1. Talking Trash!

Political campaigns may be getting into high gear, but their content seems to be rolling downhill. Candidates who fling “mud” at opponents in their ads and speeches are becoming more common every year. And the tighter an election is, the more nasty the ads become. In one Michigan campaign, for example, one candidate called her opponent “Krazy Kerry.” “Negative ads are becoming more prevalent, and they have to be rebutted,” said Lansing political consultant Craig Ruff in a Detroit Free Press article. “But when they come the weekend before the election, there’s just no time for a rebuttal.” Campaigns also are using “robo calls,” through which people get a recorded pitch for a candidate when they answer their phone. One U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan had calls going out at midnight. The candidate denied he was behind the calls, but residents were annoyed. Search your newspaper for political ads and articles. Read them out and highlight all the negative wording and personal attacks. Using that information, research and write an opinion essay about political campaign techniques.

Common Core/National Standard: Writing arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence

2. World War II

World War II ended 67 years ago this week. After the United States dropped the first atom bombs ever, the Japanese surrendered on August 14, 1945, ending the war in which millions and millions of people died. To try and keep the peace, the United Nations was created. But the United States has had to go to war many times since 1945, and American troops right now are fighting and dying in foreign lands. Look through the newspaper for articles about the war in Afghanistan and the situation in Iraq. Then write a short essay on whether you think there will ever be an end to war.

Common Core/National Standard: 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. Schools Making the Grade

Each year, you sit down and take a standardized state test. After hours of reading, writing, calculating and filling out bubbles, you submit your test for grading. After that, it’s just a waiting game. How did you do? School district employees, along with county and state officials, are just as anxious to know how all the children in their districts performed. A recent Arizona Republic article said more Arizona schools earned an “A” for their performance on the state tests in the last school year. Nearly 25 percent of the district and charter schools earned an A, compared with just under 20 percent in 2011. In addition, the number of schools receiving a “D” decreased by 15 percent. Find a newspaper article about efforts to improve schools or test scores. Write a summary of what is being done, based on the story. Finish by researching your school’s performance on state tests on the website of your state’s department of education. With family or friends, discuss where your school ranks.

Common Core/National Standard: Coming to discussions prepared, having read or researched materials under study.

4. Rock On!

You may think that your parents and grandparents are beyond geeky. There’s no way that they could EVER like rock music or dance, right? After all, it’s your generation that started great rock and music festivals. If you think like that, you would be wrong. You might just be surprised at the number of parents and grandparents who attended some of the first and greatest rock music festivals in the country. August 15, marks the 43rd anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival, where an estimated 500,000 people showed up to camp and listen to music greats like The Who, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana and Jimi Hendrix. That music festival set the standard for all to come. Find a newspaper article about a local music festival. Write an essay about how the experience could affect those who attend.

Common Core/National Standard: Writing informative texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts and information.

5. Floating Fish

Thousands of fish are dying in the American Midwest as temperatures soar into the 90s and 100s, causing rivers and streams to overheat. An Associated Press article reported about 40,000 shovelnose sturgeons died in Iowa last week as temperatures reached 97 degrees. Fish living in Nebraska’s Lower Platte River and in Illinois lakes also died by the thousands, an event unseen in many years, a biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said. Use your newspaper to track and graph temperatures around the nation in one of the driest and hottest summers on record. Track temperatures for two weeks and then write an analysis of the temperature trends.

Common Core/National Standard: Combining the processes and scientific knowledge for scientific reasoning and critical thinking; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.