1. Are Our Nukes Safe?

You know a nuclear facility isn’t the safest it could be if an 82-year old nun can break into it. In Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Megan Rice and two other nuclear activists cut the fence around a government facility that stores weapons-grade uranium and reached the outer wall of a building where the uranium is housed. The site was shut down after the breach, and an investigation into security ensued. Among the things discovered was that a security camera monitoring the area had been broken for six months. The company providing security for the facility was fired. Find a newspaper story about government buildings or facilities. Write an opinion essay about using private security firms to guard government facilities. Common Core/National Standard: Supporting claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

2. Imagine

On October 9, 1940, John Lennon was born. Lennon was probably most famous for being a member of the rock band The Beatles and for the outspoken campaign for peace he undertook with his wife Yoko Ono. Before he was murdered in 1980, he wrote many famous songs, including "Revolution," "Give Peace a Chance," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "Imagine" and "War Is Over (Happy Xmas)." He often looked to the headlines to find inspiration for his music. "A Day in the Life" begins “I read the news today, oh boy…” Write a poem, a song or a rap about some news that you find in today's newspaper. If you're not feeling shy, perform your song to inspire others in your class, as Lennon would have done. Discuss topics different class members chose to write about.

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

3. Feed Me, Lunch Lady

Wallace County High School in Sharon Springs, Kansas, recently reduced the amount of food offered in school lunches, and students didn’t like it. So they took their complaints to the Internet video site YouTube, and they now have had almost 750,000 views. Their YouTube effort was a music video parody of the song “We Are Young,” in which kids lip-sync lyrics like “Give me seconds. I need to get some food today! My friends are at the corner store, getting junk so they don’t waste away.” These students aren’t the only ones upset about the reduction in the amount of meat, protein and grains being offered in school lunches. Athletes say they can’t perform well at practice after school because they are hungry. Find a newspaper story about school lunches or the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. As a class, discuss the act and how school lunches can be made healthy and nutritious. Common Core/National Standard: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions

4. A Lawsuit? Really?

Don’t like the cost of popcorn, soda and candy at the movies? Sue the theater. Jason Thompson recently filed a lawsuit against a Livonia, Michigan, movie theater, charging that it was gouging customers on snacks. A Wayne County judge threw out the lawsuit, saying it doesn’t apply to businesses that are regulated by other laws. Thompson filed the suit after paying $8 for a Coke and a package of chocolate-covered peanuts – nearly three times what he would have paid at a restaurant or drug store. Find a newspaper article about pricing of products. Or find an example online. As a class, debate whether businesses should charge a standard price for items they sell. Common Core/National Standard: Posing and responding to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic

5. Election 2012: Guns and the Second Amendment

A spate of shootings across the country in recent months has again raised the question of gun control in the United States. This is an issue also facing the two presidential candidates, as they go head-to-head in debates this month. It’s the issue your class will research and debate this week in a Mock Presidential Election Debate. The Associated Press recently released an article examining where Republican candidate Mitt Romney and Democratic President Barack Obama stand on key issues facing the country. President Obama hasn’t pushed for gun control during his term in office. He favors better implementation of current laws, but has voiced support for outlawing assault-type weapons and more stringent background checks for buyers at gun shows. Romney opposes stricter gun control laws, but as governor of Massachusetts, he did sign a bill banning assault weapons and quadrupled the state’s gun-licensing fee. Find newspaper articles on gun control issues and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Do further research and debate the issue. 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.