School-Wide Issue of Students Not Doing Homework at MS 328
By: Blaise A. Russo
Introduction:
Have you ever felt as if
thereŐs not enough time in the day to complete your homework? Have you
ever thought that your teachers assign homework that is irrelevant and even
boring? Do you procrastinate to the point that the dawn of the next school day
arrives and you havenŐt done much homework at all? Maybe you donŐt ever even
consider doing it because you donŐt the purpose or value in doing so. You might
feel that schoolwork is done in school, so why should you be required to do
more work at home; especially when I have so many other responsibilities. A
significant amount of research supports the claim that doing homework
reinforces what you learn at school and has a positive impact on your academic
performance, and the grades you receive. Many of you understand the importance
of doing homework and do it on a consistent basis. Our WebQuest will explore
the reasons why so many of your peers choose to do little or no homework.
We will analyze and
determine the causes of the lack of homework being completed within our MS 328.
We will conduct research, which will focus on the connection between not doing
homework and unsatisfactory academic performance. Then, we will Ôthink out of
the boxŐ and come up with ways to ensure that we see the value in, and actually
do our homework in a consistent manner, which will lead to improving our
academic outcomes.
Task:
You
and your group members will produce:
á
PowerPoint presentations
á
Argumentative Essays
á
Posters and/or
á
Surveys
Process:
You are a member of the
MS 328 Task Force, which has been created to design,
develop, and implement strategies, processes, and programs aimed at increasing
the number of students who achieve passing grades at MS 328.
Important!! You will adhere to the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) guidelines.
Once you complete your
PowerPoint presentations, argumentative essays, posters and surveys, they will
be posted on each of our schoolŐs three (3) floors. The strategically placed
posters will signal your peers to respond to this issue, and express their
feelings with respect to the pressures/conflicts with which they are confronted
by performing poorly, academically. All group members must adhere to the Public
Analyst (PPA) guidelines to collect data/information.
Resources:
á
Homework Excuses
á
Why your students donŐt do their homework - Articles -
UsingEnglish.com
á
http://today.duke.edu/2006/03/homework.html
á
Home Work: Too much or not enough?
á
Facts About
Positive Effects of Homework | eHow.com
á
Research of the Pros of Homework, Part 2
á
Connect
with Kids : Weekly News Stories : "Too Much Homework"
á
Down With Homework! | Scholastic.com
á
Homework
Pays Off | Hoover Institution
Evaluation:
POSTER RUBRIC
|
Exceeds Expectations |
Meets Expectations |
Does Not Meet Expectations |
Score |
Points Earned |
4 |
3 |
2 or 1 |
|
Layout |
Creatively enhances
information |
Balanced, uncluttered,
adequate spacing |
Not balanced, cluttered,
insufficient spacing |
|
Titles and Subtitles |
All titles and subtitles are
clear; enhance readability |
Most titles and subtitles
are clear; enhance readability |
Little or no titles or subtitles
are used to clarify text |
|
Use of Text Size and Color |
All text is clear and
readable; a few changes in text size and color enhance understanding |
Text is clear and readable;
changes in text size and color enhance understanding |
Some text is clear and
readable; too frequent changes in text size and color do not enhance
understanding |
|
Writing |
Well written and organized;
clear, and easy to follow |
Somewhat well written and
organized, clear and somewhat easy to follow |
Poorly written; unorganized;
unclear; and difficult to follow |
|
Quality of Information |
Final product information
is clear, complete, and concise |
Final product information is
mostly clear and concise |
Final product information is
unclear, incomplete, and not concise |
|
|
Survey and Data Collection Rubric
|
Conclusion:
Outstanding!!!! You have
completed your Social Problem WebQuest on the importance of completing
Homework. You followed the steps of the American Public Policy Analyst to
analyze a problem that exists in MS 328, and developed some possible solutions
to it.
New York State Standards
Social Studies
Standard
1: History of the
United States and New York
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 and New
York.
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.
New York State Common Core Social Studies Standards:
Students gather and organize information about the
important achievements and contributions of individuals and groups living in
New York State and the United States.
Students analyze historical
narratives about key events in New York State and United States history to
identify the facts and evaluate the authorŐs perspectives.
English
Language Arts
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 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.
Mathematics,
Science, and Technology Education
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and/or engineering
design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Standard 2: Information Systems
Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate
technologies.
Standard 6: Interconnectedness: Common Themes
Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect
mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other
areas of learning.