Ms. F. Hayward

Jane Addams Vocational High School

Wood369@optonline.net

“When I have a problem, my whole family is behind me.

They understand and treat me better than my

Mom or dad ever had. We are the

gangs of the Bronx.”

Gangs have been a part of society for hundreds of years. Just recently, the Hell’s Angels gang “exacted some unknown punishment on a band member,” who was a participant at “The Dead” concert. “The man had taken a nine-year-old into a restricted area and was photographing her when a few of the Hell’s Angels found them.” (NY Daily News, August 20, 2003) Although the Hell’s Angels is predominately an adult gang, many of its members had spent most of their lives in some sort of gang activity.

Young people join gangs for many different reasons. Sometimes they are forced to join because they are afraid of being “jumped.” Sometimes students believe that joining a gang will protect them from other gangs. However, you may find yourself trapped between two rival gangs and end up in a worse situation.

You are an investigator for the Mayor. Your task is to research why gangs are so prevalent in NYC schools. What are some gang tactics, targets, and purpose? If they are supposed to take the place of “real” family members, why do they continuously have to look for new recruits? What can be done to keep the natural family in-tact and reduce gang affiliation? You will use Public Policy Analyst to help you understand the policies that exist and develop new policies and solutions to reduce and prevent gang activity.

PART I: You and your classmate will develop a visual and oral presentation.

1. The visual presentation will consist of a graphic organizer on large poster board that clearly illustrates the amount and areas of gang activity in New York City.
2. This presentation must follow the New York State Rubric with regard to: artistic display, use of color and pictures, or props.
3. There should be at least three (3) types of statistics and maps (combined).
4. Your presentation must also illustrate the causes and effects of gang activity.
5. Finally, your presentation must have at least two (2) public policy solutions already in effect and two (2) new policies proposed by you.

Part II. The oral presentation will be 3-5 minutes in length.

1. Your oral presentation should highlight the aspects of your research that you believe are crucial for your peers to know about this problem.
2. Your presentation should be written for your audience (your peers).
3. You should speak in a clear voice and make eye contact with your audience.
4. You may want to develop a few questions to ask your audience, so that they become a part of your presentation.
5. Your presentation should be rehearsed for a smoother delivery.

Share ideas! Do not work in isolation! You will divide into six groups and use the following six-step Public Policy strategy format to develop the visual and oral presentations.

Step #1. Define the social problem

Worksheet #1

http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/gangs/gangsbook.html

Step #2. Gather evidence

Worksheet #2

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/WABC_081902_shootingdeath.html

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/investigators/WABC_082002_mexicangangs.html

Step #3. Identify causes and effects

Worksheet #3

http://www.racineco.com/sheriff/gang10.htm

http://www.focusas.com/JuvenileJustice.html

Step #4. Evaluate a policy – What is the government’s position?

Worksheet #4

http://www.19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/faqs/gangwise.html

http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed415570.html

Step #5. Develop solutions

Worksheet #5

http://www.gangsorus.com/faq.html

http://teensactive.homestead.com/solvingproblems.html

Step #6. Select best solution

Worksheet #6

http://www.gangsorus.com/faq.html

http://ericcass.uncg.edu/virtuallib/gangs/1006.html

Use the websites listed above to do your research. Also, you may find your own sites by visiting general search engines:

Google.com

Askjeeves

Altavista

Lycos

Visit the Public Policy Analyst Website by clicking:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/intro.html

http://www.aps.k12.co.us/wmsmith/about/policies.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/big_town/v-bigtown_archive/story/16252p-15390c.html

Hyperlinks (Some of these links are already listed above.)

Innocents

New Gangs

Gang Busters

www.AltaVista.com.

Rubric

	4 Points Excellent	3 Points Satisfactory	2 Points Fair	1 Points Poor (Do Over!)
Understanding the Task	Students logical with an excellent working knowledge of material and the audience.	Student has a good working knowledge of material and the audience.	Student presentation is somewhat clear, but not engaging to the audience.	Student has very little understanding of the material and the audience for whom they are addressing.
Development and Organization	Very well organized and presented.	Good organization and development.	Some organization but needs more development.	Very organization and development. Confusing information.
PPA Skills	Clear evidence of using several PPA resources and new resources.	Evidence of PPA resource use.	Little evidence of PPA resources.	No apparent use of PPA resources or understanding.
Vocabulary	Excellent use of vocabulary and appropriate language	Good use of vocabulary and language.	Weak word usage. Language development is poor.	Poor vocabulary skills and language usage.
Grammar and Punctuation	Excellent use of grammar and punctuation.	Good grammar and punctuation, has few errors.	Weak grammar and punctuation with too many errors.	Poor grammar and punctuation with so many errors that make comprehension impossible.

E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a: Produce a paper on information and observations.

E3b: Participate in group meetings.

E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

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

Social Studies Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

As a result of completing this WebQuest, you and your classmates will understand the impact of peer pressure, violence, and the alternative choices available. You will develop a sense of social responsibility and the value of lasting, healthy relationships between both family and friends.

You will have also learned to use the Internet to gather information and conduct research, and to incorporate critical thinking skills to make decisions on which policies would be most effective.

As always: PLAGARISM is NOT ALLOWED. No copying from books,

websites, or other reference materials.