1. Scenes From Life

On October 12, 1912, Alice Childress was born in Charlestown, South Carolina. A talented and respected writer in various genres, Childress often addressed the issues and problems that faced urban African Americans. Look in today's newspaper to find issues that affect people in your community. Then, write a scene or a short story that is based in your neighborhood.

Common Core/National Standard: Writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as stories, poetry, personal narratives, editorials, research reports, persuasive essays, resumes and memos.

2. How Free Should Speech Be?

Leaders of Muslim countries rallied at the United Nations recently to support limits on freedom of expression to prevent disparaging attacks on Muslims’ Islamic religion, according to an Associated Press article. “When we discriminate against gender, it’s called sexism,” said Malaysia’s foreign minister, Anifah Aman. “When African Americans are criticized and vilified, it’s called racism. When the same is done to Jews, people call it Anti-Semitism. But why is it when Muslims are stigmatized and defamed, it is defended as ‘freedom of expression?’” Leaders from Algeria, Yemen, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia and other countries said allowing such freedom of speech has had violent repercussions, and that they want to work toward more religious tolerance in the world. Addressing the issue, President Barack Obama said a recent anti-Islam film made by an American was “crude and disgusting,” but said he couldn’t support limiting free speech in the United States, which is guaranteed in the nation’s Constitution. Find newspaper or Internet articles about issues involving religion and freedom of speech. Write an essay giving your views on one case. Common Core/National Standard: Writing arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

3. Felons and Legislators

Would you elect a person convicted of a felony crime to a public office? Brian Banks is asking voters in the Detroit, Michigan, area to do just that. He is running for Michigan’s House of Representatives and has been convicted of felonies eight times for writing bad checks and for credit card fraud. In a Detroit Free Press article, Banks insists he has turned his life around. He got his GED, graduated from college, earned a master’s degree and law degree and is working toward a Ph.D degree. His Republican opponent, Dan Shulte, said that convicted felons can’t be lawyers, doctors or teachers in the state, so they shouldn’t be state legislators either. Find a newspaper article about people running for office. As a class, debate if a person’s past should prohibit them for running for public office. Common Core/National Standard: Posing and responding to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic.

4. Busting Cliques

How do you break down the barriers between high school cliques? At Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona, the athletic director sent out an email asking for suggestions, and got a response from the softball coach. She suggested forming a student-athlete advisory committee, according to an Arizona Republic article. The committee is planning several community-service events, such as nursing home visits and campus clean-up days, and all students are invited to participate. Search your newspaper for stories that address high school issues such as cliques or social pressures. Pick a problem at your school, and write a proposal for a solution. Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

5. Election 2012: Debating Reproductive Rights

Women’s reproductive rights have long been a lightening-rod issue for politicians running for federal offices. The issue has split voters since 1973, when a U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Roe vs. Wade gave women the right to have an abortion. It is an issue the two presidential candidates may address in the national debates being televised this month, and the issue you will debate as a class this week in a Mock Election Presidential Debate. The Associated Press recently released an article examining where Republican candidate Mitt Romney and Democratic President Barack Obama stand on this and other issues. President Obama supports abortion rights and his health care law requires that contraceptives to be available for free to women enrolled in workplace health plans and that women also have access to the morning-after birth control pill. Romney opposes abortion rights, except in cases of rape and incest, and has said Roe vs. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court to allow states to make their own abortion laws. His running mate, Paul Ryan, would restrict a woman’s right to abortion even more. Find articles in the newspaper and online about the candidates’ positions on reproductive rights. Do further research about the issue and debate it as a class.

Common Core/National Standard: Coming to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material, explicitly drawing on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic.