1. Expensive Mistakes

How much are your mistakes worth? If you were a stamp maker, the answer could be: "A lot!" Late last month a collection of postage stamps in which parts of the stamps were printed upside down sold for more than $5 million! The 3,000 "inverted" stamps were part of a collection of a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania man who died last year. "Inverts" are caused when colors or different parts of stamps are printed on different presses and a sheet gets flipped between press runs. With a friend, talk about the biggest mistake you ever made or heard about. Then write the beginning of a newspaper story describing that mistake as if it were news.

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

2. Money in the Air

A Pennsylvania police officer was just looking to catch drivers who were speeding. Instead he was surprised to see $100 bills flying by his window! Camp Hill Officer Lane Pryor followed the cash and found a folder containing $3,000. After checking information in the folder, the officer was able to track down the man who had lost it while traveling home from work at a big event at a country club. What would you buy if you had $3,000 to spend? With friends or family, look through the ads in the newspaper and pick out items you would like for yourself or others. You can choose whatever you want, as long as you don't go over $3,000. Write a paragraph explaining your choices.

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.

3. Summer Wear

Summer is here and school is out. And one thing you have to think about is what to wear for each kind of summer weather. Hunt through today's newspaper and cut out pictures of clothes that would be appropriate for your favorite summertime activity. Paste the pictures down on a sheet of paper and draw a picture of yourself as if you were wearing the clothes. Then write a poem, rap or rhyme describing summer clothes you like.

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

4. Box Office Bust

In the summer, many movies enjoy big openings in which lots of people go to see them in the first week. But some of the same movies don't do well in later weeks. Some people say that this is because people go to see the movies when they first open, but then tell friends that they didn't like them. With family or friends, find a movie ad in the newspaper. Pretend you saw the movie and either liked it a lot, or didn't like it. Draw a comic strip for the newspaper showing how you might tell your friends what you think of this movie.

Learning Standard: Developing and applying personal, shared and academic criteria for the enjoyment, appreciation and evaluation of visual texts; using the craft of the illustrator to convey ideas artistically.

5. Reading Aloud

Reading aloud is an important skill. It helps build the number of words you know and it helps you use words in an effective way. Find a story in the newspaper that shows some action. It can be a sports story, a news story or a feature story. Read through it and think about which words should be stressed to make the listener feel the action of the story. Practice reading the stories aloud in a whisper. Then read the story aloud to your family or friends. Discuss how well written stories help listeners feel part of the action.

Learning Standard: Practicing verbal and nonverbal strategies that enhance understanding of spoken messages and promote effective listening behaviors. Examples include altering inflection, volume and rate, using evidence and reasoning.