Families in prison DUE Mon., Feb. 4, 2008

In the Tuesday, January 29, 2008, edition of USA Today (p. 1A-2A), there is an article titled "For many of USA's inmates, crime runs in the family". It states that 48% of state prisoners in the USA have relatives either in prison or have been in prison before. Read the article and discuss why you think this is happening. Discuss possible ways to prevent this from happening. How can families be helped so that there is a reduction in the number of family members going to prison?

Pay for Good Grades DUE Wed., Jan. 30, 2008

Do you think students should be paid if they make good grades? In the January 28, 2008 edition of USA Today, there is an article and an editorial on this topic (3A - "Kids' good grades pay off - literally" AND 8A - "Performance Pay"). This is a controversial topic because some people support the idea, some do not. The article gives both perspectives - pro and con. Read the article and decide for yourself. Do you think paying students to make good grades is beneficial to students? Why or why not?

Abortion DUE Monday, January 28, 2008

Today is the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the law that allows women the right to choose to have an abortion. Women have abortions for many different reasons. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with abortion. Also discuss the reasons women may choose or not choose to have an abortion. Can you think of other choices women may have if they choose not to have an abortion?

Internet privacy DUE Mon., Jan. 21, 2008

Many students, whether hearing or deaf, have their own webpages on community websites like MySpace.com or Facebook.com. If the webpages are not "blocked", then anyone who logs online can have access to the webpage and see what the students have posted, like pictures, information about her/himself, comments, etc.

If a teacher, administrator, or any other person from a school saw these webpages, reported them at school, and the student was disciplined at school, what is your opinion of this? Do you feel that any information a student posts online at home and not at school is the right of the student? Do you feel the school should alert the parents of the student? Think about and discuss the right to privacy as well as the dangers of exposing too much information about oneself online.

Global warming due Monday January 14, 2008

Are you worried about the effects of global warming on our earth? What can YOU do to help reduce carbon dioxide emission from cars? Would you be willing to buy a hybrid? What about changing the bulbs in your home to save energy?