Best place to live DUE Mon., Feb.4, 2008

Where do you think is the BEST place to live? Choose one place, describe it, and explain WHY it is the best place to live. Give comments on what the others have said about their own choices.

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 and the presidential candidates - due Jan. 11, 2008

Global warming is a serious issue that people are debating. The presidential candidates are using the global warming issue in their campaigns. Some of them support becoming involved in international environmental agreements (such as the Kyoto Protocol). The Kyoto Protocol has 175 countries involved. The protocol was written to establish limits on greenhouse emissions all over the world, thus reducing global warming. The United States has not accepted this.

This question has three parts, answer each one in your blog response. What do you think we should do as a country to reduce global warming? How can we reduce greenhouse emissions? Check the website, www.2008electionprocon.org, to see what your favorite candidate says about this and tell us if you agree with her/him or not.