1. Hungry Workers

Taking care of parks and open spaces can be expensive for cities and smaller communities. That's because they need to hire workers and buy equipment to cut grass, trim trees and make sure bushes don't get too big. In the state of Massachusetts, the town of Andover has found some hungry workers to take care of the job -- a herd of goats! A half-dozen dairy goats owned by local resident Lucy McKain will be moved around a meadow owned by the town to "eat it into shape." If left alone, goats will eat almost anything that grows and can clear as much as a half acre every three days. Best of all, the effort won't cost the town anything! Animals make news in many ways. Find an example in the stories or photos of the newspaper. Then use words and photos from the newspaper to design a poster telling about one animal in the news. Don't forget the names of sports teams in your animal search!

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

2. Yummies

Fall foods are making news this time of year. Many people enjoy recipes for such things as hot chocolate, apple tarts or sweet potato pie now that the weather has gotten a little colder. As a class, follow a recipe in this week's newspapers to learn how to make a tasty fall treat! Figure out how much of each ingredient you would need to make the treat for your entire class. Then write a sentence or short paragraph describing a favorite food made by one of your relatives.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from multiple sources; preparing mixtures; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

3. Lady Liberty Turns 123!

On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor. It was a present from the European nation of France to honor America as a symbol of freedom in the world. As a class, read a story in today's newspaper about the Statue of Liberty or about America itself. Then write a short paragraph about what America means to you. Afterwards, discuss your ideas with your classmates.

Learning Standard: Communicating information accurately and effectively and demonstrating expressive abilities by creating oral, written and visual texts that enlighten and engage an audience.

4. 32 New Planets!

How many planets are there out in space? In our Earth's solar system, there are eight planets, plus Pluto, which used to be considered a planet but is now classified as a smaller "dwarf planet." Outside our solar system there are hundreds of planets orbiting around other stars like our sun. This month astronomers from the continent of Europe announced they have found 32 planets outside Earth's solar system. Using the European Southern Observatory telescope, the scientists didn't find any planets quite the size of Earth or any that seemed as though they could support life. But their discovery increased the number of planets known to exist outside Earth's solar system to more than 400. As a class, talk about the solar system and how all the planets orbit around the sun, which is actually a star. Then find stories about exploring space in the newspaper or online. Write a complete sentence describing something you would like to see scientists explore in space.

Learning Standards: Explaining how we learn about the universe; comparing and contrasting our planet and sun to other planets and star systems; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

5. Cars and Color

Auto companies like Ford, General Motors and Chrysler make cars in many colors. But where you live may determine what color car you like. That is the surprising finding of sales information released by Ford earlier this month. Buyers in hot-temperature cities like Phoenix, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, like white cars, which reflect the light and heat of sunshine. Buyers in colder cities, like Detroit, Michigan, or Minneapolis, Minnesota, like red cars, which give a feeling and look of warmth. For the ninth year in a row, silver is the most popular color for cars in the entire United States, followed by white and black. As a class, talk about what color cars you like. Then find an ad in the newspaper selling a car you would like in your favorite color. Write a paragraph describing why you like this car and color.

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; developing and applying critical standards for individual use.