1. All-Star Baseball

On Tuesday, July 15, the top stars in baseball's American and National Leagues will face off in the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game will be played at Yankee Stadium in New York, which will close after this season after 85 years as one of the most famous ballparks in America. In the newspaper, find news about the All-Star Game. Write a short summary of what is making news and why it is important to the All-Star Game.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources and then evaluating, organizing and communicating it; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

2. Top Nations

Last week leaders of the eight richest nations in the world got together to discuss issues at a meeting in the Asian nation of Japan. The Group of Eight, or G8 for short, talked about world issues ranging from help for poor African nations to global warming and climate change. In the newspaper, find a photo or story about a country other than the United States that you would like to visit. With family or friends, talk about why this country interests you. Then draw a travel poster giving reasons other people might want to visit this country, too.

Learning Standard: Responding to a variety of written, visual and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

3. Venus and Serena

Venus and Serena Williams are two of the top women's tennis players in the world, but when they met in the title match at the famous Wimbledon tournament, someone had to lose. Venus came out on top, beating her sister in two straight sets. But Serena got a little glory later the same day. She and Venus teamed up to win the Wimbledon women's doubles championship, again in straight sets. Though they are sisters, Venus and Serena Williams are friendly rivals in tennis. What are some other top rivalries in sports? With family or friends, find rivalries between players or teams in the sports section of the newspaper. Write a paragraph, or draw a poster, showing the rivals you find most interesting.

Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

4. Orangutans in Danger

Orangutans are among the most interesting of the world's great apes. But fewer and fewer live on the only two islands on Earth where they still live in the wild. And they could become extinct if action isn't taken, scientists report in a new study. The drop in the number of orangutans in the island nations of Indonesia and Malasia in Southeast Asia is due to illegal cutting of trees and expansion of farming plantations. In the newspaper, find a photo, story or ad that mentions a wild or endangered species. Write out problems this species faces for survival. Then write ways this species could be helped. Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature, wildlife and the environment.

5. Hot Dog Eating

In summer people do wacky things to have fun. Some of the wackiest are food-eating contests. At the Coney Island amusement park in New York City, two men faced off on the Fourth of July to see who could eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes. They tied at 59 each, and then had to go into overtime. After a five-dog eat-off, Joey Chestnut claimed victory over rival Takeru Kobayashi. If you were going to have a food-eating contest, what food would you choose? With family or friends, find a food in the ads in the newspaper and design an eye-catching poster to make people want to enter your contest. Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about issues or topics of interest; representing creatively.