1. Jet Man

People who love adventures are always looking for new challenges. Last week a man from the European country of Switzerland decided to fly over the English Channel -- on a homemade jet wing. Yves Rossy crossed over the 22-mile channel of water between France and England in about 15 minutes. His homemade craft weighed about 121 pounds and was powered by four kerosene-powered jet engines. New inventions make new things possible every day. With a partner find a new product or invention in the newspaper. Write a short paragraph explaining what the invention allows people to do. Then brainstorm an invention you'd like to create -- for an adventure like Yves Rossy's. Learning Standards: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world contexts; engaging peers in constructive conversation about issues or topics of interest

2. Chinese Space Walk

For 50 years, the United States has been a world leader in efforts to explore space. Now the Asian country of China wants to become a pioneer in space as it works to become a more modern nation. Last week China marked a milestone in its space program when an astronaut on the Shenzho 7 spacecraft performed the nation's first spacewalk. Mission commander Zhai Zhigang floated in space for about 13 minutes before waving a Chinese flag for cameras and climbing back inside. Stories about exploring space often make news. As a class, find an example in the newspaper or on the Internet. Talk about what is making news and what nations gain by exploring space and the universe. Learning Standard: Understanding the nature of scientific inquiry; explaining how we learn about the universe; generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious.

3. What a Goose!

Ducks and geese are familiar sights at parks, lakes and rivers. But no one has ever seen a goose like the one discovered by fossil hunters in the European country of England. Scientists working off the southeast coast there have found a huge and well-preserved fossil of a goose and duck relative that had a beak full of sharp teeth and a wing span 16 feet wide! The ancient bird was "almost the size of a small plane!" one scientist exclaimed, and its toothy beak was probably used to snap fish out of the water. As a class, talk about how fossils allow scientists to learn about life in the past on Earth. Then find an animal from today in the newspaper. Write a complete sentence describing what this animal would tell scientists of the future if they found it as a fossil. Learning Standard: Explaining how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life; generating questions about the world based on observation.

4. Another Find for Egypt

In the African country of Egypt, pharaohs (FARE-ohs) were kings who were often worshipped as gods. The great pyramids were built to honor them along with hundreds of amazing statues. Scientists who study the ancient pharaohs are thrilled to report they have discovered a 3,000-year-old red-stone head believed to show the pharaoh Ramses II. The head was part of a gigantic statue of Ramses (RAM-zeez) that once stood in an area built to honor the cat-goddess Bastet about 50 miles from the city of Cairo. If you wanted to honor someone with a statue today, who would it be? Pick a person from the newspaper that you admire. Make a drawing showing what your statue would look like and explain it to the class. Learning Standard: Responding to a variety of oral, visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others.

5. Fire Prevention Week

This week is Fire Prevention Week. As a class, read an article in the newspaper about a fire that has happened locally in the past week. Brainstorm ways that the fire could have been prevented. Then use the newspaper, your list and other resources to make a list of fire-prevention safety tips. List three of them in the spaces below.

Learning Standard: Applying knowledge, ideas and issues drawn from texts to students' lives and the lives of others.

_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _________________________________________