Current Requirements for Graduation: Today’s high school students are required to do and achieve more than ever before in order to receive their high school diploma. Originally students simply had to earn an established number of credits over four years in order to graduate. Then different state legislatures began to require students to pass either “End-of-Course” exams or state exams in addition to earning a certain number of credits. At first the required “end-of-course” or state exams needed to graduate were just math and reading, and the tests were written at an eighth-grade level. But now, in this era of high-stakes testing, students are sometimes required to take and pass up to five different subject exams, often written at an eleventh grade level. Given how many hoops students have to jump through just to walk across the stage in a cap-and-gown, it seems ludicrous to suggest yet another graduation requirement, but that is precisely what I am advocating. In addition to all the academic requirements placed upon a student, I propose that students also be required to complete a set number of volunteer or service hours during the course of their high school career. Reasons Why Requiring Service Hours for High School Graduates is a Good Idea: There are many good reasons for why requiring service-hours from every American high school student is a good idea for the future. First of all, by requiring service hours, schools can break the bubble of unreality that often surrounds students in high school. High school is so often criticized as not being directly related to the “real world”; service hours would bring students into direct contact with reality! High school students today are also accused of extreme apathy, not caring or being invested in any activities whatsoever. Requiring students to step out of their indifferent disinterest would cause students to begin to feel passionate about their world and their influence in it. Requiring service hours would also be a good move for high school’s reputation among the community. Instead of being a place where students go and hide all day, high schools would be active, vibrant contributors to the good of the community as a whole. Teachers could integrate service projects into their curriculum making the question so often heard in classrooms (“Why do we have to learn this?”) irrelevant. Right now, many high schools are filled with clubs that require service hours, so making service hours a school-wide requirement would take all these separate efforts and make them into one powerful, unified effort to improve the community. Think of how much more good work could be done! Reasons Why Opposing a High School Service Hour Requirement is a Bad Idea: Now I know many people out there are opposed to any new graduation requirements, so let me dismiss any objections to this so-called “unnecessary burden.” Some selfish people don’t want this additional requirement simply because they don’t want people to help or serve other people! Don’t they see that students who are required to serve others as a volunteer will become more kind and considerate people in their real life? People who oppose this requirement don’t understand that if we don’t start making service-hours a requirement that in the future, charities will run out of volunteers and stop serving those in need—possibly resulting in a rise in our nation’s crime rate! It is vital that we keep this from happening by making students learn to serve others now while they are still young and impressionable. I would also ask people who oppose a service-hour requirement for graduation to realize that doing service hours also increases a student’s GPA over time! The Logical Decision: In short, there are no real downfalls to requiring service hours as a graduation requirement. All it will require is a willingness from school administrators to keep track of all the hours students serve and to make connections between the high school and various service organizations outside the school that will be beneficial to both students and the community at large. We all know that changing the way schools currently work is a big challenge, but it’s not one that we can’t tackle successfully if we use all our energy to make both our schools and the outside world a better place! The fact that students often ask teachers “Why do we have to learn this?” suggests what? A) Teenagers are whiny and don’t like to work. B) High school seems disconnected from reality. C) High school is a place where questions should be asked. D) Teenagers are curious and look to their teachers for answers.

Expand the outline you wrote in lesson 1 about the american dream into an argumentative research essay. as in most essays, you'll need to include an introduction, body, and conclusion. you'll also need to support your claim with evidence

