1. Bullying Has Long-Lasting Effects

If you’re bullied in school — and even if you yourself are the bully — you are more likely to experience psychiatric and emotional problems, not only in childhood, but even as an adult. And sometimes the problems can show up as much as 10 years after the bullying has ended. That’s what a scientific study has found, according to a report in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry. Researchers found that victims of bullying in childhood were 4.3 times more likely to have an anxiety disorder as adults than those who were not bullied. Bullies who were also victims were 14.5 times as likely as adults to experience panic disorders and 4.8 times more likely to experience depression. Bullying is not a harmless rite of passage, the lead author declared, but can cause lasting emotional damage. As a class, talk about ways that bullying can have a negative effect on people, and on life in a school, neighborhood or community. Use key points from the discussion to design a public service ad for the newspaper detailing ways to reduce bullying.

Common Core/National Standard: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement engaging and disagreement; engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

2. Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month. All across America people are celebrating things women have done in the past and today. Find a woman or a girl in today's newspaper who is achieving success. Write a sentence stating what this woman is doing. Then write a second sentence stating what personal qualities she has that make her successful. Finish by writing what qualities you have that could make you successful.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; identifying and explaining how individuals demonstrate good character and personal virtue.

3. Hushpuppy to Be Annie

A new “Annie” movie will be on theater screens across the world in 2014, and the star will be Quvenzhané Wallis. She’s the 9-year-old who was nominated for an Oscar award in the best actress category for her performance as the girl Hushpuppy in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” — the youngest Oscar nominee ever. A Columbia Pictures executive said Quvenzhané has “an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer.” The story of “Annie,” which has been both a Broadway musical play and a hit movie, is adapted from the long-running Harold Gray comic strip “Little Orphan Annie.” Movies are often based on other kinds of stories, including books, plays and even comic strips. Find a comic strip in the newspaper that interests you. Then write a paragraph describing an idea for a movie adventure, based on the characters in the strip. Give your comic-strip movie a creative title that would make kids your age want to see it.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

4. Giant Goldfish Alert!

It may sound like a story from a horror movie, but Lake Tahoe is in danger — from giant goldfish! Biologists have discovered a growing number of huge goldfish in the crystal-clear lake on the California-Nevada border, which threatens the lake’s ecology. The fish — some growing as long as 18 inches — excrete a high volume of nutrients, which stimulate algae growth. How did the creatures get there? They are believed to have been introduced into the lake by people dumping their aquariums. Too much algae can choke out life in lakes and ponds. As a class, talk about other risks to the environment. Then find a photo of an outdoor scene from nature in the newspaper or online. Make a list of the types of wildlife that could live in this outdoor habitat. Then write a list of possible threats to the wildlife living there. Discuss your lists as a class. Were some things a threat in more than one habitat?

Common Core/National Standards: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

5. Call It ‘Vulcan’

One of Pluto’s newly discovered moons will be named “Vulcan,” as a result of a worldwide vote on the Internet. The name had been suggested by actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the “Star Wars” TV series. Vulcan, the Roman god of lava and smoke, was the home planet of Mr. Spock’s pointy-eared species on the “Star Wars” shows. Rules of the online vote were that the names had to be chosen from Roman or Greek mythology. Placing second was Cerebrus, the three-headed dog that guarded the gates to the underworld. As a class find a story about a space discovery in the newspaper or on the website www.nasa.gov. Discuss one discovery and why it is important. Then team up with a partner and look at a map of the Earth’s solar system. Pretend you have just discovered the solar system and are naming the planets. What names would you pick that would fit each planet? Write out your reasons.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.