Join the national conversation! Word Generation - Unit...

© Strategic Education Research Partnership 2010 1

Jimmy is in the vocational track at his school. This means all his classes are geared toward preparing him to get a job after high school. In English class, he learns how to give a convincing job interview. His math class focuses on ways businesses manage money. Jimmy wants to be a mechanic. His favorite class is auto shop. In auto shop, students fix cars and learn how to work with tools. Jimmy attends a comprehensive high school. The school offers different programs for different types of students. Some students are preparing for college. Others, like Jimmy, learn about different kinds of jobs such as hair styling, child care, wood working, and cooking. Graduates like Jimmy can get jobs in their field right out of high school. Previous graduates are working as hairstylists, plumbers, electricians, or medical technicians. These jobs do not require a college education, but they may require high-level math, reading, and writing. Some people think comprehensive schools are inherently better than college-preparatory schools. They think high schools should prepare students for whatever they want to do. People who support comprehensive schools point out that not everybody goes to college. These people believe that students

who want to work right after they graduate might be more motivated if they can take classes that will help them learn job skills. Vocational classes also let students experience different careers. Then students can decide what is right for them. Other people think high schools should prepare all students for college. They worry that students in vocational classes are getting a watered-down education and won’t be able to get into college if their career goals change. People who support college preparatory schools believe that all students should have an equivalent education and that the risks of having a vocational track exceed the benefits. In addition, supporters of college preparatory schools remind us that vocational classes often require expensive equipment. High costs for equipment means there is less money to pay teachers or buy textbooks for other subjects, like English or math. Supporters say that perhaps students who want vocational training should take special classes after high school to prepare for the jobs they want. Should high schools prepare everybody for college? Or should students be able to enroll in a vocational track?

Focus Wordsvocational | inherent | exceed | equivalent | focus!

!

Weekly Passage

Word Generation - Unit 3.13

SHOULD SCHOOLS HAVE A

VOCATIONAL TRACK?

Join the national conversation!

2 © Strategic Education Research Partnership 2010

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Unit 3.13 - Should schools have a vocational track?Problem of the Week

Blue Hills Regional Technical School is a vocational high school. Students focus on job training in programs like automotive technology, electrical technology, or early childhood education. Each student also has regular classes like math and English.

This table shows the number of credits each student needs to graduate:

1. How many credits in math, English, science, and social studies do students need to graduate?

a) 22

b) 65

c) 20

d) 104

2. What fraction of the total number of required credits are vocational credits? Is this more than half? Show or explain how you got your answer.

Discussion Question: Vocational tracks and vocational high schools are controversial. Some people say a vocational education is inherently unfair. Vocational students do leave high school with job training. However, they are less prepared for college. Should the students at Blue Hills have more math and English? What about science and social studies? Why or why not?

Subject Credits

English 8

Math 8

Science 3

Social Studies 3

Physical Education 3

Vocational Training 32

Other 3


Unit 3.13 - Should schools have a vocational track?Debating the Issue

When you argue your position, be sure to provide reasons and evidence to back up your opinion. Also, feel free to take your own position if you don’t agree with one of these four.

All high schools should offer a vocational and a college-

preparatory track. This means all students can choose to focus on what is most important to them.

There should be different high schools for students who want to go to college and for students who want immediate employment after graduation.

High schools should prepare all students for college, but should

offer vocational classes as electives. Students who take these electives

can learn about a job as they prepare for college.

All high schools should prepare students for college. Offering vocational classes exceeds the schools’ responsibilities. Students who want jobs can enroll in special classes after graduation.

POSITIONS1 2

3 4


Unit 3.13 - Should schools have a vocational track?Science Activity

Hearing ability can be damaged by frequently listening to noises that are too loud. MP3 players with earbuds are a popular way to listen to music. But if the volume exceeds safe levels, listeners can do long-term damage to their hearing.

Earbuds are inherently more dangerous because the sound is focused directly at the inner ear. Equivalent volume may have different effects on hearing loss when a listening device is used, and when that device is earbuds rather than headphones. Hearing loss can take many years to show up, so long-term studies are needed to understand the problem.

Question:How does listening without a hearing device, using earbuds, or using headphones affect hearing when the decibel level is the same? (Decibel is a unit of measurement for how loud or soft a noise is. 60 db is the loudness of a normal conversation, an alarm clock is about 80 db, and 110 db is about how loud a rock concert is).

Hypothesis:Earbuds will damage hearing more than headphones. Listening without a listening device will damage hearing least.

Materials:‣ Hearing test room‣ Survey

This activity is to practice thinking like a scientist and to use this week's focus words. Sometimes the data are based on real research, but they should never be considered true or factual.


Procedure:Middle school students were asked to keep a record of every time they listened to music using earbuds, headphones, or no listening device. They also wrote down the volume setting. Their hearing was tested every year for 10 years. Students were 13 when the study began and 23 when the study was completed.

Data:These are the (fictitious) data for students who listened to music at least 1-2 hours daily. They usually listened at a decibel level between 85-110db using either earbuds, headphones, or no listening device.

Conclusion:

Is the hypothesis supported or not by the data?

What evidence supports your conclusion?

How would you make this a better experiment?

After 1 year After 3 years After 6 years After 10 years

Earbuds No hearing loss No hearing lossVery mild hearing

lossMild-moderate

hearing loss

Headphones No hearing loss No hearing loss No hearing loss Mild hearing loss

No listening device No hearing loss No hearing loss No hearing loss No hearing loss


Writing PromptUnit 3.13 - Should schools have a vocational track? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordsvocational | inherent | exceed | equivalent | focus!

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In 2007, CBS began filming a reality TV series called Kid Nation. Forty kids, eight to fifteen years old, lived alone, without any adults, in a ruined town deserted in the late 1800s. The town had no running water or electricity. The director and camera operators were always present, but they did not interfere unless it was necessary. The kids made their own laws and had to cooperate with each other. The show’s producers divided the participants into four teams. Teams competed against each other for money and other rewards. Participating children had the choice to leave the show anytime they wished. In fact, three kids did leave in the middle of the show. Supporters of the program say this was a good opportunity for kids to learn about the challenges inherent in running a town. Supporters of Kid Nation thought the show gave kids an interesting opportunity to confront challenges collaboratively. Some kids emerged as leaders of the group, and others took on important roles in managing the town. All participants were rewarded for their work on the show with a $5,000 paycheck. Through the competitions, they also had the opportunity to earn gold stars worth $20,000 to $50,000. At the end of the show three participants received $50,000 gold stars. Opponents say CBS was exploiting the kids to make money. Some even accused CBS of not

caring about the kids’ safety or well-being during the series. They point out that the kids sometimes experienced dangerous situations. In one instance five kids drank bleach from unmarked bottles thinking it was water. While they all survived, none of the adults warned them or intervened to stop them. Opponents remind us that, in each episode, the kids were confronted with a “challenge” that was designed to create conflict on the set. On a TV show, conflict is more interesting than everyone getting along, so people who are against Kid Nation say this is another way that CBS exploited the kids. Furthermore, opponents remind us that the kids worked long hours and had limited privacy (kids were filmed all the time). CBS said that the program was like summer camp, so the station did not have to follow child labor laws that protect kids who work. Parents had to sign a contract stating they would not sue the television network if anything happened to their kids, which included the possibility of death. Supporters say this was a good opportunity for kids to develop leadership skills and make some money. Opponents suggest that the producers were mostly concerned with the show’s ratings and that they endangered and exploited the young participants. Supporters want there to be a Kid Nation 2.What is your opinion? Should there be a Kid Nation 2?

