FINE! DROPOUT…
BUT HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BE A CONTENDER?
A Web Quest for 9th Grade English
Designed By
MEGHAN K. FARRELLY
Farrelly31@hotmail.com
Introduction
How are
you going to become a Contender in life?
What is a
“Contender in life?”
Is Alfred
a Contender?
Over the past few weeks we have begun the novel, The Contender, by
Robert Lipsyte. As you know the main character Alfred, from
the novel, drops out of high school along with his best friend James. Alfred and James, fortunately, are just
characters in a story from the 1960’s, but did you know that more than 20
percent of the students enrolled in NEW York City High schools dropped out in
2000?
What are
those kids doing now?
What kind
of job can you get without a diploma?
The answers
to these questions and many more intriguing questions will be answered as you
surf through this web quest.
THE TASK:
Your task is to develop
solutions that will help curb the devastating number of teenagers that drop out
of the New York City Schools year after year.
Once you have explored
the background information on high school dropouts, you and a partner will put
together a brief presentation (containing visual and written elements).
Before you begin surfing
for answers you need to complete the Public Policy Analyst worksheets:
a.
Defining the Social
Problem
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html
b.
Evaluate existing public
policies
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/exsisting.html
PROCESS:
1.
First I would like you
to find out what the high school dropout rate is for each of the 5 boroughs and
for A.E. STEVENSON.
2. What is the leading cause of female student
drop outs?
3. What is the national dropout Rate?
Choose 7
different states including
Which state do you think is the highest?
Which state do you think is the lowest?
4. Make a list of all the possible jobs you are
interested in and place them in the job chart. Put each possible job under the correct heading. No diploma,
high school diploma, college degree, and beyond.
5. Research possible solutions using the links
below to help you. You may also come up
with some solutions on your own. You
must have a list of at least 5 solutions with explanations.
Resources for Possible Solutions
http://www.careerccc.org/products/getstart98/motivati.html
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/indicator_briefs/dropout_rate.pdf
http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/EPRU/documents/EPSL-0309-112-EPRU.doc
Evaluation
Your work will
be evaluated according to the following rubric:
|
GRADE: |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
Essay/Visual |
No knowledge of the uses of PPA. Presents no data to support the proposed policy. Poor use of the
conventions of Standard Written English. |
Little knowledge of the uses of PPA. Presents several sources of data in a logical format to support
the proposed policy. Weak usage of the conventions of Standard Written
English. |
Acceptable
amount of knowledge Of the uses of PPA. Presents
several sources of data in a logical and organized format to support the
proposed policy. Acceptable usage of the conventions of Standard Written
English. |
Superior knowledge of the uses of PPA. Presents an exceptional amount of data to support the proposed
policy. Superior use of the conventions of Standard Written English. |
|
Group Work/ Research |
Links are not relevant to support the proposed policy. Did not
participate in group work at all. |
Enough links but few support the proposed policy. Very little participation in group work. |
Many links that support the proposed policy. Worked well with partner and actively participated. |
All links support the proposed policy. Not only participated in
the group but helped to lead and facilitate activities. |
|
Worksheets/
PPA Tests |
Incomplete Did not complete either the worksheets or the PPA tests. |
Has only completed parts of the worksheets or the PPA tests. |
Nearly all of the work is completed in a neat and timely manor. |
Superior completion of all worksheets and PPA tests. |
Essay/Visual 50 points
Group Work/ Research 30 points
Worksheets/ PPA tests +20 points
Total 100 points
Conclusions
Now that
you have researched the high school dropout rate extensively you all have a
better understanding of it. Gaining such information is only part of the battle.
Now you must use it to help you and a partner develop a solution. It is time for you to draw your own
conclusions. Can you be an effective Contender in society if you dropout
of school?
English Language Standard 1: Language for
information and understanding
English Language Standard 3: Language for
critical analysis and evaluation
Technology Standard 5: Students will
apply technological knowledge and skill to learn, use, and evaluate the
internet and its many uses.
Resources
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/
http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ny/1928/
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_13.htm#01
http://www.nycenet.edu/daa/SchoolReports
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004310
http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/persistence%20Jan%2026%202004.pdf
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/Teen_Mothers.pdf
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/01
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pdf/drp00gen.pdf
/
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo_t1.htm