1. Rosa Parks

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was thrown in jail for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Her courage and act of defiance sparked a bus-boycott by African Americans organized by the Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. The boycott in turn ignited the civil rights movement in the United States. Unfortunately, civil rights violations and prejudice still make news. Search the newspaper and Internet for an example of someone reacting to such violations. Write a short essay about whether or not you think that their response will be productive. Explain your position.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; evaluating the responses of individuals to historic violations of human dignity involving discrimination, persecution and crimes against humanity.

2. That’s Your Point of View!

Journalists provide a non-biased view of the news. It can be exciting to cover an event, unnerving to cover a crime or just plain boring to cover a meeting. But what can be very fulfilling is the opportunity to write a column or an opinion piece in which your voice can really be heard. Writing a column or opinion piece doesn’t mean you have free rein to write whatever you want. You must back up your opinion with facts and evidence. Search your newspaper for a topic about which you feel strongly. Read several articles about it. Then write an opinion essay based on what you read.

Common Core/National Standard: Integrating and evaluating multiple sources of information presented in words, different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

3. The Cost of Bulking Up

Students looking to bulk up are turning more and more to supplements, including anabolic steroids, according to a recent study. One in 20 middle school and high school students report using steroids, while many more say they use protein drinks that contain muscle-enhancing additives such as creatine. A doctor from the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, said the pressure to use protein drinks and steroids starts in high school – especially among athletes. Using anabolic steroids may help young athletes build muscle mass, but the side-effects of these drugs can be devastating. Break up your class into several small groups. Assign each group a side-effect of steroids to research. Combine all the results of the class’s research to write an editorial for the newspaper about the dangers of steroids. Then create a Power Point presentation to give to other classes in the school.

Common Core/National Standard: Conducting short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

4. Saving Traditions

The Sioux Nation in the state of South Dakota is getting some famous helping hands to purchase land considered sacred to the tribe. Rapper and actor Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, singer/actress Bette Midler, actor Ezra Miller and hip hop producer Sol Guy have all stepped up to help the tribe raise $9 million to purchase nearly 2,000 acres located close to the famous Mount Rushmore. The tribe is using an online campaign to raise the remaining $2 million needed by November 30. When Combs tweeted, “Help Save the Sioux Nation!” and added a link to the fundraising website, nearly $6,000 in donations quickly poured in. Miller traveled to South Dakota to film a short documentary to encourage people to donate. Search your newspaper and the Internet for stories about Native Americans trying to protect their land. Divide into smaller groups and have each group report on a specific tribe to the class.

Common Core/National Standard: Conducting short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

5. Kooky Crimes

If you think talking on your cell phone or texting while you’re driving is bad, a man in the European nation of Germany got caught with a full-fledged office in his car. When he was pulled over for speeding, officers found a wooden frame on his passenger seat that held a laptop on a docking station positioned for easy driver access, a printer, a router, a wireless Internet stick, and an antenna. The police couldn’t prove he used any of his office equipment while driving, so he only was given a ticket for speeding. Search your newspaper or the Internet for odd crime stories. As a class, discuss them. Then write a rap, poem or rhyme summing up one story.

Common Core/National Standards: Engaging in a wide range of discussion topics; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.