1. Books and Birthday Girls

On December 16, 1775, Jane Austen was born. This writer was known for her keen observations on the ways people interact and for her sense of humor. She also came up with great titles for her novels, such as "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility." Both these titles are catchy and express the tensions felt by her characters. Find an article in today's newspaper about dramatic happenings. Come up with a creative title for the article that would intrigue a reader. Then write an opening paragraph for a novel that would get readers' attention.

Learning Standards: Reading with developing fluency a variety of texts, such as short stories, novels, poetry, plays, textbooks, manuals and periodicals; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

2. Internment

On December 17, 1944, Japanese Americans who had been interned in camps during World War II were allowed to go home. During the war between the United States and Japan, 110,000 Japanese Americans were forced to relocate to internment camps in remote areas, ostensibly to keep them from spying on American activities or jeopardizing military interests. Many historians now consider this one of the low points in the U.S. record of civil rights and liberties. Learn about this chapter in U.S. history through the Internet or library resources. Then read this week's newspapers for another example of a case in which American ideals are not reflected in the reality of events. Discuss ways to close the gap.

Learning Standard: Identifying disparities between American ideals and realities and proposing ways to reduce them. .

3. Issues

Sarah Palin has been in the news a lot lately, thanks to a new book and its accompanying book tour. Palin is the former governor of Alaska who campaigned to be vice president with Republican presidential candidate John McCain. They lost to Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the 2008 election, but recent polls show that in terms of popularity, Obama and Palin aren't far apart. Last week a Gallup Poll put Obama's approval rating at 47 percent, while a CNN/Opinion Research Poll showed Palin's at 46 percent. Using information from the newspaper and online sources, make a chart comparing the opinions of President Obama and Sarah Palin on five different issues. Add a third column to the chart to write whom you agree with on each issue and why.

Learning Standards: Acquiring information from books, maps, newspapers, data sets and other sources; organizing and presenting the information; interpreting the meaning and significance of the information; using a variety of electronic technologies to assist in accessing and managing the information.

4. The Aughts

Most decades in the past century have been defined by certain styles and cultural leanings. If you say someone has an '80s hairstyle or is wearing a dress from the '60s, people will know exactly what you mean. But this past decade never got a catchy nickname -- people couldn't decide if they should call it the '00s, the O's, the aughts (an old-fashioned term for zeroes) or something totally different. Using the newspaper for ideas, divide into groups and come up with a name for the past decade (2000-2009). Present your idea to the class. Explain how it represents the decade and why it's the best name.

Learning Standards: Engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance; functioning as literate individuals in varied contexts within their lives in and beyond the classroom.

5. Protests

Last week, students in the Middle Eastern country of Iran gathered on university campuses to protest. Use the newspaper and online sources to answer the questions below. Then turn your answers into a news article.

Learning Standard: Using reading for multiple purposes, such as enjoyment, learning complex procedures, completing technical tasks, making workplace decisions, evaluating and analyzing information and pursuing in depth studies.

Who participated in the protests?

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Where were the protests?

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What were they protesting?

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What was the Iranian government's response?

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