Focus Wordsemerge | exploit | furthermore | confront | interfere

Weekly Passage


SHOULD THERE BE A

KID NATION 2?



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Unit 3.14 - Should there be a Kid Nation 2? Problem of the Week

On Kid Nation, kids worked and played without adult interference. Teams competed in weekly showdowns. The Blue Team won the most showdowns. This team had 9 members. This stem-and-leaf plot shows the ages of these 9 kids.

1. Which of the following accurately lists the ages of the Blue Team kids?

a) 8, 9, 9, 10, 12, 12, 13, 13, 15

b) 8.99, 0.2235

c) 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15

d) 08, 09, 09, 102, 12, 133, 15

2. Opponents of Kid Nation argued that the show exploited kids. Furthermore, a doctor said that the younger kids, age 12 and under, were especially at risk. How many members of the Blue Team were 12 or under?

Discussion Question: The doctor in Problem 2 is a professor of child medicine. He has studied kids for a long time. He believes kids under 13 are too young for Kid Nation. Why do you think he believes this?

Ages of the Blue Team members0 | 8 9 9 1 | 0 2 2 3 3 5_______________________________Key:0 | 6 represents 63 | 4 4 5 7 represents 34, 34, 35, 37


Unit 3.14 - Should there be a Kid Nation 2? Debating the Issue


Kid Nation is a great opportunity for kids. Kid Nation 2 should be made in just the same way as Kid

Nation.

Kid Nation exploits kids and puts them at risk. Kid Nation 2 should not be made.

Kid Nation exploits kids. Kid Nation 2 should not be made until

the producers have better safety rules.

Kid Nation is a great opportunity for kids. Kid Nation 2 should be made but with clearer rules about when adults will become involved.

POSITIONS1 2

3 4


Unit 3.14 - Should there be a Kid Nation 2?Science Activity

Sometimes our brains make up memories of things that seem reasonable but didn’t really happen. Furthermore, we may be able to exploit the way the brain works to interfere with the creation of accurate memories. One way that scientists have tested this interference is by looking at how well people can accurately remember lists of words. For example, if someone hears the list chocolate, sugar, gum, lollipop, cupcake, marshmallow, cake, pie, sweet, and sticky, and then tries to remember what they heard, he or she will often remember incorrectly that “candy” was in the list. This is because all the words are related to the category of sweets, and candy is in that category.

Professor Seemy wanted to know if people who speak English as a first language are more easily tricked to misremember category-related words than people who learned English later in life (even though they now speak English quite well).

Question:Do native English speakers have stronger associations between words in the same category, and does that make them more susceptible to creating false memories in the word-list test of English words?

Hypothesis:Native English speakers will be more likely to create false memories in the word-list test than non-native speakers.

Materials:‣ 4 lists of 10 closely related words with missing category words (in the example above

“sweet things” was the category, and “candy” was the missing category word.)



Procedure:Native and non-native English speakers were read a list of 10 words and told to try to remember the list. 10 minutes later the readers wrote down the words they remembered. The list was checked for how many words they remembered correctly and whether any category-related words not on the original list (false memory words) were written down.

Data:

Conclusion:




Average number of correctly remembered

words

Percentage of people who “remembered” the false

category

Native English speakers 8 90%

Non-native speakers 6.5 75%


Writing PromptUnit 3.14 - Should there be a Kid Nation 2? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordsemerge | exploit | furthermore | confront | interfere

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Sixteen-year-old Matt describes himself as a 24-year-old intellectual on his MySpace profile. He says it is “easier to be taken seriously if people don’t know they’re talking to a 16 year-old” (Lenhart & Madden, 2007). Matt’s story is an example of how easy it is to lie on social networking websites. Matt’s lie may seem harmless, but some lies can put people in danger. Sometimes forty- and fifty-year-olds pose as teenagers on MySpace. Sometimes they contact teenagers through the website to try to become their friends. Sometimes they say sexual things. Sometimes they will ask for personal information, such as a telephone number or an address. The adults are looking for someone to harm or exploit, and they think lonely or insecure teens are prime targets. These adults are called online predators. It is sometimes difficult for a teenager to know how to deal with strangers online. Many teenagers try to have as many MySpace friends as possible. They often accept any “friend request.” Some people think MySpace should be responsible for protecting teens from online predators. They say that MySpace needs to do more to ensure that people are not posing as someone else. For example, they believe that MySpace should find a method to check users’ real identities. Others

believe that MySpace should raise the minimum age to 18 instead of the current limit, 14. Raising the minimum age will not stop imposters, but might make teenagers and parents more aware of the dangers. Moreover, eighteen-year-olds are legal adults and should be able to use MySpace safely. Others say MySpace cannot do any more than it is already is doing. There is no method to check a user’s real identity. If MySpace raises the minimum age, teens might go to unmonitored websites. These websites may be even more dangerous. Some think middle and high school students should have their own social networking site that has the safeguard of a school-affiliated email address. Some think that the schools have enough to do and it would be too difficult and costly for them to protect teens from online predators. They think parents are responsible for keeping their children safe by monitoring their teen’s internet use. For example, putting the family computer in a common space, such as the living room or family den, is one way that parents can monitor their internet activities. What do you think? Who should protect teens from online predators?

Focus Wordspose | contact | prime | minimum | unmonitored!

Weekly Passage


WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR

PROTECTING TEENS FROM

ONLINE PREDATORS?



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Unit 3.15 - Who is responsible for protecting teens from online predators?Problem of the Week

For many teens, the internet is an unmonitored environment. Teens are at risk. Dangerous adults may pose as other teens to make contact.

1. One in five teens is a victim of unwanted sexual talk or sexual requests. There are 300 students at Highland High School. About how many are likely to be victims?

a) 5

b) 45

c) 60

d) 105

2.“One in five teens” is equivalent to what percent? Show or explain how you got your answer.

Discussion Question: When children encounter unwanted sexual talk on the internet, only one in four tell an adult. This means three-quarters do not tell an adult. Why do you think so many young people keep silent?


Unit 3.15 - Who is responsible for protecting teens from online predators?Debating the Issue


MySpace should be held responsible for protecting teens

from online predators because MySpace created the social

network. They should at least set a minimum age of 18.

Nothing should change. Setting limits of any kind will only push teens to use other unmonitored websites.

It is the parents’ responsibility to protect their children. They need to monitor their kids’ internet activity.

The government should help set up school-affiliated email accounts for all middle and high school kids. This would create a protected space so adults cannot interact with teens online.

POSITIONS1 2

3 4


Unit 3.15 - Who is responsible for protecting teens from online predators?Science Activity

Warnings about online sexual predators are often highlighted on prime-time news. The news reports typically urge parents to monitor their teens’ internet use, especially on sites like MySpace, a social networking site for young people. But do online predators pose as big a threat to children as the media suggest?

