Common Core State Standard L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
06/08/2026
Mystery ‘mole people’ haunt New York’s sewers
New York City police said they are working to identify men seen in videos opening manholes and climbing into and out of sewers. They have been called “mole people” by the local press, which theorized the men might be scavenging for valuables washed into the city’s 7,400 miles of sewer pipes. City workers checked the tunnels and found no damage, but they warned of dangers, “including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces.”
■Class discussion: What would you do if you saw people in the middle of the night climbing into or out of a manhole in the street? Do you think the “mole people” are really searching for gold, jewels, and other valuables in the sewers? How could they possibly find them in thousands of miles of tunnels? What do you think the sewer explorers are doing? Looking for a place to live? Can you find any reports of homeless people seeking shelter underground, such as in storm drains or subway tunnels?
