WEB QUEST
Confronting or Avoiding
Problems
and Obligations
A
MAJOR SOCIAL PROBLEM FOR ALL
Based on a story by Dino Buzzati
“The Colomber”
Presented by: HUI ALTMAN
ESL & English Department
E-mail: lahu85@aol.com
INTRODUCTION
“Two months later, pushed
by an undertow, a small boat came alongside an abrupt reef. It was sighted by several fishermen, who drew
near, curious. In the boat, still seated, was a sun-bleached skeleton; between
the little bones of its fingers it grasped a small round stone.”
Are you afraid of problems? Have
you ever run away from any conflict? If
your answer is yes, you’d like to change after finishing Dino Buzzati’s story –
The Colomber. What happened to the main character, Stefano, is a great
lesson to you and to anyone else who has the same situation. You will have a lot of stories to tell. Through reading/studying Dino Buzzati’s, The
Colomber, you will find out what the story is about, and what the most
important things that you learned from the story make you want to advise others.
1.
Each one of you will write a four-page
report on the reading of the story and the Internet research by using
the TIPS – PPA methods. It must be typed and double spaced. It must be edited before hand it in to the
teacher.
2. Student
will give an oral presentation
in the group first, and one of students will be chosen from each group to present
in the class to share his/her responses and information. Each representative
will be given 10 minutes to present the project. The teacher will give a grade
to each group based on the rubrics.
1. Students
will read the story – The Colomber. (Discussions will follow up based on
the understanding of the story.)
2. Students
will do research on the Internet to find more information that deals with the
problem of avoiding obligations. Students also will do research on the author –
Dino Buzzati as part of the PPA process. Researching the background of the
author may give insight into his motivation and help with completion of the
six-step Public Policy Analyst.
3. Students
will be divided into groups to discuss the story, ask and answer questions
about what they found in the Internet. TIPS handouts will be given to the
students as an assignment.
4. Students
will use the 6-steps Public Policy format to develop their report: Students
will use the Internet resources below to complete the worksheets on the TIPS
PPA web site. Students will also use references to the story to validate their
conclusions.
a. Define the social problems: worksheet # 1
b. Gather evidence: worksheet # 2
c. Identify causes: worksheet # 3
d. Evaluate a policy: worksheet
# 4
e. Develop solution: worksheet # 5
f. Select the best solution: worksheet # 6
5. Students
will be given a test after their presentation to make sure if you have learned
something through this activity.
6. Students
will have a review discussion in the class after the test.
# 1. Story – The Colomber
by Dino Buzzati
GENERAL SEARCH ENGINES:
# 2. www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/problems
# 3. www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips
# 4. www.news.harvrd.edu/gazette/problem
solving.html
# 6. www.infoseek.com
# 7. www.worldbook.com
Excellent – A
·
Show a thorough
understanding of the project
·
Provide excellent
research information
·
Demonstrate
strong ability of using the Internet – PPA or other research tools
·
Develop excellent
skills of writing and oral presentation
·
Gain a high mark
on the test
Good - B
·
Show a fair
understanding of the project
·
Provide rich
research information
·
Demonstrate
ability of using the Internet – PPA or other research tools
·
Develop skills of
writing and oral presentation
·
Gain a pretty
good mark on the test
Satisfactory – C
·
Show some
understanding of the project
·
Provide some
research information
·
Demonstrate some
ability of using the Internet – PPA or other research tools
·
Develop some
skills of writing and oral presentation
·
Gain a
satisfactory mark on the test
Poor – D
· Show a
little understanding of the project
· Provide a
little research information
·
Demonstrate a
very little ability of using the Internet – PPA or other research tool
·
Develop no skills
of writing and oral presentation
·
Gain a low mark
on the test
After finishing this
project, students should have learned what happened to the main character –
Stefano, is an important lesson to everyone.
Students should have learned how to use the Internet research tools, and
had the opportunity to share and help others understand life. The most
important fact is that students will use what they have learned in their future
study.
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 Literary Response and
Expression
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 2: World History
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.
Standard 3: Geography
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.