The following study was conducted by researchers who wanted to gauge potential differences between teens and their parents in their views of the dangers. They asked how each group would rate the prevalence, and hence the risk, of online predators. They contacted 300 teens and their parents to find out.

Question:How do teen MySpace users and their parents/guardians view the prevalence of online predators?

Hypothesis:Parents and guardians believe online predators are more prevalent than do teens.

Materials:‣ Teen and parent/guardian surveys‣ 300 teens and their parents/guardians



Procedure:

Recruit teens who use MySpace at least once a month. Distribute surveys to them and to their parent or guardian. Tally results of the survey.

Data:

Conclusion:




Parents’ opinions

Teens’ opinions

Prevalence: Very rare 6% 19%

Some, but not too many 31% 46%

Quite a few 63% 36%

Media Coverage: Underestimates sexual predators 22% 12%

Close to the truth 43% 29%

Overblown 22% 30%

Very overblown 8% 13%

Way out of proportion 4% 16%


Writing PromptUnit 3.15 - Who is responsible for protecting teens from online predators? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordspose | contact | prime | minimum | unmonitored!

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Focus Wordsanonymous | underlying | capacity | adequately | harassment!

Weekly Passage


SHOULD SCHOOLS PROTECT KIDS

FROM CYBERBULLYING?


Sixteen-year-old Megan Meier was thrilled when she started chatting with Josh Evans on Facebook. Before she had been sad and lonely, but Josh was good-looking and very kind to her. He even told her that she was his “number one.” However, one day Josh’s messages suddenly turned from nice to cruel. Megan was devastated. She was so hurt and upset by the way he treated her that she committed suicide. Later, Megan’s parents learned that Josh Evans was not a real person. Neighbors had created the false profile to harass Megan. Whereas bullying has existed in schools for years, cyberbullying is a new method that bullies use to harm their victims. Cyberbullies use text messages, instant messages, email, or sites like Facebook to send harmful messages. Cyberbullying also includes spreading rumors and manipulating photographs online. Cyberbullying is especially common among middle school students. An estimated 42% of middle school students are involved in cyberbullying either as a bully or as a victim. When a child is having problems in school, cyberbullying can be an underlying cause. Students who are bullied online

may be afraid to come to school, participate in class, talk to their peers, or go to recess. When people are afraid, they are less able to learn. Perhaps schools should get involved to help stop cyberbullying. Some say school police officers should investigate cyberbullying as a crime of harassment. Others say teachers should talk with students about cyberbullying. Class discussions could address how to stay safe on the internet, how to handle cyberbullies, and where to get help if you are hurt by cyberbullies. Some people say schools should only be concerned with what happens at school, not with what happens out of school. They point out that schools have limited resources and do not have the capacity to adequately address cyberbullying. Since many of the harmful comments come from anonymous sources, teachers and principals do not have time to investigate who the cyberbullies are. Besides, some people say parents are the only people responsible for keeping teens safe on the internet. Do you think schools should protect kids from cyberbullying?


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Unit 3.16 - Should schools protect kids from cyberbullying? Problem of the Week

A 2006 study found that many teens get harassed online. Online, people can be anonymous. Cyberbullies can lie about who they are.

13% of teens said that a cyberbully had pretended to be them online

1/5 of teens said that a cyberbully had pretended to be someone else to trick them

1. What percent of teens said that a cyberbully had pretended to be someone else to trick them?

a) 20% b) 22%c) 15%d) 50%

2. Did more teens have a cyberbully pretend to be them, or did more have a cyberbully pretend to be someone else to trick them?

Discussion Question: Eighty-one percent of teens said that other teens cyberbully because they think it is funny. However, we know that people bully when they feel sad or angry, or have problems. What might be some underlying reasons that teens cyberbully?


Unit 3.16 - Should schools protect kids from cyberbullying? Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

Schools should only be concerned with student learning. If they are

responsible for disciplining cyberbullies, teachers and principals may not have time to do their job of

helping students learn.

Even though cyberbullying might not happen at school, it affects the students. Students need help from schools to address out-of-school problems that may affect their learning.

Schools should not discipline cyberbullies, the police should. Cyberbullying should be a crime. Cyberbullying is serious and cyberbullies should face serious consequences.

Parents are the only people who can actually stop cyberbullying. They

need to limit their children’s computer time and monitor their

messages.


Unit 3.16 - Should schools protect kids from cyberbullying?Science Activity

Professor Lexie Kahn and Professor Paul E. Seemy suspect that teens are more likely to harass their classmates online and through text messages than face to face because they can be anonymous. Teens who bully this way cannot see their victim’s reaction to their hurtful words. Some people think that without seeing the victim’s reaction, bullies don’t get adequate feedback about when they should stop bullying.

The following experiment aims to explore the underlying causes of persistent cyberbullying.

Question:Are people more likely to hurt others when they cannot see the victim?

Hypothesis:People are more likely to hurt others when they cannot see the victim.

Materials:‣ Fake electric shock device‣ Actor‣ 2 rooms, ‣ Subject (person who is being experimented upon)



Procedure:Subject Number One (unseen victim)

1. Bring subject into a room containing a fake shock device. Tell the subject this device is connected to a person in another room.

2. Instruct the subject to give a shock to the other person.3. When the subject presses the button, the actor will scream to pretend he is in pain.4. Instruct the subject to increase the intensity of the shock. Do this until the subject has

given five shocks altogether or until he refuses to give any more. With each shock the actor will scream louder.

5. Record the number of shocks the subject agrees to give.

Subject Number Two (visible victim)Repeat the steps above with the actor in the room with the subject. The subject will be able to see the actor’s face contort in pain.

Data:

Conclusion:




Unseen Victim

Shocker # of shocks given

A 5

B 5

C 4

D 5

E 5

Visible Victim

Shocker # of shocks given

A 2

B 1

C 3

D 5

E 4


Writing PromptUnit 3.16 - Should schools protect kids from cyberbullying? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordsanonymous | underlying | capacity | adequately | harassment!

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Focus Wordsdistribution | outweigh | anecdotal | front | sought!

Weekly Passage


SHOULD MARIJUANA BE ALLOWED

AS A MEDICAL TREATMENT?


Danny Miller was 14 years old when he was diagnosed with leukemia, a kind of cancer. He could not sleep or eat because of the pain. He had to take strong medicine to fight the cancer. The medicine made him vomit for hours on end. Danny lost his appetite and became dangerously thin. Doctors tried to make Danny more comfortable by giving him painkillers, but nothing seemed to work. Danny’s mom was so concerned about Danny’s nausea and weight loss that she suggested to her husband that they give Danny some marijuana. She had heard that it not only reduced nausea but helped give patients their appetites back. Danny’s father was shocked. Using marijuana is illegal, and the doctors at the hospital might report them to the police. Danny’s mother was so desperate that she sought out organizations that would help her acquire some marijuana without getting into trouble. She found such a group in Oregon. Marijuana has been used as a medicine for about 4,000 years. The debate about the use of marijuana as a medicine is an ongoing one. Medicinal marijuana is legal in California and in a few countries like Canada, Holland, and Spain, but there are laws in these places about its distribution. It generally requires a prescription from a doctor.

