1. A City of the Dead

Just in time for Halloween, workers in the European country of Italy have uncovered a huge burial ground that could be something out of a mystery story. Workers who were re-doing a sports stadium in the city of Rome uncovered hundreds of tombs for the dead that are set up like a city neighborhood. No one knows who was buried in the tombs, but they look like houses on the streets and blocks of a community. Scientists can learn a lot about the past when they dig up ancient neighborhoods or cities. As a class, discuss what scientists could learn about your neighborhood if it were dug up in the future. In teams, write the beginning of a story for the newspaper announcing the most important things they would learn. Illustrate your story with a drawing or cartoon.

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

2. Beware These Vampires

Scary creatures like ghosts, ghouls and and the vampire Count Dracula are always popular at Halloween. But this Halloween the Direct Energy company is warning people about another kind of vampire -- vampire electronics. Vampire electronics are devices like computers that eat up electricity even when they're turned off. The U.S. Department of Energy says 40 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed when the devices are switched off, and the average home has 10-50 of them. Unplugging, cell-phone charges, DVD players and other devices when not in use could save $55 a year in energy costs, Direct Energy experts say. In pairs or teams, search the newspaper for devices your family uses that run on electricity. Write out five ways your family could cut back on its use of electricity and share with the class.

Learning Standard: Responding to visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others.

3. Baby Belugas

Beluga whales were made famous in a children's song by the singer Raffi called "Baby Beluga." Now belugas in the state of Alaska are getting attention for a more serious reason. The federal government has put belugas in Alaska's Cook Inlet on the nation's Endangered Species List. The Cook belugas have become endangered because their numbers have not increased despite a 10-year recovery program. Four other groups of Alaskan belugas are not endangered. As a class, talk about reasons wild animals become endangered. Then find a rare or endangered animal in the photos, ads and stories of the newspaper (don't forget sports teams!). Draw a comic strip for the newspaper showing something people could do to protect a rare or endangered animal.

Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature, wildlife and the environment; using the craft of the illustrator to express ideas creatively.

4. Here Yeti, Yeti

In the Himalaya mountains of Asia, some local residents have long believed that large, hairy creatures called Yetis live in the wild. Yetis, also known as "abominable snowmen," are said to walk on two legs like humans. They have never been seen up close, though, and many people wonder if they live only in stories, not real life. This month a team of adventurers from the Asian country of Japan said they discovered footprints they think were made by Yetis. The footprints were about 8 inches long and looked like those of humans, the team members said. What would you like to discover if you could go on an adventure? In the newspaper, find a country you would like to visit. Then write a paragraph describing a discovery you would like to make if you could visit there. Learning Standards: Generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

5. Taking Flight

At this time of year, birds and other animals migrate. That means that they go to warmer places to spend the winter. Listen as your teacher reads an article from this week's eEdition about animals or people making a trip. In small groups, find the starting place and final destination of the journey on a map. Measure the distance between the two. Use the map's scale of miles to figure out how far the people or animals traveled, if they went "as the crow flies" in a straight line.

Learning Standard: Locating information using people, books, audio/video recordings, photos, simple maps, graphs and tables.