Title: Adolescent Runaways in
By:
Michelle Rivas- Hernandez
PEARLS 4th Grade
Introduction:
After reading The
Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler you became familiar with a brother and
sister team running away from home. Sadly
it is not uncommon for many young people to runaway. To where and for what reasons seem to be
different regarding the children and their surroundings. Claudia chose to runaway because she wanted a
sense of excitement in her life. Running
away is also linked to a search for self- identity within youths. It is not uncommon to find students that are “bored”
with their lives and like Claudia want a sense of excitement in their
lives. As a member of the PEARLS Runaway Task Force or the PRTF it is your job to develop a policy
to identify students with these ideas of running away and prevention
methods.
Task:
You have been
assigned to the PEARLS Runaway Task Force
and you understand the steps of a Character Education Public Policy Analyst
(PPA). The class will be spilt into
groups of four. Your group will create
a group Power Point Presentation for students and parents regarding students
who runway, reasons why they runaway and prevention methods. You will also use your findings to create an
individual persuasive writing piece which tells students like Claudia reasons
why they should not runaway and alternative methods for students to choose instead
of running away. The group will be responsible for completing the
SIX-STEP Public Policy Analyst worksheets (included below), which will then be
included in your Power Point Presentation.
Process:
Step 1: Review Public Policy, go to:
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppac/ppae1.html
Step 2: Develop a solution through research
Follow
the steps of the PPA at each link below, print out one copy of each and fill
them in as a group as you do your research, save a master copy on the computer
to be inserted into your power point presentations. Take notes as you research.
I. Define the Social Problem
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet1.doc
II.
Gather the Evidence
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet2.html
III: Identify Causes
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet3.html
IV: Evaluate an Existing Policy
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet4.html
V: Develop Solutions
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet5.html
VI: Select the Best Solution
http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet6.html
Step3: Create
your Power Point Presentation: Using the Power Point Presentation Rubric
Step4: Follow
the Writing Process: Create your
individual Persuasive
Writing Piece;
following the writing rubric. Use the Graphic Organizer at the following
link: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/
Resources:
http://www.yonkerspublicschools.org/
http://www3.westchestergov.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/24/nyregion/runaway-youths-often-homeless.html
http://www.teenagerstoday.com/articles/self-destructive-behaviors/preventing-runaways-958/
Evaluation:
PowerPoint
Rubric:
Writing Rubric:
http://www.abcteach.com/free/r/rubric_persuasivewriting.pdf
Conclusions:
Congratulations
you are done! After completing this
research you are now aware of the causes and effects of running away. You are an official member of the PRTF.
You created and presented a power point presentation as a group and
created a personal persuasive writing piece.
Great job!
Standards:
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 2:
Language for Information and Understanding
Students
will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and
performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances
to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social,
historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As
speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows
the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and
artistic creation.
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.
Social Studies
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