Supporters argue that both anecdotal evidence and research evidence show that medical marijuana is beneficial to some patients. They say that marijuana easily meets the government criteria that a medicine’s “benefits to users will outweigh its risks.” They say that marijuana can be used to ease the discomfort of many illnesses ranging from AIDS to cancer. Supporters point out that some legal prescription drugs have caused the death of some patients; there have been no reported cases of medical marijuana causing death. Organizations against the use of medical marijuana state that the government has not approved the drug because it is too dangerous. People who oppose medical marijuana also worry that even medicinal use of the drug sends the wrong message to kids. They say marijuana is addictive and can lead to other drug use. They remind us that marijuana injures the lungs and harms the immune system. They argue that the medical marijuana initiative is a front for people who are really just using marijuana for fun. They believe that other medications can have the same healing effects as medical marijuana without the dangers. What do you think? Should marijuana be recognized as proper medical treatment?


Un

it 3

.17

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Unit 3.17 - Should marijuana be allowed as a medical treatment? Problem of the Week

Medical marijuana is legal in California. People seek medical marijuana for different reasons. This graph shows the distribution of medical marijuana users.

1. Forty percent of people use medical marijuana for chronic pain. This includes people with arthritis, M.S., and migraine headaches. Which fraction is equal to 40%?

a) 1/4b) 4/9c) 2/5 d) 40/10

2. Draw a rectangle. Divide it into 10 equal boxes. Use your pencil to shade 40% of the boxes. How did you know how many to shade? Explain your reasoning.

Discussion Question:It is easy for doctors to tell if someone has cancer or HIV. However, doctors often find it hard to prove that someone has chronic pain or a mood disorder. Someone could say they have chronic headaches as a front then use the marijuana for fun. Fifty-five percent of the people in California who use medical marijuana have conditions that are hard to prove. Is this a problem? If so, how would you fix it?

Other23%

Mood Disorders15%

AIDS-related22%

Chronic Pain40%

California Medical Marijuana Use


Unit 3.17 - Should marijuana be allowed as a medical treatment?Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

Medical marijuana should be made completely legal just like aspirin. It has been used as a treatment for the

symptoms of many diseases from AIDS to cancer.

Medical marijuana should not be legal. There are other legal drugs available that can be used.

Medical marijuana should not be legal. Smoking marijuana harms the lungs and the immune system and can also lead to the use of other drugs. It is too dangerous to be used.

Medical marijuana treatments should be legal and carefully

controlled just like other prescription drugs. Thousands of

people die from prescription drugs each year but there has not been a single report of a death caused by

the use of medical marijuana.


Unit 3.17 - Should marijuana be allowed as a medical treatment? Science Activity

Professor Lexie Kahn’s mother has fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is an illness that causes pain in people’s joints and muscles. There are few treatments for fibromyalgia. It can make physical movement very painful for those who suffer from it.

THC, a chemical in marijuana, can block the processing of pain signals in the brain. Canadian doctors seeking a treatment for their patients with fibromyalgia distributed a pill that mimics the active ingredient in marijuana to their patients. They created a pill form of marijuana to prevent lung damage. The availability of this new form may cause opponents to change their opinion about medical marijuana. They may decide the benefits outweigh the risks.

Professor Kahn and her colleague, Professor Paul E. Seemy had heard anecdotal evidence of the pill’s ability to reduce pain but decided to test it with their own scientific experiment.

Question:Do patients with fibromyalgia who take the marijuana pill experience less pain?

Hypothesis:A pill made from the marijuana plant will ease pain of patients with fibromyalgia.

Materials:‣ 12 subjects diagnosed with fibromyalgia‣ 1-month supply of Nabilone (pill made of marijuana)‣ 1-month supply of placebo (sugar pill with no effect)‣ Pain Scale [teacher will provide link or handout]



Procedure:1. Ask every subject to rate their pain using a scale from 0 – 10, with 0 meaning “no

pain” and 10 meaning, “agonizing pain.” 2. Divide the group in half randomly.3. Give Group A Nabilone two times per day. Give Group B the placebo two times per

day. Do not tell subjects which group they are in.4. After 1 month, ask every subject to rate their pain using the same 0 – 8 scale.

Data:

Conclusion:




Group A (Nabilone)

Pain level before

experiment

Pain level after

experiment

Patient 1 8 3Patient 2 4 3Patient 3 5 1Patient 4 7 4Patient 5 6 4

Group B (placebo)

Pain level before

experiment

Pain level after

experiment

Patient 1 7 8Patient 2 4 4Patient 3 5 4Patient 4 3 5Patient 5 7 7


Writing PromptUnit 3.17 - Should marijuana be allowed as a medical treatment? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordsdistribution | outweigh | anecdotal | front | sought!

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Focus Wordsintrinsic | commodity | practitioner | evaluate | infer!

Weekly Passage


HOW SHOULD DOCTORS CHOOSE

RECIPIENTS FOR ORGAN

TRANSPLANTS?


In 2001, Tadamasa Goto came to the United States for a liver transplant at UCLA Medical Center. The transplant saved his life. Goto returned to Japan, where he leads a Yakuza gang called the Goto-gumi. His gang is said to engage in theft, blackmail, assault, and even murder. Many people were shocked and angry to hear that Goto had received a new liver. Healthy organs are a valuable commodity. Each year, thousands of Americans die waiting for organ transplants.

Goto did not break any rules to obtain the liver. In the United States, healthy organs are given to the sickest people, not the people who have waited the longest. Still, some people feel that the hospital should have denied Goto a new liver because of his criminal activities. Other people believe organs should not go to non-Americans. American taxpayers help fund American hospitals, and some people believe that these hospitals should help Americans first.

There are also those who think that the hospital acted correctly. They believe Goto has the same rights as any other patient. They do not want medical practitioners to evaluate whether patients are good or

bad people. Many religions and belief systems say that each person has intrinsic value, no matter who they are or what they have done. Doctors try to honor this intrinsic value by treating all sick people, even criminals, with equal care and respect.

Additionally, people who support Goto’s transplant remind us that no one can accurately predict how a person will act in the future. While we might infer from Goto’s past behavior that he may continue his criminal activities, no one knows for sure. Although some people believe that helping him live longer will just allow Goto to hurt more people, others say that he could repent and become a law-abiding person.

Interestingly, people born outside the United States donate about 20% of the UCLA medical center’s healthy organs. According to a UCLA doctor, denying transplants to foreigners could discourage these donations. About 95% of the hospital’s healthy organs are given to Americans.

What do you think? How should doctors decide who gets healthy organs?


Un

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actic

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pro

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(v.)

- to

deci

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Unit 3.18 - How should doctors choose recipients for organ transplants? Problem of the Week

Organs are a valuable commodity. Many people need a new heart, liver, or kidney to live. When an organ becomes available, medical practitioners must evaluate which patients would be good hosts.

1. As of December 24, 2009, there were 105,639 U.S. patients waiting for organ transplants. What digit is in the hundreds place?

a) 5b) 6 c) 3

2. Write 105,639 in expanded notation.

Discussion Question: Today, we think that each person has intrinsic value. A person who needs an organ transplant does not need to earn it. What if this were different? What if we awarded points for good behavior, and people with the most points earned the right to new organs? Should firefighters and police officers get points for keeping neighborhoods safe? Should artists get points for making beautiful art? How many? If it was your job to award these points, how would you do it?


