Department meeting minutes

ASTHMA AMONG HISPANIC CHILDREN IN THE SOUTH BRONX

By Humberto Grullon

Evander Childs HS

INTRODUCTION:

Asthma in Hispanic children in the South Bronx has become a social problem. School age children are chronically absent from school due to asthma related illnesses; hospital emergency rooms are over-extended with the need to relieve the symptoms of asthma in neighborhood children; parents are absent from work to care for these children. Lack of attention to this problem will have long term effects such as student failure and drop out; loss of family income; medical facilities unable to meet the needs of the population.

If medical study is devoted to the causes of asthma and the prevention of this disease it would be beneficial to the neighborhood, to the schools and to the medical facilities.

Many children are absent from school for a long period of times. Many of their parents have to stay home taking care them, or are taking off from jobs to take care their sick children.

Asthma is a direct result of the Industrial Revolution which proliferated in the Bronx at the turn of the 19^th century. This social problem was rarely addressed by those in power during this era. It is just now with political and community pressure that the medical community has finally identified through statistics that this is a social issue that must be addressed if our children are to be healthy and survive in this society.

The social problem is now in the hands of the politicians. They must now create public policies and financial sources to address this issue.

Failure to address the problem of asthma in the South Bronx will ultimately lead to large numbers of small children and adults dying unnecessarily.

§ TASK:

You have been hired by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to research the asthma problem in the South Bronx and to suggest ways to educate the parents of asthmatic children and to educate the community on how to alleviate the negative consequences of this social.

Students will:

§ Work in groups to prepare a 3-5 page report on their findings relating to the problem of asthma among Hispanic children in the South Bronx.

§ Delegate responsibilities within the group for completing this task.

§ Complete the TIPS Public Policy Analyst

§ Make a final oral report on their findings.

§ The written and oral report will be evaluated with the rubric given in the “evaluation” section of the web quest.

§ PROCESS:

Students will:

1. use the PPA standard version-website https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/welcome.html

2. define and explain the problem https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html

3. gather the evidence for the problem https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/gather.html

4. define and evaluate current public policy https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html

5. formulate new public policy

6. evaluate new public policy

7. use Internet sources used in the “resource” section and other outside sources to complete the task

8. complete worksheets 1-6 on the PPA website and use information in formulating oral and written report

9. Write a letter to the local newspaper and the new Borough President Carrion advising them as to the best ways to address the social problem.

§ RESOURCES:

Search Engines:

https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips.html

http://www.chronicillnet.org/online/bronx.html

http://home1.gte.net/cpq178vl/asthma_1.htm

http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/2790.149

http://home1.gte.net/cpq178vl/eis_article_final.htm

§ EVALUATION:

Your task will be evaluated based on the following rubric or categories:

Presentation Rubric

	Evaluating Student Presentations
Developed by Information Technology Evaluation Services, NC Department of Public Instruction
	1	2	3	4	Total
Organization	Audience cannot understand presentation because there is no sequence of information.	Audience has difficulty following presentation because student jumps around.	Student presents information in logical sequence which audience can follow.	Student presents information in logical, interesting sequence which audience can follow.
Subject Knowledge	Student does not have grasp of information; student cannot answer questions about subject.	Student is uncomfortable with information and is able to answer only rudimentary questions.	Student is at ease with expected answers to all questions, but fails to elaborate.	Student demonstrates full knowledge (more than required) by answering all class questions with explanations and elaboration.
Graphics	Student uses superfluous graphics or no graphics	Student occasionally uses graphics that rarely support text and presentation.	Student's graphics relate to text and presentation.	Student's graphics explain and reinforce screen text and presentation.
Mechanics	Student's presentation has four or more spelling errors and/or grammatical errors.	Presentation has three misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	Presentation has no more than two misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors.
Eye Contact	Student reads all of report with no eye contact.	Student occasionally uses eye contact, but still reads most of report.	Student maintains eye contact most of the time but frequently returns to notes.	Student maintains eye contact with audience, seldom returning to notes.
Elocution	Student mumbles, incorrectly pronounces terms, and speaks too quietly for students in the back of class to hear.	Student's voice is low. Student incorrectly pronounces terms. Audience members have difficulty hearing presentation.	Student's voice is clear. Student pronounces most words correctly. Most audience members can hear presentation.	Student uses a clear voice and correct, precise pronunciation of terms so that all audience members can hear presentation.
				Total Points:

Criteria Points

4 3 2 1

Introduction/ Topic

Student(s) properly generate questions and or problems around a topic. ___

Student(s) generate questions and or problems.___

Student(s) require prompts to generate questions and or problems. ___

Questions or problems are teacher generated.___

Conclusions reached numerous detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered.

Several detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered.____

Some detailed conclusions are reached from the evidence offered. ___

A conclusion is made from the evidence offered. ____

Information Gathering

Information is gathered from multiple electronic and non-electronic sources and cited properly.___

Information is gathered from multiple electronic and non-electronic sources.___

Information is gathered from limited electronic and non-electronic sources.___

Information is gathered from non-electronic or electronic sources only. ____

Summary paragraph well organized, demonstrates logical sequencing and sentence structure.___

Well organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing or sentence structure.___

Well organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing and sentence structure.___

Weakly organized. ____

Punctuation, Capitalization, & Spelling Punctuation and capitalization are correct.__

There is one error in punctuation and/or capitalization.___

There are two or three errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.___

There are four or more errors in punctuation and/or capitalization. ____

Total ____

Teacher Comments:

§ CONCLUSION:

This web quest should have provided you, the student, with an understanding of the origin of asthma, the problems associated with the social problem, the public policy that exists and how you can impact your surroundings and your personal life.

In the future, you will be asked to do a web quest on pollution and its effect on asthma.

STANDARDS MET

As a student you will have met the following NY State Standards for:

English

E2,E6,E7,E9. S3, S4, S5

SOCIAL STUDIES

SS 1 SS 3 SS 4 SS 5