Teenagers and Sexually

Transmitted Diseases in New York City

A MAJOR SOCIAL PROBLEM!

Ms. F. MURRELL

MS 319 - MARIA TERESA MIRABAL

You feel alone. Every where you go in school, some one is making out! Shucks, you want a boyfriend too. You decide to go on a date with an older boy from the neighborhood. Every one thinks he’s so cool. You go out to the movies with him and to his friend’s house for “Just for a minute”. You say to yourself he’s so cute. Then he closes the door and your life changes forever.

She thought she found love, but all she found was AIDS!

“It Happened to Nancy”;

“It Can Happen to You!”

There are many teenagers who are discovering that they have contracted a sexual transmitted disease. Unfortunately, kids as young as eleven years old are engaging in sexual activity. You are a community activist working for the New York City’s Communicable Disease Youth Department. You have to organize a task force to uncover the reasons why sexual transmitted diseases have quadrupled during the past five years. Your findings will be used by the Department of Education in an effort to determine why STD’s are increasing in record numbers among teenagers in New York City. Here you have a chance to make a difference. Your research in this web quest can save the lives of your friends, neighbors and family members. Good luck!

In an effort to uncover direct causes associated with the increase of STD’s among the city’s teenage population, you will research factors that may contribute to this problem. Using the SIX STEPS OF THE PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST (PPA) method of investigating a social problems, your Teens In Action (TIA)

task force will consist of five members that will collectively:

ü Examine this social epidemic by surveying teenagers within the city, assemble evidence, list factors and causes that contribute to the problem, consider the significance and effects as well as the current policies related to the problem. This all will be included in the PPA model. Your survey can be used in step 1-6 of the PPA

ü Construct a public policy initiative to solve the problem usning the Public Policy Analyst

ü You will complete a power point that will be used in conjunction with an oral presentation

ü From the power point you will Design an informational using short movie clip…This will be an ongoing product

ü The infomercial will include all the steps of the PPA along with

Ø The subject or title

Ø Evidence collected

Ø Documentation using graphs and statistics

Ø Alternatives, Connections and Solutions

Once the above requirements are completed, each task force will present the infomercial to the class

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POWER POINT PRESENTATION

1. Each group will construct a minimum of 6 slide power point

2. Each step of the PPA must be included. You may use more than one slide per step and extend your power point beyond 6 slides

3. Each slide must be well thought out using graphics and text

4. Be imaginative

5. There must be a title slide (which will not be one of the 6) with group members’ names and title of presentation

ORAL REPORT

1: The oral report should be a minimum of 5 minutes

2: Each group will use the PPA model as a format

3: All group members must take part in some way

4: The oral report will be used in conjunction with the power point

5: The oral report should capture audience attention and be imaginative yet informative

6: There will be a “question and answer period” following each report as a simulated news conference

Step 1: Each TIA task force will be composed of 5 members. Each will have a specific role as describe below.

Step 2: Each task force will identify the STD problem. Each group will construct questions, distribute and

compile statistics, graphs and information on STD’S, and factors that may contribute to the social problem. The group will use this data along with Internet resource (resource section) to evaluate current policy and to develop your own public policy solutions. Use the internet sites that have been provided for you in the RESOUCES section to help you with your research. REMEMBER to list where to obtain your information. Use the PPA worksheets on the links below to organize your products: Read the instructions as well.

1. Define the problem:

2. Gathering Evidence for the task:

3. Identifying Causes of the Problem

4. Evaluate Existing Public Policy

5. Develop Public Policy Solutions

6. Selecting the best Public Policy Solution

After your group completes the worksheets on the PPA web site, you will use these worksheets along with resource material to complete the tasks. Remember to work together on these sheets!

THE INFOMERCIAL:

As a subsequent product (after completion of the oral report and the power point) each group will create your INFOMERCIAL using power point, skits or movie clips. This infomercial will be more clearly explained in class

Search Engines:

www.google.com www.yahoo.com

www.msn.com www.altavista.com

Databases and Websites:

Kaiser Network

Sound Vision

HealthFinder

Clinical

WPC

Medical News Today

Fact Sheet

You will be graded on the content of your infomercial, PPA worksheets, visual presentation ie, PowerPoint or movie clip). Use the rubric below to determine your grade.

Power Point & Oral Report Performance Rubric

		1		2		3		4		Score
Content		Content reflects a lack of comprehension of the task		Content reflects some comprehension of the task		Content reflects comprehension of the task		Content reflects a complete comprehension to the task
Six-Step Public Policy Analyst		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Oral/Visual Presentation		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance. Task was unclear and did not have a sense of voice or point of view.		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance. Task was somewhat clear but lack a sense of voice and point of view.		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance. Task was clear with a sense of voice and point of view.		Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance. Task showed a sense of clarity, audience, voice and point of view.
	Use of Graphics		All graphics are attractive (size and colors) and support the theme/content of the presentation.		A few graphics are not attractive but all support the theme/content of the presentation.		All graphics are attractive but a few do not seem to support the theme/content of the presentation.		Several graphics are unattractive AND detract from the content of the presentation.
	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 cards.		Presentation is a rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics and shows very little attempt at original thought.
	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.
	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.

Congratulations! You are now an expert in the PPA format. Use this information when conducting research and gathering information. You have used this information to become an expert in the social problem of teens & communicable diseases. You should have learned that sexually transmitted diseases are a major social problem in New York City. This problem can cause the destruction of families, young lives and even death. The problem must be addressed to prevent further devastation. You also now have a better appreciation of the role of the “public policy analyst” in our society. It is a vital occupation that can be of enormous help in solving social problems. THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!!! LET’S HOPE YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE.

The following ELA Standards: 2a-b, 3a-b were addressed in this Web Quest.

Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; 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 that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write 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 use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4:   Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English 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 4:   Economics

Students will 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 United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and non-market mechanisms.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

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 and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.