1. Iran Policy Backfiring?

United States policy toward the Middle East country of Iran has come under fire in a report from a panel of former American diplomats and experts. Imposing harsh economic sanctions in an effort to discourage Iran from developing nuclear weapons may be backfiring, the Iran Project panel says, because the sanctions have “contributed to an increase in repression and corruption” and “may be sowing the seeds of long-term alienation between the Iranian people and the United States.” So far, there is plenty of evidence that the sanctions are hurting Iran, particularly restrictions on trade. But there is no evidence they have changed the course of Iran’s nuclear program, the report said. Iran is often in the news this spring. Find a story about Iran in the newspaper or online. Read the story closely and list the three facts or events you think are most important to the story. Write a sentence for each, explaining your choices.

Common Core/National Standards: Reading closely what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions; writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

2. Black Voter Turnout

For the first time in history, a higher percentage of African Americans voted in 2012 than the percent of white voters, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported. The increase was driven in part by more votes from black women. More than 66 percent of eligible African Americans voted, compared to 64.1 percent of eligible non-Hispanic whites. In 2012, about 1.8 million more blacks voted than in the 2008 Presidential election, and about 2 million fewer non-Hispanic whites. Exit polls indicated that more than 90 percent of the African American voters voted for President Obama in 2012. As in the past, Hispanics and Asians turned out at lower rates than other groups, and women had a higher rate. As a class, talk about the changing makeup of the voting public in the United States. Then find a story about the next presidential election in the newspaper. Write a paragraph analyzing how the changes in the voting population could affect the next election.

Common Core/National Standards: Conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions; writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

3. Captive Family Freed

Throughout the world, militant groups have been financing their operations through ransom money paid in kidnappings. That was not the case, however, in the freeing of a French family held hostage for two months by Islamic militants in West Africa, officials of France and Cameroon insist. French President Francois Hollande said no ransom had been paid to the captors — a Nigerian jihadist group called Boko Haram, which has killed thousands in a terrorism campaign in northern Nigeria near the Cameroon border. France is believed to have paid ransoms in the past for release of hostages by jihadist groups in West Africa, but Hollande reportedly has put an end to the practice. Four young boys, their parents and an uncle were touring a nature preserve in Cameroon near the Nigerian border, when they were captured. The Boko Haram demanded the freeing of prisoners in exchange for the hostages’ lives, but terms of the family’s release have not been disclosed. Kidnappings and political unrest make news in many African nations. Find a story about such news in the newspaper or online. Write a summary of the story and how it affects other nations in Africa or the world.

Common Core/National Standards: Reading closely what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions; writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

4. Testers Flunk

School districts in three states are rescheduling high-stakes proficiency tests because of technical problems in the test administrators’ computer systems. Thousands of students in Indiana, Oklahoma and Minnesota have been bounced offline by mistake during testing. School officials say there is no room for error on the tests, on which the states are spending millions and for which teachers and students are held accountable (in Indiana, teachers’ merit pay is tied to student performance on the tests). CTB/McGraw-Hill, which administers the tests in Indiana and Oklahoma, says it is fixing the problem but school officials remain concerned. Technology is being used in new ways in all aspects of life. Find an example in the stories, photos or ads of the newspaper. Write a paragraph explaining how your example has changed the way people do things and how things were done before this technology was invented.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; integrating information presented in different media or formats to develop a coherent understanding of a topic.

5. College Grads Doing Better

All else being equal, you have a better chance for a job in these years of high unemployment if you are a college graduate. The unemployment rate in April for college graduates was 3.9 percent, compared to 7.5 percent for the work force as a whole, the U.S. Labor Department has reported. Even when the jobless rate for college graduates was at its worst in this business cycle — in November 2010 — it was 5.1 percent, which is close to the rate for the rest of the work force when the economy is good. The number of college graduates with jobs actually has risen since the beginning of the recession (by 9.1 percent), while it has dropped 9 percent for those with a high school diploma but no more, and 14.1 percent for those without even a high school diploma. In the newspaper or online, find a story about employment or unemployment in your state or region. Read the story and write a letter to the editor, detailing what you think will happen next.

Common Core/National Standards: Reading closely what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions; writing opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.