A Project Adapt Web Quest

Presented by: Ms. M. Masi

School 17

Yonkers, New York

Introduction

The Census Bureau estimates that six million to nine million illegal aliens live and work in the U.S. Many of them drive, but many do not have valid driver's licenses or insurance. In some states like California, it is estimated that one third of all drivers are without insurance. Crash into an illegal driver and there is a good chance that the illegal driver will attempt to flee the scene. After all, there is a good chance that the illegal will be sent back to his country or deported if discovered! Once more, any damage to your property or your person will not be covered by insurance. These expenses can reach into the thousands of dollars for the legal motorist. Illegal drivers are a major social problem facing all states in America.

No one knows how many uninsured illegal immigrant drivers there are in the United States but many lost their licenses in 2002 due to the implementation of stricter identification documentation requirements enacted after September 11^th. However, these restrictions have not solved the problem. “Illegals” do not stop driving. What is worse is many just drive around without insurance. Many Americans and Congressional leaders deem this unacceptable and dangerous. It also forces hard working Americans’ insurance premiums to escalate and this leads to economic hardship.

You have a chance to change all this! You have a chance to be part of the solution to this social problem! You have just been selected to become part of a select Congressional committee that will help find a solution that will prevent law abiding licensed and insured drivers from being victimized by illegal immigrant uninsured drivers. Through your work, a possible solution and legislation may become law! You have an opportunity to ensure that drivers, who are legally insured, will be protected from this menace.

Good Luck!! You have a daunting task ahead.

The Task

You will conduct a webquest that focuses on the social problem of illegal immigrant uninsured, unlicensed drivers.

1. Based on the information found on specific websites and through search engines, the students will define the problem, gather evidence, identify causes and evaluate the existing policies concerning illegal, immigrant uninsured drivers before writing a short essay using the Public Policy Analyst example described in the “process” section of the web quest..

2. Students will create a PowerPoint presentation that focuses on explaining the problem and possible solutions to this problem.

The essay and Powerpoint will be graded using a rubric. The Power point will consist of a 10 slide minimum You must include text, charts, graphs and illustrations in the power point.

3: The power point must be attractively constructed and prove your point clearly, stating your policies regarding the serious problem of unlicensed illegal drivers.

4: Each group will be responsible for writing an essay of a minimum of two pages. This essay will be typed using MS Word, formatted at 12 point font.

The essay may include illustrations, charts and graphs to enhance your point of view.

The Process

Students will be placed heterogeneously in groups of five to complete the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst.

The links to the Public Policy Analyst web pages are listed below. Access each in order to complete your products.

Each web page “PPA STEP” has a WORKSHEET. The group members will complete all SIX worksheets using the Internet links listed in the “resource” section of the web quest. These six worksheets will then be used as an outline for your power point and essay.

ALL SIX STEPS MUST BE INCLUDED IN BOTH THE POWER POINT AND ESSAY. You may divide your power point according to the steps allocating time for each.

The Six Steps of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA)

STEP # 1: Define the Problem

STEP # 2: Gather the Evidence

STEP # 3: Identify the Causes

STEP # 4: Evaluate an Existing Policy

STEP # 5: Develop Solutions

STEP # 6: Select the Best Solution ( Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)

All group members must work cooperatively. This will be an important part of your grade.

The teacher will assign roles for each group member in order to complete the two task products.

Resources

Driving while illegal

Hispanics in crashes lead DWI stats | StarNewsOnline.com | Star-News | Wilmington, NC

Impacts of Illegal Immigration: Traffic Accidents

Should illegal aliens be allowed to obtain a driver's license?

No Driver's Licenses for Calif. Illegal Immigrants (washingtonpost.com)

newsobserver.com | More illegal immigrants driving without N.C. license

Illegal Immigrants Driving Without Insurance | American Conservative Daily

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/29/nation/na-drivers29

Drivers Licenses and Social Security Numbers for Illegal Immigrants

Driving without license felony under House bill | ajc.com

Impacts of Illegal Immigration: Traffic Accidents

Illegal aliens murder<br> 12 Americans daily

DUI illegal kills pedestrian week after given probation

Presence of illegal aliens on the roads becomes an imposing problem for insurance companies.

http://www.apostille.us/news/illegal_aliens_are_nations_most_lethal_drivers.shtml

WAVY TV 10 : Virginia and North Carolina News -Following fatal DUI accident, police and immigration officials contemplate communications issues

Insurance for Illegal Immigrants!

