“O.K.
students, now take out your books and we are going to begin reading on page one.” The classroom fills with the sounds of
moans and groans and each student reluctantly opens to the first page of the
book.
In books, such as
Push by Sapphire and The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the
main characters struggle to succeed and eventually find achievement through
their education. So why is it that students dread and fear
reading?
Today, books
compete with television, video games and the internet to grab the attention of
teenagers. Yet, there is a strong need for literate adults in order to gain
access to the highly competitive college world and job market. There is a push
for literacy in
You
must be wondering, “What can I do?”
You have been selected to form a school
committee that focuses on the issue of literacy among young adults and devises
a way to promote reading among teenagers today. Your research will help you create a policy that should help fight
illiteracy in your school as well as others across the city.
ü
You
will work in groups of 3-4 and complete the worksheets based on the TIPS
methodology.
ü
You
will research a current policy that deals with literacy and then create your
own policy to present to the school committee.
ü
You
will create a Power Point report incorporating the results of your research and
your public policy analysis.
ü
In
addition, each member of the group will complete one of the following assignments:
1)
Create
a poster that promotes literacy or reading to be hung in the school hallway.
2)
Write
a poem that deals with the issue of illiteracy or promotes reading.
3)
Write
an article for the school newspaper that discusses how important it is to read.
1. You will work
in groups of three to four and share the responsibilities of the research and
the presentation. Each person should
create at least 2 slides for the Power Point presentation.
2. You will use
the various steps of the Public Policy approach and complete the 6 Public
Policy Analyst worksheets: These worksheets will be used as resource material
to complete your task.
1.
Public Policy
Analysis: Defining the social problem
2.
Public Policy
Analysis: Gathering evidence of the problem
3.
Public Policy
Analysis: Identifying the cause of the problem
4.
Public Policy
Analysis: Determining existing public policies
5.
Public Policy
Analysis: Developing public policy solutions
6.
Selecting the best
public policy solution
3.
You will use the websites listed under the “Resources” section to gather the
information. You may also use printed or visual media, lyrics, etc.
4. You will use
the information from the worksheets from the TIPS website to prepare a Power
Point storyboard of a minimum of 8 slides.
5.
Each member must also choose one
of the three additional assignments. The guidelines are listed below. These
will be presented along with the Power Point.
6.
The group will present their report and findings to the school community with a
Power Point Presentation and the accompanying narration, as well as the bonus
assignments.
Public
Policy Approach
You
will need to use the 6-step
public policy approach and complete the worksheets for each step in blue,
on your own. You should do the following
in your Power Point presentation:
- Public Policy
Analysis: Defining the social problem
- Public Policy
Analysis: Gathering evidence of the problem
- Public Policy
Analysis: Identifying the cause of the problem
- Public Policy
Analysis: Determining existing public policies
- Public Policy
Analysis: Developing public policy solutions
- Selecting the
best public policy solution
POWER
POINT GUIDELINES
You
will create a PowerPoint report composed of a minimum of 8 slides for the
school committee that documents your findings on this problem.
a) Have eight (8) slides showing your
information and one (1) slide listing the credits (like a Website).
b) Research
the sources to create your presentation.
c) Your
slides will be based on the 6-step PPA (Public Policy Analysis).
d) Use the worksheets to create the
information for the slides.
e) Focus your presentation on factual
information rather than opinion.
f) Your
presentation will also include information showing the class how you came to
your conclusions.
g)
You
should include at least 3 graphics in your presentation.
Statistics about Reading
in the US
CIA - The
World Factbook -- Field Listing - Literacy
A Survey of Family
Literacy in the United States
Myths about Language Diversity
and Literacy in the United States
Seven myths about literacy
in the united states. McQuillan,
Jeff
Literacy
Information and Communication System (LINCS)- Facts
and Statistics
National Institute for
Literacy - Reading Facts
New on the
endangered species list: the bookworm | csmonitor.com
Estimating Literacy in the
Multilingual United States: Issues and Concerns
Online NewsHour: Literacy in the United States -- January 9, 1997
American
Education Report Card. -- November 21, 1996
Literacy Assistance Center: LAC / NY
Reads
Literacy Assistance
Center: LAC /
Literacy Assistance Center: LAC
/ ALIES
Literacy Assistance
Center: LAC /
http://easternlincs.org/nyu/absnyc.htm
Synthetic
Estimates of Literacy
The
Education of Immigrant Children in New York City. ERIC Digest.
Organizations
and Programs to Promote
Learning Leaders -
Resources - Related Links
Advocates for
Children of New York, Inc.
Groups that Work for
Children in New York City
Citizens' Committee for Chidren
NYSED - Office of NYC School
& Community Services - Library
Knowsley Library Service - Reading Promotion - Teenage
Reading
Awards and Grants - International Reading
Association
Literacy Volunteering
Opportunities in the United States
General Sites
You will receive two separate grades for this assignment:
1)
TIPS project, which includes the
completed worksheets, research, additional assignment and team effort
2)
Power Point Presentation, which is only
the product that you present to the class.
Use the following rubrics to check your progress and make
sure you have all the elements.
Project
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TIPS Project |
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Total
Score:____________________________ |
This
is the breakdown for the grade possibilities for the project:
A= 90-100
Points B= 80-90 Points C=
70-80 Points F= BELOW
70
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Power Point |
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This
is the breakdown for the grade possibilities for the Power Point:
A= 18-20 Points B=
16-17 Points C= 14-15 Points D=
13 Points F= Below 12
Congratulations
on a job well done!!
This project
should have introduced to you to the public policy process. You have addressed
an important challenge that faces teenagers today, especially in
This exercise
draws your attention to the need for stronger reading skills and what you can
do to help. Continue on your quest to become problem solvers and creating a
better place for us to live!
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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a
b
