Title, Learner Characteristics, and Sunshine State Standards

Problem Based Learning for At-Risk Students

Teacher:Ms. Jeanne Blackwell

Title:Helping Our Friends

Primary Subject Area:Language Arts

Outside Subject Area:Health

Class and Level:Language Arts/Supported/Basic

Grade Level:8th Grade

______

Students become community members, district and school-based personnel teams to act as a resource to a student committee responsible for creating a school-wide marketing campaign for dropout awareness/dropout prevention. The committee is assigned the task to improve the awareness of the consequences of dropping out of school. The issues that are addressed are:

Reducing alcohol and drug use
reducing the dropout rate by the end of the school year
increasing knowledge of salaries of dropouts compared to students who have graduated
communicating and generating input from the school’s administration, teachers, school resource officer, and fellow students
recruiting new members to participate in our Friends Helping Friends Committee?

Adaptations for Non-Western Culture

Include resources from the student’s culture

Include audience member from the student’s culture

Adaptations for ESOL Students

Have a committee member give the presentation in student’s native language

Allow a translator when needed, if available

Have marketing material translated and posted in native language.

Title, Learner Characteristics, and Sunshine State Standards

Problem Based Learning for At-Risk Students

Teacher:Ms. Jeanne Blackwell

Title:Helping Our Friends

Primary Subject Area:Language Arts

Outside Subject Area:Health

Class and Level:Language Arts/Supported/Basic

Grade Level:8th Grade

______

Primary Sunshine State Standards:

LA.8.3.1.1: The student will prewrite by generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., prior knowledge, discussion with others, writer’s notebook, research materials, or other reliable sources) based upon teacher-directed topics and personal interests.

LA.8.4.3.1: The student will write persuasive text (e.g., advertisements, speech, essay, public service announcement) that establishes and develops a controlling idea, and supports arguments for the validity of the proposed idea with detailed evidence.

Outside Subject Area Sunshine State Standards from Health:

HE.C.2.3.4: The student knows how to influence others to make positive choices.

Learner Characteristics of Middle School Students:

Physical: Physical growth during the middle school years is very rapid. In addition, there is a drastic timing difference in growth spurts. Both boys and girls experience growth spurts with timing differences; some may be early maturing while others may be late maturing. All of the drastic changes at this time cause most adolescents to have sensitive feelings about their bodies and mixed thoughts and feelings.

Justification: The changes that occur during these years may cause detachment, resentment, and anger toward peers at school which results in a dislike for the school environment.

Social: During these critical growth years, adolescents must feel that they belong to a group and receive social approval.

Justification: If students do not feel welcome or that they do not fit into the ‘smart’, ‘attractive’, or ‘popular’ groups, they will seek alternative groups that can lead to delinquent behavior resulting in a path that does not hold school and learning as a priority.

Emotional: This age group places much emphases on appearance, social issues, and belonging. They are self-conscious and feel that no one understands their feelings and needs.

Justification: Helping students feel they belong in the school environment and feel wanted and supported will encourage students to want to attend school and develop a desire to learn. Many at-risk students do not feel that they belong in school because of poor grades and behavior problems.

Cognitive: Middle school students need a classroom environment that is extremely supportive and intellectually interesting. These students need to be involved in the decision making of the classroom structure. This participation will enhance cooperative learning among the students as well as increase motivation.

Justification: Students, who are involved feel part of a group, and feel accepted by peers and the teacher will more likely place school and learning as a priority and look forward to the school day rather than detaching from it.

Cognitive: Competition and social comparisons are important to this age group.

Justification: Students in the at-risk population do not view themselves as competent and successful in the school setting. This results in the dislike for school and potentially dropping out of school. Structuring a classroom for success of each student builds self-confidence, motivation, and the desire to belong to a positive setting.

Title, Learner Characteristics, and Sunshine State Standards

Problem Based Learning for At-Risk Students

Teacher:Ms. Jeanne Blackwell

Title:Helping Our Friends

Primary Subject Area:Language Arts

Outside Subject Area:Health

Class and Level:Language Arts/Supported/Basic

Grade Level:8th Grade

______

Primary Sunshine State Standards:

Learning Outcome #1

After reading each chapter of The SevenHabits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean
Covey, the student will compose a summary foreach chapter in the student’s writer’s notebook scoring at least 5 out of 7 on each chapter summary according to the rubric provided. (Synthesis)

Learning Outcome #2

The student will read the article Why Students Drop Out, examine the reasons, discuss in small groups and create an accurate Know/Need to Know Board which contains at least 7 accurate ‘Known’ facts and 10 ‘Need to Know’ statements/questions. (Analysis)

Learning Outcome #3

After discussing the book, The SevenHabits of Highly Effective Teens, in small groups, the students willthe ratefive most important habits that will help friends stay in school and provide at least one accurate justification for each habit. (Evaluation)

Outside Subject Area Sunshine State Standards from Health:

HE.C.2.3.4: The student knows how to influence others to make positive choices.

