1. Federal Fraud

Preventing Social Security and Medicare from running out of money in the future ranks near the top of issues that concern Americans. According to an annual report released by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, the two programs account for 35 percent of all federal spending and cannot be sustained without major structural changes. Social Security will be bust by 2033, the report said, and Medicare will be depleted by 2024. One strategy the government is using is cracking down on Medicare fraud. Recently, a physician from Michigan was sentenced to prison in a $5.4 million Medicare fraud scheme. The Detroit Free Press said the case was uncovered by the federal government’s Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which has charged more than 1,330 defendants nationwide with falsely billing Medicare for more than $4 billion. Search your newspaper and the Internet for stories about fixing Social Security and Medicare. Discuss the problem as a class. What would you do if you were a lawmaker?

Common Core/National Standard: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

2. Farewell, Manny

Sometimes in life, dreams don’t turn out the way we think they will. Detroit, Michigan, boxing legend Emanuel Steward understood that. He made an impression as a young, amateur boxer, but supporting a family changed his dream of turning professional. He worked as a lineman for the Detroit Edison electric company, but he never lost his passion for boxing. In 1971, he became a part-time coach at the Kronk Recreation Center and began building a reputation as someone you would want in your corner. He ended up training great boxers like Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Oscar De La Hoya. Steward died last week at age 68, and his obituary has run in newspapers around the world. Obituaries are a final account of a person’s life. Read several obituaries in your newspaper. Then use a search engine to find biographical information about someone you admire. Use what you find to write a short obituary for the person you admire.

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. States Pulling Out?

“I swear, if (fill in the blank here) is elected, I’ll move to Canada!” During heated elections, people often spout off about what they’ll do if the candidate they support loses and one they dislike wins. But residents in 20 states have gone even further after Barack Obama won re-election, collecting signatures petitioning the federal government to allow their states to peacefully secede from the United States. Those states include people from all regions of the country, including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina in the South; New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Indiana in the North; and Montana, Texas, Colorado and Oregon in mountain and western states. These petitions are primarily a symbolic gesture to garner the attention of the Obama administration to address issues that a group called “We the People” would like to see addressed. Search your newspaper and the Internet for stories about people upset with the outcome of the election or groups supporting secession. Write an analysis essay on why people would want to secede, and why it is unlikely the request would ever be granted.

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

4. From Pages of Books to the Silver Screen

Movie lovers will be bombarded with movie options during the last two months of 2012. Many of the highly anticipated movies coming out are based on novels. The musical version of Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables” will soon be in theaters, as will J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy and the eagerly awaited “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2” based on the books by Stephenie Meyer. Search your newspaper for reviews or previews of these movies. Choose one and read the novel on which it’s based before seeing the movie. Write a review of the movie, comparing it to the book. Which was better in your opinion?

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

5. To Sing or Not to Sing

At almost every American sporting event, people rise and sing the National Anthem. That tradition was iced for Pennsylvania high school hockey games recently. A directive came down from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League that the National Anthem should not be performed because of economic issues that include the cost of renting ice time. The league’s commissioner said, “It’s not that we’re not patriotic, that’s the furthest from the truth” but the rented time should be used for hockey, not singing. The ban has caused an outcry among parents, fans and players. As a class, debate the merits of the ban. Then write a short editorial for the newspaper giving your opinion on whether the league should ban the national anthem for this reason.

Common Core/National Standard: Responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement and disagreement.