9-11+Assignment

Home 9-11 Group Topics How Did 9/11 Influence Us?
 * [[image:Topics_911_attacks.jpg caption="It was the day when the unreal became the unimaginable. Sept. 11, 2001, the crystalline morning when planes dropped from the skies and toppled the World Trade Center and punctured a hole in the Pentagon, was a demarcation point that shattered the security of the country and introduced a nebulous and virulent enemy previously unfamiliar to most citizens."]] || [[image:topics_911_health.jpg caption="Fires burning at 1,000 degrees created a toxic plume that clouded lower Manhattan and spread to adjoining areas. The collapsing towers pulverized cement and everything the buildings contained, including some asbestos, while the tremendous pressure of the collapsing floors fused materials together in potentially dangerous combinations that scientists had not seen before. Officials and medical experts estimate that in all, between 40,000 and 90,000 workers and volunteers spent time on the debris pile and may have been affected in some way by the dust."]] ||

OVERALL TASKS: 1. Join a home group. These are broad topics such as foreign policy, health, security, enemies, etc. Home groups will have 3-5 members. 2. Meet with the home group and divide the topic into sub-categories. Health might be divided in post traumatic stress, respiratory ailments, anxiety, costs on health care system, etc. 3. Each group member will focus on one of these sub-categories and research information that will help you answer the following questions. Your findings for each question will be written in power paragraphs and posted on your wiki page. Evidence from two sources is required in each response and all three responses will draw evidence from five credible sources.

Question 1: How was your topic affected by 9/11? Question 2: Explain the scope (extent), intensity (depth), and nature of the affect of 9/11 on you topic. Question 3: How has debate on this issue made our country stronger? Find two experts who have analyzed the significance of this effect on American society. These experts will address the question:

4. When students have posted responses to the three questions, they will meet with their home groups and work together to answer the overall essential question: What arguments did 9/11 incite that will make this country stronger? Home groups will prepare a statement that explains their position drawing on evidence from their research. The statement will be presented in a town meeting forum. Home groups will defend their positions in an open debate.

Research: Suggested databases: EBSCO host http://infohio.org; eLibrary (http://www.proquestk12.com); New York Times (www.nytimes.com); Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com). If you use a source from a Google Search, make sure that you establish the credibility of that source in your power paragraph. Refer to the list of databases on the goldenrod sheet, Homework Helpers, for user ids and passwords

Time Line: Wednesday, August 31: Bring in hard copies of one substantive article from the required databases that contains information about your home topic. You will have time to meet with your home group and divide the topic into sub-categories.

Thursday, September 1 : In-Class: Meet with your group and use the "characteristics of essential questions" to revise the group research question as well as your individual research question. Make sure each individual topic addresses some aspect of the group question. Each student should then study his or her articles and draft power paragraphs. The first power paragraph will answer the question: How was your topic affected by 9/11?

Friday, September 2 : Bring a hard copy of your sophisticated rough draft of paragraph one to class today. Students who are prepared will have a chance to refine/revise and post paragraphs to the wiki. To post to the wiki, click on __9/11 Groups__ then click on __your name__ and post your paragraph below Question 1: How was your topic affected by 9/11? Over the weekend, continue to research evidence about your topic. Focus on finding information that will help you draft a response to the second prompt: Explain the scope (extent), intensity (depth), and nature of the affect of 9/11 on you topic.

Tuesday, September 6: Bring a sophisticated rough draft of your second power paragraph to class. You will be given time to revise your paragraph and post it to the wiki. Tonight, find information to help you respond to prompt three: How has debate on this issue made our country stronger?

//An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following://
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly addresses and answers the question
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your articles (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning

Wednesday, September 7 On Tuesday evening, post the second power paragraph to your wiki page. Research Question 3: How has debate on this issue made our country stronger? Find two experts who have analyzed the significance of this effect on American society. Bring hardcopies of the two new articles to class as you will be given one period to write the third paragraph. If you bring a sophisticated rough draft to class on Wednesday, we will release you to post the paragraph on wiki. Please make sure the paragraphs meets the rubric expectations listed above.

Thursday, September 8 All three paragraphs need to be posted before class begins. Your ticket to working with your group is three paragraphs posted to your wiki page. Groups will meet and reach a consensus on how to answer the essential question from their topic perspectives. (Recall that the groups research question is listed on the 9-11 Group Topics page.) Group Tasks include: •Write an extended power paragraph that answers the group's question using evidence from each member's research. •Place the group's position on the continuum which measures the strength or weakness of the change since 9/11. •Select and display two photos which visually expresses your position on the group research question.