1. Nessie

On May 2, 1933, the Loch Ness Monster was spotted by a couple in Scotland, and the next day the sighting was reported in the Inverness Courier newspaper. While accounts and drawings of "Nessie" date as far back as the year 500 C.E., the news story reignited public imagination. Scientists, scholars and thrill-seekers have been looking for the monster ever since. Read a short article in today's newspaper. Notice how the writer tells the story using facts such as who, what, why, where, when and how, along with details that elaborate the facts and quotations from witnesses. Using your imagination and the article as an example, write a short news story about people who say they have seen something out of the ordinary.

Learning Standard: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as personal narratives, persuasive essays, lab reports or poetry.

2. Mexico

Cinco de Mayo, or "May 5th," is an annual celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. It commemorates an important 1862 military victory. In groups, write a short report about Cinco de Mayo. Then be creative and make a Cinco De Mayo decoration for your classroom. When you show it to the class, explain how it represents Cinco de Mayo or Mexico.

Learning Standard: Describing, comparing and explaining the locations and characteristics of races, cultures and settlements; representing creatively.

3. Etiquette

Etiquette expert Elizabeth Post died last week at age 89. She was the granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post, who wrote a famous book on manners and established a school to teach manners. Elizabeth Post continued the family tradition by running the school and writing her own books. She also wrote a newspaper column and a column for "Good Housekeeping" magazine. Columns are different from regular news articles because they include the writer's opinion. Pretend you're a newspaper or magazine columnist and write a column based on something in the news. Share with the class.

Learning Standards: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as stories, poetry, personal narratives, editorials, research reports, persuasive essays, resumes and memos; recognizing and approximating authors' innovative techniques to convey meaning and influence an audience when composing texts.

4. Cy Young Award

On May 5, 1904, Boston Americans baseball player Cy Young pitched a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics. It was the first perfect game in baseball's American League. A perfect game is one in which a pitcher does not allow a single batter to reach base. Young had many great achievements in his 22 years in professional baseball, and to this day holds the Major League record for most wins by a pitcher. Every year Major League Baseball gives out two Cy Young Awards, one to the best pitcher in the American League and one to the best in the National League. Look through the newspaper and find examples of things named after people. They can be awards, buildings, streets, schools or anything else. Pick one and research the life of the person. Then write a biography of the person, including why the thing you found is named after him or her.

Learning Standard: Demonstrating the ability to write clear and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs, and compositions.

5. Not-So-Happy Meals

Officials in Santa Clara County, California, voted to ban toys that restaurants give away with high-calorie kids' meals, such as McDonald's Happy Meals. The goal is to break apart the idea of a connection between unhealthy foods and prizes. How would you encourage kids to skip Happy Meals and toys and reach for healthier foods instead? In groups, find examples of healthy foods, such as fruits or vegetables, in the newspaper. Pick one. Create a mascot, toy or poster designed to appeal to kids and convince them to eat your healthy food.

Learning Standard: Consistently using strategies to regulate the effects of variables on the communication process. An example is designing a communication environment for maximum impact on the receiver.