Unit 3.18 - How should doctors choose recipients for organ transplants? Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

The hospital should have denied treatment to Tadamasa Goto. Livers are a scarce commodity, and foreign

criminals should not get organs before Americans who obey the law.

The hospital should have denied treatment to Tadamasa Goto. We can infer from Goto’s past actions that he will continue to hurt people in the future.

It was right for the hospital to give Tadamasa Goto a new liver. Doctors should not make medical decisions based on inferences about whether patients are good or bad people.

It was right for the hospital to give Tadamasa Goto a new liver. All sick

people deserve equal care and respect.


Unit 3.18 - How should doctors choose recipients for organ transplants?Science Activity

Professors Kahn and Seemy were curious about kidney transplants. Since people have two kidneys, some family members offer to donate one when someone in their family needs a new kidney. These family members infer that they would be the best donors because they have shared physical traits. Practitioners were unsure whether this was true. The professors decided to evaluate the data to see if the family members were correct.

Question:Are kidney transplants from family donors more effective than kidneys donated from strangers?

Hypothesis:Kidneys donated by family members are more effective than kidneys donated by strangers.

Materials:‣ Data from organ registry



Data:

Conclusion:



How would you make this a better study?

Donor Source Family member: Brother or Sister

Family member: Parent

Stranger

% of successful kidney transplants 95% 90% 92%


Writing PromptUnit 3.18 - How should doctors choose recipients for organ transplants? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordsintrinsic | commodity | practitioner | evaluate | infer!

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Focus Wordscompile | odds | predominantly | widespread | regulation!

Weekly Passage


SHOULD THE USE OF TRANSFATS

IN FOODS BE REGULATED?


The odds are high that you have eaten many foods with transfats, a kind of oil, in the last few days. The use of transfats is widespread. Predominantly found in fried and baked foods, such as French fries, doughnuts, cookies, pizza, and pastries, transfats give these foods their delicious flavor and appealing texture. Manufacturers use transfats because they help foods stay fresher longer. Researchers estimate that the average American consumes 5.8 grams of transfats per day.

Transfats are inexpensive to produce, so using them can lower the cost of producing food. But researchers say that people who eat foods with transfats are more likely to have heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends we each limit the transfats we consume to 2 grams per day. They say that the complete elimination of transfats from the American diet would reduce heart disease by 10-20%.

In the U.S., big food chains like Starbucks and Wendy’s have already stopped using

transfats. The city of New York passed a regulation banning transfats from restaurants. Some countries, like Denmark, have banned transfats from all foods. Some people say the U.S. should ban all transfats, too.

Others are against banning transfats. They argue that it is the consumer’s responsibility to decide what to eat and what to avoid eating. They think people are capable of using their own discretion. They say the government should compile data about transfats to help educate consumers about this health issue, but let consumers make their own choices. People who are opposed to banning transfats also point out that if people limit themselves to 2 grams per day, transfats may not be a major health risk. Besides, these people say, Americans value freedom and their freedoms should include freedom to choose the treats you like.

What do you think? Should the government ban transfats?


Un

it 3

.19

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th

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se o

f tr

an

sfat

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fo

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ove

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(adv

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nu

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ence

regu

latio

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telli

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to

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y or

cha

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that

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met

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will

ha

ppen

or b

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com

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(v.)

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Unit 3.19 - Should the use of transfats in foods be regulated?Problem of the Week

Concern about transfats is widespread. Many fast food chains now have menus that are predominantly transfat-free. For example, KFC has revised its recipes to remove transfat.

1. It used to be that a KFC Chicken Pot Pie had 14 grams of transfat. Jerrod ate two pot pies for lunch on Saturday, and two on Sunday. How much trans fat did he eat over the weekend?

b) 38

c) 66

d) 14

e) 56

2. The American Heart Association recommends that a person eat only 2 grams of transfat each day. How many days’ worth of transfat did Jerrod eat?

Discussion Question: Now that KFC has limited transfat on its menu, is eating at KFC healthy?


Unit 3.19 - Should the use of transfats in foods be regulated?Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

Foods prepared with transfats are bad for your health. Transfats should be totally banned by the government.

Transfats should not be banned. Consumers should make their own choices about what they eat. The government should educate the population about the risks of eating foods with trans fats but then let people make their own decisions.

The government should not ban transfats. It should issue a regulation taxing the industries that produce food with transfats. In this way, the government can help pay for the medical expenses of people who suffer the consequences of including transfats in their diets.

Transfats should be banned, but the government should find ways to

make healthy foods more affordable.


Unit 3.19 - Should the use of transfats in foods be regulated?Science Activity

Professor Seemy noticed that he was gaining weight. He decided to change his diet and get more exercise. He shared his plan with Professor Kahn. They began to discuss the increase in obesity in America. How much did the widespread use of transfats contribute to this increase, they wondered.

They decided to recruit 200 volunteers to help answer the question. All 200 volunteers recorded what they ate for one month. Some ate transfats. Some did not.

The next month all volunteers would eliminate transfats from their diets. Professors Seemy and Kahn compiled and analyzed the pre- and post-data. They used body mass index (BMI), a predominant measure of healthy weight. People with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese.

Question:How does eliminating transfats from a diet affect a person’s BMI?

Hypothesis:Eliminating transfats from your diet will lower your BMI.

Materials:‣ Transfat Recording Form‣ Body Mass Indicator (BMI)



Procedure:1. Recruit a group of 200 volunteers. 2. Ask the volunteers to keep a log of their diets for one month. Measure and record each

volunteer’s BMI.3. Ask the volunteers to eliminate transfats from their diet for the next month.

Everything else must remain the same: the amount they exercise, the other kinds and amounts of food they eat.

4. At the end of the month, compile and analyze the pre- and post-data.

Data

Conclusion:




Average BMI before experiment

Average BMI after experiment

People who did NOT eat transfats during the first month: 21.24 kg/m2 21.16 kg/m2

People who did eat transfats during the first month: 30.06 kg/m2 26.32 kg/m2

BMI: 18.5-24.9 - Normal25-29.9 - Overweight30 and above - Obese


Writing PromptUnit 3.19 - Should the use of transfats in foods be regulated? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordscompile | odds | predominantly | widespread | regulation!

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Focus Wordsscheme | subsequently | dominant | import | commission!

Weekly Passage



In March 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old college student at Virginia Tech, walked into a gun shop and bought a handgun. To purchase the gun, all he had to do was prove that he lived in Virginia and that he did not have a criminal record. This quick and easy process enabled him subsequently to carry out a terrible scheme. On April 16, 2007, Cho used the gun to kill 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus. Some people believe we should have laws in our country that make it harder to obtain handguns. These people argue that a handgun’s only purpose is hurting people. They think there might be fewer murders, armed robberies, and suicides if handguns were illegal. They also note that people who keep guns in their houses sometimes shoot someone accidentally. Sometimes children find the handguns and think they are toys. Sometimes people use the guns to shoot each other when they are angry. Later, those people wish it had not been so easy to hurt or kill the other person.

