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.

Prank Caller Reaches UK Prime Minister

Prank Caller Reaches UK Prime Minister

(AP Photo/Peter Macdiarmid, Pool)
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30977267

1)  What evidence would be compelling for a task force devising a policy for greater phone security?  Why would a Head of State need security for communications?  What evidence might be David Cameron have had that made him hang up?

2)  Why might PM Cameron's family have a different perspective on this issue than the Obamas?  Similar?  How is my own experience limited in this story?  How is it related? 

3)  How is this connected to hacking?  How is this connected to the NSA scandal?  How is this connected to science?  Twitter?

4)  What if the PM gave out his personal phone number to the public?  Would this story have been reported 25 years ago?

5)  Why is this story significant?  Why might this be remembered 10 years form now?  

Extension Activities:
1)  Students can research the "Phreaking" incident and chart it's significance to modern communications.

2)  Students can develop a spectrum of acceptable pranks and carry out a benign joke at school.

Worst Passwords

The List of Worst Passwords

(iStockPhoto)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/21/378852500/is-your-online-password-on-the-worst-password-list

1)  What evidence makes this story more funny than concerning?  What evidence would be most compelling in getting you to switch your passwords monthly?      

2)  Why might a Google executive view this differently than a member of the Tea Party?  Who would you want to have your phone's lock code the least?

3)  In what ways is this connected to math?  How might we connect this to psychology?

4)  How would internet use be different if there were no more passwords?  What if thumbprints were the only acceptable form of identification?  

5)  Is this more relevant to to the banking industry or social media companies?  What are the legal ramifications of hacked passwords?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students calculate the chances of discovering PINs and Passwrods accidentally depending on the numbers of variables.
2)  Students study the Enigma Project and connect its success to the Allied Victory of WWII.

World's Richest Man Increases Stake in New York Times

World's Richest Man Buys Stake in New York Times

(AP Photo/Christian Palma)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/14/us-new-york-times-warrants-carlos-slim-idUSKBN0KN2M820150114


1)  How is the world's richest person determined? How should wealth be determined?  What are the most important numbers in the article?

2)  Who might have differing opinions are how Slim acquired his wealth?  The average Mexican citizen?  Bill Gates?  The grand children of John Rockefeller?  The editor of the New York Times?

3)  How is Slim like Jeff Bezos?  Rupert Murdoch?  William Randolph Hearst?  How are they different?  How is this connected to your educational experience?  How is this connected to geography?

4)  How might this story be different if he was not the richest man?  What would happen if Bill Gates had increased his stake in a media company at the same time?

5)  Is your news biased?  Is it reflecting the views of a billionaire?  What are the positives and negatives of media companies being funded by very few individuals?  Is it better to read clearly biased news or no news at all?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can research how media companies (local to international) are funded and what they do with their money?  http://www.slate.com/blogs/business_insider/2015/01/14/disney_the_majority_of_their_revenue_comes_from_their_media_networks.html 

2)  Students can watch Citizen Kane and rewrite a scene (or the movie) set for today's time.

Sony Cancels Release of "The Interview"

Sony Cancels Release of "The Interview"

 (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures, Sony, Ed Araquel)

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/sony-cancels-interview-release-after-theaters-drop-out-while-fox-n270281

1)  How do we know who is responsible for the hacks?  What evidence is compelling enough to make a threat credible?    

2)  Why might the family of the leader of N. Korea view this differently than Seth Rogen's family?  Why might a comedian view this differently than a politician?

3)  In what ways is this cancellation related to appeasement in war?  How is not?  How is this related to math?  

4)  What if the plot focused on a thinly veiled fictional character?  What if this was scheduled for debut during the summer?  How might it be different if it is accessible on Netflix?

5)  Who will be most affected by this news?  How might it be a significant marker in the history of pop culture?  Is this significant to national policy regarding potentially hostile nations?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can explore the relations between the US and the Korean peninsula and write a petition to the leader of a country who might mediate talks to resolve the situation.

2)  Students can compile a list of the most controversial movies of all time and predict how they would be received today as well as compare their  reasons for controversy.  

Most Expensive Photo of All Time

 (PRNewsFoto/LIK USA)
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2014/12/10/worlds-most-expensive-photo-depicts-antelope-canyon/20203093/

1)  What should determine the price of a photograph?  In what ways is photography like painting?  How is dissimilar?  Why are some artists' works more vlauable than others?  Why would someone pay millions of dollars for art?  Is the photographer lucky?    

2)  How might a Native American view this story differently than a relative of Ansel Adams?  How might a poor person view this differently than a wealthy person?

3)  How is this related to mathematics?  What recent character from a book you've read would be most upset upon hearing this news?

4)  What is this was in color?  What if we found out it was photoshopped?  What if a computer program created the photo?

5)  Is art important to survival?  What's your favorite form of art?

Extension Activities:
1)  Students will research the development of photography (camera obscura, Daguerre type, etc) and predict future trends.

2)  Students will research the most expensive works of art in a variety of media and evaluate the reasons for their prices.

New Zealanders: Leave Graveyard Ship Alone

By John Johnson

1)  Should divers be banned form the wreckage?  What evidence might convince you otherwise?

2)  Why might a Chinese immigrant view this differently than an avid diving enthusiast?

3)  How is this connected to the Elgin marbles issue?  

4)  What if this happened in the US with different cultures represented?

5)  What can come from this?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can research the ethics of excavation of known burial grounds?

2)  Students can write legal cases for different parties involved in this issue?