1. White House Veggies

If you want healthy food, many people think the best thing to do is to grow your own. Home-grown vegetables are fresher than those in stores, and growing your own allows you to decide if you want to grow "organic" veggies without chemicals or fertilizers. First Lady Michelle Obama is a strong believer in healthy eating, and now she is going to see that fresh vegetables are grown right outside the White House in Washington, D.C. With the help of Washington school children, a new garden will be planted next to a fountain on the South Lawn of the White House. The children will plant fruits, vegetables and herbs and help harvest them later. As a class, talk about healthy foods like fruits and vegetables that you like to eat. Then find examples in the food ads in the newspaper with a partner. Make a list of 10 fruits or vegetables you would like to buy for your family, and how much it would cost to buy a family amount of each.

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; comprehending what constitutes good health and nutrition.

2. Solar Power

The International Space Station orbiting above the Earth has a new set of solar panels to give it power. The panels were installed by the crew of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery on a mission that was just completed. The panels will produce electrical power for the space station from sunlight, and they are huge. They stretch out more than 240 feet -- more than three-quarters the length of a football field. Solar energy is getting a lot of attention as an "alternative" to gas, oil or coal as a source of power. Supporters say it is cleaner than those fuels and can produce an unlimited supply of power. As a class, talk about alternative fuels like solar, wind or water power. Then look for stories in the newspaper about America's energy needs. Draw a comic strip taking a look at a new source of power.

Learning Standards: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real-world contexts; explaining how science and technology affect society; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

3. Washington's Cherry Blossoms

From March 28 through April 12, Washington, D.C., will host the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The annual festival takes place each year at a time when many of the flowers in the capital city begin blooming, and it brings many visitors to the area. Look through this week's newspapers and read what coming events and permanent attractions your area has to offer. Based on what you read, write a short paragraph to persuade someone from out of town that your community is a good place to visit. Then design a travel ad for the newspaper to put a spotlight on one attraction.

Learning Standard: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as personal narratives, persuasive essays, lab reports, and poetry.

4. Volcano

In the southern Pacific Ocean, an underwater volcano erupted near the island of Tonga this month, shooting smoke, steam and ash up through the ocean and forming a new island. Then last week Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted, sending an ash plume more than nine miles into the air in the volcano's first blast in nearly 20 years. Volcanoes are formed when hot, liquid rock called lava pushes through the top layer of the Earth's surface, called the crust. As a class, talk about volcanoes and what you find most interesting about them. Then use the newspaper, the Internet and other resources to research famous volcanoes and design a poster showing one of them.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources and then evaluating, organizing and communicating it in various contexts; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; representing creatively.

5. Final Four Basketball

The Final Four competition for Division I men's and women's college basketball will take place April 4-7. The men's Final Four games will take place April 4 and 6 in Detroit, Michigan, and the women's Final Four games will be April 5 and 7 in St. Louis, Missouri. You can learn a lot about geography by watching NCAA basketball. The nicknames of college teams often are connected to the animals, natural features, customs, jobs or culture of the states in which they play. With a partner, use the newspaper to learn about the nicknames of this year's Final Four teams. Pick one name that has a connection to geography and design a poster explaining why.

Learning Standards: Locating and describing places, cultures and communities in the nation and comparing their characteristics; describing the natural and human characteristics of places; representing creatively.