Acceptance and Assimilation of New Kids at Mott Hall II:

A Policy Implementation Study

Mr. Krause and Mrs. Samboy

Introduction

Dear Mott Hall II Student:

Congratulations! Based on your academic and social commitment to our school, you have been selected to serve on the Mott Hall II Acceptance and Assimilation Project (AAP). As you know from our study of culture, a person who goes from one cultural and physical environment to another is often faced with a series of choices regarding their language, attitude, beliefs, dress, customs, and so on. One of the most important choices a person in cultural transition has to make is whether to assimilate to the cultural norms of their new environment, to keep all of their cultural attributes from their previous culture, or to partially assimilate.

The AAP will focus on one group of "immigrants": students who transfer schools to Mott Hall II. Students who transfer to Mott Hall II in the middle of the year often have troubles transitioning into their new environment, sometimes resulting in isolation from the rest of the student body, ridicule from other students, no sense of belonging, and a feeling that they are culturally incompatible with their new environment. This can lead to more serious problems such as low attendance, poor grades, a lack of motivation to learn, and seeking attention in negative ways (bullying, fighting). On the flip side, many students face pressures from their new peers to change or become an outcast, possibly resulting in the loss of the cultural identity that defined them before they arrived in their new surroundings.

In the next weeks your group will use the steps of the Public Policy Analyst to develop an official Mott Hall II policy for incoming/transfer students. Once completed you will propose your new policy to the AAP Board, which includes Dr. Calvert (public policy expert), Ms. Moss (principal), Ms. De Los Santos (dean), Ms. Samboy (Effective Officer), and Mr. Krause (Feasibility Officer). As a group we will vote on the best possible solution to the problems associated with transferring schools, and we will implement them into our school.

Tasks

Goals and Objectives:

This WebQuest requires your group to use the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) model (below) to:

1) Define the specific problems that "new kids" face when they come to Mott Hall II

2) Use the resources provided, as well as those that you find on the Internet, to examine the problems associated with transfer students, and the solutions that other schools, parents, and students have found to deal with these problems

3) Survey transfer students at Mott Hall II

4) Critically analyze the source of the problem (why do transfer students sometimes have negative experiences)

5) Propose a number of policies (based on your research and critical analyzation of the problem) that you believe will help to lessen the amount of problems associated with mid-year or mid-tenure transfer students

6) Choose one policy to recommend to the PPA Board, in the form of:

Ø A Power Point presentation

Ø A 2 – 3 page, 5 paragraph essay explaining how you used the steps of the PPA to solve your social problem, and a thorough explanation of your policy recommendation

Ø A Creative Representation

Process

Follow the six (6) step process below to analyze the problems associated with transferring to a new school, and develop a school-wide policy that we will implement in assisting new students with the transition to Mott Hall II.

Public Policy Analyst (PPA) Process:

Step 1: Defining the Social Problem

Step 2: Gathering Evidence of the Problems

· Create a Survey with www.opinionpower.com

Step 3: Identifying Causes of the Problems

Step 4: Identify and Evaluate Existing Pubic Policy

Step 5: Develop Public Policy Solutions

Step 6: Selecting the Best Policy

Group Roles:

All group members are required to:

a) Research the problem using their assigned articles, and find articles (2) on their own that add to their knowledge of the problem. Therefore, everyone will be a Note Taker, a Researcher, and a Writer

b) Each person is responsible for creating an original piece of work that represents the problem, evidence, cause or policy recommendation.

c) Help their fellow AAP mates when they need assistance

Individual Roles:

Role # 1: Creative Consultant

Ø The Creative Consultant should have an artistic background.

Ø You will work closely with the Mediator to design your Power Point policy presentation to the AAP Board.

Role # 2: Mindful Mediator

Ø The Mindful Mediator is responsible for mediating the conversation between the group members.

Ø If there is an issue that the group members disagree on, it is your job to bring everyone together and figure out a solution.

Role # 3: Power Point Creator/Presenter

Ø You will work closely with all members of your group to create an original and well-organized presentation. You must follow all of Mott Hall II’s Power Point guidelines.

Role # 4: Wondrous Writer

Ø The Wondrous Writer will gather evidence from all group members’ research in order to write the 2 – 3 page essay.

Role # 5: Manager

Ø This person is the leader of the group.

Ø They are responsible for ensuring all group members complete their assigned tasks, and that they will complete their work on time.

Ø This person must schedule a weekly AAP meeting with his or her teacher to discuss the progress the group is making.

Ø This person must keep a work log of all work completed on a particular day and any work that needs to be completed in a future session.

Resources

Every student will be assigned a pair of Internet resources. You must read and examine these resources in order to understand the problem associated with Transfer Students, and take notes on the most important information you come across.

