The last section of the article is called “Lessons of Hope.” What lessons of hope does the story of polio contain? Use details from the article to support your ideas.

Imagine that James has decided to keep his own “Dear Future” journal. Write one of his entries.

Imagine that you work for a conservation group focused on raising public awareness about buffalo. Design a slideshow, a social media campaign, or a poster for the group that explains why buffalo are important and why they should be protected.

What big idea about wealth does the story of King Midas convey? Do you agree with it? Answer both questions in the form of a written essay or slideshow. Support your ideas with evidence.

You might have noticed that some words in the poem appear in yellow. Those words form a line from another poem: “Storm Ending” by Jean Toomer. Here’s your task: Choose a line from a poem or work of fiction that you love, and incorporate it into your own poem, using Nikki Grimes’s “Truth” as a model.

Read our article about the strange items that have been left behind on the moon. Then follow the prompts in the circles to revise and polish the writing. 

In a well-organized essay, explain how author Lauren Tarshis transports her readers to March 18, 1925. Use text evidence.

Imagine that the United States Postal Service wants ideas for who to feature on a new stamp. Write an essay explaining why that person should be Dr. Gladys B. West.  Use information from the article and the informational text to support your ideas.

Jones, Merryweather, Holmes, and Watson are giving a press conference about the case. (A press conference is where someone speaks to reporters about a news event and then answers their questions.) Write the scene of that press conference in the form of a written script or video.

Write what happens next. Be sure to include details that bring the setting to life for your readers.

Read our interview with Nolan Mejia. Choose a central idea and write a three-paragraph article about Nolan in your own words. Be sure to use quotes from our interview.

Interview an adult about what life was like before smartphones. Then use information from your interview as well as the infographic to write an article with the title “Life Before Smartphones.” Your article can be written or it can be in the form of an audio recording or a video.

Imagine that you are giving a speech at the USS Indianapolis memorial in Indiana. Write your speech, using information from the article as well as from the video and the slideshow at Scope Online. Send your speech in the form of a video, audio file, or written transcript

Imagine you are a sneaker designer like Jonathan Guisbert. Design a new sneaker. In a written document, poster, or slideshow, make a pitch that includes a sketch of your sneaker, the high-profile person you think should endorse it, and an explanation of why your sneaker will be successful. Draw on information from the article and the interview.

Consider Wilma’s last lines in the play. How do these lines relate to Wilma’s story? Use text evidence to support your ideas. Send

Write the scene that happens between the end of Nathan’s letter and the debriefing. Be true to information revealed in the debriefing and to the characters in the story.

Read our article about auroras. Then follow the prompts in the circles to revise and polish the writing.

Explain what the speaker means when she says her mind is noisy. Then explain—in your own words—what happens when the speaker quiets her noisy mind.