Teenage Drug Abuse: The Pressure to Fit In
Ervin M. Thomas
MS328
Manhattan School for Scientific Inquiry
The Introduction:
Teenagers face many issues, especially with the pressures to fit in and be accepted by the “popular clique” or dominant group in their schools and/or community. One of the most devastating effects of peer pressure is underage drug and alcohol abuse. With this in mind, you will be using the public policy analyst procedure to tackle this problem as it exists in New York City..
The Task:
As a member of the student council at your school, you have been selected to work on a committee that will investigate the recent rise in teenagers use and abuse of marijuana and alcohol in New York City. You will work with a small group of other students to conduct research, surveys, and interviews. Once you have gathered your data you will share your findings with your groups and discuss ideas.
1. You will
be placed in groups of five students to complete the task. Each member in the
group will take on a specific job to help the group achieve their goals. The
following positions are:
a) Facilitator: Will make sure the group is on task
b) Recorder: Will make sure group member claims and arguments are recorded on video
c) Presenters (All): Each group member will present their work and make sure that they are all well prepared.
d) Editor: One person will edit the video and prepare it for presentation.
e) Film Designer: Will create the format and organize the production of the PSA
2. You
must work with your team to create a policy that will prevent students at your
school from using illegal substances and making schools truly drug-free
Independently: Write a 5-paragraph persuasive essay where you state your claim and make a compelling argument supported by evidence.
With your Group: Create a 5 min PSA (Public Service Announcement) video educating the community about the issue and encouraging them to act.
Organizing Ideas Using the PPA
Define
the Problem
· http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html
Gather
evidence:
· http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/gather.html
Identify
causes:
· http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/identify.html
Evaluate a policy:
·
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html
Develop
solution:
· http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/solutions.html
Select
best solution:
· http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/bestsol.html
Resources-Get the Facts
http://nationalsubstanceabuseindex.org/new-york/stats.php
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends
Math statistics
http://www.at-risk.org/blog/1290/the-statistics-on-teenage-drug-abuse-in-new-york/
http://nationalsubstanceabuseindex.org/new-york/
http://parentingteens.about.com/od/teendruguse/tp/Teen-Drug-Abuse-Statistics-Teenage-DrugUse.htm
http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics
The Evaluation
PSA Video Rubric
|
Teacher Name: |
Mr. Thomas |
|||
|
Student Name: |
||||
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Presentation |
Well-rehearsed with
smooth delivery that holds audience attention. |
Rehearsed with fairly
smooth delivery that holds audience attention most of the time. |
Delivery not smooth,
but able to maintain interest of the audience most of the time. |
Delivery not smooth
and audience attention often lost. |
|
Originality |
Product shows a large
amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive. |
Product shows some
original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights. |
Uses other people\\\'s
ideas (giving them credit), but there is little evidence of original
thinking. |
Uses other people\\\'s
ideas, but does not give them credit. |
|
Sources |
Source information
collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in desired
format. |
Source information
collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in desired
format. |
Source information
collected for graphics, facts and quotes, but not documented in desired
format. |
Very little or no
source information was collected. |
|
Workload |
The workload is
divided and shared equally by all team members. |
The workload is
divided and shared fairly by all team members, though workloads may vary from
person to person. |
The workload was
divided, but one person in the group is viewed as not doing his/her fair
share of the work. |
The workload was not
divided OR several people in the group are viewed as not doing their fair
share of the work. |
|
Organization |
Content is well
organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material. |
Uses headings or
bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears
flawed. |
Content is logically
organized for the most part. |
There was no clear or
logical organizational structure, just lots of facts. |
Persuasive Essay-Teenage Drug Abuse
|
Teacher Name: |
Mr. Thomas |
|||
|
Student Name: |
||||
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Rough Draft |
Rough draft brought on
due date. Student shares with peer and extensively edits based on peer
feedback. |
Rough draft brought on
due date. Student shares with peer and peer makes edits. |
Provides feedback
and/or edits for peer, but own rough draft was not ready for editing. |
Rough draft not ready
for editing and did not participate in reviewing draft of peer. |
|
Content |
Covers topic in-depth
with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent. |
Includes essential
knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good. |
Includes essential
information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors. |
Content is minimal OR
there are several factual errors. |
|
Organization |
Content is well
organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material. |
Uses headings or
bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears
flawed. |
Content is logically
organized for the most part. |
There was no clear or
logical organizational structure, just lots of facts. |
|
Mechanics |
No misspellings or
grammatical errors. |
Three or fewer
misspellings and/or mechanical errors. |
Four misspellings
and/or grammatical errors. |
More than 4 errors in
spelling or grammar. |
|
Requirements |
All requirements are
met and exceeded. |
All requirements are
met. |
One requirement was
not completely met. |
More than one
requirement was not completely met. |
The Conclusion
At this point, you should have learned a lot about the pressure teenagers like yourself endure as it relates to the effects of drugs and alcohol abuse. You have also begun the steps toward being an advocate for drug free school zones and teenagers living healthy lives without the pressures from their peers to fit in. How will you continue to stay informed, educated, and an advocate in your community and school. What next steps can you take or programs you can implement that will keep this social issue alive?
NYC Common Core Standards
Ø Reading: Informational Text
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact
of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using
search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;
and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding
plagiarism and following a standard format for citation
Ø Speaking and Listening
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.5
Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify
claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent
manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use
appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Ø Language
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
Ø Statistics & Probability
CCSS.Math.Content.7.SP.A.1 Understand that statistics can be used to gain information about a population by examining a sample of the population; generalizations about a population from a sample are valid only if the sample is representative of that population. Understand that random sampling tends to produce representative samples and support valid inferences.