The Supreme Court, however, has decided that Americans have the right to own handguns and to keep them in their homes. Some people think this was a good decision. They argue that people need handguns to defend themselves against criminals. This is one of the widespread and dominant arguments for handgun ownership. In addition, some people think that if guns were illegal, only criminals would have them. They remind us that even if handguns were made illegal in the US, criminals could import them from countries where handguns are allowed. Some people argue that if it had been harder for Cho to get a handgun, perhaps the commission of all those murders could have been prevented. Others say that if Cho’s professors and fellow students had been carrying their own handguns, they would have been able to protect themselves. Should handguns be illegal? Or should Americans have the right to own them?

SHOULD HANDGUNS BE

ILLEGAL?


Un

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Unit 3.20 - Should handguns be illegal? Problem of the Week

The table below shows the average number of children killed by guns each year in 5 different countries.

1. How many more children are killed by guns in the U.S. than in Canada?

a) 5,132 b) 5,123c) 4,231d) 5,231

2. Estimate the total number of children killed by guns in these 5 countries each year. Show or explain your strategy.

Discussion Question: In the U.S., the dominant feeling is that people have a right to own guns. What if a gun ban could cut the number of child gun deaths in half? This would save over 2,500 children each year. Do you think this would change the dominant feeling? Why or why not?

CountryChild Gun Deaths

Per Year

United States 5285

Canada 153

Japan 0

France 109

Germany 57


Unit 3.20 - Should handguns be illegal?Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

It should be illegal to own a handgun in this country. This would mean that America would subsequently

have fewer murders and other violent crimes.

It should be legal to own a handgun in this country. People should have the right to defend themselves against criminals.

Only a small number of people should be allowed to have handguns. These people should have to prove that they need the guns and can use them safely.

Handguns should be legal, but difficult to get. People should have

to apply for a gun license and prove themselves competent to use a gun

before they can buy one.


Unit 3.20 - Should handguns be illegal? Science Activity

Countries have different views about citizens carrying guns. In some countries the import and export of guns is illegal, and no citizen can own a gun. But in other countries, the dominant feeling is that everyone should be permitted to own a gun to protect him or herself. Subsequent to reading about these differences, Professors Seemy and Kahn discussed whether these differences affect the odds that a citizen will respond aggressively to a situation. They were eager to explore this hypothesis.

Question:Are people more aggressive in countries that allow handguns?

Hypothesis:Citizens of countries that allow handguns are more aggressive than citizens of countries that do not allow handguns.

Materials:‣ Aggression Test



Procedure:1000 adults in each of the following countries were given a 10-question quiz to see how likely they were to react aggressively to different types of conflicts. Each question presented a different conflict and four reaction options. Scores on the quiz ranged from 10 (not aggressive) to 40 (very aggressive).

Data:

Conclusion:




Average scores on aggression testDo not allow handguns:

South Korea 17Great Britain 15

China 22Require a license to own a handgun:

India 20New Zealand 18

Massachusetts, USA 20Allow most citizens to own handguns:

Switzerland 25Israel 33

Virginia, USA 35


Writing PromptUnit 3.20 - Should handguns be illegal? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Wordsscheme | subsequently | dominant | import | commission!

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Focus Words trademark | explicit | media | compensation | prior

Weekly Passage


SHOULD PEOPLE BE ABLE TO

TRADEMARK PHRASES?


Last April, a restaurant with the name “Rosscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles” opened in Chicago. But there was a problem. A famous restaurant in Los Angeles had the same name except “Roscoe” was spelled with only one S. In addition to stealing the name, the Chicago restaurant had a logo that was similar to the one used by the original restaurant in Los Angeles. Copying the name and logo was an explicit violation of Roscoe’s trademark, so the Los Angeles restaurant immediately sued for trademark infringement. A Chicago court has ordered the Chicago restaurant to remove the name and logo from its business. The original Roscoe’s restaurant plans to seek money, or compensation, for damages.

A trademark is a word, name, or symbol used by a person or company to identify products and services. In the United States, you have to apply for a trademark which, if accepted, is then registered. Then no one else can use your trademark.

But trademarks can be tricky. The controversy is over how much and what kind of language we can claim as trademarks. For example, you cannot trademark descriptive words or terms like “liquid soap”

or a geographic term like “New York” (as in calling your bagels “New York Bagels”). But Snapple was able to trademark the phrase “made from the best stuff on Earth” to describe its juices and other products.

Phrases are also being trademarked. Paris Hilton trademarked the phrase “That’s hot!” as her own personal brand or catch phrase. Boxing promoter Bob Arum trademarked the phrase “Let’s get ready to rumble” which is a catchphrase used in boxing events. Thus, a trademark can become an explicit and unique mark of a person. The media and internet have gotten these phrases into widespread circulation at a faster rate. But trademarks aren’t new. Trademarks were used centuries ago, prior to the internet and mass media. The companies for the beers Lowenbrau and Stella Artois claim that their logos have been in use since 1383 and 1366 respectively.

What do you think? Should people be able to trademark words, names, or phrases for their exclusive use? Should they do it only for the purposes of selling a product or service? Should trademark applications be decided on a case-by-case basis? Where do you stand?


Un

it 3

.21

- S

ho

uld

pe

op

le b

e a

ble

to

tra

de

mark

p

hra

ses?

Fo

cus

Wo

rd C

hart

Wo

rdM

ean

ing

Fo

rms

Ex

am

ple

s o

f U

seN

ote

s

trade

mar

k(n

.) - a

dis

tinct

ive

mar

k or

feat

ure

that

id

entif

ies a

per

son

or

thin

g

prio

r(a

dj.)

- pre

viou

s

com

pens

atio

n(n

.) - p

aym

ent

med

ia(n

.) - f

orm

s of

com

mun

icat

ion

that

re

ach

a la

rge

num

ber

of p

eopl

e

expl

icit

(adj

.) - f

ully

and

cl

early

exp

ress

ed


Unit 3.21 - Should people be able to trademark phrases?Problem of the Week

Paris Hilton’s life is covered by the media. Millions of people have heard her say, “That’s hot.” In 2007, Hallmark began selling cards showing Hilton saying, “That’s hot.” A few months prior to that, Hilton had trademarked this phrase. She sued Hallmark. She asked for compensation based on the profits from the cards.

1. The Paris Hilton cards sold for $2.49. If 20% of the price is profit, how much profit is made on each card?

a) about $.50 b) about $.05c) about $10d) about $2

2. If Hallmark sold 10,000 Paris Hilton cards, how much profit would they make? Use your answer from the question prior to this one. Make your answer explicit.

Discussion Question: Do you think that Hallmark should compensate Paris Hilton? Why or why not?


Unit 3.21 - Should people be able to trademark phrases?Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

You should be able to trademark any word or phrase you want if you make it famous and people start using it in their daily lives. If you trademark a phrase or a word no one can take it

away from you.

You should only be able to trademark a common phrase or word if you are selling a product or service, not an idea.

Trademarks should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If businesses with the same name are in two different cities or even countries, this should not prevent both businesses from using that name. Only if for example, you copy the logo of the company should that be considered an explicit violation of the law.

People should not be able to trademark words or phrases that are

commonly used, such as “That’s hot!” in Paris Hilton’s case.


Unit 3.21 - Should people be able to trademark phrases?Science Activity

Professors Kahn and Seemy were very proficient at using new media such as text messaging and online social networks. However, they were continuously amazed by how quickly their students added new phrases to their language. Some phrases came from other media, especially music and television.

