Water Pollution in New York
Computer Technology
Mr. Farrell
Introduction
Have you seen these signs?
Why do you think this message was painted next to these catch basins?
We are surrounded by water. We are lucky to live so close to beautiful ponds, rivers, lakes, and even an ocean.
But there's one problem! Many of the waterways in New York are polluted. Polluted water is no good for local plants, no good for local animals and no good for us!
What can we do to help? You have been recruited by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to help plan the best way to prevent our local waterways from being polluted.
Task
Working in teams of three or four, you will create and present a Google Slides presentation outlining your recommendations to help solve the problem.
Process/Resources
During the next four sessions, your team will follow the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) process shown below (refer to your worksheets):
1. Define the Problem
2. Gather the Evidence
3. Identify the Causes
4. Evaluate an Existing Policy
5. Develop Solutions
6. Select the Best Solution (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)
Your team’s presentation should represent all six steps of the PPA process.
Use the links below to help you investigate the situation.
· Pollution in New York’s Waters is Killing Wildlife
· The Urban Answer to Climate Change
· Green Infrastructure Proposals
Evaluation Rubric
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Trait |
Criteria |
Points |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
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Content |
Presentation contained little to no useful information. |
Presentation had moments where useful material was present but as a whole content was lacking. |
Presentation had a good amount of material and benefited the class. |
Presentation had an exceptional amount of valuable material and was incredibly beneficial to the class. |
___
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Organization |
The presentation lacked organization and had little evidence of preparation. |
There were minimal signs of organization or preparation. |
The presentation had organizing ideas but could have been much stronger with better preparation. |
The presentation was well organized, well prepared and easy to follow. |
___ |
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Collaboration |
The teammates never worked from others’ ideas. It seems as though only a few people worked on the presentation. |
The teammates sometimes worked from others’ ideas. However, it seems as though certain people did not do as much work as others. |
The teammates worked from others’ ideas most of the time. And it seems like everyone did some work, but some people are carrying the presentation. |
The teammates always worked from others’ ideas. It was evident that all of the group members contributed equally to the presentation. |
___ |
Conclusion
Throughout this project, you have worked as “Environmental Protection Agents”. Thanks to your hard work, we have:
● Identified sources of local water pollution
● Analyzed the effectiveness current solutions to water pollution
● Shared “best practices” recommendations and possible new solutions with the community
Standards
Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards
4-6.DL.2 - Select appropriate digital tools to communicate and collaborate while learning with others.
Next Generation ELA Standards
4W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to explore a topic and convey ideas and information relevant to the subject.
4W6: Conduct research to answer questions, including self-generated questions, and to build knowledge through investigating multiple aspects of a topic.
Science Standards
K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on living organisms and non-living things in the local environment.