Webquest and Report Activity / Student Name: ______
Teacher: ______
Date: ______Period: ______
Rickets Webquest and Report Activity
Introduction
You and your group are members of a United Nations team assigned to assist the government of the Kashmir region of India/Pakistan in dealing with the problem of rickets in many children of this region. Your team must provide advice to the government minister of health on how their country should deal with this problem in a way that is economically realistic.
The Task
Using the internet and library resources, your task is to submit a report that includes the following:
1. Explain the social and economic conditions that are contributing to the problem in Kashmir.
2. Explain what role the government plays in public health matters such as these.
3. Explain your opinions on why the problems persist even though many people in Kashmir know why they have this problem.
4. Develop a set of options for government initiatives that would reduce the problem in ways that are cost effective.
5. Develop strategies to help the people understand the nature of the disease and how to change their behavior so they can prevent it.
6. Develop strategies to persuade native food supply companies to fortify their food products.
7. Develop strategies to persuade government officials to do more to help.
Procedure:
1. Once the teacher has designated who is on your team, you should assign the following roles to the group:
· Team Captain: this student makes certain everyone understands and performs their duties and produces their work on schedule. The leader helps everyone stay on task, and creates a work environment that fosters mutual support among the team members. The Team Captain will organize team meetings frequently to let Researchers share their materials with the group and allow the Report Supervisor to organize the materials. Team Captain reminds the rest of the team of when reports are due and discusses the schedule with the group.
· Report Supervisor: this student helps organize information and create a report. Although all students in the group are responsible for helping with the report, the Report Supervisor helps bring materials together. In the final report, the material is to be organized in the same order as the numbers above.
· Researchers: each student is assigned one or more of the numbers above and prepares a written response to it. Team meetings should be used to help each researcher develop the best possible task response.
3. Web Resources to use:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/kashmir/front.html
http://medind.nic.in/haa/t02/i1/haat02i1p1.pdf
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85703
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/pakistan-news-190506?opendocument
http://www.kashmirnetwork.com/health/mission.html
http://hetv.org/nutritionmission/media/malnutrition-in-jk-lowest-in-india.htm
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/23/stories/2007062350161000.htm
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/135/2/310
http://www.fao.org/docrep/W2840E/w2840e03.htm
http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=44423-food-fortified-with
http://www.idfresearch.org/srinagar.asp
http://indianfood.indianetzone.com/1/kashmir.htm
http://www.pppinindia.com/states_jk_key.asphttp://newsblaze.com/story/20071005075544kash.nb/topstory.html
http://www.onepakistan.com/news/health/30903-Internet-generation-risk-rickets-Study.html
Evaluation
Your team will be a team grade, based on the report criteria below.
Beginning1 / Developing
2 / Accomplished
3 / Exemplary
4 / Score
Social and economic conditions contributing to the problem in Kashmir / Minimal information / Some facts on social and economic factors / Numerous facts on social or economic factors, but lacking in one or the other / Numerous facts on both social and economic factors
Role of government in public health / Minimal understanding demonstrated / Ideas for government action presented but critical thinking is minimal / Some understanding of what Kashmir and UN can and cannot do / Information shows a clear understanding of what Kashmir government and UN can and cannot do
Why problems persist / Minimal understanding demonstrated / Ideas for problem persistence included, but critical thinking is minimal / Used critical thinking to explain why problem still exists / Detailed description of many reasons why problem still persists.
Government options / Few options
presented / Some options / Many options, but lacking in analysis / Many options, some of which reflect creative thinking
Strategies for changing people behavior / Few strategies, lacking in realism or creative thinking / Several strategies, reflecting some realism & creative thinking / Many strategies, but some lack realism or creative thinking. / Many realistic strategies, some of which reflect creative thinking.
Strategies for food
companies / Few strategies, lacking in realism or creative thinking. / Several strategies, reflecting some realism & creative thinking. / Many strategies, but some lack realism or creative thinking. / Many realistic strategies, some of which reflect creative thinking.
Strategies for govern-
ment / Few strategies, lacking in realism or creative thinking. / Several strategies, reflecting some realism & creative thinking. / Many strategies, but some lack realism or creative thinking. / Many realistic strategies, some of which reflect creative thinking.
Total / ______/28
______%
Conclusion
This exercise will help you to understand the plight of children in under-developed countries and how fortunate you are to live in this country. You should also have learned that there are solutions to problems such as this, but that the remedies are complex and involve a mixture of culture, human behavior, access to food resources, government and non-government organizations (NGOs), and food suppliers.
© Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health at
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University
Funding support from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health
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