INTRODUCTION
'In
they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a
Trade Unionists.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and no one was left to speak up.'
(attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoeller,
'It is entirely natural to care the most deeply about one's self and
one's own people, and to care more intensely for some other peoples with whom
one feels a more immediate kinship, but ultimately the challenge of human
development, both for the benefit of individual mental health and happiness and
for the benefit of humanity, is for more people to care about all human life.' (
Ø What is
genocide?
Ø Why does
genocide occur?
Ø Who is
responsible for responding to genocide?
Ø What can we, as regular citizens do to promote an awareness of
genocide?
This website breaks down what some experts believe to be the “eight stages” of genocide.
Click on the following link to pull up a New
York Times article about what two people are doing currently to speak
out against and raise awareness of the crime of genocide.
TASK
You have been
selected to be a member of a committee that the President of the
PROCESS
Your group
will investigate one of several genocides, which have occurred in world
history. You will use the following
worksheet (insert hyperlink) to gather the information as you investigate. Once you have gathered sufficient information
on your respective event, you will first write an article that your group will
produce into a public service announcement:
1. GROUP PROJECT :
Your group will write
an informational news article, which informs the general public about the
genocide your group investigated. In addition to creating the news article, you
must also include a photo or a drawing that connects with your news
article. You will present this article
to the class when it is complete.
You
will need to use the steps of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA-see steps below)
to help you collect information to write your news article.
The
news article must include the “5 W’s and the H”:
Ø
WHO
Ø
WHAT
Ø
WHEN
Ø
WHERE
Ø
WHY
Ø
HOW
2. Each group will create a POLICY in
the form of a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (using the PPA) that suggests how
the issue of genocide should be addressed.
You may select the intended audience of your public service
announcement. It may be young adults,
the
a.
Poster
b.
Magazine
or newspaper article
c.
A
persuasive letter to the editor
d.
A
letter to the President or member of Congress
e.
As
a poem
f.
As
a song
g.
As
a picture book
h.
A
format of your choice (that is NOT listed) with approval from Ms. Rygalski
Roles and Responsibilities
1.
Each
member in your group will select a different role. Each person will need to have a role in
addition to the research they must complete for the new article. ALL students will be a researcher, plus one
additional role. If your group needs
assistance selecting roles, please ask Ms. Rygalski
for help, she will be glad to assist. Once your group selects their roles,
please inform Ms. Rygalski who is performing which
role. The roles are as follows:
Ø
WONDEROUS
WRITER—this person is
responsible for writing for the group the news article.
Ø
TIP
TOP TIME KEEPER—this
person is responsible for keeping the group aware of the time, so that the task
is completed on time.
Ø
MINDFUL
MEDIATOR—this person
is responsible for intervening when there is a conflict between the group; this person is the one that speaks for the group and
should approach Ms. Rygalski with any problems that
arise.
Ø
POLISHED
PRESENTER—this person
is responsible for presenting the news article to the class.
Ø
NOTORIOUS
NOTETAKER—this person
is responsible for completing the note-taking worksheet for the group; each
group must turn in one completed note-taking worksheet.
2.
Once
your group selects your roles, use the following NOTE-TAKING WORKSHEET to collect the data to complete
your news article. You should use the
links in the RESOURCE section appropriate for the genocide your group is
investigating.
3.
Each
group member is responsible for gathering information for completing ONE section of the NOTE-TAKING WORKSHEET.
4.
After
your group completes the research, you will work together to write a news
article which alerts the public to the genocide that your group
researched. Each group member should
contribute to what the WONDEROUS WRITER is writing down. You should use the 5 W’s and H NOTE-TAKING
WORKSHEET to guide your writing of the article.
Make sure that you include all of the information from this sheet in
your article. Your goal is to create the most informative news article that you
can about the genocide your group investigated.
5.
After
you complete the article, you should proof-read it for spelling and
grammar. Please make sure that all words
are spelled correctly and there is appropriate punctuation in the sentences.
6.
Once
the article is in final draft form, work with as a group to determine the
visual representation that you want to include with the article.
7.
The
final step of the group project is to prepare your presentation for the rest of
your classmates in the form of a public service announcement
Follow these steps
of the PPA:
You will be following the Public Policy Analyst procedure in helping you gather information to develop your policy. In order to guide you, each step contains links to worksheets to help you in your task.
1. Define the problem: State the problem in your own words as clearly as possible. State who you are and why you want the information in the survey. A good introduction or welcome message will encourage people to complete your questionnaire. Anyone who reads your survey should be able to clearly determine what is the problem. If it is not clear, then your survey needs to be modified or redone. *Selected students will assist you during the development of your surveys. (see note below)
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html
2. Gather evidence: Survey questions should be made to help you find out the causes and effects of the social problem. You should administer your survey to at least 15 people. Make sure your target population is represented, for example if there are Hispanics, African-Americans, Europeans in your community, at least one person from each ethnic group should be surveyed.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/gather.html
3. Identify causes: Based on your survey results, what actually causes this social problem? Remember, there may be more than one cause. This cause(s) should be clearly identified in your graph results.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/identify.html
4. Evaluate a policy: Study what the city is already doing to address this problem: determine what works and what doesn't.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html
5. Develop solution: Be creative! Think out of the box, brainstorm several solutions.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/solutions.html
6. Select best solution: Use the Feasibility/Effectiveness Matrix to help justify your best solution.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/bestsol.html
RESOURCES:
Ø Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of Genocide
Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, articles passed by
the General Assembly after World War II in order to address the issue of
genocide.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/genocide.htm
USE THE FOLLOWING
DOUCMENT TO DESCRIBE THE EXISTING UNITED NATIONS POLICY FOR ADDRESSING
GENOCIDE:
Ø Armenian
Genocide
The following
website contains information about the Armenian Genocide and has links to other
sites about this genocide.
http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenian_Genocide
http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/armenian/facts/answers.html
Ø Rwandan
Genocide
The following
website contains information on the Rwandan genocide.
http://mediafilter.org/MFF/CAQ/CAQ52Rwanda.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/
Ø The
Holocaust
The following webstie contains information on The Holocaust.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/holocaust.htm
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/timeline.html
http://www.holocaustforgotten.com/fivmil.htm
Ø
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20050713wednesday.htm
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/bosnia.htm
Ø
http://www.darfurgenocide.org/
http://hrw.org/reports/2004/sudan0504/
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040830fa_fact1
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 |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.