Description


 * Overview **


 * Description **

I designed this project to be used with high school students in grades 10-12. This project could be used in a government, civics or social studies classroom and should take place in the second half of the year. Students should already be comfortable using databases and know the basic structures of government at the federal, state and local level. The project focuses on increasing student awareness of political issues and is meant to promote political efficacy. For this project, students will be asked to thoroughly investigate a controversial political issue of their choosing. Working in small groups they will write a persuasive letter to a politician concerning their issue.


 * Objective and Rationale **

The overall goal for this project is to increase students' political efficacy, increase their exposure to controversial political issues and enhance their understanding of the how the government works. Secondary goals are to (1) increase students' 21st century skills, mainly conducting research using Internet resources and working collaboratively, and (2) learn persuasive writing techniques. These skills will be helpful as students enter the real world and need to be able to investigate political issues on their own to be informed voters. Students will further benefit from familiarity with searching databases and working collaboratively in groups as both of these skills are important for succeeding in college and in the work force.

Specific Learning Outcomes:

-Students will identify own areas of interest -Students will follow an inquiry based process in seeking knowledge and make the connection to using this process in their own life -Students will solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information -Students will gather relevant information from multiple authoritative sources -Students will identify the key arguments surrounding a controversial issue -Students will formulate and support their own opinion on an issue -Students will support their arguments logically and accurately -Students will write effectively for the chosen audience -Students will write persuasively -Students will cite sources <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">-Students will collaborate with others and work effectively as a team <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">-Students will be comfortable using 3 new Internet tools


 * <span style="color: #32328b; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 21px;">Design Rationale **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I designed this project to meet three main goals. The first goal was to increase students' political efficacy and increase their knowledge of the political system. The second major goal was to use the Internet in various ways to improve students' 21st century skills including: using the Internet as a resource, communicating with the Internet and working collaboratively. The third and final goal was to expose students to persuasive writing techniques. I believe that my project effectively meets all three goals. Not only are students learning about how the government works and increasing their political efficacy, they are using the Internet to conduct research, work collaboratively with classmates and share resources. Then, they are using their critical thinking abilities to synthesize what they have learned, identify key concepts and write effective persuasive text all while co-creating knowledge with their peers.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">For this project, the use of the Internet is integral. First, the Internet is being used as a resource. I chose to integrate the use of the database //Opposing Viewpoints// because the articles and news stories are constantly updated and much more current than anything you could find in most school libraries on these topics. The websites I have chosen serve a similar purpose, providing current information that would difficult to obtain otherwise. Secondly the Internet is being used as way to communicate and collaborate with classmates. Diigo is a great social bookmarking site that allows students to share their research in real time, complete with highlighted text and sticky notes. Using Diigo allows students to work individually, but at the same time share what they are learning with their group mates. Google docs allows students work on the same document in real time, co-editing and co-creating content. This simply would not be possible without the internet.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">This project went beyond my level experience because it involved writing lessons. As a student in the school of library science (not education), I have only tried my hand at lesson writing one time previously, and wasn't very successful. Though I consider myself very tech savvy, I haven't yet been asked to integrate my knowledge of technology into classroom activities. In the future, as a school library media specialist, I will work collaboratively with classroom teachers to write lessons and create projects, so this was good experience for me.