1. Hay Tempts Thieves

Punishing drought and grass fires in the American West have pushed the price of hay, grain and other animal feeds to prices so high that hay has become a temptation for thieves. Some people are stealing the bales for profit, but other thieves are desperate fellow farmers, whose fields can no longer graze animals and who can’t afford feed for their cattle. Most of the hay is stolen at night from fields and barns far from the nearest home, and since the bales look alike, reclaiming a stolen one is just about impossible. Some farmers are now padlocking their gates and painting the bales with their brands or splicing their hay with identifying ribbons. With the newspaper or Internet, find stories about the effects of the drought in the western U.S. Write a short business story detailing how it can ultimately affects all of us, wherever we live.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; citing textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text.

2. Gold!!!

On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered in the state of California. The event triggered a gold rush that prompted many families to move to the area. Eventually, California became the most populous state in the nation. Read a story in today's newspaper about an event that has happened in California. Or find one online. Summarize the story in your own words. Then analyze the ways this story shows how much the state has changed since the days before gold was found. Does the story reflect any of the desires or motivations that led people to join the California gold rush?

Common Core/National Standards: Citing textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text; understanding narratives about major eras of American and world history by identifying the people involved, describing the setting and sequencing the events; comprehending the past.

3. The Hottest Year Ever

Even those who question global warming should be impressed by the data showing that 2012 was the hottest year ever in the United States. Last year’s average temperature of 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit was higher, by a full degree, than the previous record, set in 1998. A total of 34,008 daily high records were set at weather stations across the country, compared to only 6,664 record lows. Scientists who released the data say that 2012 may well be a foretaste of the future, with continued warming making heat extremes more likely. The data were released by the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. In the newspaper or online, see whether you can get more details about this temperature report or global warming issues. Write a summary of what you find, highlighting the most important points.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; citing textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text.

4. Return Our Relics, Please

Art and history museums pay a great deal of attention to the past. But many of the ancient items museums display were stolen in an earlier time. For centuries, archaeologists and anthropologists have been discovering relics and bringing them back to Europe and the United States for study and display. As ancient countries reclaim their sovereignty and former colonies become independent nations, however, their governments have claimed that these items are rightfully theirs. The J. Paul Getty Museum in California has been returning some of these, most recently a terra cotta head, dating to 400-300 BCE, which the museum concedes was “clandestinely excavated in the late 1970s” from the site of a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Demeter on the Italian island of Sicily. It has also returned a statue removed from that site. Italy is one of several countries that have been demanding the return of items unearthed from ruins on their soil. In the newspaper and online find stories about requests that antiquities be returned. As a class, discuss how modern museums should respond. Then write a short editorial for the newspaper detailing your view.

Common Core/National Standards: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement and disagreement; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

5. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

A 92-year-old Indiana man received a surprise in the mail recently — the U.S. Army duffel bag he toted before he was captured by the enemy more than 68 years ago in World War II. A 16-year-old boy found it — still stenciled in black with U.S. soldier’s name and serial number — in his grandfather’s house in France. The boy’s family had found and kept it, after the teen’s great-grandparents were killed when their house was bombed by German forces the U.S. was fighting. When the boy came across the bag recently, the family tracked down the owner through an online military forum, and sent it to him. “It’s still in good shape,” he said. The U.S. soldier was captured in November 1944 just a few months after the D-Day invasion, when the U.S. and other countries landed in France in the first step toward the invasion of Germany. He was in a German prison camp until Allied troops freed him in April 1945. The return of the bag by the French 16-year-old was a good deed that deserves a thank you. Pretend you are the man who got his bag back and write a letter to the editor of the newspaper thanking the French boy for his kindness. List three reasons you are thankful for the return of your bag.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.