1. Beanie Daughters?

The company that makes Beanie Babies likes to give some of its dolls names that kids recognize from celebrities. Three of the Beanie Babies offered by the Ty Inc. company in its TyGirlz Collection, for example, are Bubbly Britney, Precious Paris and Happy Hillary. Now the company has introduced Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia, which just happen to be the names of President Barack Obama's daughters. The company says the dolls aren't modeled on the Obama girls, but First Lady Michelle Obama is not amused, especially since the dolls are the first brown-skinned dolls in the TyGirlz Collection. The First Lady feels it is "inappropriate" to use "young, private citizens" like her daughters to sell products. As a class talk about whether you think it is OK to name the new Beanie Babies Sasha and Malia. Then design a newspaper ad for a doll based on a celebrity that you think kids your age would like. Give reasons to the class.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of oral, visual, written and electronic texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance.

2. Popular Dogs

What are the most popular dogs in America? If you're talking about pure-bred dogs instead of mutts, the Labrador retriever is the most popular in America for the 18th year in a row. That's according to the American Kennel Club, which tracks how many dogs are registered as pure-bred each year. More than 100,000 Labs were registered last year, more than twice as many as any other breed, the club says. In second place were Yorkshire terriers, followed by German shepherds, golden retrievers, beagles, boxers and dachshunds. If you could get a dog for a pet, what would it be? Pick a dog you'd like from the Pets section of the Classified Ads in the newspaper. Draw a comic strip showing why you would like this type of dog.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources and then evaluating, organizing and communicating it; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

3. Tasmanian Devils

Tasmanian devils are fierce wild animals made famous among kids by the character named Taz in the Looney Tunes cartoons. In real life, Tasmanian devils are endangered on the island state of Tasmania off the coast of Australia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The devils are threatened by a kind of cancer that scientists say is being spread when the animals fight over food and bite each other on their faces. Wildlife leaders in Tasmania want to build a double fence across the island to prevent the spread of the disease to healthy Tasmanian devils in northwestern areas. As a class, talk about ways people can help wild animals when they are endangered or facing disease. Find a photo or story about a wild animal you like in the newspaper and design a poster showing ways people could help it.

Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature and wildlife; representing creatively.

4. Money Poster Contest

Most kids want to be successful and make money when they grow up. But how do you learn to make smart money decisions that can help you achieve your goals? To get kids thinking about smart money choices, a group called the National Foundation for Credit Counseling is sponsoring a national poster contest for students in Grades 3-12. The "Be Money Wi$e National Financial Literacy Poster Contest" asks kids to use art and creativity to show others how to handle money effectively. Deadline for most states is February 13 with details online at www.MoneyWisePosterContest.org. As a class, talk about ways kids can be smart with money. Then use words and images from the newspaper to design a poster showing one way students your age could handle money effectively.

Learning Standard: Designing a strategy for earning, spending, saving or investing resources; using economic reasoning; reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

5. Super Bowl Follow-Up

The NFL's Super Bowl was Sunday, February 1, and millions of football fans watched across the United States and around the world. Find follow-up stories about the Super Bowl in the newspaper this week. Who was the best player for the Arizona Cardinals in the game? Who was best for the Pittsburgh Steelers? What do sports writers think will be the biggest questions or challenges facing the two teams next season? What do you think the biggest challenges are for these teams? Share ideas as a class.

Learning Standards: Generating questions about issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance.