1. SUNK SUB

An underwater vessel carrying five people to the Titanic shipwreck lost contact with the surface, which led to a several day hunt in the Atlantic Ocean. The US Coast Guard announced that it found parts of the vessel, meaning it probably broke apart in the water. Many have now questioned the safety risks and why people were allowed to be on it in the first place. Research the history of the Titanic shipwreck and write a short article summarizing the story.

2. TROUBLE FOR AMAZON

The Federal Trade Commission, which helps regulate businesses and protect Americans from fraud and scams, sued Amazon for allegedly tricking customers. The FTC claims Amazon trapped people into enrolling in memberships for its Prime service without their knowledge and making it difficult for them to cancel or be refunded. Amazon has denied the claims against it. Write an article that explains what Amazon allegedly did wrong and why it wold be a problem for customers.

3. WATERMELON SNOW

Mountains in Utah are turning shades of pink, red, and orange because of the growth of algae on the snow’s surface. The algae produces the reddish pigment to protect it against the sun’s rays and help absorb heat, which melts the snow and provides the algae the water it needs to grow. The phenomenon is called watermelon snow. Write a short article about the snow and draw your own pictures to accompany it.

4. LAB GROWN

The United States’ Department of Agriculture has approved the sale of chicken meat that was grown in a lab from cell cultures. The meat starts from cells collected from chickens; the cells are grown in steal tanks to produce meat that can be formed into patties and sausages. It could help reduce the effects of climate change from the agriculture industry to grow meat this way and help produce more food to solve global hunger problems. Write a list of ways lab-grown meat could be helpful for the planet and any ways you can think of that it would be a problem.

5. SCORES ARE DOWN

New national studies showed that reading and math scores for middle-school students are at their lowest in decades. Math scores for 13-year-olds dropped 9 points and reading dropped 4 points, with declines showing regardless of gender, race, or religion. Think about why scores may have declined at this time in history and what recent events could have affected students. Share your ideas with your classmates.