1. Huge Reward for African Warlord

The price on his head is up to $5 million, but fugitive Uganda warlord Joseph Kony remains at large in Africa. He and a few hundred followers from the Lord’s Resistance Army are believed to be roaming the remote jungle straddling the borders of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Kony and two aides — wanted by the International Criminal Court — have been cited under the U.S. State Department’s War Crimes Rewards Program. Guerrilla fighters in his rebel group — ejected from Uganda in 2005 — have been accused of abducting children for use as soldiers or slaves and of hacking off limbs as a method of intimidation and revenge. Human rights violations like those of Kony often make news. Find a story about such violations in the newspaper or online. Read the story closely and write a short editorial for the newspaper suggesting ways that other nations in the world community could stop or reduce these violations of human rights.

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.

2. A Hollow Victory

In 1963, North Vietnamese authorities gave Doan Van Vuon and his family 101 acres of swampland to develop, which they did, transforming it into a fish and prawn business in the Southeast Asian nation. In 2009, authorities said they wanted the land back, offering no compensation, and the family resisted, with homemade guns and land mines. After an investigation, the eviction was ruled illegal, the evicting officials were ordered punished and the family has been allowed to keep the land. But the happy ending really isn’t happy — four members of the family have been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to prison for two to five years (seven security officers sustained minor injuries in the confrontation). The family has been praised on the Internet for defending its land — praise that reflects public anger in Vietnam about land grabs by corrupt officials in the nation’s one-party regime. In the United States, disputes over land or other issues are often settled in court. Find a court case in the newspaper or online. Write a summary of the case, what each side wants, and what you think the outcome will be.

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

3. Family Dining Is Healthy

Having regular family dinners is good for teens’ mental health, a new study shows, even if the teens don’t feel they can easily talk to their parents. The Canadian study concluded: “More frequent family dinners related to fewer emotional and behavioral problems, greater emotional well-being, more trusting and helpful behaviors toward others and higher life satisfaction.” The researchers said mealtimes are opportunities for open family exchanges, allowing parents to teach positive behaviors and adolescents to voice their concerns and feel valued. As a class, talk about occasions that families have meals together. How often does your family eat dinner or another meal together? Search the ads in the newspaper and plan a special meal that members of your family would like. Create a menu for the meal and write descriptions of each item, and why family members would like it. Include favorite foods of family members, if you wish.

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

4. Megastars Visit Cuba

The United States bans travel to the communist nation of Cuba, except for specific professional or humanitarian purposes. Tourism has been forbidden because, as two Cuban-American members of the U.S. Congress said, “Cuba’s tourism industry is wholly state-controlled. … U.S. dollars spent on Cuban tourism directly fund [the Cuban government’s] machinery of oppression …” The Congress members now are demanding an investigation of the visit to Cuba by American pop singers Beyonce and Jay-Z during their wedding anniversary. Some critics have called the visit a propaganda mission planned and controlled by Cuban leaders. Other observers noted that it actually was a surprise to leaders of the Caribbean nation south of the U.S., because they had to provide security with just a day’s advance notice. Celebrities often call attention to issues or situations by making visits or statements about them. Find a celebrity in the newspaper whom you think would be a good choice to call attention to a problem. Write a paragraph describing the problem and why the celebrity would be a good spokesperson.

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.

5. Back to School

Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai is back in school, but not in the south Asian nation of Pakistan. She’s enrolled in a private girls school in Birmingham, England, where she’s been undergoing extensive medical treatment for grave wounds suffered when she was shot by Taliban extremists in her home country for advocating education for girls. She and her family are now living in Birmingham. “I miss my classmates from Pakistan very much,” she said, “but I am looking forward to meeting my new teachers and making new friends here in Birmingham.” Malala is now planning to write a memoir to tell people around the world “how difficult it is for some children to get access to education.” For a moment, pretend you have just moved to the United States from a less developed country like Pakistan. Go through the ads, stories and photos of the newspaper and make a list of things you would want to learn more about as a new resident. Use what you find to write a short poem or rhyme titled “I Am New…”

Common Core/National Standards: Conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic; integrating information presented in different media or formats to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.