IN THE GREAT GATSBY

Created by Mr. Wade

English Department

Christopher Columbus High School

Bronx, New York

Spring 2005

Introduction:

The Great Gatsby covers the period of American history known as “Prohibition,” the period between 1919 and 1933 in the United States when the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal. In the USA, this was done by means of the Eighteenth Amendment (ratified January 16, 1919) and the Volstead Act (passed October 28, 1919). Prohibition began on January 16, 1920 when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect.

Prohibition also presented lucrative opportunities for organized crime to take over the importation ("bootlegging"), manufacture and distribution of alcoholic beverages. Al Capone, one of the most famous bootleggers of them all, built his criminal empire largely on profits from illegal alcohol.

Task:

As part of an independent study, you have been recruited to investigate the affects of alcohol abuse in the United States. In a group of four, you will create a five-page Power Point presentation detailing your findings.

You will use the TIPS Public Policy Analysis format

Process: You and your group will responsible to:

1. Create a five-page PowerPoint presentation which identifies alcohol abuse as a social problem. You must present evidence that this problem exists in our country, and determine its causes and effects. You must also propose possible solutions. You must follow the six steps of the Public Policy Analysis (PPA) in your research.

2. Ensure that each group member completes and submits the following PPA worksheets, which are hyperlinked below:

· Identifying the Problem, and Worksheet #1

· Gathering Evidence, and Worksheet # 2

· Identify Causes of the problem, and Worksheet # 3

· Evaluate the Policy, and Worksheet #4

· Develop a solution to the Problem, Worksheet #5

· Selecting the Best Solution, and Worksheet #6

RESOURCES:

Search Engines

http://www.google.com/

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.yahooligans.com/

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Drug and alcohol abuse, treatment, prevention at SAMHSA's National ...

Resources on Teen Alcohol Use and Abuse

Alcohol Abuse: How to Recognize Problem Drinking -- familydoctor.org

National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc.

Alcohol abuse problems - alcoholism health effects and causes

Alcohol Abuse and Domestic Violence

Alcohol Abuse Screening Quiz

Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States ...

Evaluation Rubric:

Power Point Presentation

Quality	A (5)	B (4)	C (3)	D (2)	F (1)
Aesthetic	-High quality, appropriate, provactive photos composed in a pleasing manner	-Approriate photos related to the topic and composed in an acceptable manner.	-Average photos. Not very provocative or stimulation halfhazardly strewn.	-Poor or inapprorpaiate photos or visuals. Poorly representative of Columbus and Mr. Wade.	-No photos or visuals..
Language & Conventions	-Excellent vocabulary. -Varies sentence structure and length. -Perfect grammar, spelling, and paragraphs.	-Strong vocabulary. -Good variety of sentences. -Very good grammar, spelling, and paragraphs.	-Average vocabulary. -Average variety of sentences. -Average grammar, spelling, and paragraphs.	-Poor vocabulary. -Poor variety of sentences. -Poor use of grammar, spelling, and paragraphs.	-No attention to vocabulary usage. -No variety in sentence structure. -Incorrect grammar, spelling, and paragraphs.
Format	6-step Public Policy Analyst (PPA) format followed perfectly.	PPA format mostly followed.	PPA format followed Inconsistently.	Little or confused understanding of PPA format.	No use of PPA format.

STANDARDS: English Language Arts Standards

1 Reading

A	Read twenty-five books of the quality and complexity illustrated in the sample reading list.
B	Read and comprehend informational materials.

2 Writing

A	Produce a report of information.
B	Produce a persuasive essay.

3 Speaking, Listening, and Viewing

A	Participate in one-to-one conferences with the teacher.
B	Participate in group meetings.
C	Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

4 Conventions, Grammar, and Usage of the English Language

A	Independently and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.
B	Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

5 Public Documents

A	Critique public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse.
B	Produce public documents.

6 Functional Documents

A	Critique functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents.
B	Produce functional documents appropriate to audience and purpose.

7 Information Tools and Techniques

A	Gather information to assist in completing project work.
B	Use on-line sources to exchange information for specific purposes.
C	Use word-processing software to produce a multi-page document.
D	Write, add content to, and analyze a relational data base.

8 Tools and Techniques for Working With Others

A	Participate in the establishment and operation of self-directed work teams.

STANDARDS: Mathematics

Putting Mathematics to Work

A	Data study.

CONCLUSION:

Congratulations, you have successfully finished your first web quest. You have researched and analyzed the social problem of alcohol abuse using the TIPS Public Policy Analyst guidelines. You have also learned to develop a five-paragraph PowerPoint Presentation using websites for evidence and information to complete your task. GOOD JOB!