WebQuest

ACCEPTABLE NARCOTICS

Should Public Schools Sell and Serve

“Soft Drugs” to Students?

Etta Silverstein

John F. Kennedy High School

Bronx, New York

INTRODUCTION

You are a student attending a large New York City high school. You are always reminded about the dangers of alcohol and other narcotics such as marijuana, crack, cocaine, and ecstasy, to name just a few. One day, however, while standing in the student cafeteria you begin to realize that there are other substances being sold to your friends and fellow students. These substances, although not considered “hardcore” narcotics, still may have some harmful effects on the human body. Some of the more recognizable of these substances include caffeine, sugar, salt, and fatty foods. Some of their more recognizable effects include obesity and hyperactivity. You begin to question how safe your school really is.

You try to talk about this issue to adults, but they don’t seem to care. They tell you, “There are more serious things to think about in this world, like hard drugs and violence. Who cares about caffeine and fatty foods!” You, however, have looked up nutrition on the Internet and all the experts say the same thing: These substances, which are being sold without a second thought in your school, are in fact harmful to your health. You decide to take action.

TASK

Using the websites provided in the Resources section as well as the TIPS Public Policy Analyst worksheets, you will become an expert on this topic through research. You will learn about the substances and their effects on the body, and you will evaluate the public policies already in place by the “authorities.” Armed with this knowledge, you will develop your own original public policy to address the problem. You will use your research and original public policy to create a public service campaign designed to educate your friends and fellow students on the dangers of “acceptable narcotics.” It is your hope that your public service campaign will not only influence them to live a healthier lifestyle, but also change the public policy of the school authorities toward the sale of these substances.

PROCESS

v You will work in groups of three students. Each student is expected to contribute equally to the overall work of the group.

v Using the websites provided in the Resources Section, you will research the problem of acceptable narcotics and summarize your findings on the following TIPS Public Policy Analyst worksheets. Notice that the last worksheet asks you to develop your own original public policy solution.

· Define the Problem (Worksheet 1)

· Gather Evidence of the Problem (Worksheet 2)

· Identify Causes of the Problem (Worksheet 3)

· Evaluate an Existing Public Policy (Worksheet 4)

· Develop Your Own Public Policy Solutions (Worksheet 5)

v Use the research you have gathered to develop a public service campaign designed to educate your friends and fellow students. Your campaign should include each step of the TIPS Public Policy Analyst, and it should highlight your original public policy solution that will influence the students, faculty, and administration of your school. In addition to your group’s research findings, the campaign should include at least one catchy slogan. It should also be visually attractive, with at least two visuals (photograph, cartoon, graph, chart, etc.). Remember, you need to be persuasive!

v Your group will present its public service campaign to the class in an oral presentation of at least five (5) minutes. Each member of your must contribute something both the creation and presentation of the campaign.

RESOURCES

Caffeine 6 (kids & caffeine)

Caffeine 7 (caffeine & the First Amendment)

Caffeine 8 (children and the caffeine culture)

Caffeine 9 (Generation Wired)

Sgar and fat sold to kids

Corporate profits made from sugar and junk food products in schools

Safety of Aspartame, sugar, and other food products sold in schools

Sugarbusters (program to fight junk food)

NYC Schools May Junk Food

Another article on NYC School & Junk Food

San Francisco Schools and Junk Food

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Plan to Fight Obesity in School Districts

Various plans in the U.S. to stop obesity in kids

EVALUATION

Your group will be evaluated based on the following rubric chart:

Assignment Component	Grade 4	Grade 3	Grade 2	Grade 1
Research & Worksheets	Answered all questions adequately, showed advanced understanding	Answered all questions adequately	Answered most questions adequately	Did not answer most questions adequately
Public Service Campaign	Above and beyond, well prepared, includes catchy slogan and pertinent visuals	Generally well done, but is missing slogan and/or pertinent visuals	Adequately done, with or without slogan and/or pertinent visuals	Poorly done, with or without slogan and/or pertinent visuals
Oral Presentation	Shows how each required issue is relates to your side, and the presentation is clear and convincing	Has all of the required issues, but the presentation is not very convincing	Did not address all of the issues or make a very convincing argument	Did not address any of the issues or make a very convincing argument

The following Standards are addressed by this WebQuest:

Reading

c	Read and comprehend informational materials.

Writing

a	Produce a report of information.

Speaking, Listening, and Viewing

a	Participate in one-to-one conferences with the teacher.
b	Participate in group meetings.
c	Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

Conventions, Grammar, and Usage of the English Language

a	Independently and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.
B	Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

Public Documents

A	Critique public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse.
b	Produce public documents.

Functional Documents

a	Critique functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents.
b	Produce functional documents appropriate to audience and purpose.

Applied Learning

Information Tools and Techniques

a	Gather information to assist in completing project work.
b	Use on-line sources to exchange information for specific purposes.
c	Use word-processing software to produce a multi-page document.
d	Write, add content to, and analyze a relational data base.

Tools and Techniques for Working With Others

a	Participate in the establishment and operation of self-directed work teams.

CONCLUSION

Having completed this WebQuest, you are now an expert on the “below-the-radar” problem of acceptable narcotics, especially those sold to young people in public schools. You have researched the effects of these substances on the human body, and you have evaluated at least one public policy already in place regarding this issue. You then became a public policy maker and developed your own original policy designed to address this issue. Finally, you used your research and original public policy to create a public service campaign that ideally will educate your peers, influence them at least to think about the issue and perhaps ingest these substances in greater moderation, and persuade the policy makers at your school and in the ci ty to change their attitude and approach to students’ health.