When the professors heard that “That’s hot” might become a trademarked phrase, they decided to explore this idea further. They wondered just how quickly a new phrase could become part of the daily conversation of students at their school. They gathered 50 student volunteers to help create a new phrase. The professors needed to ensure that no one had used the phrase prior to their experiment, and that its meaning was explicit. This would give their student volunteers a way of monitoring the phrase use among their friends.

Question:How quickly can a new phrase be introduced into everyday conversations and then regularly used?

Hypothesis:Within four weeks half the students within a social network will start to use the new phrase in conversations, including use in text messages, blogs, and online social networks.

Materials:‣ 50 students‣ New phrase



Procedure:1. Determine the new phrase. Gather 50 student volunteers and have them

simultaneously send a text message using the new phase. 2. Students record the number of times fellow students use the phrase in electronic

media over a four-week time period.3. Students record the number of different people who use the phrase in their

conversations and electronic media over the same four-week time period. 4. At the end of four weeks, gather and analyze all the data.

Data:

Conclusion:




Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

# of times phrased used with electronic media 153 375 1071 5362

# of different students who used the phrase 74 137 492 728


Writing PromptUnit 3.21 - Should people be able to trademark phrases? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Words trademark | explicit | media | compensation | prior

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Focus Words undergo | empower | implications | deny | role

Weekly Passage


IF YOU WERE A PARENT,

WOULD YOU BUY A DOLL THAT

MISREPRESENTED YOUR VALUES?


Cindy Jackson loves Barbie. When she was a little girl, she thought her Barbie doll was beautiful and glamorous. As an adult, she decided to undergo surgery to look more like Barbie. Doctors made her lips and breasts larger and her waist, legs, and nose thinner. She wrote a book about her life called Living Doll.

Of course, Cindy Jackson is an isolated case. Many children love Barbie, but very few will go to such extremes. Still, many adults worry about the implications of Barbie’s body-type as an ideal. They say that Barbie’s thinness makes her a dangerous role model. If Barbie were made the size of a real person, her waist would be narrower than a gallon bottle of milk. Real girls will never look like Barbie, even if they starve themselves, but they may try.

Adults also worry about Barbie’s emphasis on appearance. Some popular Barbies include Totally Hair Barbie and Top Model Barbie. Adults worry that Barbie’s glamorous looks, fancy clothes, and handsome boyfriends encourage girls to focus on beauty and boys instead of school, sports, and other interests. Focusing too much on appearance may hurt

girls’ self-esteem. To some people, Barbie represents women as pretty, but shallow.

Mattel, the company that makes Barbie, denies that the doll hurts girls’ self-esteem. Instead, it calls Barbie “a girl-empowering pioneer” who is “an inspiration to millions.” Before Barbie, most dolls were babies or little girls, not women. The woman who created Barbie thought that giving girls dolls that looked like beautiful women would make them feel good about growing up.

There are some reasons for thinking that Barbie could be a positive role model. Some Barbies are shown in strong roles, such as the Olympic Gymnast Barbie and the Barbie for President doll. Seeing a woman in these roles may encourage girls to set high goals. Also, Barbie’s body has changed over time. In 1997, Mattel made Barbie’s waist slightly thicker and her hips and breasts slightly smaller. The company said Barbie’s new body would look better in new clothing styles. But many think the company was responding to criticism.

What do you think? Would you buy a Barbie for your child?


Un

it 3

.22

- I

f yo

u w

ere

a p

are

nt,

wo

uld

yo

u b

uy a

d

oll

th

at m

isre

pre

sen

ted

yo

ur

val

ue

s?F

ocu

s W

ord

Ch

art

Wo

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ean

ing

Fo

rms

Ex

am

ple

s o

f U

seN

ote

s

unde

rgo

(v.)

- to

expe

rienc

e

empo

wer

ing

(adj

.) - g

ivin

g au

thor

ity o

r pow

er to

deny

(v.)

- to

decl

are

to b

e un

true

impl

icat

ions

(n.)

- lik

ely

cons

eque

nces

role

(n.)

- exp

ecte

d be

havi

or; a

job

or

func

tion


Unit 3.22 - If you were a parent, would you buy a doll that misrepresented your values?Problem of the Week

In 1965, Slumber Party Barbie came with a pink bathroom scale. The scale read 110 pounds. Some people were angry. The scale implied that 110 pounds was a good weight. People who were angry pointed out that girls who love Barbie might undergo dangerous dieting to be skinnier.

1. Doctors deny that 110 pounds is a good weight. They say a woman with Barbie’s size and shape should weigh at least 145 pounds. How many pounds should Barbie gain? Show or explain how you got your answer.

2. Barbie is designed to be 1/6 the size of a real woman. Barbie is 11.5 inches tall. How tall would the real woman be?

Discussion Question: If Barbie’s bathroom scale said 145 pounds, would it be a safer toy? Why or why not?


Unit 3.22 - If you were a parent, would you buy a doll that misrepresented your values?Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

I would not buy a Barbie doll for my child. Barbie is a bad role model.

Her thin body and her focus on clothes and boys have negative

implications.

I would only buy a “girl-empowering” Barbie for my child. Her exciting careers encourage girls to set high goals.

I would buy Barbie or any doll my child wanted. Dolls are not role models.

I would buy any Barbie for my child, but I would talk to my child

about Barbie’s unrealistic figure.


Unit 3.22 - If you were a parent, would you buy a doll that misrepresented your values?Science Activity

Advertisements on television, in magazines, and on the internet are filled with images of very, very thin women. Professor Lexie Kahn and Professor Paul E. Seemy know that many girls worry about their weight, and that even some third-graders go on diets. The professors decided to see what implications these advertisements had for the way girls thought about their own appearance.

Question:Can viewing advertisements featuring extremely thin women make girls of normal weight feel like they are fat?

Hypothesis:Girls who see a lot of advertisements featuring thin women will be more likely to describe themselves as overweight.

Materials:‣ Two surveys about body image‣ 15-minute DVD containing advertisements featuring very thin women‣ 15-minute DVD containing advertisements featuring women of all different weights



Procedure:1. Gather a group of 100 12-year-old girls with healthy weights.2. Give all girls the first survey, asking them if they are too thin, just right, or too fat. 3. Divide the girls into two equal groups.4. Show Group A the DVD containing advertisements featuring very thin women.5. Show Group B the other DVD.6. Give all girls the second survey, again asking if they are too thin, just right, or too fat.

Data:

Conclusion:




Before watching DVD After watching DVD

Number who say they are: Number who say they are:

Too thin Just right Too fat Too thin Just right Too fat

Group A 5 35 10 2 28 20

Group B 4 37 9 3 39 8


Writing PromptUnit 3.22 - If you were a parent, would you buy a doll that misrepresented your values? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Words undergo | empower | implications | deny | role

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Focus Words revenue | institute | incident | escort | invoke

Weekly Passage



Gina and her friends just lost their social life. Their local mall instituted a 6:00 p.m. curfew for anyone under 16 years old. Before the new curfew, their parents used to drop Gina and her friends off at the mall every Friday night to meet up with classmates and hang out. Now, the teens have to bring an adult guardian. Forty-six of 1,200 U.S. malls have instituted parental-escort policies. More malls are likely to invoke parental responsibility to monitor teen behavior in malls.

