1. Extremists Threatening Global War on Disease

The Asian nation of Pakistan is one of the few in the world where the disease polio is still a major threat. Tremendous advances have been made there, thanks to an ongoing United Nations vaccination program, but Muslim extremists, particularly the Taliban, are suspicious of foreign “infidels” and some believe that polio vaccinations are a cover for American espionage. Although no group has claimed responsibility, these beliefs are thought to be behind the recent fatal shooting of five female health workers, forcing Pakistan to suspend the vaccination program. It’s a major blow to the U.N.’s global immunization effort, which had reduced the number of polio-vulnerable countries to three — Pakistan, neighboring Afghanistan (where the Taliban is also active) and Nigeria on the continent of Africa. In the newspaper or online, find stories about efforts to eradicate diseases in the world. Pick one disease and write a summary of what has been done, and what challenges remain.

Common Core/National Standards: Citing textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

2. In the Year 2013

At the start of each year, experts try to figure out what events will be the most important in the year ahead. Use today's newspaper to make five predictions about what you think will be major news events in the year 2013. Discuss your choices as a class.

Common Core/National Standards: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; generating questions about important issues that affect students or topics about which they are curious, narrowing the questions to a clear focus and creating a thesis or a hypothesis.

3. Pardon, Mon ex-Colony

Algerians want France to apologize for the “suffering” that was “inflicted” on the Algerian people by French colonialism. In his address to Algeria’s Parliament on the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence, French President Francois Hollande conceded the “suffering,” but he never actually apologized for the years during which Algeria was a French colony in Africa. Presumably, he and the others in the French delegation of about 200 believe their participation in the ceremony was sufficient. Some observers have hailed the new French president’s “new tone,” but others chalked it up to economic motivation, since France remains Algeria’s major trading partner. In the newspaper or online, find a story about the relationship between two different countries. Write a summary of the relationship today, its history and the challenges that still exist.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; citing textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text.

4. Too Attractive for the Job

The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that it’s legal for a boss to fire an employee he sees as an “irresistible attraction,” even if she has done nothing wrong. The all-male court was supporting a dentist who fired an assistant after 10 years, because he and his wife viewed her as a threat to their marriage. In the majority opinion, the court stated that the ouster was not unlawful because it was motivated by feelings and emotions, not gender. Much has been written about sex discrimination in employment. As a class, discuss the Iowa court ruling and whether you think it is appropriate. Then see what you can find in your newspaper or online on this subject, and write a summary of one case or situation.

Common Core/National Standards: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; posing and responding to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text or issue under discussion; producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

5. The Name of the Game Reflects Corporate Sponsor

Once upon a time, there were only a few bowl games, played on or near New Year’s Day, and college football teams with the best won-lost records played in them. But TV coverage and corporate tie-ins have spawned 35 bowl games and some of the teams playing in them have pretty mediocre records. When there were only a few of these classics, they were named for regional characteristics, such as the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl, but now they bear the names of sponsoring companies and their products, such as Meineke Car Care and Chick fil-A. Colleges welcome selection for many bowl games, because they receive a portion of TV receipts. But some schools sending teams to less prestigious bowls have actually lost money or just broken even. In your newspaper or online, find a list of this year’s bowl games. Design a line or bar graph to show the number of wins teams in bowls had this year.

Common Core/National Standards: Summarizing and describing distributions; using charts, graphs and tables to display information.