Sub's Letter to Parents Sparks Debate

Kirksville substitute teacher scolds doctor, wife for daughter’s lunch which included marshmallows, pickles

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/stargazing/article8012370.html#storylink=cpy

(Justin Puckett/Facebook)
http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/stargazing/article8012370.html

1)  What evidence is most convincing in configuring a healthy lifestyle? What is the best way to determine thee truth in this story?  In what ways do we have access to that info?  What word used in the note is most convincing?  In the parents' post?

2)  Why might a grandmother feel differently about this issue than a parent? Why might Michelle Obama think differently than this doctor?  What are their motivations?

3)  In what ways is this connected to politics?  In what ways is this issue connected to psychology? Math?

4)  What if it was the regular teacher that wrote the note?  What if he'a doctor of nutrition?  Pediatrician?  Dentist?

5)  In what ways is this relevant?  What are the long-term effects of this note on the district?  The children?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can develop a healthy diet using only processed/fast/junk foods.

2)  Students can research the limits of parenting philosophies as they relate to the well-being of children through recent examples.

The 2014 Word of the Year: Vape

Vape is the 2014 Word of the Year


Elizabeth Shafiroff/Reuters/Landov

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/17/364802028/take-it-in-vape-is-the-oxford-dictionaries-word-of-the-year

By:  Bill Chappell

1)  What statistics do people use to support the claim that vaping is less harmful than cigarettes?  What evidence is the most salient for determining the harm of cigarettes?  In what ways have smoking habits changed over time?

2)  How might a child of smokers view this story differently than that of a non-smoker?  How might an employee of Philip Morris view this differently than a politician?  How might Barack Obama view this differently than his wife?

3)  What is a mathematical argument for more electronic cigarettes?  How is smoking like drinking soda?  Child abuse?

4)  What would happen if we banned all cigarettes?  All fast food?  What would happen if vapor cigarettes were given free to smokers?

5)  What are the larger implications of this issue?  Does the word of the year award have any significance in the larger society?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can outline the development of tobacco in America and predict it's future.

2)  Students can create a chart of addiction and advocate for policy action based on their findings.

3)  Students can  study the impact of the "Word of the Year" and rank the  most significant winners of the last 20 years.  

Is High School Football Too Dangerous?

Three high school football players have died this week alone

-Mike Barry

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/269248/speedreads-three-high-school-football-players-have-died-this-week-alone

1)  What statistical information can help us understand this issue?  Can anecdotal evidence help us understand the situation?  What are thee limits of the word"dangerous"?      

2)  Why might the mother of this student and a team mate have similar opinions?  Different?  Should NFL commissioner Goodell's opinion matter more than your math teacher's?    

3)  Are there other sports with similar issues?  Are there other areas of life dealing with the balance between danger and pleasure?  Should cars be banned if we know they are linked to the physical harm of teenagers?  What about mental/emotional harm?  

4)  What might happen if football was banned in public schools?  What might happen if all forms of competition was banned?

5)  Is this problem prevalent enough to warrant a debate?  To whom is this issue most relevant?  

Extension Activities:

1)  Students will advocate for the inclusion of video games to the state's high school athletic association by comparing and contrasting traditional sports.  

2)  Students will review the school's policy on concussions and make recommendations if needed and explain why they might be adequate.

3)  Students will design the ultimate "safe" sport to play as an alternative to "dangerous" sports.


Update:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/01/28/football_age_12_cognitive_capacity_study_says_earlier_play_could_be_especially.html