Ms. Kay
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”
You may have heard of this saying. It is an expression of a strong feeling that
many people have that the response to crime should be strict punishment that is
in line with the crime committed. In cases of murder, treason, terrorism, etc.
a fit punishment should be death, in the eyes of these people. They feel it is
the just way to punish the crime and will deter other people from committing
similar acts.
Other people are not so sure. They argue
that the death penalty doesn’t prevent further crimes of violence. Additionally
they feel that society should not engage in a action
that is really just revenge; it may make people feel good, but it doesn’t deal
with the underlying causes of crime on our country.
You have been asked to gather
information on the issue and poll other students as to their views on this
important public issue. A report of your findings will be sent to elected
officials, who are very interested in current public attitudes on this issue.
Your work is important, and may affect future criminal laws that you will live
under.
Meeting in groups of five, you use the
Public Policy Analyst to analyze the issue of capital punishment in
Your group will analyze research that
has been done concerning the social impact the death penalty on people in
You are to make an oral presentation of
your findings to the class. You may do this in the form of a PowerPoint
presentation or use charts and posters.
You will also conduct a survey of your
fellow students’ attitudes about the death penalty and suggestions of expanding
or abolishing it as a public policy.
1. Your
group will be made up of five people.
Your group shall have people to fill each of the following roles:
Ø
Group
Leader- Who will organize the group and coordinate the group’s effort. The
leader also assists all other members in completing their tasks
Ø
Recorder
and Secretary- Writes the results of researchers in a format that can be
presented. The Recorder keeps all research materials for the group’s use
Ø
Researchers-
These two will look at the websites and present the data for the groups
as a whole to analyze
Ø
Presenter-
The Presenter will describe the group’s findings to the class as a whole. The
Presenter may also work with the whole group in developing a format for the presentation,
which may be a chart, poster, PowerPoint, etc.
2. Using
the Public Policy Analyst you will evaluate the problem of the death penalty in
#1- Defining the Social Problem
What is the problem that you plan on
addressing?
#2-
Gather evidence of the problem
How do
we know that this is a problem?
#3-
Identify the causes of the problem
What causes this
problem that you plan on
addressing?
#4- Identify and evaluate the existing public
policies
What policies already exist on your problem?
#5-
Developing public policy solutions
What new public policy do you want to create?
#6-
Selecting the best policy solution
Decide
with your group the best policy to use for the problem
Remember that you are to focus on the policy as a way to
deal with the public problem of serious crime. You need to consider if the
death penalty represents an effective solution to the crime problems facing the
nation today.
3. Develop a presentation to give to your class that clearly
explains the problem and the proposed solutions you group recommends. Your presentation
should last about 10 minutes and include visuals such as a PowerPoint slide
show, posters or charts.
4. Each group is to develop a series of questions to be
asked of students in school. This is to be a poll of student opinions and views
on the issue of the imposition of the death penalty. In most cases students should
be shown the results of your research before being polled. Thus your poll will
not be simply an emotional “snap judgment” on the issue of the death penalty,
but rather a considered view based upon facts presented before polling. Your
poll should consist of at least five questions and allow for students to
respond with essay type answers should they choose. The poll’s questions are to
be written out in 12 point Times New Roman on a single sheet of paper
5. The group will get a tally of responses to
their questions and present them to the class.
Your
group may use books, magazines, etc. or
the following on-line resources for your research:
Check in the library for assistance in using internet resources and
passwords to special databases.
1.
Federal Offenses That Require The Death Penalty
2.
List Of Prisoners On Death Row In Federal Prisons
3.
New Yorkers Against The Death Penalty
4.
The Death Penalty Debated Specific Issues
6. The Death Penalty -Review of Constitutional issues
7. Death Penalty Issues
8. Death Penalty Information Center
Your
group will be graded using the rubric provided below. Your group will be
graded on the accuracy of the research papers, the research gathered on the
work sheets, the power-point presentation, and the quality of your brochure.
