1. Honduran Coup

Over the summer, Manuel Zelaya, the president of Honduras, was overthrown in a coup in the Central American country. Roberto Micheletti took control of the country, restricting civil liberties and shutting down TV and radio stations that supported Zelaya. Using the newspaper and online news sources, write a summary of the current situation in Honduras. Include a paragraph outlining the United States' response to the situation.

Learning Standards: Understanding how the world is organized politically, the formation of American foreign policy and the roles the United States plays in the international arena; describing and explaining the causes, consequences and geographic context of major global issues and events.

2. Verdi's Version

Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 10 in 1813. Verdi is famous for the operas that he wrote, including "Aida," "La Traviata" and "Rigoletto." One distinguishing feature of operas -- aside from the fact that the people sing all the words -- is that the situations tend to be a little over the top. Find a story in the newspaper that intrigues you. Now, see if you can rewrite an interesting part of the story, in play form. If you're feeling daring, make it operatic in scale -- that is, way over the top.

Learning Standards: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively; becoming aware of and beginning to experiment with different ways to express the same idea.

3. Overdose

Adam Goldstein, a.k.a. DJ AM, died in late August. Last week the New York City Medical Examiner's Office announced that his death was an accidental drug overdose. He had several different types of drugs in his system, including legal prescription drugs. In groups, read about the dangers of abusing prescription or over-the-counter medications in the newspaper and online. Then create a poster, pamphlet or skit targeted to a specific demographic (such as teens) to warn them about the dangers. Share what you made with the class.

Learning Standards: Synthesizing and evaluating information to draw conclusions and implications based on investigation of an issue or problem; researching and selecting the medium and format to be used to present conclusions based on the investigation of an issue or problem.

4. Billion Trillion

Dalton Chiscolm is unhappy with the customer service at Bank of America, the country's largest bank, so he's suing it for 1,784 billion-trillion dollars. (A billion-trillion is a 1 followed by 21 zeroes!) Chiscolm says that he received inconsistent information from the bank and had problems with checks. The judge in the case is giving Chiscolm until October 23 to provide a more detailed explanation for his suit, or else it will be thrown out. Where do the dollar amounts in a court case come from? In groups, compare different court cases in the newspaper and online in which someone is suing for money. Talk about which are compensatory damages and which are punitive (you might want to look up the definition of each), and how those amounts are determined. Present your findings orally to the class.

Learning Standards: Describing the political and legal processes created to make decisions, seek consensus and resolve conflicts in a free society; Using actual cases, evaluating the effectiveness of civil and criminal courts in the United States.

5. Vampire

Author Anne Rice was born on October 4, 1941. Rice is best known for her Vampire Chronicles series. The first book in the series, "Interview With the Vampire," was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Vampires have been in the news a lot lately, thanks to new books, movies and TV shows featuring them. Read articles in the newspaper or online about vampire books and shows. Brainstorm other types of characters that appear frequently in literature or on film. They can be specific creatures, like a vampire or a witch, or archetypes, like a hero with a fatal flaw. Pick one type of character and write a short story, poem or comic book featuring it.

Learning Standards: Analyzing and reflecting on universal themes and substantive issues from oral, visual and written texts; describing and discussing archetypal human experiences that appear in literature and other texts from around the world.