Can You Hear the Melody? This week's Discussion also is designed to build your skill in locating and responding to the main idea of a reading selection. Remember, the main idea is the melody around which everything else revolves.

Respond to any one of the following three main topics. The required reading should be completed prior to this Discussion post and should be referenced, using APA formatting, in the Discussion post.

To begin your post, restate the main idea of what you have read. Be sure to provide attribution for any outside sources used, using APA formatting.

Topic 3 (American Education):

There are many issues facing America's educational system, from lack of effective support for children who need help with literacy skills in the early grades, to high dropout rates in high school and lack of preparation, to transition from high school to college. Consider any one of the articles on American education. Write a 250-word persuasive paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with the article.

Topic 4 (Mental Health):

Society often tends to attach a stigma to mental illness. Sometimes families try to hide such issues, or people don't feel they can come forward about mental illness in the workplace for fear of losing their jobs or being treated differently. Consider any one of the articles on mental health. Write a 250-word persuasive paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with the article.

Topic 5 (Multiple Consciousness): You have heard the cliché: "There are two sides to the same coin." It means that almost anything can be seen in more than one way depending on how each person views it.

How do you view yourself-spouse, partner, parent, student, female, male, transgendered, African-American, Hispanic ... the list goes on and on.

Most of us view ourselves in many roles at the same time. This is called multiple consciousness. Consider any one of the articles on multiple consciousness. Write a 250-word persuasive paragraph about one of the challenges related to the multiple roles each person is required to fill.