Blue	· Relocation
Green	· About Tour Kids · whole family
Red	· Moving Blues
Orange	· Health Topics
Brown	· kidzworld
Manager’s Resources	· Kids Health – Moving to Middle School

Evaluation

ACTIVITY	Exemplary	Proficient	Partially Proficient	Incomplete		POINTS
Research	6 points Notes indicate group members accurately researched varied information sources, recorded and interpreted statements, graphics and questions and evaluated alternative points of view.	4 points Notes show group members recorded relevant information from multiple sources of information, evaluated and synthesized relevant information.	2 points Notes show group members misinterpreted statements, graphics and questions and failed to identify relevant arguments.	0 points Notes show group members recorded information from four or less resources, and ignored alternative points of view.
Introduction	3 points The introduction presents the overall topic and draws the audience into the presentation with compelling questions or by relating to the audience's interests or goals.	2 points The introduction is clear and coherent and relates to the topic.	1 point The introduction shows some structure but does not create a strong sense of what is to follow. May be overly detailed or incomplete and is somewhat appealing to the audience.	0 points The introduction does not orient the audience to what will follow. The sequencing is unclear and does not appear interesting or relevant to the audience.
Content	8 points The content is written clearly and concisely with a logical progression of ideas and supporting information. The project includes motivating questions and advanced organizers that provide the audience with sense of the project’s main idea. Information is accurate, current and comes mainly from * primary sources.	6 points The content is written with a logical progression of ideas and supporting information. Includes persuasive information from *primary sources.	4 points The content is vague in conveying a point of view and does not create a strong sense of purpose. Includes some persuasive information with few facts. Some of the information may not seem to fit. *Primary source use is not always clear.	0 points The content lacks a clear point of view and logical sequence of information. Includes little persuasive information and only one or two facts about the topic. Information is incomplete, out of date and/or incorrect. Sequencing of ideas is unclear.
Text Elements	3 points The fonts are easy-to-read and point size varies appropriately for headings and text. Use of italics, bold, and indentations enhances readability. Text is appropriate in length for the target audience and to the point. The background and colors enhance the readability of text.	2 points Sometimes the fonts are  easy-to-read, but in a few places the use of fonts, italics, bold, long paragraphs, color or busy background detracts and does not enhance readability.	1 point Overall readability is difficult with lengthy paragraphs, too many different fonts, dark or busy background, overuse of bold or lack of appropriate indentations of text.	0 points The text is extremely difficult to read with long blocks of  text and small point size of fonts, inappropriate contrasting colors, poor use of headings, subheadings, indentations, or bold formatting.
Layout	3 points The layout is aesthetically pleasing and contributes to the overall message with appropriate use of headings and subheadings and white space.	2 points The layout uses horizontal and vertical white  space appropriately.	1 point The layout shows some structure, but appears cluttered and busy or distracting with large gaps of white space or uses a distracting background.	0 points The layout is cluttered, confusing, and does not  use spacing, headings and subheadings to enhance the readability.
Citations	6 points Sources of information are properly cited so that the audience can determine the credibility and authority of the information presented. All sources of information are clearly identified and credited using MLA citations throughout the project.	4 points Most sources of information use proper MLA citation, and sources are documented  to make it possible to check on the accuracy of information.	2 points Sometimes copyright guidelines are followed and some information, photos and graphics do not use proper MLA citations.	0 points No way to check validity of information.
Graphics, Sound and/or Animation	3 points The graphics, sound and/or animation assist in presenting an overall theme and make visual connections that enhance understanding of concept, ideas and relationships. Original images are created using proper size and resolution, and all images enhance the content. There is a consistent visual theme.	2 points The graphics, sound/and or animation visually depict material and assist the audience in understanding the flow of information or content. Original images are used. Images are proper size, resolution.	1 point Some of the graphics, sounds, and/or animations seem unrelated to the topic/theme and do not enhance the overall concepts. Most images are clipart or recycled from the WWW. Images are too large/small in size. Images are poorly cropped or the color/resolution is fuzzy.	0 points The graphics, sounds, and/or animations are unrelated to the content. Graphics do not enhance understanding of the content, or are distracting decorations that create a busy feeling and detract from the content.
Writing Mechanics	6 points The text is written with no errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.	4 points The text is clearly written with little or no editing required for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.	2 points Spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors distract or impair readability. (3 or more errors)	0 points Errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage and grammar repeatedly distract the reader and major editing and revision is required. (more than 5 errors)
Teamwork	6 points The group documents how members brainstormed, discussed, assumed roles and solved problems. Provides evidence that group members helped one another, shared ideas, developed and evaluated their finished product(s). The project is clearly a group effort.	4 points The group documents how members divided tasks, shared the workload and managed problems in a way that advanced the group goal.	2 points The group occasionally helped one another but required teacher assistance to resolve differences. One person documents that he/she did most of the work and/or problems were not managed in a way that advanced the group goal.	0 points The group required teacher assistance with dividing tasks and resolving differences. Few people contributed their fair share of work.
TOTAL POINTS					/50