1. School's Out!

Summer is coming! Look through today's newspaper and find a story or a picture of a place you'd love to visit this summer. Write a short story about an adventure you could have in this place. Illustrate your story with drawings and share with the class. Be sure to give it a creative title that will make people want to read it!

Learning Standard: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce

compositions, such as personal narratives, persuasive essays, lab

reports and poetry.

2. The Flag

June 14 is Flag Day. Imagine that President Obama has asked you to create a new American flag that is based on things important to the United States today. From the newspaper, cut out pictures and words that you think symbolize things important to the U.S. Glue the pictures on a sheet of paper and color the empty space with colors and patterns that symbolize things important to the U.S. Explain your choices. Use the form below to help you gather information and create your flag.

Learning Standard: Describing and comparing characteristics of major

world cultures including language, religion, belief systems, gender

roles and traditions; representing creatively.

Picture: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Picture: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Color: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Color: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Color: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Color: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

Color: Why you choose it to represent the U.S.:

3. Hard to Say You're Sorry

It's been a stressful couple of months for the head of the oil company known as BP. And CEO Tony Hayward hasn't helped himself when talking about the oil spill that occurred at one of the company's Gulf of Mexico rigs. At one point Hayward told reporters, "There's no one who wants this thing over more than I do, [because] I'd like my life back." He later apologized by saying, "I made a hurtful and thoughtless comment. I apologize, especially to the families of the 11 men who lost their lives in this tragic accident." Using the newspaper, its electronic archives or the Internet to find articles regarding Hayward. Based on the articles, write a journal or blog entry expressing your opinions (positive or negative) about his leadership of BP during the oil spill crisis.

Learning Standard: Demonstrating the ability to write clear and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs and compositions; acquiring information from multiple sources.

4. Face Behind the Music

Most people know Ellen DeGeneres as a talk show host and "American Idol" judge. Now she can add another job to her resume. She recently announced on her talk show that she is starting her own music label called eleveneleven. The first musical artist she will record will be Greyson Chance, a 12-year-old whose piano version of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" received a lot of attention on the YouTube website. If you could be like Ellen DeGeneres and pick a dream job, what would it be? Search the news and classified ads in the newspaper to find three dream jobs. Based on what you find, write your dream resume showing skills, schooling and experience you would like to have. Complete the resume with a "purpose" statement that tells your true career ambitions.

Learning Standards: Responding to a variety of texts by making connections to students' personal lives and the lives of others; writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as stories, poetry, personal narratives, editorials, research reports, persuasive essays, resumes and memos.

5. Thrill of the Ride

If you like the thrill of roller coasters, you can thank LaMarcus Thompson. It was his idea that created the first coaster in the United States. It opened on June 16, 1884, at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. It cost a nickel to ride and traveled on its track at around six miles per hour. When this coaster made its debut 126 years ago, it probably seemed cutting edge. Clip or print a photo from your newspaper of something that has the latest technology, such as the new iPhone. On paper or a computer, create an image and write a description of a similar product your parents may have had that was "cutting edge" in its day. Next, create an image and description of a similar product you envision your kids having. Share your concepts with the class.

Learning Standard: Showing how common themes of science, mathematics and technology apply in real world contexts; representing creatively.