Rubric
For a PowerPoint or Poster Presentation:
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
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. |
|
Text -
Font Choice & Formatting |
Font
formats (e.g., color, bold, italic) have been carefully planned to enhance
readability and content. |
Font
formats have been carefully planned to enhance readability. |
Font formatting
has been carefully planned to complement the content. It may be a little hard
to read. |
Font
formatting makes it very difficult to read the material. |
|
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 card. |
Most
information is organized in a clear, logical way. One card or item of
information seems out of place. |
Some
information is logically sequenced. An occasional card or item of information
seems out of place. |
There is
no clear plan for the organization of information. |
|
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. |
|
Effectiveness
|
Project
includes all material needed to gain a comfortable understanding of the
topic. It is a highly effective study guide. |
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 study
guide. |
Project is
missing more than two key elements. It would make an incomplete study guide. |
Project is
lacking several key elements and has inaccuracies that make it a poor study
guide. |
|
Background
|
Background
does not detract from text or other graphics. Choice of background is
consistent from card to card and is appropriate for the topic. |
Background
does not detract from text or other graphics. Choice of background is
consistent from card to card. |
Background
does not detract from text or other graphics. |
Background
makes it difficult to see text or competes with other graphics on the page. |
Grade:
24-18= A 17-11=B 10-4=C
Less than 4=F
Rubric for the Poll/Interview:
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Preparation |
Before
the interview, the student prepared several in-depth AND factual questions to
ask. |
Before
the interview, the student prepared a couple of in-depth questions and
several factual questions to ask. |
Before
the interview, the student prepared several factual questions to ask. |
The
student did not prepare any questions before the interview. |
|
Setting Up the Interview |
The
student introduced himself, explained why he wanted to interview the person,
and asked permission to set up a time for an interview. |
The
student introduced himself and asked permission to set up a time for the
interview, but needed a reminder to explain why he wanted to do the
interview. |
The
student asked permission to set up a time for the interview, but needed
reminders to introduce himself and to tell why he
wanted to interview the person. |
The
student needed assistance in all aspects of setting up the interview. |
|
Note taking |
The
interviewer took occasional notes during the interview, but usually
maintained focus on the person rather than the notes. Notes were added to
immediately after the interview so facts were not lost. |
The
interviewer took occasional notes during the interview, but usually
maintained focus on the person rather than the notes. No additional notes
were taken. |
The
interviewer took notes during the interview, but did so in a way that
interrupted the "flow" of the interview. Additional notes may, or
may not, have been taken. |
The
interviewer took no notes during or after the interview. |
|
Follow-up Questions |
The
student listened carefully to the person being interviewed and asked several
relevant follow-up questions based on what the person said. |
The
student listened carefully to the person being interviewed and asked a couple
of relevant follow-up questions based on what the person said. |
The
student asked a couple of follow-up questions based on what s/he thought the
person said. |
The
student did not ask any follow-up questions based on what the person said. |
|
Report Writing |
The
report is well organized and contains accurate quotations and facts taken
from the interview. |
The
report is well organized and contains accurate facts taken from the
interview. |
The
report contains accurate quotations and facts taken from the interview. |
The
report is lacking facts and quotations from the interview OR the quotes and
facts are not accurately reported. |
|
Knowledge Gained |
Student
can accurately answer several questions about the person who was interviewed
and can tell how this interview relates to the material being studied in
class. |
Student
can accurately answer a few questions about the person who was interviewed
and can tell how this interview relates to the material being studied in
class. |
Student
can accurately answer a few questions about the person who was interviewed. |
Student
cannot accurately answer questions about the person who was interviewed. |
Grade:
24-18= A 17-11=B 10-4=C
Less than 4=F
ELA STANDARDS
1. Students will read
and write for information and understanding
2. Students will read and
write for literary response and expression
3. Students will read
and write for critical analysis and evaluation
4. Students will speak
and listen for social interaction
SOCIAL STUDIES
Standard 1:
History of the
Students will 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
Standard 5:
Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will 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 Students will use a variety
of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for
establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States: the
United States Constitution; the
basic civic values of American
constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.