1. AN ELECTION MILESTONE FOR NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN

A third-grade visit to the Navajo Nation Council inspired Crystalyne Curley to go into government. She later became the council’s first woman speaker, and in the 2026 election she became the first woman elected president of the Navajo Nation. Native American women also reached milestones in state and federal elections. Deb Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, became the first Native American woman elected governor of a U.S. state, winning in New Mexico. Peggy Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, became the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, winning in Minnesota. A Native political organizer pointed to decades of work encouraging and supporting Native candidates. Divide a page into three sections labeled “Tribal government,” “State government,” and “Federal government.” Add one leader from the story to each section and write a caption explaining what made her election historic. Finish with a sentence explaining how Curley’s third-grade visit helps show why seeing people in leadership can matter to young students.

2. WASHINGTON BUILDING PROJECTS PREPARE FOR ROADBLOCKS

President Donald Trump has pushed for major changes in Washington, D.C., including a White House ballroom and a 250-foot arch near the Lincoln Memorial. A federal planning commission approved the arch, but a judge temporarily halted the project while a lawsuit moved forward. After the midterm elections, Democrats preparing to take control of Congress said they were considering investigations and limits on federal spending for some projects. The dispute shows how several institutions can shape what gets built on federal land. The White House can propose projects, a commission can review plans, courts can hear legal challenges, and Congress can set rules for how federal money is spent. Draw three boxes and label them “White House,” “Planning commission,” and “Federal court.” In each box, describe what that institution did about the arch, then connect the boxes in the order those actions happened. Add a fourth box for Congress and describe one step lawmakers were considering. Use a dotted arrow for that possible next step.

3. YOUNGER NEWCOMERS BARELY CHANGE THE SENATE’S AVERAGE AGE

The senators expected to join the U.S. Senate in January 2027 are nearly 15 years younger, on average, than those expected to leave. Yet the projected average age for the full Senate drops by less than one year, from 64.1 to about 63.3. Only about one-fifth of the senators are expected to be newcomers, and those returning have aged two years since the previous Congress began. The projection also depends on the results of two races that were still undecided when the figures were calculated. Test the numbers with a model Senate. Start with five senators who are 70, 65, 65, 60, and 60 years old. Find their average age. Next, add two years to each senator’s age, then replace the oldest senator with a new member who is 57. Calculate the new average. Explain how replacing someone with a person 15 years younger can change the average for the whole group by much less.

4. WHILE U.S. HOMELESSNESS COUNT FALLS, REASONS ARE DEBATED

The January 2025 count found more than 47,000 fewer people experiencing homelessness in the United States than the year before, a drop of more than 6 percent. It was the largest decline since the annual count began, although homelessness remained above levels recorded before the pandemic. The federal housing department credited Trump administration policies. Housing advocates pointed to programs such as Housing First, which helps people get stable housing without requiring them to start treatment first. Local results varied. The count fell in some cities and rose in others, making it harder to identify a single explanation for the national change. Imagine an editor proposes the headline “Homelessness Fell in Every U.S. City in 2025.” Use the story to identify the problem with that headline. Write a more accurate one, then add a short editor’s note explaining what the national count tells readers and what further evidence would help them understand why it fell.

5. K-POP CONTRACT DISPUTE RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUNG PERFORMERS’ RIGHTS

The five members of the South Korean pop group NewJeans were 14 to 17 when they signed contracts with their record label, Ador. South Korea’s government offers a model contract with protections for young performers’ schooling, health, and rest. The NewJeans contracts left out those protections and allowed the label to keep using the performers’ identities after the deal ended, including through AI copies of their voices. Ador’s parent company, Hybe, said the agreements were legal and protected its investment in the group. When the singers announced they were leaving Ador, the label sued, and judges ruled that the group could not perform independently of the label. Choose one issue from the story, such as time for school, rest between rehearsals, or permission to use an AI copy of a singer’s voice. Write a rule for a fictional music contract that clearly says what the label or performer must do. Then give a short example showing how your rule would work in practice.