A TIPS WEB QUEST

SCHOOL OVERCROWDING

Ms.Williams

Christopher Columbus High School

Fall 2003

Introduction:

Your school is overcrowded. It takes you 45 minutes to pass through scanning in order to enter the building. You sit in a classroom of 34 students, some of whom are clearly not interested in learning. You have gym class with 80 kids. You eat lunch at 10:30 a.m. or worse, at 2:30 p.m.. Books, materials and equipment are old or in short supply. Your classmates are frustrated, alienated or just confused. Your teachers are overworked and unavailable. YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH!

The principal of the school and the Chancellor of the City of New York have been offered additional funding from the State to alleviate overcrowding in your school if it can be shown how the problem is affecting the student population and that the school has definite ways to spend the money. You and your teammates are part of an appointed group that will investigate and offer solutions that will enable the money to be directed to your school.

The Task:

You will work with members of your group to research the effects of school overcrowding and to formulate strategies to alleviate or compensate these effects if additional money is made available.

*You will go to the websites listed and research the topic of school overcrowding.

*You will create and administer a survey containing at least 2 questions on school overcrowding. You will survey both 5 students and 5 adults. The evaluation of their answers will also become part of your research.

*You will follow the 6 step TIPS Public Policy Analyst approach

* *

Process:

Your group will consist of 3 or 4 people. Choose a team leader, a recorder and 1 or 2 researchers. Decide the responsibilities of each member.

Go to the internet and print out the articles listed in the -Resource- portion of these instructions. Read and share the information with all members. In particular, make yourselves aware of the effects of school overcrowding.

In addition to the information in the articles, your group will survey 5 students and 5 adults on the topic of school overcrowding. You should first make your interviewees aware of the problem, then ask 1 or 2 pointed questions such as: “What do you think can be done on a local or school wide level to address the problem of school overcrowding with the situation the way it is now. How would the situation be improved if additional resources were available?” Then review their answers and brainstorm as a group for other possible solutions.

Go to the TIPS website and print out the 6 Web Quest worksheets. At the end of this project, all 6 worksheets should be completely filled out.

Using photographs or other visual sources, prepare 4 - 6 Power Point slides to show the effects of school overcrowding.

Finally, write a 1 page summary of your solutions and be prepared to present it along with your slides orally to an audience.

Resources:

http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:RT2VE1JV5McJ:www.ericfacility.net/databases/E

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/bbecho/page13.html

http://www.cis.org/articles/1999/sac9-30-99.html

http://www.fairus.org/html/9-5-02.htm

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol20/vol20_iss17/record2017.31.html

Also, the results of your survey

Evaluations

Grading Guidelines:

1- Public Policy Analyst sheets (6): 50%

2- Oral Presentation; including 1 page summary and Power Point slides: 50%

Criteria – PPA Research Report Sheets

Points

	4	3	2	1
Introduction	All questions were answered completely and rationales for the answers were clearly stated.	All questions were answered completely, but rationales for the all the answers were not clearly stated.	Not all questions were answered completely, or greater than 2 rationales for the all answers were not clearly stated.	All questions were not answered completely.	10____
Task	All areas of the task were addressed and handled with a high degree of sophistication. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a great deal of thought.	At least one area of the task was not addressed. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a great deal of thought.	At least two areas of the task were not addressed. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a moderate level of thought.	The task is incomplete and/or it is apparent that little effort went into the development of the task.	10____
Process: Teamwork	It is evident that a mutual effort and cohesive unit created the final product. (5pts)	The team worked well together, but could have utilized each other's skills to a better degree. (5pts)	The team had problems working together. Little collaboration occurred. (5pts)	The final product is not the result of a collaborative effort. The group showed no evidence of collaboration. (5pts)	10____
Originality Proposal Of Public Policy; solutions	The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a high degree of originality.	The ideas expressed by the body of work are mostly original. The group may have improved upon a previous idea.	The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a low degree of originality.	There were no original ideas expressed in this project.	10
Grammar, Format , and Spelling	The final body of work was free of grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.	The final body of work had 1 error related to either grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.	The final body of work had 3-5 grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.	The final body of work had major grammar, spelling, and formatting errors.	10
				Total---->	50____

Marking Criteria for PowerPoint

Criteria

Points

	1	2	3	4
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.	10
Content 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 content, but fails to elaborate.	Student demonstrates full knowledge (more than required)with explanations and elaboration.	10
Power Point Slides	Student displayed 2-3 slides only.	Student displayed 4 slides.	Student displayed 5 slides.	Student displayed all 6 slides.	10
Power Point Text	Text attached to 2-3 slides only.	Text attached to 4 slides	Text attached to 5 slides.	Text attached to 6 slides.	10
Delivery	Student mumbles, incorrectly pronounces terms, and speaks too quietly for students in the back of class to hear.	Student incorrectly pronounces terms. Audience members have difficulty hearing presentation.	Student's voice is clear. Student pronounces most words correctly.	Student used a clear voice and correct, precise pronunciation of terms.	10
				Total---->	50

This Web quest meets the following NY State English and Science standards

English

*E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

*E2a: Produce a report of information.

*E2e: Produce a persuasive essay.

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

Science

*S8a: Demonstrates scientific competence by completing secondary research.

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

*S5c: Uses evidence from reliable sources to develop descriptions, explanations, and model; and makes appropriate adjustments and improvements.

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

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

*S6c: Collects and analyzes data using concepts and techniques in Mathematics Standard 4.

SUMMARY

The “why” of why are there so many students in today’s public schools is not what is addressed in this project. The fact is, the students are in the schools and must be educated, often in circumstances that make it hard to accomplish. You have had many resources for information: the web sites, your survey and your own brains. The answer may not be easy to find but the process you have followed is a good start.