Dr. Huffman’s 8th grade Language Arts classes  create podcasts

The assignment-  If you could write a segment for the local news what would you report on?  Create and expository report on an event, current event, environmental issue or something that is news to you and your generation.  

The best podcasts will be uploaded to the CNN website “News to Me”

Student podcasts are listed below.  Students created the podcasts on topics as far ranging as sexism to the presidential race to pollution.  Many of the chosen topics demonstrate that middle school students are concerned about about issues that will impact their lives as adults.  Over 70 PodCasts were created for this assignment, only a few have been posted due to space limitations.  If you would like comment on this project please email Mr. Freymuth or Dr. Huffman at Jefferson Middle School.

Sexism is a problem everywhere, with all ages and in all places. It takes place in the school and in the workplace.  You find it in the child and adult worlds. Influences as children strongly effect how people act as adults. Sexism can be stopped only when the children eliminate it from their minds. If sexism is eliminated to children it will not pass on to future generations

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Everyone listening to this podcast has heard about the pros and cons of using marijuana for medical reasons. “For over 4,000 years the cannabis plant (marijuana) had been used medically by a variety of cultures around the world.” Marijuana was placed in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, meaning the government considered it to have “no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States”, in 1972. Congress has voted on several bills to legalize the medical use of marijuana; however none of those bills were passed. Some people say it should be legal, some people say it should be illegal.

Listen Now:

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On March 20 2003 147,000 troops were deployed to Iraq to fight for our country. Right now there are 2,873 soldiers that have given their lives for us and 21,572 who have been injured or critically wounded. On top of the 147,000 soldiers that are there are there are now an additional 20,000 that have been sent to the conflict zone of Baghdad. They also targeted suspected sites that have weapons of mass destruction. Other countries did not agree with the united states about targeting possible sites with weapons of mass destruction. 

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     In the last century women have earn more right in the USA then they used to have when this Country first started. But in foreign countries women still face discrimination. People often think stereotypes when they hear the word feminist.  Feminist today are a lot different from yesterday.  

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  “Obama for President!!!” That has been flying around the U.S. for months. Barack Obama is the FIRST African-American running for President. He already won Iowa and is a shoe in for Illinois. Plus with Super Tuesday coming up February 5^th no wonder people are going crazy. But will his ideas and platforms really be President Material? What are some of his ideas on big topics for the next president?

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The majority of kids ages eleven and up, have cell phones. Then, for kids anywhere from seven or eight to adults use computers daily, weekly, or bi-weekly. Technology is a major part of the world. It can be good or bad. Used for great, amazing things, or used for harm to the human race or the Earth. It all depends on how and when you use it. 

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     Each year, tens of thousands of children are traumatized by physical, sexual, and emotional abusers or by caregivers who neglect them. Child abuse affects many children of all ages and background. There are four primary types of child abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.

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Paper or plastic? Is a normal question asked when checking out at the grocery store. But in stores such as whole foods markets and Wal-Mart that soon might not be the case. These stores are going green and cutting down or eliminating plastic bags, and will offer only paper or reusable cloth ones.

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We care which president we get!  We deserve a president who truly cares1 we need an honest president! We need a president that isn’t a liar! One that doesn’t just want to spend our money on war! I think getting a new president still affects us middle schools. The new president might change the way of our learning system. And make it worse than the no child left behind system. I don’t support that system. It isn’t fair to teacher. I think we definitely need a president that will pay teachers more.

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