Social Problems in Bronx Masquerade
By D. D’Avirro (NSJHS ELA 8)
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“ Here I am one of the few kids I know whose daddy didn’t skip out
on him, and he didn’t make it to thirty.
He was doing OK ‘til he got blown away on a Saturday. Blam! Another statistic in a long line of
drive-bys. Life is cold. Future?
What I got is right now, right here, spending time with my homeys. Wish there was some future to talk about.” -Tyrone Bittings |
Introduction: In the novel, Bronx Masquerade, all eighteen characters
deal with a variety of social problems, such as:
·
Truancy
from school and a rising school drop-out rate
·
Teenage
pregnancy
·
Body
image issues
·
Divorce
·
Gang
violence
·
Physical
abuse, assault, domestic violence
·
Prejudice
(racism, sexism, stereotyping)
Task: In groups of two to
four students, your group will conduct web-based research to explore ONE of the
social problems listed above. Using the Public Policy Analyst PPA Guide as a guide,
you will gather evidence that will help your group devise a solution to the
problem.
Product: Each group will create a Keynote or
PowerPoint presentation, which displays how the problem affects residents of
New York State. The presentation should
list any causes, proposed solutions, laws, and statistics found in your
research. Most importantly, your group
should explain the plan that you devised to prevent the problem. Finally, provide a list of agencies that
offer help and support.
Process: In
your research, you should:
1.
Define the Problem as it affects New York State.
On day 1, each group member should complete the Bronx
Webquest Problem sheet. You
can work collaboratively on this to define the problem as it affects NY.
2.
After
conducting research on day 1, journal in your Writer’s Notebooks using the Bronx Reflective
Research Response Questions.
3.
After your teacher has approved your topic on Day 1, group members should equally divide group
responsibilities. All students must be
productive! Steps (#4-6) of the process
can be divided among your group:
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4.
Gather the
Evidence: Find statistics of incidents in NY. Gather
evidence to prove that the problem exists in our society.
5.
Identify the
Causes: What factors
contribute to this problem?
6.
Evaluate the
Existing Policy: Look for any current laws or policies about
the problem. What are some methods that
have been used in Onondaga County or in other places to prevent the problem? Find agencies and contacts in place to help
individuals struggling with the problem.
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7.
Develop Solutions: Once
your group has gathered the research from steps 4-6, you should hold a group
meeting to share your findings and develop a solution to the problem.
8. Select the Best
Solution (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)
Resources
to be used in Webquest:
Truancy:
Teenage Pregnancy:
Body Image Issues:
Divorce:
Gang Violence:
Physical abuse, assault, domestic violence:
Prejudice (racism, sexism, stereotyping):
Evaluation: WebQuest Rubric
Conclusion: In the novel, Bronx Masquerade, all eighteen characters deal with a variety of
social problems, not unlike our own. The
characters evolve into better people as they realize that their problems have
solutions, and that their futures do not have to be products of their life
circumstances. In the end, the
characters realize that they have a choice in the path that they chose in life.
“ The future
is ours. Let’s have it.”
-Tyrone Bittings
Standards:
Standard 1:
Information and Understanding: Students
will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. Students will:
·
collect data,
facts, and ideas
·
discover
relationships, concepts, and generalizations
·
use knowledge
generated from written, and electronically produced texts
Standard 2:
Literary Response and Expression:
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for literary response and
expression. Students will:
·
relate texts to
their own lives
·
develop an
understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions of the
texts
Standard 3:
Critical Analysis and Evaluation:
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and
evaluation. Students will:
·
analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented
by others using a variety of established criteria.
·
use 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: 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
·
use the social communications of others to enrich their
understanding of people and their views.