Learning Outcome #4

The student will design a drop out prevention website as a group activity using individual information gathered, scoring at least a 15 on the rubric provided. (Synthesis)

Description of Student Roles

Students become the role of key school district personnel (teacher, school board member, SRO officer, school district administer, principal of school) at a fictitious middle school to assess the growing problem of student dropouts.

Meet the Problem Document

Shell Island School District

444 Island Creek Road

Dolphin, FL 56565

Memo

To:School Personnel

From:Dr. Jennifer Cares

Shell Island Superintendent

Date:January 15, 2008

Attached is an article that I would like for all school personnel to read and be ready to discuss and formulate three suggestions for each school principal to present at the district level meeting on January 31, 2008.

This is a very serious problem that requires the attention of all staff at every level.

Below is the article from the Hurricane Herald:

Shell Island Middle School Principal Dr. Jennifer Cares has a chart she sometimes shows students who are thinking about dropping out of high school.

The numbers on her chart show the difference in earnings between those who earn a high school diploma and those who never finish.

“They can expect to be flipping burgers or to be a gofer,” Dr. Cares said when asked what she tells students about the types of jobs for which a person without a high school diploma can expect to be hired.

“On average, Florida’s more than 340,000 working-age dropouts each earn $8,000 less than high school graduates each year, totaling $2.8 billion,” according to a June report, “The High Cost of Florida’s Low Graduation Rate,” published by the Milton and Denise DoBetter Foundation and the Florida Policy Council.

Across Florida, the number of students who leave school before graduating is enormous.

In the 2004-06 average graduation rates for area school districts ranges from 71.3 percent at Shell Island Middle School to 73.6 at Dolphin Middle School.

Statewide, according to the report from the policy council, the rate could range from 70 percent, based on state numbers, to 50 percent.

“It’s a major problem. We’re not the worst in the nation, but we’re one of the worst. We’ve got to address it,” said Dr. Cares said.

She estimated that only 60 percent of Florida students are completing high school or getting their GED diploma.

That reverse “brain drain” shows up in many ways.

Former students earn less, are more likely to end up in jail or on the public social services system. And the problem sends a signal to prospective businesses that the state is not serious about education, educators and dropout experts said.

Most people could not imagine a business succeeding if it threw away 20 percent of what it produced, said Heidi Ho, executive director of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network at Florida State University.

“Then why should we as a society be willing to allow 20 percent or more of our youngsters not have a high school diploma?” Ms. Heidi Ho asked.

And it’s not just a serious issue in Florida.

In Georgia, the problem is even worse: It ranges from slightly more than half of the students not completing high school on time to one in four never finishing.

“The trends in high school graduation rates in Southern Regional Education Board states are depressing,” according to a 2006 report by the 16-state organization. “Southern Regional Education Board states — as well as others in the nation — have to get serious about the importance of high school graduation.”

Attachment for Students

Why Students Drop Out

REASONS WHY YOUTH DROP OUT

Both school problems and personal factors are reasons for dropping out.

Didn't like school in general or the school they were attending.

Were failing, getting poor grades, or couldn't keep up with school work.

Didn't get along with teachers and/or students.

Had disciplinary problems, were suspended, or expelled.

Didn't feel safein school.

Got a job, had a family to support, or had trouble managing both school and work.

Got married, got pregnant, or became a parent.

Had a drug or alcohol problem.

EARNINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DROPOUTS

The gap between dropouts and more educated people is widening as opportunities increase for higher skilled workers all but disappear for the less skilled.

In the last 20 years the earnings level of dropouts doubled, while it nearly tripled for college graduates.

Recent dropouts will earn $200,000 less than high school graduates, and over $800,000 less than college graduates, in their lives.

Dropouts make up nearly half the heads of households on welfare.

Dropouts make up nearly half the prison population.

