Human Rights: Is that what's really happening?

Human rights violations from around the world, and the United States are reported in the news every day.  What are our human rights? Are they written down somewhere?  Is it like the Constitution of the United States?  The United Nations, an organization composed of most of the world's developed and developing countries, adopted a draft of the first Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 as a result of the horrific events that took place before and during World War II.  There is a brief History of Human Rights given on the United Nations home page that gives a quick story of the drafting process at the time of it's development.

There are 37 different sections to the Declaration of Human Rights. United for Human Rights is a website that outlines some of the articles in the Declaration in greater detail, and gives example of some of the most offensive human rights violations currently happening around our world.

We will be reading a variety of books that have human rights as one of their primary themes.  As you begin your thinking about your book, consider how human rights will play a role in the conflict for your main character.  Most will be obvious, but some might require some inquiry into your setting or characters. What are some specific human rights stories you already know or have read about? What more do you need to know to understand your human rights? Start your pre-thinking today.

Home Schooling: A proper alternative to public education?

 We have been studying different ways that students can be educated in the twenty-first century. Technology, high stakes testing, and school funding have created a whirlpool of change in education in the past ten years. Homeschooling is a growing trend being used by parents to battle these changes, and try to provide the best possible education for their children. The following publications have different points of view on the topic of homeschooling.

The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling by Isabel Shaw from the Family Education website. This article is a quick background resource to discuss some of the issues when considering homeschooling as an option for a quality education.

Homeschool.com: The number one homeschool community is a website devoted solely to parents who are homeschooling or considering homeschooling.

The Real Cons of Homeschooling is an entry written by Tammy Takahashi from the blog, Just Enough, Nothing More listing 10 reasons homeschooling might not be the best educational choice.

Sharon Chen, a reporter for Fox News in San Diego did a news story entitled, Interest in Homeschooling Surges after the shootings at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. This article brings to light a whole new reason parents may consider homeschooling in today's increasingly violent society.

Let the debate begin here.  We discussed this in class.  You have read the pros and cons.  What do you think about homeschooling as an option to improve education?  Be sure to make your thoughts complete.  Site the resources to support your opinions.

What is the Fiscal Cliff?

Political cartoons are a fun way to get a new perspective on issues and current events.  Artists creatively use metaphors of language in an attempt to force readers  to think beyond the literal.  It is a great visual activity to promote your thinking. 

Read the following article, CNN Politics: 5 things to know about the fiscal cliff.

Study the political cartoon.  What have you heard about the fiscal cliff?  What is it?  What do you think the author of this cartoon is trying to say to the readers? Be sure to explain your thinking.