1. Bringing Joy

At St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, they call the little girl Grace. She loves gymnastics. She loves to run toward the vault and launch herself into the air, twisting and turning. She spent three years honing her skills and would love to hit the gym again, but she can’t right now. The 7-year-old is fighting for her life. She has a horrible kind of cancer that is hard to treat and hard to beat, according to St. Jude’s, which is located in Memphis, Tennessee. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As a class, find a newspaper or online story about a child battling cancer or facing a health crisis. Write letters of encouragement to the child and draw pictures to send to him or her.

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

2. Election 2012: The Future of Education

Every day, the presidential election gets nearer. From now until Election Day on November 6, students everywhere will be learning about issues addressed through articles in the newspaper or online. The Associated Press, for example, has written a very helpful article that outlines the candidates’ stands on top issues. Education is one of them. Republican candidate Mitt Romney supports the testing and accountability requirements of the national “No Child Left Behind” law passed under former President George W. Bush. He said the U.S. Education Department is important in “holding down the interests of the teachers’ unions” and putting kids and parents first. President Barack Obama feels the requirements of “No Child Left Behind” are overwhelming and instituted a “Race to the Top” program that provides cash incentives for schools to improve learning. As a class, find and read articles on the candidates’ positions on education. Then organize a classroom mock election. Divide the class into two groups, with one group being the Republicans and other the Democrats. Over the next several weeks, discuss and debate the positions of the candidates on education.

Common Core/National Standards: Effectively engaging in a range of collaborative discussions; employing the skills of research and public speaking.

3. Surviving at Sea Ryan Harris told himself over and over that he wasn’t going to die. Amazingly, the 19-year-old fisherman from Sitka, Alaska, survived more than 24 hours in the rough, frigid waters of the Gulf of Alaska. He and a friend, Stonie “Mac” Huffman, had gone out fishing for a day in a 28-foot aluminum boat. According to an ABC News report, a gigantic wave hit the boat. The two men were thrown into the water with no life vests or radios to help them. Harris grabbed on to a plastic fish crate, climbed in and huddled there for a day and a night. Huffman found one of the boat’s survival suits and was able to make it to land. A Coast Guard helicopter crew later rescued Harris. Find a newspaper or online article about a survival story. Draw a comic strip showing what you would do in the situation in your story.

Common Core/National Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; knowing the different visual characteristics and purposes of art to convey ideas.

4. Si se pueda!

For some kids, learning in English is hard enough. But for the kids at the College Bound Dual Language Academy in Tempe, Arizona, they have to spend half their day learning in English and half their day in Spanish. The Kyrene School District started the program three years ago, and it is targeted to children who can already speak English well. Parents said they are excited about the program, because it gives their children the chance to learn Spanish at the same time they are learning about reading, math, science and social studies. Many students who have been in the program for three years are speaking better Spanish than some adults. As a class, find a newspaper story about dual-language schools. Or find one online. Write an opinion essay on whether you think such schools are a good idea or not.

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. It’s a Plane … Door?

As you drive down the road with your family, you often may see litter on the street. It’s unlikely you have ever seen an airplane door. Not long ago, residents of Kent, Washington, did just that. They were confronted with a sheet of metal the size of a refrigerator that fell from the sky onto a heavily traveled road, according to ABC News. Experts said it was the door to the landing gear from a Boeing 767 airplane. Find a story in your newspaper about a strange incident. Or find one online. Use that story as the basis for a fictional story of your own. Illustrate your story with original drawings.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; adding drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points.