Evaluation

Powerpoint Effectiveness and Content :

Power point Presentation using the Public Policy Analyst

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Teacher Name: Ms. M. Masi

CATEGORY	4 Excellent Work	3 Good Work	2 Getting Close	1 Needs Work
Originality	Presentation shows considerable originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in a unique and interesting way.	Presentation shows some originality and inventiveness. The content and ideas are presented in an interesting way.	Presentation shows an attempt at originality and inventiveness on 1-2 slides.	Presentation is a rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics and shows very little attempt at original thought.
Content - Accuracy	All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are no factual errors.	Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of information that might be inaccurate.	The content is generally accurate, but one piece of information is clearly flawed or inaccurate.	Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual error.
Effectiveness	Project includes all material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the topic. It is a highly effective solution.	Project includes most material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the material but is lacking one or two key elements. It is an adequate solution to the problem.	Project is missing more than two key elements. Solution is somewhat feasible and effective.	Project is lacking several key elements and has inaccuracies that make it a poor solution lacking effectiveness and feasibility.
Spelling and Grammar	Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors.	Presentation has 1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors.	Presentation has 1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings.	Presentation has more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors.
Sequencing of Information	Information is organized in a clear, logical way. It is easy to anticipate the type of material that might be on the next slide.	Most information is organized in a clear, logical way. One slide or item of information seems out of place.	Some information is logically sequenced. An occasional slide or item of information seems out of place.	There is no clear plan for the organization of information.
Cooperation	Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively all of the time.	Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively most of the time.	Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively some of the time.	Group often is not effective in delegating tasks and/or sharing responsibility.

Learning Skills Rubric

http://www.englishbulldogs.ca/scienceguy/pdf/Learning Skills Rubric.pdf

Writing Rubric

Writing Rubric
Objectives	Performance Indicators
Organization	Points:1 Lack of structure, unfocused and difficult to follow.	Points: 2 Limited overall structure.	Points: 3 Good overall structure, organized, but has minor lapses in structure.	Points: 4 Overall structure is clearly organized from beginning to end.
Style *Vocabulary and word choice *Sentence structure *Awareness of audience and task	Points: 1 Inadequate vocabulary. No awareness of audience and task. No sentence variation	Points: 2 Limited vocabulary and often incorrect word choice. Limited awareness of audience and task.	Points: 3 Generally effective use of vocabulary and mostly accurate word choice.	Points: 4 Consistently effective use of vocabulary. Clear awareness of audience and task.
Mechanics *Capitalization and punctuation *Spelling *Grammar	Points: 1 Numerous capitalization and punctuation errors. Extreme difficulties with spelling and grammar impeded comprehension.	Points: 2 Limited use of capitalization and punctuation. Many words spelled incorrectly. Many grammatical errors.	Points: 3 Commendable use of capitalization and punctuation. Most words spelled correctly.	Points: 4 Exemplary use of capitalization and punctuation. All words spelled correctly. Perfect use of grammar.
Workmanship *Presentation(neatness, legibility, format) *Completeness	Points: 1 Poor presentation and completeness (did not follow format, work is not legible, work is incomplete)	Points: 2 Limited presentation(followed some of the format, work is complete)	Points: 3 Meets almost all of the required expectations.	Points: 4 Meets all required expectations.

Conclusion

From this Webquest, you should have learned the seriousness of the problems caused by unlicensed, uninsured drivers. Illegal drivers destroy the lifestyles of millions of Americans in all fifty states. They create economic hardships for those involved in accidents and for those paying high insurance premiums. The problem is complex and requires a public policy analyst to investigate and create solutions. You have become a Public Policy Analyst in this web quest. You have investigated the social problem using the PPA and found public policy solutions. Let’s hope, that in this role, you have made changes that will benefit all Americans. Thanks for your participation. Keep making a difference!

STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Standards for English Language Arts

STANDARD 1 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

STANDARD 2 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression. Students will read and listen to oral, written and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.

STANDARD 3 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

STANDARD 4 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

Social Studies

Standard 1 Key Ideas 1 2 3 4 Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities	History of the United States and New York use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Standard 2 Key Ideas 1 2 3 4 Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities	World History use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.
Standard 3 Key Ideas 1 2 Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities	Geography use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.
Standard 4 Key Ideas 1 2 Alternate Assessment for Student with Severe Disabilities	Economics use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the U.S. and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.
Standard 5 Key Ideas 1 2 3 4 Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities	Civics, Citizenship, and Government use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.