Acommunity park it was friday, and as she walked home from school, samara thought about what she would do that weekend. everyone would be at the fund-raiser for new sports equipment at the high school on saturday. as she was trying to remember if any good movies were coming out this weekend, she noticed a group of kids playing tag. samara thought they looked comical running around in circles on a small plot of land between two houses. “well, they certainly seem happy,” thought samara as the light turned and she crossed the street. on the opposite side of cherry street, samara saw mr. peters sitting on a bench. he was reading his newspaper as the heavy traffic of the town’s main thoroughfare whizzed by him. she wondered how he could concentrate. later, as she took the last turn onto her street, samara saw her neighbor planting her annual vegetable garden. every year, mrs. yang grew eggplant, cucumbers, and bok choy, because that’s all she had room for. “the garden looks good so far, mrs. yang,” samara called. “ you, dear,” mrs. yang said. “you know, if i had room, i would plant enough vegetables to feed the entire neighborhood! my mother had a garden that was one square acre when i was a little girl in korea.” as samara nodded and waved goodbye, she started thinking about what she had seen on her walk home that day. she realized that pine grove did not have any open public spaces where everyone could go to relax and enjoy nature. the only unused space was a vacated plot on cedar avenue that was completely overgrown. suddenly, samara had a great idea. she decided to spend her summer campaigning for a new community park. the only problem was that she had no idea where to start. that evening, she went to the library and learned about what she would need to do in order to get the idea in front of the town zoning board. it was all a little intimidating, but wanda, the reference librarian, samara break it down into manageable steps. when samara mentioned the cedar avenue plot, wanda’s eyes lit up. “that is a perfect spot,” wanda said. “it’s right in the middle of town, and better yet, the town owns it.” samara spent many afternoons over the next few weeks at the library with wanda and a few other librarians drawing up a detailed plan to present to town officials. samara and the librarians even planned and priced out irrigation necessary for the area that was designated as a garden. when the day of the zoning board meeting arrived, samara felt nervous, but wanda and the other librarians were there for moral support. samara thought she at least sounded confident as she presented her idea to the board. when she finished her presentation, she was ready to wait patiently for an answer; wanda told her that this kind of decision might take weeks, so samara was surprised when the board members asked her to stay while they deliberated. the president of the board explained that samara’s presentation had been the last order of business for the day, and he wanted his board to be able to agree on one thing before they left. after about 15 minutes, samara was informed that the community park had been approved. samara had been telling her neighbors and friends about the park from the moment she thought of it, and it seemed as though everyone wanted to be a part of making her vision a reality. as soon as her idea was approved, samara called a meeting for anyone interested in collaborating. at the meeting, residents voted on what would be included on the land: a playset for young children and one for older children, a swing set, several park benches, and a dog run. it was also decided that there would be a cooperative organic vegetable garden and an herb garden at the north end of the park. residents agreed that mrs. yang would manage the gardens. at wanda’s suggestion, samara asked a representative from a nearby horticultural society to come and advise the group on the design of the park, the best native shrubs to plant, and where to put them. samara also asked local businesses to sponsor the park by the square foot so that the community would be able to afford equipment and plants. surprised by the response, samara went to the bank to open an account where the surplus would be saved for next spring. in a few weeks’ time, the space had been cleared and residents were beginning to roll out sod and plant small vegetable plants and summer flowers. by midsummer, the community was able to enjoy the new, peaceful space. samara was happy to have been part of creating not only a beautiful space, but a common area where residents could come together. which conclusions can be drawn from the last paragraph of this story? select each correct answer. a.wanda is eager to begin gardening with samara and mrs.yang. b.samara's family proudly joins the park staff. c.samara feels a sense of accomplishment. d.samara will run a workshop for less-experienced gardeners. e.business owners in pine grove support its beautification.

Asap : ) read the passage about the life of clara barton and the table below it. clara barton was born on december 25, 1821, in oxford, massachusetts. as a child, clara was very shy. she first found her calling while caring for her brother after he fell from a rafter in their barn. despite the fact that most teachers were still men at the time, clara became a teacher at the age of 15, as well as one of the first women to work for the federal government at the us patent office. in 1881, clara opened the first chapter of the american red cross in the united states and served as its first president. the american red cross is a relief organization that offers assistance to victims of such disasters as the 1889 johnstown flood and the 1900 galveston flood. she served as president for 23 years before resigning amidst claims that money was being mishandled internally. the civil war was a bloody war fought between the years 1861–1865. during the war, clara sought to the soldiers in any way she could. she collected needed supplies and distributed them to the union army. these supplies included items such as food, bedding, and clothing. however, clara was not content to sit on the sidelines; she often risked her own life to care for soldiers wounded in battle. for these deeds, she was nicknamed the "angel of the battlefield.” when the war ended in 1865, clara worked for the war department in various ways. in the table, what information best fits under the heading "what i learned about her accomplishments”? a. clara barton was born in 1821 in oxford, massachusetts, and was very shy as a young child. b. clara barton worked as both a teacher and for the federal government in the us patent office. c. clara barton cared for wounded soldiers during the civil war and started the first american red cross chapter in the united states. d. clara barton was president of the american red cross during the 1889 johnstown flood and the 1900 galveston flood.