HIV infection among teenagers within Nassau County.

HIV is a viral infection that affects people of all ages and in all countries throughout the world. In Nassau County however, there is an excessively high rate of HIV infection among teens which surpasses most other communities here in New York. You are a high school student, who, up until this point, was not very concerned about this disease because none of your relatives have been affected by it. Yesterday while in school however, you received a call from your parents who informed you about the death of your best friend who just passed as a result of complications from HIV. He contracted the disease after receiving a blood transfusion. In memory of your friend’s passing, you are asked by your student council to develop a program to promote AIDS awareness within all school districts in Nassau County. To complete this assignment in a timely manner, you must select four classmates who are eager to participate in this worthy cause. Your findings will be published in the Nassau County Legislative report on infectious diseases. You task, in this web quest, is critical to the health of your friends, family and community. GOOD LUCK!

COMMUNITY

· Your group will prepare an 8-10 page report for submission to your student body. Begin with an historical perspective of this disease and then explain why AIDS awareness is necessary and how you propose to educate teens within Nassau County School districts. Your paper will be completed using MS Word. It should have a cover and citing of sources used.

· You will also make a 5-10 minute oral presentation to the entire student body. You will use information gained from the PPA worksheets to present your oral report. You may use illustrations, charts, graphs and pictures to present your point of view on the AIDS issue.

• SPPA steps must be used in producing both report and presentation.

Use the following links to assist in completing each step. To access links, place cursor on web address and follow instruction. Once the link has been established, open the Microsoft worksheet at the bottom.

You will read each linked page and complete the worksheets given at the bottom of each page. You will define the problem, gather the evidence, identify the causes, evaluate the causes, develop, select the best solution and complete the task.

You will use these research sheets to complete your paper and to complete your oral report.

Step 1: Define the problem: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppas/worksheet1.doc

Step 2: Gather evidence: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppas/worksheet2.doc

Step 3: Identify causes: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppas/worksheet3.doc

Step 4: Evaluate Policy: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppas/worksheet4.doc

Step 5: Develop Solutions: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppas/worksheet5.doc

Step6: Select best solution: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppas/worksheet6.doc

Use the following websites to assist you in completing the six worksheets. Each step corresponds to a worksheet.

Step 1 http://www.co.nassau.ny.us/health/2002AidsReport.html

Step 2 http://www.co.nassau.ny.us/health/2002AidsReport.html

Step 3 http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=20798

Step4 http://partners.nytimes.com/library/national/science/aids/101587sci-aids.html

Step 5 These are your solutions

Step 6 Select best solutions based on effectiveness, feasibility and cost

GENERAL WEB SITES FOR RESEARCH

1: WWW.GOOGLE.COM

2: WWW.ALTAVISTA.COM

3: WWW.ASKJEEVES.COM

Criteria	Excellent 3	Good 2	Poor 1	Pts
Gathering Information: PPA	Problem is clearly identified and a thorough research has been conducted. All steps of the PPA are addressed and appropriate handouts completed.	Problem is identified along with evidence of research. All six steps of the PPA are addressed and at least 5 worksheets completed correctly.	Problem is identified and partially researched. 2 or more worksheets are incomplete.
Group Dynamics	Students worked cooperatively as a group, each contributing to the final product. Students remained on task completing work in a timely manner.	Students worked cooperatively in groups, remained on task most of the time, but needed several reminders to remain on task.	Poor group dynamics, Students do not work cooperatively and/or they do not all contribute to the end product.
Research Paper: Content	Topic is thoroughly researched with evidence shown within content. Content is accurate and ideas are well supported Student has a clear plan to educate teens on HIV/AIDS	Topic has been researched with evidence shown within content. Content is accurate but student failed to present a clear plan on how to educate teenagers on HIV/AIDS	Topic not thoroughly researched. Student failed to present a meaningful plan to educate teenagers on HIV/AIDS.
Research Paper: Grammar	Paper is grammatically correct. There are no spelling or punctuation mistakes.	There are a few minor grammatical errors.	There are major grammatical errors.
Research Paper: Presentation	Paper follows all requirements described in the task Resources are cited properly.	Almost all of the requirements for the paper are met. Resources are cited properly.	Major requirements for the paper are not met. OR Resources are not cited properly.
Oral Presentation	Each person participates in the presentation. Voice projection adequate with appropriate body language. Students speak clearly and address the question completely.	Each person participates, however the presentation is unclear at times. The question is answered completely.	One or two people present. The flow of the presentation is unclear. Questions are not answered completely.

Total Possible Points: 18 Total Points Earned: ____

GRADING

A= 16-18 B=13-17 C= 10-13 F=BELOW 10

Life Sciences Concepts

Standard s4a: Demonstrates an understanding of big ideas and unifying concepts

Standard s4c: Demonstrates an understanding of personal health

Standard s5c: Use evidence from reliable sources to construct explanations

Standard s5e: Identifies problems; proposes and implements solutions; and evaluates the accuracy, design, and outcomes of investigations

Standards 7b: uses facts to support conclusions

English Language Arts

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Upon completion of this project you should have a clear understanding of the prevalence and impact of HIV/Aids within Nassau County. You should also have a set of meaningful proposals and recommendations in order to educate teenagers about HIV/Aids. You also have seen the importance of using the Public Policy Analyst in solving acute social problems. THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION