1. FIRST SEMESTER UPFRONT ARTICLES

2. MARRIAGE FOR ALL? PAGES 12-13 1.Do you think state bans on gay marriage violate the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the 14 th Amendment? Explain. 2.How do you think the Supreme Court will rule? (i.e. legalize gay marriage, let states decide, require states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states) Explain.

3. HI MOM, I’M HOME! PAGES 14-17 1.Why do you think young people moving back home has been dubbed the Boomerang Generation? 2.Cite evidence from the text that supports the author’s claim that young people today have “longer childhoods” than young people of the past. 3.Do you think the trend toward “longer childhoods” described in the article is mainly a positive or negative change in American society? Explain. 4.What, if anything, should the government's role be regarding the cost of higher education? Explain.

4. CHINA’S CRAM SCHOOLS PAGES: 13-15 1.What sacrifices do some families make to put a child through cram school? Why do you think they do it? 2.What types of skills or knowledge does the gaokao seem to emphasize? In what ways do critics say the test is lacking? 3.Why is the gaokao an especially high-stakes exam for China’s poor rural citizens? 4.In what ways do you think the gaokao is similar to the SAT, ACT, or other American standardized tests? In what ways is it different?