1. The Disease of Violence

Is gun violence a disease? That is the question being asked and debated by public health officials in the wake of three prominent shooting incidents recently. According to an Associated Press article, some public health experts claim gun violence is a social disease and should be addressed as a public health problem. A similar approach helped improve highway safety, forcing changes in products and driving laws and significantly cutting the number of vehicle deaths. Health officials are pushing for a closer look at gun product safety, risk factors such as selling to people who have violent incidents in their backgrounds and the link between alcohol and shooting deaths. With the newspaper and Internet, find articles about recent gun violence. Research gun laws, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and recent court rulings and write an outline for reducing gun violence in this country.

Common Core/National Standard: Writing arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

2. Helping Out

This summer, fires have been burning out of control in forests in the western United States. These fires are too big for local firefighters to fight alone. So they have asked fire companies from other places to help out. Find a story or a photo in the newspaper about a problem that's too big for a small group of people to solve, but might be resolved if people worked together. Make a poster that would get people involved to solve the problem. Share poster ideas with your class.

Common Core/National Standard: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; knowing the different visual characteristics and purposes of art to convey ideas.

3. Flying High

Every day, F-16 fighter jets race across the Arizona skies, as young Air Force pilots learn the art of air combat. Soon F-35s, the future of fighter jets, will be joining the F-16s at Luke Air Force Base on the western edge of Glendale, Arizona, according to an Arizona Republic newspaper article. That not only will be great for the base itself, but it will give an economic boost to the surrounding communities. According to the article, the base has contributed $2.2 billion to the state’s economy, which has had impact on small and big businesses alike. There are 17 aeronautics industry companies in the state that are vendors for the F-35. The base also helps support small businesses, such as homeowners who rent to military families, dry cleaners who launder clothes and landscapers who take care of the base, the article said. Find a newspaper article about military bases near you. Or find one online. Research the economic benefits of having that base near your community and create a Power Point presentation for your class.

Common Core/National Standard: Using technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish and update individual or shared writing products.

4. Lightning Rod or Fiscal Savior?

Mitt Romney has announced his choice for a vice-presidential running mate. Romney chose Paul Ryan, a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin who chairs the U.S. House Budget Committee. Ryan has been a political lightning rod for some of his ideas on cutting the national deficit. According to an Associated Press article, he at one time suggested privatizing Medicare and Social Security and ending taxes on interest and investment income. He currently is proposing cuts to many government programs, including Medicare and food stamps, but not military operations. Romney isn’t saying much about his running mate’s economic policies, the article said, but he did say he doesn’t agree with all of them. Find newspaper articles on Ryan and his economic views. Write an opinion piece outlining whether you agree or disagree with his positions.

Common Core/National Standard: Developing claims and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each.

5. Txt U L8R

Text abbreviations aren’t just abbreviations any more, according to a study from Pennsylvania State University’s Media Effects Research Lab. They are becoming actual words to teens, who constantly use abbreviations in texts, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Penn State study found that the more kids send and receive texts, the worse their grammar skills become. “Tech speak is eroding the kids’ foundation of basic grammar,” the article said, and often they can’t easily switch between text speak and standard English grammar. In the newspaper or online, find examples of ways text speak is being used in everyday conversation or writing. Write a paragraph describing how this affects communication and the use of language, for good or bad.

Common Core/National Standard: Using knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking or listening.