Lorraine Sheck
School Without Walls
Rochester, NY
lorraine.sheck@rcsdk12.org
Reports are grim… 27,000 Rochester children were victims of lead poisoning over the past twelve years…in 2001, New York State data showed Monroe county to have the fourth highest rate of elevated blood lead levels among children tested in all New York State counties…in 2002, the Center for Government Research reported that over 24% of all children living in the City of Rochester had health-harming levels of lead in their blood.
Why is lead poisoning such a problem in the City of Rochester? Are certain neighborhoods of the City more at risk? Can anything be done to prevent lead poisoning? How much do Rochester residents know about this issue? Answering these and other questions becomes more urgent as you realize that as lifelong residents of the City of Rochester you and your family members are also at high risk for developing lead poisoning. This is not just someone else’s problem. This is your problem!
In your environmental toxicology class, discussions about lead poisoning, its causes, symptoms and some of the health and social problems that result from it are underway. You learned that the City of Rochester has acted proactively against lead poisoning by implementing a City Ordinance in July of 2006 that attempts to prevent lead poisoning by requiring landlords to have apartment units tested for the presence of lead and to agree to abatement procedures if needed. But, to what extent are these measures alleviating the lead poisoning problem? With so many city apartments to test, many months, perhaps even years, could go by before your family’s apartment is tested. Could such a lengthy wait be putting your brothers and sisters, as well as yourself, at a higher risk for lead poisoning? You decide to investigate the scope and current status of the lead poisoning issue in Rochester so you can update your family, friends and school community about the risks of lead poisoning, what has been done so far to alleviate it and what could still be done to eradicate this issue from Rochester community.
Your task is two-fold in nature. First, you will design an educational brochure that describes the health risks of lead poisoning in children and raises awareness of how the City of Rochester is coping with this issue. The brochures will be shown to our SBPT and the pamphlet that is selected will be reproduced for distribution at our school’s Health Fair in May. Second, you will write a first person reflective piece from the viewpoint of an individual impacted by the issue of lead poisoning. Your writing along with others from the class will be incorporated into a bulletin board display addressing the many aspects of lead poisoning to be presented at our school’s May Health Fair.
1.
You will select the role of one of the following individuals from which to
develop a viewpoint about Rochester’s lead poisoning issue:
· a parent of a child with
lead poisoning living in a rental apartment in the City
· a landlord with pre-1978
rental units in the City of Rochester
· a teacher having a child
with lead poisoning in class
· a doctor who treats City
children with lead poisoning
· a building inspector for the
City of Rochester
· a Rochester City councilperson
· a lawyer practicing in the
City of Rochester
2.
You will team up with one or two classmates selecting the same individual’s
role as you have. As a team, you will gather information about the lead
poisoning issue from the Internet, newspaper articles, scientific journals,
textbooks, etc. as you answer the following questions:
- What is lead poisoning?
- How can lead harm the body?
- Who is most likely to be poisoned by lead?
- What are the sources of lead in an apartment or home?
- What are the most common ways in which children can be exposed to lead?
- What are the symptoms of lead poisoning in children?
- What health and social problems can result from lead poisoning in children?
- How old should children be for lead screening to take place?
- How are children screened for lead poisoning?
- How can the screening test results be interpreted?
- What kind of treatment or follow-up procedures are recommended for children diagnosed with lead poisoning?
- How can parents reduce their children’s exposure to lead?
- What is the City of Rochester doing to lessen the risk of childhood lead poisoning?
- What are landlords obligated to do to lessen the risk of lead exposure in their rental units? , etc.
3.
Your team will use the information gathered to design a brochure about lead
poisoning in Rochester for your schoolmates. Your brochure should include
factual information about the causes, symptoms and treatment of lead poisoning,
how it is tested for and how the test results are interpreted, how lead
poisoning can be prevented and what measures the City of Rochester has taken to
address health and social implications of childhood lead poisoning. A list of
useful organizations, phone numbers and websites should be included. Remember to make the
brochure informative, easy to read and eye-catching!! Our SBPT will be
selecting one brochure to reproduce for our school’s May Health Fair.
4. Your team will then
investigate lead poisoning from the perspective of the individual’s role you
have chosen. Your team will use the various steps of the Public Policy Analyst
to state a problem relevant to your individual’s role so you can gather
information, analyze and suggest changes in Rochester’s current lead abatement
policy. The following worksheets take you through the process:
q Step 1: Define the problem
using Worksheet #1
q Step 2: Gather evidence
using Worksheet #2
q Step 3: Identify causes
using Worksheet
#3
q Step 4: Evaluate existing
public policies using Worksheet #4
q Step 5: Develop your own
solutions using Worksheet
#5
q Step 6: Choose the best
solutions using Worksheet
#6
5.
