Mr.Keating

9^th Grade English

Truman High School

tedkeat@worldnet.att.net

Introduction: Odysseus was a great hero in the Trojan War. However, the Trojan War has been over for many years now, and Odysseus, having angered the mighty god Poseiden, cannot return to Ithaca. Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, is forced to handle the many responsibilities of the home by herself, including the raising of her son Telemacus. She handles the job with bravery and skill.

But in Ithaca, many families besides Penelope and Odysseus’s are now without a second adult, as thousands of soldiers died in the battle for Troy. A lot of the single-parent families are not doing as well guiding their families as Penelope has leading hers. Some of the children of these households are acting in anti-social ways, suitors are overrunning the houses, and money is scarce. Confused about what to do, the Elders of Ithaca, with Athena’s help, transport themselves into the future to gain wisdom about how best to help struggling single parents. The Elders arrive at your office one afternoon. As master public policy analyst, you must advise them on what the government should do to help single parents with their unique challenges.

But first, you must study the problem as it exists in the United States today. In the U.S., 25% of children are raised in single-parent households. Statistics show that children living in single parent families are much more likely than to experience a variety of negative outcomes (McLanahan and Sandefur 1994).

TASK

You will prepare a three to five page paper that will be used to instruct the Elders of Ithaca about how to help struggling single parents in their homeland. The information for your paper will come from your research on the internet. You are to follow the six steps of the PPA process below.

Your final paper must include:

*3-5 typed, double spaced pages.(12 pt.font)

*Eight sections: one for an introduction, one each for steps 2-6 of the PPA process below, and one for the conclusion.

*A title page

*A table of contents for steps 2-6 of the PPA, your introduction, and your conclusion.

*A works cited page.http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html

*Worksheet for step 6 in PPA

PROCESS

Introduction: Your audience is the Elders of Ithaca. Let the Elders know that you understand the nature of their problem (many single-parent households leaving children at risk for negative outcomes) and that you will be studying the situation in the U.S. to help them find solutions to their problem in Ithaca.

1. Define the problem: Children from single parent households in the U.S. today are at a higher risk for negative outcomes. (skip this step and go to 2).

2. Gather evidence that a problem exists in the U.S., that in some cases living in single parent households leads to problems for parents and/or children.

3. Identify causes of problems for parents and/or children in single-parent households.

4. Evaluate a policy currently used by the government to assist single parents with their special challenges in raising children.

5. Develop solutions research web sites to find possible solutions to the problems single-parents face (not actually government policies).

6. Select best solution pick two to three solutions that you feel would best deal with the problems single parents face. Complete the worksheet in advance and include with your final paper.

Internet Resources

http://www.singleparentcentral.com

http://www.baycongroup.com/education/car_single_parent.htm

http://singleparent.lifetips.com/OurGurus.asp

http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/single.html

http://education.umn.edu/CEED/publications/factfind/ff1992b.htm

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5291.html

http://www.globalserve.net/~jmk/worksem.htm

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/778/

http://directory.google.com/Top/Home/Family/Parenting/Single_Parents/Support_Groups/

http://www.gov.nf.ca/releases/2000/hre/0322n48.htm

http://www.parentswithoutpartners.org/Support1.htm

http://www.urban.org/content/Research/NewFederalism/NSAF/Snapshots/1999Results/ChildrensFamilyEnvironment/Children.htm

http://www.secondharvest.org/whoshungry/who_we_serve.html

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/research/ccprc/partner/plinbent.doc

http://childstats.gov/ac2002/toc.asp

http://childstats.gov/ac2002/indicators.asp?IID=12&id=1

http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/research.html

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/yi/y9611a.html

EVALUATION

	A	B	C	D
INFORM-ATION	Accurate information. Shows an excellent grasp of the issue. Successfully presents multiple strategies and/or resources available.	Accurate, specific information. Shows a strong grasp of the issue. Discusses more than one successful strategy and/or useful resources	General Information Uses one specific strategy and/or resource. Has limited understanding of issue.	Inaccurate information
PRESENT- ATION	No errors of grammar/punctuation. Works cited complete and accurate.	Few minor errors of grammar/punctuation. Works cited complete but with minor inaccuracies	Has errors of grammar/punctuation that do not hinder comprehension Works cited complete but with inaccuracies	Serious errors that hinder comprehension. Incomplete works cited page.
FORMAT	PPA Format followed exactly	PPA Format followed generally	PPA Format is followed inconsistently	Little evidence of PPA Format

CONCLUSION

Upon completion of this project, students will have gained a thorough understanding of the challenges facing single parent families in the U.S. today, and will be versed in strategies and resources available to such households.

Students will have gained facility with the PPA, a powerful tool for research and social change.

ELA STANDARDS

New York State:

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

New York City:

E1c Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a Produce a report of information.

E4a Independently and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.

E4b Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

E7b Produce functional documents appropriate to audience and purpose.

clipart websites

http://images.google.com/images?q=PENELOPE+%2B+ODYSSEUS&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search