Why do Gangs form and how can we stop them

Why do Gangs form and how can we stop them?

A Web Quest for 9^th Grade English

Ms. Farrelly Stevenson High School

Introduction:

While many students feel they have a unique understanding of gang life simply because they live in the inner city most of them can not even tell you when gangs first began to form. Gangs are an ever present influence on the youth of today yet students lack the general knowledge about gangs to be able to walk away from the temptation.

The next novel we are reading is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The main character, Ponyboy Curtis, is an admitted gang member himself. Before you judge Ponyboy and the rest of the “Greaser Gang” I want you to do some research on the evolution of gangs.

Task:

Your task is to develop a well organized magazine article explaining the probable causes and some solutions to the increasingly violent gang activity.

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/worksheet1.html

b. Gathering the Evidence

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet2.html

c. Identifying Causes of the Problem

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet3.html

d. Evaluating existing public policies

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet4.html

e. Developing your own public policy solution

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet5.html

Process:

1. When did gangs start? Go to the following website and make a timeline highlighting the most relevant events as “gangs” evolved through history.

History of Gangs

2. Read two of the memoirs written by actual gang members. Write a one page reaction. Be sure to comment on why that person was a gang member and how they got out of the lifestyle (if they did).

Staight from the Streets

3. Are gangs just an urban phenomenon? Where else do they exist? Read the following article.

*Make a list of the different types of location were gangs form.

*Make a list of the ways Suburban Gangs form

*Make a list of 10 similarities between Suburban Gangs and

Urban Gangs

*Make a list of 5 differences between the two types

Gangs outside of the City?

Resources:

Use the following websites to help you in your research:

http://knowgangs.com/index_001.htm

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

http://www.gangwar.com/items/items16.htm

http://www.youthurban.com/clemensarchive/000205.html

Evaluation:

Your work will be evaluated according to the following rubric:

GRADE:

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.

Magazine Article 50 points

Research/ Class work 30 points

Worksheets/ PPA tests +20 points

Total 100 points

This WebQuest addresses the following Standards:

New York City Language Arts Performance Standards

E2a: Produce a report of information

E3b: Participate in group meetings

E4a: Independently and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.

E6a: Critique public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse

SOCIAL STUDIES

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

Standard 3:

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the interdependent world in which we live—local and national.

Conclusion:

Having completed this WebQuest, you now know how gangs form and the reasons why young people join them. You understand the peer pressure involved, and that this is not just a recent phenomenon but has been going on since biblical times. You have become a public policy maker and developed your own original ideas on how to solve the growing gang problem in the United States.