Problem Statement, Know/Need to Know Board and

Resources

Problem Based Learning for At-Risk Students

Teacher:Ms. Jeanne Blackwell

Title:Helping Our Friends

Primary Subject Area:Language Arts

Outside Subject Area:Health

Class and Level:Language Arts/Supported/Basic

Grade Level:8th Grade

Problem Statement:

How can we, as the Friends Helping Friends Committee, develop strategies that will influence fellow students to stay in school in such a way that

We reduce alcohol and drug use
We reduce the dropout rate by the end of the school year
We increase knowledge of salaries of dropouts compared to students who have graduated
We communicate and generate input from the school’s administration, teachers, school resource officer, and fellow students
We recruit new members to participate in our Friends Helping Friends Committee?

Resources

Books:

Reimer, Mary. (2005). Do You Really Want to Drop Out? You Ought to Know the Fact!

National Dropout Prevention Center/Network

Covey, Sean. (1998). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens,Fireside: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Websites:

By Bill Betzen, middle school computer applications teacher, Dallas, Texas

5-28-07 Bill Betzen,

|Institute of Education Sciences

Videos

Discovery Education, Rhonda Lucas Donald, Reality Matters, Risky Business

Human Relations Media, Dropout Prevention Series

Capstone Performance

Problem Based Learning for At-Risk Students

Teacher:Ms. Jeanne Blackwell

Title:Helping Our Friends

Primary Subject Area:Language Arts

Outside Subject Area:Health

Class and Level:Language Arts/Supported/Basic

Grade Level:8th Grade

______

Primary Sunshine State Standards:

Learning Outcome #1

Learning Outcome #2

Learning Outcome #3

Outside Subject Area Sunshine State Standards from Health:

HE.C.2.3.4: The student knows how to influence others to make positive choices.

Learning Outcome #4

The student will design a dropout prevention website as a group activity using individual information gathered, scoring at least a 15 on the rubric provided. (Synthesis)

Description of Student Roles

Students become the role of key school district personnel (teacher, school board member, SRO officer, school-district administrators, principal of school, community members, and students) at a fictitious middle school to assess the growing problem of student dropouts.

Capstone Performance Description

Problem Statement:

How can we, as the Friends Helping Friends Committee, develop strategies that will influence fellow students to stay in school in such a way that

We reduce alcohol and drug use
We reduce the dropout rate by the end of the school year
We increase knowledge of salaries of dropouts compared to students who have graduated
We communicate and generate input from the school’s administration, teachers, school resource officer, and fellow students
We recruit new members to participate in our Friends Helping Friends Committee?

The teacher will divided the students into groups of 4 to discuss their individual chapter summaries of the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.After discussing the chapter summaries, each group will rate the five most important qualities for students to acquire to assist them in graduating from school. Each group will state two possible solutions to influence fellow students to stay in school addressing the issues in the problem statement. Each team will select the ‘Best Solution’ and explain. Each member of the team of four must provide one justification for the team selecting this solution. The solutions and justifications will be presented orally in the Destination Graduation Summit.

The students will remain in the same groups; each group will be assigned a role (i.e. district administration; school-based administration, community members, or students (Friends Helping Friends Committee). Based on the Know and Need to Know Boards, the groups will formulate ideas and suggestions to present at the *Destination Graduation Summit. The groups will then meet in their acting roles to design a school-based plan on dropout prevention.

The Destination Graduation Summit will take place in two meetings. The first meeting will be to discuss each group’s thoughts and ideas and to create the first draft of the information that can be used to market within the school through flyers, posters, brochures, and the final product the Destination Graduation Website.

The Friends Helping Friends Committee will meet after the Summit to discuss and create a final draft of the information to present at the following Summit meeting. The Summit will meet for the second time to review the committee’s final draft and make any changes if necessary.

After all materials are approved the entire class will become the Friends Helping Friends Committee. The committee will begin working with the teacher on the production of the materials and the Destination Graduation Website.

Students will submit an individual writer’s notebook compiling the following assignments:

Chapter summaries (graded by rubric);
Top five rated important habits of successful teens with one justification for each;
Know and Need to Know Board including 7 accurate ‘Known’ facts and 10 ‘Need to Know’ statements/questions, and;
Website development; each student will be responsible for submitting an individual handwritten web page with at least two links to additional pages (graded by rubric).

The writer’s notebook will be graded individually according to the rubric provided scoring at least a 15.