How Safe are the Streets?
From Pblwiki
Summary
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Project Title: How Safe are the Streets Teacher(s): Jon Robell, Stuart Gordon, Deb Sadler School / Academy: Law and Business High Grade Level(s): 9th Grade Core Subject(s): Algebra; Physics; English 1,2 Career Technical Education (CTE) Class(es): {{{classes}}} |
Contents |
Theme
This project is open ended in its question so that our students are able to put forward a wide direction of paths. By its sub-questions, students are steered to observing pedestrians and how they cross a city streets, crosswalk or not. Is there a need for city planners to take a safer approach than just installing lights at intersections? By surveying and using GIS (to see what accidents have occurred at their particular intersection) students collect data on traffic, speed, and the number of pedestrians. In addition, students learn what the legal steps are to be taken if they are involved in an accident. On hearing from experts in law, architecture, and construction, students learn how to research, design, and scale draw a solution to their overlying problem of safety. Within their project team, students will then construct a model of their unique pedestrian walkway and predict construction costs. This project culminates with the presentation of a persuasive argument for the safest crossing of a street within their community.
Content Standards
Identify the content standards that students will learn in this project (two to three per subject).
| Subject | Content Standard | Assessment |
| Algebra | Stats 1.1 | Data Collection & Analysis |
| Physics | Physics 1a,c,d | Speed Calculations & Graphings |
| English 1,2 | WA 2.1 | Narrative, Street Safety
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Begin with the End in Mind
- A. What is being produced?
- A culminating persuasive presentation of the safest way to cross a major city street.
- B. How is that being assessed?
- A checklist rubric
- C. What is the individual student producing?
- The project opens with students describing their past experiences of their life on the streets, through a narrative writing. On an indiviudal basis, students also write a poem of the term Brigde as a metaphor. Finally, students can indivdually choose to predict total costs of constructing the actual walkway.
- D. How is that being assessed?
- Through individual rubrics
- E. What is the group producing?
- The group will collaborate to design their own version of a scaled drawing and construction of a pedestrian walkway.
- F. How is that being assessed?
- Rubric
SCANS Skills
Identify key SCANS skills students will demonstrate in this project.
| SCANS Skill | Assessment |
| Team Collaboration | Data Collection, Scale Model Construction |
| Presentation Skills | Persuasive Culminating Presentation |
| Details to Acuracy | Data Analysis, Scale Drawing |
Driving Question
How safe are the streets you walk on?
Significant Question
54th sreet is not one of the safest streets in your school's surrounding community. Alongside both an Elementary and Junior High School, vehilces travel this road at significant speeds; there needs to be something done about this. Too many people's lives are put at rist on a daily basis, especially at the start and end of the school day. How can you help this problem before it is too late to safe the lives of innonect pedestrians. What can be done to put an end to the vehicular accidents as well as eliminate the potential of human injury or even death?
Plan the Assessment
Step 1
(Define the products and artifacts for the project)
Early in the Project: Within Language Arts class students will write a narrative entitled "How Safe are our Streets?" about the local community. Within Math/Physics students will collect and analyze data.
During the Project:
Within Language Arts class students will write "Bridge Poetry". Within Physics students will research and design a suitable structure that will bridge their chosen road/intersection. In project groups, students will construct a model of their design.
Within Math students will gain practical experience with "proportions" in order to assist in the scale drawing of the model in Physics.
End of the Project: Within Language Arts class students will prepare a persuasive presentation incorporating previously collected and analyzed data using Power Point, visual display board and group portfolio. This group presentation will be presented to staff and advisory board members. Following their presentation students will write a self-reflection, peer-reflection and group-reflection.
Step 2
State the criteria for exemplary performance for each product
Product: Personal narrative of life on the streets.
Criteria: A score of 4 on the CAHSEE rubric
Product: Data collection and analysis
Criteria: Students display collected group data in two or more graphical representations.
Product: "Bridge" Poetry
Criteria: See the following Rubric link Media:Poetry Rubric.doc
Product: Persuasive Businesss Letter
Criteria: See the following Rubric link Media:Letter Rubric.doc
Product: Researched, sketched, scaled drawing and group constructed model of pedestrian walkway.
Criteria: See the following Rubric link Media:Bridge Rubric.doc
Product: Cuminating Persuasive Presentation
Criteria: See the following Rubric link Media:Presentation Rubric.doc
Map the Project
| Look at one major product for the project and analyze the tasks necessary to produce a high-quality product. What do students need to know and be able to do to complete the tasks successfully? How and when will they learn the necessary knowledge and skills? | |||
| Product: Culminating Persuasive Presentation | |||
| Knowledge and skills needed | Already have learned | Taught before the project | Taught during the project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collect and Analyze Data | Math/Physics | English - Persuasive Speaking | |
| Use of PowerPoint Application | Computer Applications - PP | ||
| Public Speaking | English - Persuasive Speaking
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| Reflection | Throughout | the | Year |
What project tools will you use? Visual presentation
Project Timeline
See the following Project Timeline link Media:LAB 9th Timeline.ogg
- What challenges or problems might arise in the project? Coordinating the curriculum across content areas; 4x4 versus year round scheduling; teacher buy-in; coordinating guest speakers; access to technology; cross curriculum student groupings for persuasive presentations.
Manage the Process
To address needs for differentiated instruction for EL students, special-needs students, or students with diverse learning styles strategies will include: teacher modeling; small group work; scaffolding instruction; integrated thematic instruction.
How will you and your students reflect on and evaluate the project? Following the project students will self-reflect, peer-reflect and group-reflect.
