WEBQUEST

Charlotte Oestreicher

John F. Kennedy High School

Single Mothers in the Bronx -

A Drain on the Community

Introduction

Ms. Jones, who lives in your building, has two small children. She is not married and she does not have a job. She had a male friend for a while, but he is no longer in the picture. She no longer is receiving any welfare checks and has begun asking neighbors for money. At this point, people are trying to avoid her and are talking about her.

Since Ms. Jones is someone who has always been friendly to you, and you feel bad for her little children, you want to find out what can be done to help Ms. Jones get on her feet. Since your mother has raised you by herself, and has worked two jobs to make sure you get what you need, you want to know why Ms. Jones is not able to do the same thing for her children. You want to know why she is in her present situation, what kinds of support services are available to her, and what can be done to improve her situation and similar situations of other women like her in the Bronx. You then want to present your findings and solutions to Borough President Adolfo Carrion in the hopes that changes will be made to help women like Ms. Jones.

Task

You will use the six step public policy analyst to identify the existing problem, gather evidence, determine causes, evaluate present policies, develop new policies, and choose the best solution to this problem. You will need to go to the specific websites provided in the resources section to help you gather your information. You will present your findings to the class in the form of an oral presentation with an audio-visual component like a brochure, display board, poster(s), power point presentation, or role playing. In addition, you will hand in a written policy paper including all your work, worksheets, and sources that you used.

Process

Follow these specific steps:

You will work in groups of four.

You will complete the worksheets on the six components of the PPA; this will be downloaded from the computer and handwritten.

Worksheet #1 – Identifying the Problem

Worksheet #2 – Gathering Evidence

Worksheet #3 – Determining Causes

Worksheet #4 – Evaluate Present Policies

Worksheet #5 – Developing New Policies

Worksheet #6 – Choose the Best Solution

You will read the information explaining each component of the PPA so that you will understand each part of what you need to do.

You will read and summarize the Internet resources which will give you information on this topic and which you will include in your oral presentation and written paper.

Oral Presentation – Based on your research, your group will present its findings to the class discussing how you came to choose the policy you finally chose and why. As part of your oral presentation, you will include and audio-visual component in the form of a brochure, display board, power point presentation, or role-playing scene related to your topic. Be prepared to answer any questions your classmates might have on your presentation or the topic you discussed.

Written Paper – This should include all the work you have done on your PPA including the worksheets for each step, the paper itself with your research, and a listing of your sources (whether those provided by the teacher or any additional sources you have discovered on your own).

· Cover Page – This will include the name of your topic, the names of the students in your group, the English class code, and the date.

· The Research Paper – This will include an outline, the research (set forth in an organized manner), the worksheets, and a page listing the sources you referred to. The actual research paper should include between four to six pages of information.

Resources

Refer to the following websites to help you gather information on your topic:

http://www.cssny.org/pubs/issuebrief/no20.pdf

Women leaving welfare

http://www.cssny.org/pubs/special/motherswork2002_08.pdf

Various statistics on women

http://www.cny.org/archives/ft091699.htm

Case study – woman helped through an organization

http://www.cny.org/cv060602.htm

St. Benedict’s helping single mothers

http://www.catholiccharitiesny.org/index.cfm?PageToShow=residences_housing.cfm&What=Helping+Children+%26+Youth

Facilities available for single mothers

http://www.arivaonline.com/bronx.asp

Statistics on poverty in the Bronx

http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/socialservices/20040518/15/983

Existing Policies – Marriage Promotion Programs

http://brx.eoc.suny.edu/about.html

Bronx EOC – Vocational Training and Adult Education – Existing Policies

http://www.bxnspe.org/state_of_the_bronx_2004.htm

Existing/New Programs for the Poor – Adult Education/jobs – General Information

Evaluation

Your work, both the oral and written presentations, will be evaluated according to English Language Arts standards and a rubric as set forth below.

ASSIGNMENTS	IN PROGRESS… KEEP WORKING.	SATISFACTORY	IDEAL	POSSIBLE SCORE	YOUR SCORE
Team Work, Both on the computer and during presentation	Worked collectively with your partner	Worked collectively with your partner, showed maturity and courtesy	Above and beyond satisfactory, showed leadership qualities	30%
Six PPA Worksheets	Answered most questions adequately	Answered all questions adequately	Answered all questions adequately, showed advanced understanding	50%
Oral Presentation, Including Visual	Did not address all of the issues or make a very convincing argument	Has all of the required issues in the Presentation, but the PPT is not very convincing	Shows how each required issue is relates to your side, and the PPT is clear and convincing	100%
Written Paper	Unprepared, poorly presented and developed	Presented most arguments adequately	Above and beyond well prepared, excellent research, excellent development	20%

Standards

This WebQuest addresses the following English Language Arts Standards:

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people.

Remember:

1. Use proper English for both written and oral presentations.

2. Use proper grammar and usage.

3. Develop all of your ideas adequately and clearly.

4. Use appropriate tone for your audience.

Conclusion

As you can see, through research and coming to conclusions about your topic, you have learned about this particular social problem that is affecting the lives of many single women with children who are living in the Bronx and having a difficult time surviving on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps, through developing new programs and policies, like what you have suggested, we will be able to alleviate or at least minimize this problem and allows single women with children to lead more productive lives, gain a greater sense of self-respect, and become more beneficial to themselves, their children, and their community.