ELEMENTARY (Grades 2-5)

Women's History Month
Get ready for Women's History Month in March. Look for articles about women in government, sports, science, and entertainment. Clip out all the articles you can find about women in the news. Create a bulletin board display with your class that celebrates great American women.

Leap Day
Once every four years, February has 29 days instead of 28. What happens to people who are born on February 29th? Check the reports of births in your newspaper on February 29th this year. How many babies were born? Figure out how many birthdays the Leap Day babies will have by the time they turn 12, 20, 36, or 60.

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss
March 2nd is the 104th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss's rhyming books are still among the most popular of children's books. Circle words on the front page of your newspaper that rhyme with each other. Using these words, create your own short rhyming story. If you can't find a word to rhyme with another word, make one up. Dr. Seuss did it all the time.

News hounds
Recently, a beagle won the "Best in Show" at the famous Westminster dog show in New York. Find stories and photos about dogs or other pets in the news. Make a scrapbook or a poster called "Pets Making News."

INTERMEDIATE (Grades 6-8)

Believe it or not
Find a news story about something amazing or almost unbelievable. Write a paragraph about the story and explain what makes the story so amazing.

Big money
Look for an item in the newspaper dealing with a huge sum of money -- at least one million dollars, but more if you can. Then figure out at least three ways to help a young child understand how much money that is. (For example, how long would it take to count to that number?) Write a story problem to help that child learn to work with huge numbers.

Leaping to the presidency
Leap Day, February 29th comes once every four years. Leap years always coincide with presidential election years. Read stories about the presidential election campaign. In an essay, predict how the election will turn out. Who will be the main candidates this year? Who will win the presidential election? Based on those answers make some predictions about who might be running for president four years from now. Give reasons for your predictions.

Impression of the news
February 25, 1841 was the birth date of Pierre Auguste Renoir, one of the most famous of the French impressionist painters. Do some research on impressionism and the artists who practiced it. Create your own impressionist work. Find a newspaper photo that you like and use it as the basis for your own impressionist painting.

ADVANCED (Grades 9-12)

The 2009 federal budget
President Bush recently unveiled his $3.1 trillion budget for 2009. The budget includes steep cuts in social programs. Look in your newspaper to find the details of these cuts. Pick out one of the proposed cuts that you either strongly agree or strongly disagree with. Write a letter to the editor stating your point of view and giving reasons for your opinion.

Republican research
The Republican Party was founded on February 28, 1843. Do some research about the guiding principles of the Republican Party in 1843 and why it was founded. Then read your newspaper to learn more about the guiding principles of the Republican Party today as well as the campaign positions of the Republican presidential candidates. How does the Republican Party of today differ from what it was in 1843? How has it remained the same?

Neighbors to war
February 25th is Kuwait's National Holiday. Look for newspaper stories about Kuwait and other countries in the Middle East that border Iraq. Write a short article about how the war in Iraq has affected one or more of Iraq's neighbors.

Recession or no recession
Depending on your point of view, the economy is or is not in a recession. Read news reports about economic indicators. Make a list of these indicators and what each tells about a different part of the economy. Which indicators do you think are most important? Based on your reading, do you think the economy is in a recession or just a temporary slowdown?