rhythm to make reading fun and teach kids how to read. Pick a news story that's appropriate for younger kids. Alone or with a partner, write a short story or skit that conveys the information to kids in a fun, engaging way.

Learning Standards: Communicating information accurately and effectively and demonstrating expressive abilities by creating oral, written and visual texts that enlighten and engage an audience; recognizing and approximating authors' innovative techniques to convey meaning and influence an audience when composing their own texts.

5. Dusty

A new study by two scientists at the University of Arizona shows that household dust is pretty gross. Dust is usually made up of a combination of skin, fur, dead insects, food, lint, dirt, lead, arsenic and the pesticide DDT. In the newspaper, find another science article that interests you. Create a detailed drawing, diagram, chart or graph that helps convey the information in the article. Show what you created to the class, and explain how it relates to the article.

Learning Standards: Organizing data using tables, charts, graphs, spreadsheets and databases; acquiring information from multiple sources.