1. A Nobel Discovery

Embryonic stem cell treatment sparks heated debates around the country and the world. Pro-life supporters claim people will abort embryos from pregnant women to get stem cells. Pro-choice supporters note that people are getting abortions anyway, so it is worthwhile to put the embryos to scientific use. That debate may soon become a moot point. Two researchers — John Gurdon of Great Britain and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan — have discovered ways to create tissue that would act like embryonic cells, without the need to collect cells from embryos, according to a Reuters article. The two men this month were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work. They have figured out a way for adult cells to be transformed back into embryo-like stem cells that may one day be able to re-grow tissue in damaged brains, hearts and other organs. Search your newspaper for stem cell stories. Or find one online. Read several stories and debate the use of embryonic stem cells in scientific research.

Common Core/National Standard: Coming to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material, explicitly drawing on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic.

2. Writing Well

The best way to become a good writer is to read the work of good writers. Some of the best newspaper writers today are columnists. These are journalists who have worked for years honing their craft. They paint pictures with words that can make you feel you are right in the midst of a person’s life. Dan Barry of The New York Times, Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press and Rick Reilly of ESPN magazine are some of the best. Search the newspaper for columns by your own community’s columnists. Read several columns, and then try writing one of your own.

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

3. Nuclear Haves and Have-Nots

It was 48 years ago, on October 16, that the Asian nation of China joined the world’s nuclear weapons race. China was the fifth country to create nuclear warheads, following the United States, the Soviet Union (now Russia), Great Britain and France. The United States is the only country that has used nuclear weapons against another country, dropping two atomic bombs on Japan at the end of World War II. Since then, four other countries have developed nuclear weapons: India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan. Iran has been developing nuclear technology, and its leaders say it is close to having nuclear warheads. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was signed in 1968. Search your newspaper or the Internet for stories about nuclear weapons. Write an opinion essay on how their use or development could be controlled.

Common Core/National Standard: Writing arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

4. Election 2012: May I Have Your Opinion?

Mitt Romney is leading President Barack Obama. President Obama is leading Mitt Romney. Pollsters from around the country are trying to figure out who is ahead in this year’s presidential election. Everyone from the Gallup Poll to the Washington Post to other news outlets are asking people whom they are voting for. Polls are critical to help campaigns determine where they should spend their advertising dollars, which voters need to be convinced and how well candidates are appealing to voters. But how accurate are these polls? Every poll has a “margin of error,” and the best polls have a margin that ranges from 2 to 4 percentage points. Currently, Obama and Romney are separated by only a few points, so the results likely fall within the margin of error. In addition, most polling takes place through telephone calls to land lines, even though many families now use only cell phones and other families screen political calls on land lines. Read newspaper stories on the latest polling numbers. Create and conduct a poll of your own in school to see who would win the presidential election if your students were the voters.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to solve problems.

5. They Have Different Abilities

They may be different, but they are being celebrated. Around the country, high school students are using homecoming celebrations to honor classmates who have disabilities. Downs Syndrome students Michael Holton of South Effingham High School in Savannah, Georgia, and Allysa Brubeck of Kansas City, Missouri, were voted King and Queen at their high schools. Last week, the Michigan parents of Linden High School student Danny Leideker were moved to tears when their son, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, was elected Homecoming King. Search your newspaper for stories about differently abled students. Or find one online. Write out a list of questions you would like to ask if you could interview one of them. Then interview a differently abled student in your own school and write a feature story about 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.