For Grades 9-12 , week of Sep. 17, 2018

1. Hurricane Assistance

After any strong hurricane, residents and communities look to the federal government for recovery assistance. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about assistance that survivors of Hurricane Florence need to recover and rebuild their communities and lives. How much of that assistance could come from the federal government? What are President Trump and other national leaders saying about the kinds of assistance that will be available? Use what you read to write a short editorial outlining what kinds of assistance the federal government should provide and why each is important for recovery.

Common Core State Standards: Writing opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information; reading closely what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

2. Abuse Summit

Late this summer Pope Francis vowed that the Roman Catholic Church would take action to protect children from sexual abuse by priests of the church. Now the Pope has followed up by calling senior bishops from around the world to a historic meeting to discuss ways to prevent further abuse. The meeting, which will take place in February, is the first in church history to focus on abuse of children by priests and will take place at Vatican City in Rome, Italy. The Pope made the announcement after meeting with his Council of Cardinals, the church group whose members serve as his top advisors. As world leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis decides what issues the church will address. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about issues the Pope has addressed in addition to the abuse of children. Use what you read to write a letter to the editor giving your view on what the church should do in response to the issue of child abuse or another issue.

Common Core State Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions.

3. Points for the Queen

In many communities, homecoming celebrations not only feature a football game but the selection of a king and queen. And they don’t make homecoming queens the way they used to. That’s a good thing for the high school football team in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Because Kaylee Foster is not only this year’s homecoming queen; she’s the placekicker for the football team. And minutes after being crowned, she kicked a pressure-packed extra point to give the football team an overtime win. Without Foster, Ocean Springs wouldn’t have even made it to overtime. Her two field goals were the only points scored by her team in the first four quarters. Foster has been placekicker for the football team for three years, in addition to starring for the girls’ soccer team. Like Kaylee Foster, girls and women are finding new ways to succeed in sports and other fields. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read a story about a girl or woman succeeding in a new way or in a field that has few women. Use what you read to design a poster or artwork showcasing the achievements of this girl or woman and why they could inspire others. Give your poster an eye-catching headline.

Common Core State Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; integrating information presented in different media or formats to develop a coherent understanding of a topic.

4. Misery Loves Company

Are people you know feeling miserable? If so, they’re not alone. People all over the world are feeling bad, according to a survey of people’s emotions in more than 145 countries. In fact, according to the Gallup group’s annual Global Emotions Report, the year 2017 was the most miserable for people in the last 10 years. Sadness, stress, worry, anger and physical pain all affected people more frequently than in earlier years, Gallup reported. War, politics, human rights, poverty and hunger all contributed to “negative” feelings, the Gallup pollsters said. The Central African Republic had the most negative feelings, while people in Latin America expressed the most positive feelings about their lives. Doing something positive can make people feel better when they are feeling down or sad. Expending energy can give them a boost when they feel they have no energy. Doing something for someone else can take their mind off problems they face. As a class, discuss strategies for helping yourself feel better when you are feeling down. Then use points from the discussion to write an advice column suggesting ways to help others beat the blues and overcome negativity.

Common Core State Standards: Responding thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement and disagreement; engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions; conducting short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

5. War Games

When it comes to military power, the European nation of Russia is the chief rival to the United States in the world. And this month, Russia is putting on a big display of its firepower, staging a huge war games exercise with the Asian nations of China and Mongolia. News reports indicate that at least 300,000 Russian troops, 36,000 vehicles and 1,000 aircraft have taken part in the exercise, which ends this week. Thousands of other troops from China and Mongolia also took part in an undeveloped area near the Russia-China-Mongolia border. The war games come at a time of increased tensions between the United States and Russia over spying and other issues. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about relations between these two superpowers. Use what you read to write a paragraph or short paper analyzing the current status of the relationship and things that could be done to improve the relationship.

Common Core State Standards: Writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly; citing specific textual evidence when writing or speaking.