A PROJECT
CRITICAL WEB QUEST
Ms. A.J.
Grey-Gabbard
All Saints
School
The Introduction: In New York City, and especially in Harlem the rate of asthma has been
increasing rapidly. This frightening disease is particularly hard on children
for it robs them of the childhood. Activity of almost any kind can be very hard
and the image of an attack clouds everything a child does. Although anyone can
develop asthma, studies seem to show that there are “clusters” where there is a
much higher rate than elsewhere. In New York City, Harlem has one of the
highest rates of asthma, at all age levels. Many groups have called for more
study of this problem and the development of an action plan to reduce asthma as
quickly as possible. Treatment of the disease is not enough,
this is a social problem that many believe can be dealt with and the problem
eliminated.
This will be your job in this web quest. You, along with fellow group
members will research the problem of asthma in Harlem. You will attempt to find
public policy solutions to stop this illness. Your recommendations will be
submitted to the Mayor for possible legislation. Just think! You have an
opportunity to save lives and improve the health of friends, family and
millions of fellow New Yorkers. GOOD LUCK! You have an important task to
accomplish.
2. The Task:
Mayor Bloomberg has teamed with Congressman Benjamin
Serrano, who has been very interested in this issue of asthma in his
district in the South Bronx, to combat this issue. The mayor has enlisted your
group to research and present possible policy solutions to the issue.
Upon meeting with your group you will be assigned
a role and then complete ONE of the following three tasks as part of your
presentation the Mayor. These will consist of a PowerPoint presentation on the
problem, an informational brochure that can be handed out to interested people
and a poster campaign to better inform students and the public.
The Process:
· Your group will be assigned one task that you are
responsible for researching via the Internet websites provided.
· Each group will consist of five students. Each
member of the group will have an assigned role. Each group member will have a
specific role as follows:
III. Facilitator/Planner- You are
responsible for the overall planning and organization of the research and
creating an informational booklet based on the data collected.
IV. Presenter/Reporter- Present the
consensus of the group and their findings
V. Artist/
Illustrator-
Design a poster or banner representative of the group
VI. Public
Relations/Researcher-
Research printed material, and on the internet
VII. Time
keeper/ Recorder- Keep time and
assist Illustrator
Working in groups of five, you will create ONE
of the following:
I.
PowerPoint – Using Microsoft PowerPoint create a
PowerPoint presentation of no more than 10 slides showing how
asthma has became a problem in New York, evidence for the problem and existing public policies
that deal with the problem. Graphics and text must be used. You may use charts,
graphs, pictures or illustrations from Internet resources given in the resource
section of the web quest. The Power Point must relate to the topic and must
follow the SIX
STEP Public Policy Analyst.
The PowerPoint
must be presented to your class.
II: Brochure – An Informational booklet created using information from
your research:
Using Microsoft
Publisher, create a tri-fold brochure informing readers about the health issues
that may arise when healthy choices are made versus unhealthy ones. Your
brochure should include at least 3-5 illustrations one of which must be a
graph. Your Booklet must
be well written, creative, proper use of grammar and punctuation Information
must be organized clearly and be relevant Booklet must be 2-3 pages in
length. The brochure must include all
the steps in the Public
Policy Analyst (PPA). An oral presentation on your brochure must be
presented to your class.
II.
Poster Campaign- On poster boards and pictures from
magazines, Internet sources or pictures you have drawn, create an informative
poster educating people on the seriousness of asthma and how it affects people.
Consideration should also be given to treatments and the outlook for solutions
to the problem. Posters must be eye-catching and any
illustration used must relate clearly to the topic and can be read from at
least 3 ft away. The six steps of the Public
Policy Analyst (PPA) must be represented in the Poster. An oral presentation on
your poster must be presented to your class.
· THE
PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST WORKSHEETS
· Follow the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst PPA. Each step contains a worksheet. These
worksheets will be completed by the group, using the Internet resources, and
will be used as the basis for completing your task products. The links are listed below. The worksheets
are at the bottom of each web page.
2. FIND EVIDENCE FOR THE
PROBLEM
4: EVALUATE EXISITNG PUBLIC POLICY
5:
DEVELOP PUBLIC
POLICY SOLUTIONS
6:
DETERMINE THE
BEST SOLUTION
***** The
facilitator of each group will produce an informational booklet based on the
information gathered within the group*****
In your group,
you will gather data from the Websites listed below in the resources section.
