You must be Bugging!

Created for the TIPS program

A WebQuest for 8th Grade Science

Introduction

Guess what, Uncle Sam Want’s You!

The head of the Health and Hospital Administration has contacted the New York City’s, Board of Education. It seems, in an effort to combat terrorism in cities much like New York, he would like to enlist middle school students to do a job that they would be best suited for (Also because high school students are too busy with their finals and SAT’s to assist.)

Your teams job will be to investigate whether or not we are in danger from some bugs that we can’t even be see but are deadly to us. You will do this, using internet resources, as well as newspaper articles and if possible interviews, I have put together for you. You must decide whether or not we should feel threatened and what you might suggest (in the form of a policy), can be done to help keep us safe from the threat, if one exist.

Your job is to:

The Task

This project involves you the students of 801and 802, working with your partner to analyze:

I. Whether the United States citizens face a real danger of being exposed to biological or chemical attack.

II. Determining if there are policies in place that address a prevention and/or response to such an attack.

III. Creating at least one policy that would address the prevention or response to such an attack.

IV. Use the PPA Method, Public Policy(found at the Public Policy Analyst website), to complete this assignment.

The Process:

Here’s what you have to do:

· First off you and your partner must divide up the jobs that are needed to be done, in order to accomplish this mission. Each one of you must research either the organism smallpox or anthrax, determining:

1. What it is and where it comes from.

2. What affect it can have on the human population.

3. What safeguards exist, if any, from invasion of these organisms?

4. If we are protected enough, (do effective policies exist) or should we take extra measures to ensure our survival if ever exposed.

###Note you must also address the issue of practicality, (likelihood this protection can actually be put in place and), cost of that particular protection. Use this information in determining whether or not this type of protection is likely to be had.

5. The end result of this research is for the group to create a policy that you believe will be helpful in combating a problem that comes from these bugs and presenting it all in the form of a paper to be presented before the class.

· You are to use all the normal means to complete this assignment (books, newspapers, even interviews with adults who have knowledge of diseases and how their obtained (—for this purpose I will set up a one time interview with a graduate student of public health)).

· You will also be heavily dependent on the internet for two (2) main reasons

Ø You will be using the Public Policy Analyst Method found at its website as a guide to completing this assignment.

Ø You will be using some of the links I have found for you to help you answer some of the more hard to reach answers to your problems

Once done (when all the steps of the P.P.A. method have been completed your team is responsible for organizing and presenting this data in the form of a presentation before the class. It should include a write up with graphics displayed on poster board or large heavy construction paper as a background. (Some of these works will be displayed)

Helpful Links:

https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/intro.html

http://www.anthraxvaccine.org/questions.html

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/DocumentsApp/faqanthrax.asp

http://www.enter.net/~jfsorg/

http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,313605-412,00.shtml

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/

http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n18/ffull/jst80027.html-How real is the threat

http://www.anthrax.osd.mil/Threat and, treatment

http://www.anthrax.osd.mil/Site_Files/policies/INDEXpolicies/POLICIES.htm--excisting policies

~$e There Policies Protecting The U.doc is the threat real

http://www.freepint.com/gary/bioterror.html--research data and info

~$e There Policies Protecting The U.doc

Conclusion

When this activity is completed you would of accomplished a number of respectable things

Ø Assisted government in researching one of the most controversial (talked about), issues at this time.

Ø Taken steps that policy makers take all the time in investigating a problem—gathering data, drawing conclusions etc.

Ø Created a policy to address an issue involving national security

Ø Used a number of steps that very much resemble a scientist way of problem solving—would you know what those steps are called?

How you will be graded:

A	*a project with this grade is thorough and addresses fully-all three aspects of the Task.* § Backed up reasons for whether or not you feel the U.S. is in danger § Existing policies, if any that exist are addressed while creating a new one that addresses at least one part of the problem arising from this topic § You have successfully used each step of the P.P.A method to complete your project
B	A project with this grade addresses all three aspects however § opinions are not justifiably backed up (the opinions made do not go along with the data you have found or policies discussed)—or-- § policies are addressed but none are created § P.P.A. method is used however
C	One of the task’s are not done, and/ or some inaccurate information is used but the P.P.A. method was used
F	The P.P.A. method was not followed.

STANDARDS:

This web quest focuses on the following Science Standards:

S4a: order and organizing; form and function; change and constancy; cause and effect

S4c: personal and environmental safety

S5a: frames questions to distinguish cause and effect

S5d: Proposes, recognizes, analyzes, considers, and critiques alternative explanations; and distinguishes between fact and opinion.

S5e: identifies problems; proposes and implements solutions; evaluates the accuracy of design, and outcomes of investigation

S5f: Works individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.

S6d: acquires information from multiple sources

S6e: recognizes and limits sources of bias in data

S7a: represents data and results in multiple ways

S7b: Argues from evidence.

S7e: Communications in a form suited to the purpose and the audience.