WebQuest:
HIGH SCHOOL PROPERTY ABUSE

John Turowski/Bronx Theatre High School/Theater Arts Dept.

INTRODUCTION

Property abuse in the school environment is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with quickly before it becomes a monumental and impossible problem. The important thing is to discover ways to reduce the amount, and try to get to the root of the problem and in order to bring about some changes. As a director of a school, you must come up with a solution, and implement a program of prevention so that we may be able to maintain a clean and beautiful school environment.

TASK

You have been appointed as a director of your school and your first major job is to research the problem in your school. It will be your responsibility to develop a plan to deal with the problem in your school. This plan would include: prevention, reduction (if this is a serious issue), and also a program to enhance the general environment of the school to make it more presentable and beautiful. When you have done your research and gathered all your findings, you will prepare a report (3-5 pages), make an effective poster, and you will present your work to your class in a five minute oral presentation. The following six-step public policy process will help you do this.

PROCESS

1. Define and describe the problem using Worksheet #1.
2. Gather evidence, statistics, case studies. surveys, or articles by experts using Worksheet #2.
3. Identify the causes of the problem using Worksheet #3.
4. Describe and evaluate the existing policy in the school using Worksheet # 4.
5. Develop several policy solutions using Worksheet # 5.
6. Select the best policy using Worksheet # 6.

RESOURCES

Use the following websites to help you in your research:

http://www.glendale-online.com/gov/graffiti.html

http://www.ncjrs.org/pdfils/94600.pdf

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/crimeprev/graffiti

http://www.edc.org/hec/pubs/vandal.htm

http://www.keepiowabeautiful.com/newsrelease15.html

EVALUATION

Your grade will be based on the following rubric:

Grade	1	2	3	4
Oral Presentation	No knowledge of how to report. No data support.	Little knowledge of PPA. Presents some data.	Substantial amount of data. Organized format. Support of policy.	Comprehensive report. Exceptional amount of data. Excellent understanding of issue.
Research	Irrelevant links. No real support of data.	Links made but little support of data.	Many links that support policy.	All links support the policy.
Report and Research	Incomplete. Poorly written. Poor research.	Complete. Needs language skill. Needs better research.	Complete. Well written. Good research.	Complete and well researched. Excellent writing.

This WebQuest addresses the following Standards:

English Language Arts

Students read and write to acquire information.

Students read and write to express themselves.

Students read and write to evaluate and analyze.

Students speak, discuss, and explain findings.

Social Studies

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the roles, right, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

CONCLUSION

Having completed this WebQuest, students have developed a basic understanding of ethics and a healthy respect for the property of others. They have become active policy makers, developing a plan of action for dealing with vandalism and abuse of property. They have also taken the first step to an understanding that democratic education and a democratic society is based on the principle of community respect.