1.Making Grammy History
The Grammy Awards honor the top achievements in music, and this year they also made some history. Cardi B. became the first solo woman to win the best rap album award for “Invasion of Privacy.” Childish Gambino made history twice, when his “This Is America” became the first rap single to win both song of the year and record of the year. Brandi Carlile made history as first LGBTQ person to win a Grammy, in the best Americana album category for “By the Way, I Forgive You.” Carlile also won awards for best American roots performance and best American roots song for “The Joke.” The Grammy Awards honor top achievements in the music world. They also cause controversy sometimes for achievements that are overlooked or “snubbed.” In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about this year’s Grammys, who won and who did not win. Pick a nominated artist you like who did not win a Grammy. Write a music column detailing why this artist deserved to win.
Common Core State Standards: Writing opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions.
2.Run, Run and Score
Most people think they know what high school basketball looks like, but it’s safe to say most people haven’t seen the Lake Braddock High School boys team play. In the last couple seasons the team from the state of Virginia has been re-writing the rules for the way high school teams approach the game. The Bruins shoot three-pointers as fast as they can, they press opponents on every possession and they run, run, run at breakneck speed. They also score a ton — topping 100 points seven times in their first 21 games this season and 90 in another five. In one game they set a school record of 122 points, and they ended their season with a 19-3 record before the state tournament. “When you come to watch us, it’s like the circus is in town,” Coach Brian Metress told the Washington Post newspaper. “It’s a totally different game.” Sports teams often make news by trying new things. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read a story about a team trying something new. Use what you read to write a letter to a friend, telling what the team is doing and why you would like to go see it play.
Common Core State Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions.
3.Starting School Later
Talk to teens and they’ll tell you it’s hard to get up in the morning. And when school starts early, students are often not at their best. To address this, public schools in Seattle, Washington decided to shift the starting time for high school students from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45. A new study has just revealed the benefits that the shift has given both students and their teachers. According to the study, grades and attendance went up after the change, and tardiness and absences went down. Students were more alert and ready to learn. Fewer fell asleep in first period classes. Fewer were in “a fog.” Parents noticed a difference, too, the Washington Post reported. As one parent told a teacher, “I have my kids back. They’re not zombies.” Schools often make changes to help students perform better. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read a story about a change designed to help students. Use what you read to write a letter to the editor, offering reasons this change will benefit students and the community.
Common Core State Standards: Reading closely what written and visual texts say and to making logical inferences from them; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions.
4.Election Day Holiday
To increase voter participation, many people have suggested making Election Day an official holiday so people would not have to work. The city of Sandusky, Ohio, has just done that in an effort to make it easier for residents to vote — but it has done it an innovative way. Instead of adding another paid holiday to the calendar, Sandusky has traded Columbus Day for Election Day as an official holiday. Columbus Day has drawn criticism in recent years because of the way the explorer Christopher Columbus treated native peoples. Many communities have even changed the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day to shift the emphasis away from European explorers and their quest to claim native lands. The Election Day holiday would take place the first Tuesday in November. The move is one approach designed to increase voter participation in elections. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about other suggestions for getting more people to vote. Use what you read to write a short editorial giving your view on different approaches and which you think would be most effective.
Common Core State Standards: Writing opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions.
5.No More Driving
One of the hardest things for older adults to do is to give up their driver’s license. But often that is the safest decision to make. In the European nation of England, one of the most famous older adults publicly announced this month that the time had come for him to stop driving. Prince Philip, who is the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, said he had made the decision to “voluntarily surrender his driving license” after being involved in car crash last month at age 97. Prince Philip was driving a Land Rover on a public road when he collided with another car and flipped over his vehicle. The prince had only minor injuries, but the female driver of the other car sustained a broken arm. Driver safety is an issue important to all communities. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read a story about top driver safety issues that communities face. Use what you read to brainstorm a one-minute TV ad to inform people about key safety issues. Write text for your ad and choose images to illustrate it. Read your ad aloud and time it to make sure it does not run longer than one minute. Present it to the class.
Common Core State Standards: Writing narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events; conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.