After brainstorming with your team, each member will assume the role of the
individual selected. In that role, you will individually use the information from the PPA worksheets to write
the equivalent
of a 3 – 5 page factual reflection describing how lead poisoning impacts your
life/job, what problems and/or issues you continue to experience and how City
policy could be effectively changed to help alleviate the problem childhood
lead poisoning in Rochester The completed PPA worksheets are to be included in
the appendix of your work. You will use RAFTS
(see below) to help develop your assignment.
|
R |
ROLE |
What is your ROLE in writing this piece? Are you the parent of a child with lead poisoning? A landlord owning city rental units? A doctor treating children with lead poisoning? This helps you establish your “voice” for the piece. |
|
A |
AUDIENCE |
Who is your AUDIENCE for this piece? To whom are you writing? Who will read it? Schoolmates? Teachers? Community Members? Parents? This helps you establish your “point of view”. |
|
F |
FORMAT |
What is the FORMAT of this piece? Is it a letter? A story? An essay? A journal? This helps you with the “organization” of your piece. |
|
T |
TOPIC |
What is the TOPIC of this piece? What problem are you addressing? What are the main ideas? The details? This helps you create a “focus” for your piece. |
|
S |
STRONG VERB |
What is the ACTION this piece asks you to take? To inform? To defend? To convince? This helps you decide the “purpose” for your piece. |
Search engines:
Websites:
http://rochesterenvironment.com/lead_poisoning.htm
http://www.lead-poisoning-news.com/articles/new_york.html
http://www.ci.rochester.ny.us/PublicSafety/lead/lead.cfm
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/pr/news/story.cfm?id=841
http://www2.envmed.rochester.edu/envmed/ehsc/outreach/EnvHealthResources/EnvHealthResources.html
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/pr/news/story.cfm?id=1855
|
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
|
Group Brochure: Content,
Completeness, & Accuracy |
Many important facts are
missing and/or there are many inaccuracies. |
Some important facts are
missing and/or there are several inaccuracies. |
Most important facts have
been included and are accurate. |
All important facts are
included and accurate. |
|
|
Group Brochure: Organization, Attractiveness
& Readability |
Formatting and organization
of material are confusing to the reader. Difficult to read and understand the
information. |
The information is well-
organized but not attractively formatted. Some difficulty in reading and
understanding the information. |
The information is
well-organized and attractively formatted. Information is readable and
understandable. |
The information is
well-organized with exceptionally attractive formatting.
Information is easy to read and understand. |
|
|
Group Brochure: Mechanics:
Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalization |
Many errors in basic
mechanics. No effort to edit after feedback from a teacher |
Several errors in
mechanics. Little effort to edit after feedback from a teacher. |
Few errors in mechanics. Some
effort to edit after feedback from a teacher. |
None or very few errors in
mechanics. Well-edited based on
teacher’s suggestions. |
|
|
Group Brochure: Knowledge Gained
|
Several students in the
group appear to have little knowledge about the facts in the brochure. |
Most students in the group
can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure. |
All students can accurately
answer most questions related to facts in the brochure. |
All students in the group can
accurately answer all questions related to facts in the brochure. |
|
|
Individual Role Writing: Ability to
follow PPA process |
Worksheets mostly
incomplete with little relevant information gathered. |
Several worksheets
completed with some relevant information gathered. |
Most worksheets completed
with some relevant information gathered. |
All worksheets completed
with extensive relevant information gathered. |
|
|
Individual Role Writing: Ability to
follow RAFTS process |
Does not use RAFTS at all. |
Uses some of the RAFTS
process. |
Uses most of the RAFTS
process. |
Uses all of the RAFTS
process. |
|
|
Individual Role Writing: Content/Understanding |
No relevant facts stated; little
understanding of the issue’s impact on the viewpoint of the individual
selected. |
Very few relevant facts
stated; some understanding of the issue’s impact on the viewpoint of the
individual selected. |
Some relevant facts stated;
good understanding of the issue’s impact on the viewpoint of the individual
selected. |
Many relevant facts;
thorough understanding of the issue’s impact on the viewpoint of the
individual selected. |
|
|
Individual Role Writing: Mechanics
|
Many grammatical, spelling or
punctuation errors. |
A few grammatical, spelling
or punctuation errors. |
Almost no grammatical,
spelling or punctuation errors. |
No grammatical, spelling or
punctuation errors. |
|
This
project has been designed to interest students
in
a very real health threat that exists in their lives.
It
is hopeful that students will use their findings to
realize
that lead poisoning can be diagnosed and
treated
if caught early and that taking precautions
can
minimize its threat. This project will hopefully
encourage
students to get tested for lead poisoning,
if
they have not already done so, and to encourage
parents
of other students they know to get their
children
tested for lead.
MST Standard1.2a - Inquiry involves asking
questions and locating, interpreting, and processing information from a variety
of sources.
MST Standard 1.2b - Inquiry involves making
judgments about the reliability of the source and relevance of information.
MST Standard 2.2a - Development of a research
plan involves researching background information and understanding the major
concepts in the area being investigated.
MST Standard 3.5b - Scientists use peer review
to evaluate the results of scientific investigations and the explanations
proposed by other scientists. They analyze the experimental procedures, examine
the evidence, identify faulty reasoning, point out statements that go beyond
the evidence, and suggest alternative explanations for the same observations.
Living Environment Standard
7.1c - Human
beings are part of the Earth’s ecosystems. Human activities can, deliberately
or inadvertently, alter the equilibrium in ecosystems. Humans modify ecosystems
as a result of population growth, consumption, and technology. Human
destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric
changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not
addressed, ecosystems may be irreversibly affected.
Living Environment Standard
7.3a -
Societies must decide on proposals that involve the introduction of new
technologies. Individuals need to make decisions that will assess risks, costs,
benefits, and trade-offs.
Social Studies Standard 3 –
Geography
3.1 Students will understand how
to use maps and other graphic representations to display geographic issues,
problems and questions.
Social Studies Standard 5:
Civics, Citizenship, and Government
5.3 Students prepare a plan of action that defines an issue or problem, suggests alternative solutions, evaluates the consequences for each alternative solution, prioritize the solutions based on established criteria, and propose an action plan to address the issue or to resolve the problem.