You will
review the data found on the charts, tables and other data to describe and
present the extent of the current problem of asthma in middle school children.
In the format
you have been assigned, PowerPoint, Brochure or Poster campaign use graphics;
charts and tables present the problem and possible solution to the problem.
The Resources:
I: Specific Websites
The office of
Congressman José Serrano
Air Pollution Affects
Respiratory Health In Children With Asthma ...
II:
General Websites (Use these only after consulting the specific sites
The
Evaluation:
Scores will
range from a possible 16 points (highest) to 4 points (lowest).
Scale: A=16
B=12 C=10
D=7 F=4 |
A |
B |
C |
D/F |
PPA
Policy Followed
|
All
questions were answered completely and reasons for the answers were
clearly stated. |
All
questions were answered completely, but reasons for the all the answers were
not clearly stated. |
Not all
questions were answered completely, or greater than 2 reasons for the all
answers were not clearly stated. |
All
questions were not answered completely. |
Presentation
|
Clear and
full presentation of the findings of the research. Presents findings for
either, PowerPoint, brochure or poster campaign.
|
Clear and
full presentation of the findings of the research with few mistakes. |
Clear and
full presentation of the findings of the research with some errors. |
Insufficient
and/or unclear presentation of material. |
Teamwork |
It is
evident that a mutual effort and interconnected unit created the final
product. |
The team
worked well together, but could have made use of each other's skills to a
better degree. |
The team had
problems working together. Little collaboration occurred. |
The final
product is not the result of a collaborative effort. The group showed no
evidence of collaboration. |
PowerPoint |
The ideas
expressed by the body of work demonstrate a high degree of knowledge on the
subject for healthy versus unhealthy foods, and exercise. |
The ideas
expressed by the body of work are mostly informative. |
The ideas
expressed by the body of work demonstrate lack of information. |
There was no
significant information expressed in this project. |
Poster |
High level
of creativity and includes relevant information for healthy versus unhealthy
foods, and exercise. |
Moderate
level of creativity and moderate amount of relevant information given for
healthy versus unhealthy foods, and exercise. |
Fair level
of creativity and moderate amount of relevant information given for healthy
versus unhealthy foods, and exercise. |
Poor level
of creativity and moderate amount of relevant information given for healthy
versus unhealthy foods, and exercise. |
Brochure |
Brochure
is typed with pictures in color. High level of creativity and informative. |
Brochure
is typed with pictures in black and white. Moderate level of creativity and
moderate amount of information given |
Brochure
is typed without pictures. Poor level of creativity and fair amount of
information given |
Brochure is hand written without color. Poor
level of creativity and poor amount of information given |
The Conclusion
Upon completion of this webquest, the problem of asthma in New York will
be familiar to you. You will gain the necessary tools needed to understand,
explain and critique the policies that now deal with this subject matter. You
will through your research and understanding of the problem, be able to propose
policy solutions to the issue of asthma.
Thank you for your participation.
Standard
1: Language for Information and Understanding
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and
understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and
ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge
generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers
and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted
conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit
information.
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.
Problem
Solving Skills:
a)
Design a Product, Service, or System: Identify needs that could be met by new
products, services, or systems and create solutions for meeting them.
b)
Improve a System: Develop an understanding of the way systems of people,
machines, and processes work;
troubleshoot problems in their operation and devise strategies for improving
their effectiveness.
Communication Tools and
Techniques:
a)
Prepare a formal written proposal or report to an organization beyond the
school.
c)
Develop a multi-media presentation.
Information Tools and
Techniques:
a)
Gather information to assist in completing project work.
b)
Use on-line sources to exchange information for specific purposes.
c)
Use word-processing software to produce a multi-page document.
Standard 5: Students will:
use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental
system of the
Problem
Solving Skills
•
respect the rights
of others in discussions and classroom debates regardless of whether or not one
agrees with their viewpoint
• explain the role
that civility plays in promoting effective citizenship in preserving democracy
• participate in
negotiation and compromise to resolve classroom, school, and community disagreements
and problems