Childhood Obesity

Magda Medina

PS 28 The Wright Brothers School

INTRODUCTION

Over the past 30 years, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today nearly one in three children in America is overweight or obese. Obesity is when your weight is higher than it should be for your body. This is a problem because it can make you sick and keep you from doing the things you want to do. This has little to do with how you do and everything to do with how you feel about yourself and your overall health. Many children do not know what obesity is and what they can do to fight it.

You have been given the opportunity, in this web quest, to research the problem of childhood obesity and devise public policies that will address the problem.

TASK

As a member of your school’s student council, you will have to work with your school community in order to help kids make healthy choices that will help combat obesity.

Upon completion of your research, your task is to create a pamphlet that will highlight the problem and suggested solutions and an oral presentation.

PROCESS/RESOURCES

Pamphlet

1. You will work in groups of four, with each person having a role (researcher, writer, tech specialist, editor).

2. You will use the PPA process to research the problem of obesity and possible solutions.

3. You will decide what your message/goal is (what do you want students to do to help solve the problem)

4. You will create a trifold pamphlet that will create awareness and persuade students to make healthier choices. Your pamphlet must include:

· A catchy title and a small graphic on the cover

· A description of the problem (use statistics)

· A list of solutions to the problem

· Photos/Pictures

Oral Presentation

1. You will present your findings to another 4^th grade class. Your oral presentation should last 8 minutes and everyone in the group needs to present.

You will complete the Six Steps of the Public Policy Analyst Model (PPA) to decide on the best public policy solution that will help combat obesity.

Ms. Medina will explain the PPA process as a class using the following the following link:

The Public Policy Analyst (PPA)

Use the following worksheets and resources to help you with your project:

Step 1- Defining the Social Problem

· American Heart Association

· ObesityAction.org

Step 2- Gather Evidence of the Problem

· Childhood Obesity Facts

Step 3- Identifying the Cause of the Problem

· Kidshealth.org

Step 4- Developing Public Policy Solutions

· Scholastic News

· LetsMove.org

· CDC.gov

Step 5- Selecting the Best Public Policy Solution

EVALUATION

Your work will be graded using the following rubrics:

Making A Brochure : Childhood Obesity Pamphlet

Teacher Name: M Medina

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Focus	Writing contains a clear focus, presents and maintains a single position, point of view or opinion. Convincing support with relevant reasons or examples provided to the audience.	Writing takes a clear position, point of view, or opinion. Support with relevant reasons and or examples provided to the audience.	Position, point of view or opinion presented but provides uneven support to the audience. Support lacks development or is repeated.	Attempts to take a position, point of view, or opinion, but no position is made clear and minimal or no support provided to the audience.
Content and Development	Precise and relevant supporting evidence within pamphlet that support the position, point of view, or opinion.	Some relevant, supporting evidence within pamphlet support the position, point of view, or opinion.	Limited evidence within pamphlet that support the position, point of view, or opinion.	Little or no supporting evidence within pamphlet that support the position, point of view, or opinion.
Attractiveness & Organization	The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has well-organized information.	The brochure\'s formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader.
Writing - Mechanics	Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the brochure.	Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the brochure after feedback from an adult.	There are 1-2 capitalization and/or punctuation errors in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.	There are several capitalization or punctuation errors in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.

Oral Presentation Rubric : Childhood Obesity Presentation

Teacher Name: M Medina

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Content	Shows a full understanding of the topic.	Shows a good understanding of the topic.	Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic.	Does not seem to understand the topic very well.
Posture and Eye Contact	Stands up straight, looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation.	Stands up straight and establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation.	Sometimes stands up straight and establishes eye contact.	Slouches and/or does not look at people during the presentation.
Enthusiasm	Facial expressions and body language generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.	Facial expressions and body language sometimes generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.	Facial expressions and body language are used to try to generate enthusiasm, but seem somewhat faked.	Very little use of facial expressions or body language. Did not generate much interest in topic being presented.
Collaboration with Peers	Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Tries to keep people working well together.	Usually listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Does not cause \"waves\" in the group.	Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group but sometimes is not a good team member.	Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Often is not a good team member.

CONCLUSION

By completing this PPA Web quest, you have now learned about childhood obesity and strategies to prevent/combat it. As a Public Policy Analyst, you have identified the causes of the problem, provided evidence, researched the current policies, and creative an informational pamphlet.

You have identified a serious social problem and found policy solutions that may help thousands. As you have seen, childhood obesity is a major problem that can cause many health issues. You have become an active participant in the democratic process by finding policies that can become laws. Thanks you for your participation. Let’s hope you made a difference at PS 28 and will continue to make a positive difference throughout your life.

STANDARDS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.9
Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.6
With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.7
Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.