THE PLAGUE
K.Wissmann
You and your friends are on your way to the
movies to see the newest form of explosive action when you notice a sign on the
door. It reads, “This theater closed until further
notice!” You and your friends are puzzled. There is no blackout, it’s the right
time, and you don’t think the concessions employees are on strike. Why would
the movies be shut down?
This was a predicament
that many theatergoers found themselves in when the plague
shut down the playhouses in the 1500’s. Imagine
how William Shakespeare felt when
he heard that his beloved Globe would be
closed and so his newest play could not be
performed. City officials often closed public
buildings to prevent the spread of the
disease as soon as they heard it was near their
city. There was nothing to do once the disease seeped into their city or was there?
There is something
you can do. Congratulations you have now graduated medical school and have been
transported back in time all in one day! Your job as a doctor is to design a
preventative method for the spread of the plague as well as a possible cure.
You will meet with a board of doctors to collaborate with and discuss possible
solutions to this pesky problem of the plague, which will then be presented to
the Queen (your teacher) and her royal subjects (the class).
Ø
You
will research the social problem of the plague in
Ø
You
will write and type a two-page article for a medical magazine that determines
the causes of the plague and creates a policy that deals with the spread of
this disease, as well as a possible cure.
Your only limitation is that
you may not use any modern medical technology. You can only use the medical
resources that were available in medieval times.
Ø
You
will also create a visual/creative representation of your analysis and create a power point presentation
based on your paper.
Ø
You
will need to use the 6-step
public policy approach and complete
the worksheets for each step in blue, on your own.
1)
In groups of four, research the sources listed below in order to
gather information for your two-page article, your visual/creative
representation and your power point presentation.
2)
Individually,
complete the 6-step public policy analysis work sheets about the social
problem. Write
your answers to each worksheet on your own sheet of paper, which will be
collected.
Here are the links for the Public Policy Analyst worksheets:
#1- Defining the
Social Problem
#2- Gather evidence
of the problem
#3- Identify the
causes of the problem
#4- Identify and
evaluate the existing public policies
#5- Developing public
policy solutions
#6- Selecting the
best public policy solution
3)
Collectively,
compare notes and organize your notes from the resources into a unified,
logical and coherent format.
4)
Write a
first draft of your medical article that will be reviewed by your teacher. Remember, no current medical technology! Work
with what you have to save the people.
5)
Edit
and rewrite your paper, meeting again with peers and your teacher as needed.
6)
Each
group member must choose one of the following options of the visual/creative
representation of the social problem: a political cartoon, a “photo essay” or a
chart, graph, diagram or map. Each
option should be completed. See guidelines below!
7)
Design
your power point presentation from your article, creating a minimum of 6 slides
to present your medical analysis.
For
your project you will submit:
1.
PPA
worksheets 1-6 including notes on 3 or more internet or library sources
2.
A first
draft and revised version of your
paper, including cover sheet and list of resources in MLA format
3.
A visual/creative representation of the
social problem
5. A paper draft of your power point
presentation design and a disk with the final presentation in Microsoft Power
point format
Visual/Creative Guidelines
Create a visual/creative representation of the social problem through
1 of these methods:
1.
A
political cartoon about the humorous or ironic facts of the social problem as
it actually existed in the medieval world, and an 80-word description in your
own words of the cartoon’s content, message, and connection to the social
problem
2.
An
80-word “photo essay”, including 3 or more images and captions that document
the social problem. Use your background
knowledge to identify relevant images during your research. Arrange them on a poster with informative captions
in your own words. Be sure to list the
source of the image with the image in your photo essay (list the entire website
or library resource (title, publication date) under the image)
3.
A chart, graph,
diagram, or map with an 80-word description of content and its connection to
the social problem
4.
An 80-word poem, song or science-fiction story
about the social problem
Power Point Presentation Guidelines
Design a power point presentation of your 6-step
public policy analysis
1.
on
paper: design 6 or more slides for your report
2.
Slide 1
should introduce your report title and present your name, class, teacher and
date
3.
Slide 2
should describe the social problem
4.
Slide 3
should describe the policies for that problem
5.
Slide 4
should critique the costs and benefits of the policy
6.
Slide
5 should describe your proposed policy solution
7.
Slide 6
should show the benefits of your policy solution
8.
Include
at least 3 graphics in your presentation
Try these hyperlinks for
Historical Plague Information:
- The Black Death: Bubonic Plague
- Medieval Sourcebook: Boccaccio: The Decameron -Introduction
- Discovery Online -- Black Death
- Jewish History Sourcebook: The Black Death and the Jews
- A wonderfully informational Plague page by a Timpview High School student
- Another Good Plague Page
- Black Death
- HWC, The Black Death
Try these hyperlinks for
Medical Research:
Statistics about
Plague - WrongDiagnosis.com- PLAGUE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN RENAISSANCE EUROPE
- Resource Guides > Mortality Statistics in England and Wales
- MEDLINEplus: Plague
Important Shakespeare Connections:
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This is
rubric that will be used to assess your completed work. Use it to make sure
you have completed all the steps and can receive the full amount of points.
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Students have performed the following
standards:
English Language Art
Standards
E1c Reads and comprehends
information materials.
E2a Produce a report of
information.
E3b Participate in group
meetings.
E6a Critique public documents
with an eye to strategies common in public discourse.
E6b Produce public documents.
E7a Critique functional
documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents.
E7b Produce functional
documents appropriate to audience and purpose.
Problem
Solving
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Design
a Product, Service, or System: Identify needs that could be met by new
products, services, or systems and create solutions for meeting them. |
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Improve
a System: Develop an understanding of the way systems of people, machines,
and processes work; |
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Communication
Tools and Techniques
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Information
Tools and Techniques
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