1. The Other Nazi Victims

About 6 million Jews are estimated to have perished during the Holocaust during World War II. Jews were the principal targets of Nazi Germany’s extermination program, but not the only ones. Among the other victims were Europe’s Gypsies, as they are often referred to. Sinti and Roma (the preferred terms for these people) were rounded up wherever the Germans took over. Like the Jews, they were sent to death camps, and very few survived. Germany has now built a memorial for the Sinti and Roma of Europe in the German capital city of Berlin. At the opening ceremony recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted that Sinti and Roma continue to “suffer from discrimination and exclusion.” The memorial is across from the Reichstag, Germany’s parliament, and close to Berlin’s other monuments to victims of Nazi persecution — Jews and homosexuals. In a newspaper or online, find stories about the new memorial and the people it honors. As you read, imagine you are a surviving relative of a person who died. Then write a short poem or song describing why the memorial is important to you.

Common Core/National Standard: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; writing fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as stories, personal narratives and poetry.

2. Election 2012: Our Choice Is …

Tuesday is Election Day, and many voters still have not decided whom to support for president. In the past, many people turned to newspaper endorsements, but which candidates a newspaper endorses matters less today. Many candidates no longer meet with the editorial boards that write the endorsements, making their jobs more challenging as they try to objectively advise voters. More and more newspapers, in fact, are choosing not to endorse candidates at all. They say readers often misunderstand the line that’s usually drawn between objective news coverage and endorsements and fault newspapers for taking sides. Others say many readers now look to TV and the Internet to help them make up their minds. Another factor may be newspapers’ steadily declining circulation, resulting in increased reluctance to irritate anyone. Do you know who is being endorsed by your newspaper? Do you care? Write a paragraph or two on this subject. Then write a short endorsement of your own in the race for president. Be sure to include at least three specific reasons for your endorsement.

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

3. Is This Sea Really Dying?

The Dead Sea may soon be really dead. The salty inland lake, bordering Israel and Jordan in the Middle East, is shrinking at a record rate because fertilizer makers are siphoning off so much of its water, the Hydrological Institute of Israel says. Since Biblical times, these waters have been believed to have restorative powers, and today the Dead Sea attracts more visitors than Israel’s beach resorts. At the same time, the makers of potash fertilizers are competing for its water with the tourism industry, and water is being diverted for crops from the Jordan River, which feeds into the sea. As a result, the sea has dropped a record 4.9 feet over the last 12 months. In the newspaper or online, find a story about human actions having an impact on the environment. Design a poster raising awareness about the situation, and what you think should be done. Common Core/National Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points.

4. A Low-Tech Moby

On November 4, 1851, Herman Melville published his masterpiece novel, “Moby Dick.” As young man, Melville became a cabin boy and spent years sailing around the world. He even participated in a mutiny. Read an article in this week's newspapers about an adventure that someone has had. Now turn that adventure, or an adventure you have had, into an idea for a movie. Write the first scene of your movie, and then use newspaper ads to pick stars to play the key parts. Give your movie an attention-getting title, and sketch a design for a movie poster.

Common Core/National Standards: Reading and writing with developing fluency, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing strategically and representing creatively; using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points.

5. Benghazi ‘quarterbacking’

What did the U.S. know, and when, before the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya? The U.S. ambassador and three others were killed in the attack, and critics have suggested that American lives might have been saved had better security been in place. Top U.S. officials say nothing in the ongoing investigation indicates that negligence was involved. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says U.S. forces were on heightened alert because it was the anniversary of 9/11, but the Libyan attack itself was over before our intelligence experts had a chance to know what was really occurring. The criticisms, Panetta has said, constitute “Monday morning quarterbacking.” Yet, it’s generally acknowledged that such questions, are necessary after something happens to prevent similar occurrences — as long as the purpose is to determine the truth and not to capitalize politically in the midst of a presidential campaign. In the newspaper or online, read all you can on the Benghazi incident and its aftermath. Then write an analysis piece, outlining your conclusions.

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