1. ‘Mightiest Weapon of All’

He never fired a weapon. Yet he was awarded the Medal of Honor at a ceremony in the White House — years after his death. One of the veterans at the ceremony said that the Rev. Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain who died a prisoner in the Korea War more than 60 years ago, “kept a lot of us alive” in that POW camp. Another, now 86, credits Father Kapaun with having saved his life by pushing the rifle away from a Chinese guard who had been about to execute him. Kapaun’s citation, read aloud at the ceremony, said the chaplain “calmly walked through enemy fire” and hand-to-hand combat to provide medical aid, comforting words or the Last Rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Presenting the medal to a 56-year-old nephew, President Obama called Father Kapaun “an American soldier who didn’t fire a gun, but who wielded the mightiest weapon of all, a love for his brothers so pure he was willing to die so that they might live.” As a class, talk about different ways people can be honored for performing extraordinary service. Then find someone in the newspaper whose actions merit being honored. Write a paragraph explaining why this person should be honored.

Common Core/National Standards: Conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic; writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

2. William Shakespeare

On April 23, 1564, William Shakespeare was born. He became one of the greatest playwrights in the English language. In honor of his birthday, get into groups and read an interesting article in today’s newspaper. Then work together to create a scene for a play based on the news. Present your scene to the class.

Common Core/National Standards: Conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic; writing narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events; engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

3. China Chains ‘Unchained’

“Django Unchained” won two Oscars, but Chinese moviegoers may never get a chance to see it. It was supposed to open in theaters throughout the Asian nation on April 11, but was abruptly pulled before any Chinese audiences had a chance to see it. Theater workers in Beijing cited unspecified technical problems, and it had been reported earlier that Chinese censors had edited out some scenes, but no official reason was given for blocking the movie’s showing in the world’s second largest film market (after the U.S.). Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film tells a bloody revenge story set in America’s pre-Civil War South. It had been heavily promoted in China, despite reports that some graphic violence had been edited to make it acceptable to Chinese censors. China now plays a large role in the world’s economy, and not just for movies. In the newspaper or online, find a story about China’s economic role or influence. In a short paragraph, write a summary of what you find, using evidence from the text of stories.

Common Core/National Standards: Conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions; writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

4. U.S. Torture

“It is indisputable,” according to an independent review of U.S. interrogation and detention policies after the September 11 attacks in 2001, “that the United States engaged in the practice of torture.” Conceding that brutality occurs in every war, the panel convened by the Constitution Project, a legal research and advocacy group, said that never before in the United States had there been “the kind of considered and detailed discussions … directly involving a president [George W. Bush] and his advisers on … inflicting pain and torment on … detainees in our custody.” The use of torture, the report concludes, has “no justification,” especially since there is no evidence that these interrogation methods produced valuable information that could not be obtained by other means. As a class, discuss what measures are acceptable during a war or after an attack like that of September. Find and read the report online and write a letter to the editor of the newspaper summarizing your opinion of it.

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.

5. The ‘Crime’ of Sorcery

In Papua New Guinea, sorcery is a crime punishable by death. But the prime minister has vowed to repeal the 1971 Sorcery Act, which criminalizes the act of sorcery and recognizes the accusation of sorcery as a defense in murder cases. The Amnesty International rights group says violence against sorcery suspects is common in the Pacific island nation. As recently as February, a 20-year-old woman was stripped, tortured, doused in gasoline and set ablaze by relatives of a 6-year-old boy they claimed had been killed by the woman’s sorcery. Attitudes about justice differ from nation to nation. In the newspaper or online, find a story about rights or justice in another country. Write a paragraph summarizing one case and comparing attitudes in the other country to those in the U.S.

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.