JUSTICE FOR CHARLIE GORDON

WEBQUEST

Wadleigh Secondary School

9^th Grade English Language Arts

Ms. Huelskamp

“One of the things that confuses me is never really knowing when something comes up from my past,

whether it really happened that way, or if that was the way it seemed to be at the time or if I’m inventing it.

I’m like a man who’s been half-asleep all his life, trying to find out what he was like before he woke up.

Everything is strangely slow motion and blurred.” –Flowers for Algernon p.58

Throughout Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon is mocked and abused by his ignorant co-workers at the bakery. How rude!! Unfortunately this is a problem that not only affects fictional characters, but many mentally disabled people throughout America. Some have trouble finding jobs, places to live, or are even beaten and killed by others who view them as “different.” As a public policy analyst and a caring citizen of society, it is your responsibility to discover ways to solve this problem. How will you save Charlie and thousands of other disabled Americans?

In groups of four, you will investigate discrimination of the mentally disabled. You will research real life examples and policies established in America and brainstorm an effective solution. Your group will be responsible for a written piece and oral presentation, which must demonstrate your understanding of the topic and the public policy analyst model.

For the writing piece, each group member will write a persuasive essay that convinces Charlie’s co-workers to no longer bully the mentally challenged. While each student will be responsible for the assignment, you will get help from your group members during the PPA process and peer editing. The information obtained through the PPA process along with your knowledge of persuasive writing should be evident in your paper.

The oral presentation must be presented to the class and be visually pleasing, either through a power point presentation or with posters, overheads, and/or props. Each option will be worth a certain amount of points based on the rubrics provided.

Step 1: Your teacher will divide class into groups of four designating one student to serve as Group Leader.

Step 2: Your group will complete the six-step Public Policy Analyst to investigate the issues of discrimination of the mentally challenged in America. Using the PPA website, follow the tutorial guidelines to complete the following worksheets.

Identify the nature of a social problem

Gather evidence to support the existence of the problem

Determine the causes and factors contributing to the problem

Evaluating existing public policies

Developing public policy solutions

Selecting the best public policy solution

Step 3: Using the public policy solution determined by your group, write a two page persuasive essay addressed to Charlie’s co-workers. Make sure that you support your solution with internet findings and examples from the text, Flowers for Algernon. During the revision process, your group will become peer editors.

Step 4: Your group will now present an oral presentation to the class. Designated group leaders will be responsible for organizing the presentation, deciding which research to include, and delegating specific tasks to other group members. The class will then score your performance based on the rubric provided.

Investigate the following websites to help gather evidence:

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the foremost advocacy group for people with mental illness, offers extensive educational and research materials.

The Center for Mental Health Services maintains a Web site with information for adults and children.

The American Psychiatric Association offers pamphlets and fact sheets on psychiatric disorders and illnesses.

The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law includes information on the legal rights of the mentally ill and disabled.

NPR: People with Mental Illness

Center for Public Representation for Disabled

Mental Illness Awareness Page

Search Engines

www.google.com

www.yahoo.com

www.ask.com

Persuasive Essay Rubric

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Thesis

Easily identifiable, clear thesis

Identifiable, clear thesis

Vague or unclear thesis

No clear thesis statement

Research

Accurate and use of text information  convinced reader to support your  thesis

Accurate and adequate research information used to support thesis

Weak research information and points used to support your thesis

Much or most research information is inaccurate or incomplete

Content or support of side

All ideas are clearly written and flow logically to support/prove thesis

All ideas are clearly written; some ideas may not support/prove thesis appropriately

Ideas show a weak structure and do not flow smoothly

Little, if any, development of supporting ideas

Transitions

connecting and logical transitions to support your thesis

clear and connecting transitions

few words connect paragraphs

no transitions present

Conventions

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate proficiency of mechanics; minimal or no spelling errors

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate an adequate understanding of mechanics; infrequent, minor errors in spelling

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate a basic under-standing of mechanics; frequent minor errors in spelling

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation show frequent  errors; Frequent misspelling of commonly used words

Oral Presentation Rubric

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Content	Shows a full understanding of the topic and uses many textual examples.	Shows a good understanding of the topic and uses some textual examples.	Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic and uses few textual examples.	Does not seem to understand the topic very well.
Props	Student uses several props that show considerable work/creativity and which make the presentation better.	Student uses 1 prop that shows considerable work/creativity and which make the presentation better.	Student uses 1 prop which makes the presentation better.	The student uses no props OR the props chosen detract from the presentation.
Speaks Clearly	Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, and mispronounces no words.	Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, but mispronounces one word.	Speaks clearly and distinctly most of the time. Mispronounces no more than one word.	Often mumbles or can not be understood OR mispronounces more than one word.
Collaboration with Peers	Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Tries to keep people working well together.	Usually listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Does not cause "waves" in the group.	Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group but sometimes is not a good team member.	Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Often is not a good team member.

NYS Standards

Math, Science, and Technology

Standard 2: Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Standard 5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy various needs.

Standard 7: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions

English Language Arts

Standard 1: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding; they will collect data, facts, and ideas and use electronically produced texts.

Standard 4: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction.

At the conclusion of this activity, you will have a greater appreciation for the mentally disabled and the struggles that they must face. You will have learned how to use the Public Policy Analyst to find effective solutions to problems that plague Charlie Gordon. The research, group work, writing, and oral presentation that you will have completed will teach you to be an active thinker and caring person in our society.