1. Help for Animals Pamela Anderson's Dodge Viper sports car will have a big role in the actress's new TV series on the E! network. It also will have a big role in raising money for a group that seeks better treatment for animals. Anderson says she will sell the Viper she decorated with white racing stripes to raise money for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Anderson has been a supporter of the group that works for fair care for animals for about 15 years. As a class, talk about ways students and families can help wild animals, pets or animals used for work or research. Then draw a poster showing one of the ideas from your class. Display posters in your classroom. Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about issues or topics of interest; using the craft of the illustrator to formulate and express ideas artistically.

2. What a Plot! The experience sounds like an Indiana Jones movie. A group of scuba divers escaped from sharks off the shore of Indonesia, only to come face to face with a Komodo dragon when they reached land on a small island. The five divers were able to keep the sharp-toothed dragon away by throwing stones at it after surviving 12 hours in shark-infested waters. The news can often provide ideas for adventure stories and movies. With a partner, find a story in the newspaper that could inspire an adventure movie. Write down four or five ideas that you would include in your movie.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of written, visual and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

3. Dark Day Afternoon

For 228 years, the day has been a mystery in the New England states. Why did it get so dark during the day on May 19, 1780 that some families ate lunch by candlelight? Now scientists at the University of Missouri believe they have solved the mystery by studying the rings in trees north of the United States in Canada. Studying the rings of old trees, the scientists found evidence that a major forest fire had burned in 1780, causing huge smoke clouds that were carried by winds to New England hundreds of miles away. Because there were no telephones, television or Internet, the people in New England did not know that there was a big fire in Canada. As a class, talk about ways that people get news and information today. Then find three stories in the newspaper that people many miles away should be aware of . Explain why.

Learning Standard: Acquiring information from multiple sources and then evaluating, organizing and communicating it in various contexts.

4. Green, Green Garden

When summer comes, many families plant gardens. More and more, people want to make sure their gardens don't damage the environment. Here are some tips from a "green" gardening group: (1) Use all-natural compost made from vegetable scraps rather than fertilizer; (2) save rainwater for watering; (3) plant herbs and flowers to attract helpful insects such as bees and butterflies; (4) feed birds because birds keep insects away; (5) don't use chemicals to kill bugs or weeds. With a partner, look for garden ads in the newspaper. Make a list of plants or equipment you would like for starting a garden. Add up how much your purchases would cost.

Learning Standards: Describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature, wildlife and the environment; using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to solve problems.

5. Ready, Set, Cook!

Cooking a meal takes a lot of skill. Top chefs not only work to make their food tasty, but to present it in a beautiful way. This week, 80 young chefs will travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to compete for top honors and a chance to win expensive cooking tools. Sixteen teams of chefs in the Job Corps program of the U.S. Department of Labor will have three hours to prepare a meal of nine servings, create a centerpiece decoration for the dining table and present these to a panel of professional judges. As a class, talk about what foods you like to eat. Then divide into teams and search the food ads in the newspaper to create a menu that would be tasty, nutritious and beautiful! Design a menu for your foods.

Learning Standards: Comprehending what constitutes good health and nutrition; acquiring information from multiple sources and then evaluating, organizing and communicating it; representing creatively.