1. On Sale

The December holidays are here and that means it's gift-buying season. With all that buying, there are lots of sales -- from Black Friday sales to pre-Christmas sales to after-Christmas sales. Pick an item you might like to buy, such as a television. Find several ads for the item in the newspaper. Make a chart comparing what different stores are offering in their ads. Include the original prices, sale prices and any differences in the item, such as 32 inches versus 42 inches for a TV. Write a sentence or two explaining which you think is the best deal, and why.

Learning Standards: Using economic reasoning when comparing price, quality and features of goods and services; organizing data using tables, charts, graphs, spreadsheets and databases.

2. Mark Twain

Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was born on November 30, 1835. His books are still read and studied today. One of his books, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," has been banned in some places because of its controversial language and difficult subject matter. (It tells the story of a white teenager fleeing to freedom with an African American slave.) It is required reading at many other schools. Find a cartoon in this week's newspaper that could be considered controversial. Write an essay that either defends this cartoon as a valid and useful piece of art commentary or explain how it fails in its aims.

Learning Standard: Developing and applying personal, shared and academic criteria for the enjoyment, appreciation and evaluation of oral, written and visual texts.

3. Comparison

Last week the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, visited the White House to meet with President Obama and attend a dinner held in his honor. After speaking to the press about the relationship between the United States and India, President Obama said that he plans to visit the south Asia nation next year. Using the newspaper, the Internet and other resources, make a chart comparing the U.S. and India. Include size, population, natural resources, type of government, type of economy, unemployment rate, percentage of population below the poverty line, and three other facts you find interesting. The CIA World Factbook is a good resource for comparing nations of the world.

Learning Standards: Describing, comparing and explaining the locations and characteristics of races, cultures, and settlements; acquiring information from multiple sources and then organizing and analyzing it.

4. Medicine

The first human heart transplant took place on December 3, 1967, in Cape Town, South Africa. The patient, Louis Washkansky, was suffering from severe heart failure. The surgery was successful, but he died shortly after from pneumonia, a condition in which fluid builds up in the lungs. In the newspaper, find an article about another advance or breakthrough in the world of medicine. Write a short paper explaining what it is and what impact it has had or could have in the future.

Learning Standards: Asking questions that help students learn about the world; designing and conducting investigations using appropriate methodology and technology; learning from books and other sources of information; reconstructing previously learned knowledge.

5. Philanthropy

Filmmaker Tyler Perry writes, directs and stars in movies. He's best known for Madea, a character he created and plays. Now Perry will be known as a philanthropist, too: He just gave $1 million to the civil rights organization called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in honor of the NAACP's 100th anniversary. In groups, find a news story about someone donating money, time or other resources to help an organization or group of people. Talk about what you think the person's motivations are. Make a list of other ways someone could help the organization or group.

Learning Standard: Considering the effects of an individual's actions on other people, how one acts in accordance with the rule of law and how one acts in a virtuous and ethically responsible way as a member of society.