Malls are a common place for teens to hang out after school. Teens like being in the malls because malls provide a fun place to get together with friends from school and to meet students from neighboring schools. Many believe the mall is a safe and well-monitored environment for young people.

Most malls value teens as consumers, because store owners know teens have buying power. One recent study found that on a typical visit, 68% of teens spent two or more hours in the mall, and more than half of teens surveyed spent $50 of more during their last visit. Also, mall managers realize that teens are their future adult customers and, thus, do not want to discourage teens from coming to the mall.

However, malls were not designed to be babysitters for teenagers. Unfortunately, many malls have been forced to take on this role. One mall reported that misbehaving teens would hang over the railings, sometimes dropping food or spitting on customers below. At the same mall, two fifteen-year-olds fought over a pair of shoes and one of them was almost pushed over the railing. On another night, two gangs had a scuffle; one gang member had a gun and aimed it at an innocent bystander. After instituting the parental-escort policy, the Mall of America, the largest mall in the country, reported a decrease from 300 to only 2 incidents involving bad behavior by teens.

Big groups of teens who yell and fight create discomfort in older customers. Therefore, many older customers began to avoid the mall on Friday and Saturday nights. Since older customers have more money than most teens, mall managers want to encourage them to come back to the mall. One mall reported a 29% increase in revenue on Friday and Saturday nights after the curfew was instituted. Thus, the curfew not only makes the mall safer and more comfortable for all of the mall’s customers, but it also makes the mall more profitable as well.

Should malls be allowed to institute teen curfews? What do you think?

SHOULD SHOPPING MALLS

BE ALLOWED TO INSTITUTE

TEEN CURFEWS?


Un

it 3

.23

- S

ho

uld

sh

op

pin

g m

alls

be

all

ow

ed

to

in

stit

ute

te

en

cu

rfe

ws?

Fo

cus

Wo

rd C

hart

Wo

rdM

ean

ing

Fo

rms

Ex

am

ple

s o

f U

seN

ote

s

inst

itute

d(v

.) - s

et u

p

esco

rt(v

.) - a

ccom

pany

reve

nue

(n.)

- inc

ome

inci

dent

(n.)

- eve

nt, u

sual

ly

occu

rrin

g in

co

nnec

tion

with

so

met

hing

els

e

invo

ke(v

.) - t

o ca

ll fo

rth


Unit 3.23 - Should shopping malls be allowed to institute teen curfews? Problem of the Week

Groups of teens make mall owners nervous. These owners worry that teens will cause violent incidents or scare away customers.

1. Forty-six of 1,200 U.S. malls have instituted parental-escort policies. How many malls do NOT have parental-escort policies?

a) 1,146b) 1,154 c) 1,300d) 154

2. What percent of the 1,200 malls have parental-escort policies? Show or explain how you got your answer.

Discussion Question: Malls that have instituted parental-escort policies are happy with the results. However, most malls do not have these policies. Why not?


Unit 3.23 - Should shopping malls be allowed to institute teen curfews?Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

Malls should be allowed to institute teen curfews and guardian policies.

Malls are businesses, and mall owners should be able to set policies

that will help them make more money.

Malls should be allowed to institute teen curfews and guardian policies if they have had an incident that makes their customers unsafe.

Malls should not be allowed to institute teen curfews. Setting a curfew for all teens is punishing all teens for the bad deeds of a few.

Malls should not be allowed to institute teen curfews because teens

need a safe place to go. In many towns the mall is the only safe place

to go.


Unit 3.23 - Should shopping malls be allowed to institute teen curfews?Science Activity

The bad behavior of teenagers has business owners thinking about how to better protect their customers as well as their revenue. Shop owners know that calling the police to escort unruly teenagers from their stores is not only somewhat extreme, but also just bad for business. Some creative business people decided to institute a method other than curfews and calling the police to keep teens from hanging out at their businesses and bothering their clientele. This new method constitutes a speaker system that plays an annoying sound called Mosquito Teen Repellent that only people between the ages of 12 and 25 can hear.

As people get older, their ability to hear high-frequency tones diminishes. Therefore, a high-pitched tone at 17.5 and 18.5 kHz can usually only be heard by teens. Most business owners only invoke this method as a last resort. The makers of the Mosquito Repellent claim that it reduces incidents of vandalism, graffiti, and loitering. Using the Mosquito Teen Repellent for about 20 minutes will annoy loitering teens enough so they will leave.

The writers of Word Generation could not hear the Mosquito tone. Can your class?

Question:How many ________ and ________ year-olds can hear the Mosquito tone?

Hypothesis:Most of the students in this science class will be able to hear the Mosquito tone.

Materials:‣ Internet access‣ The Mosquito tone: http://audiocheck.net/audiotests_mosquito.php‣ Your class in a quiet room‣ Computer speakers


http://audiocheck.net/audiotests_mosquito.php



Procedure:1. Count the total number of students in your class. 2. Record this number in your table. 3. Tell the students to close their eyes and put their heads down. 4. Tell the students to raise their hands if and when they hear the noise. 5. Play Mosquito 1 from

http://audiocheck.net/audiotests_mosquito.php (Make sure your volume is turned up to the maximum level.)

6. Count the number of students who heard the noise. 7. Record this number in your table. 8. Repeat steps 2 through 7 with Mosquito 2 from


Data:

Conclusion:




Total # of students

# of student who hear

# of student who don’t hear

Mosquito 1 tone

Mosquito 2 tone






Writing PromptUnit 3.23 - Should shopping malls be allowed to institute teen curfews? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Words revenue | institute | incident | escort | invoke

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Focus Words visible | isolate | discretion | mandatory | outcome

Weekly Passage



“Police!” shouted the officer, but no one answered. “Open up!” his partner shouted. Slowly, the door opened. Joel Steinberg was inside, carrying his nine-year-old daughter, Lisa. He had called 911 to say his daughter had gotten sick and stopped breathing, but Lisa had visible bruises and broken bones. Steinberg had beaten her to death. Although this terrible incident occurred in 1987, it is not an isolated event. An estimated four children die each day in the United States from abuse. Some people say mandatory licensing for all parents could prevent such child abuse. With mandatory licensing, men and women would take parenting classes prior to becoming parents. They would learn what they should and should not do to raise children well. In the U.S., we mandate that people get licenses for activities that, if done incorrectly, could cause harm. For example, we license drivers, gun dealers, doctors, teachers, and plumbers. Why not license parents too? Those in favor of licensing parents say that, in order to be prepared to be good parents, people need to know about children’s development and children’s developmental needs. License supporters point out that parenting can be very stressful. All parents need

to acquire positive discipline strategies and to learn where to get help when they need it. Also, parenting classes could improve parents’ behavior with their children. For example, after learning about the benefits of reading aloud to children, parents may decide to read to their children more frequently. Others oppose mandatory licensing of parents. They say licensing won’t ensure that children are safe any more than licensing drivers ensures that there will be no car accidents. In other words, if licensing drivers does not guarantee a good outcome, why should we believe that licensing parents will ensure better parenting outcomes? In addition, no class could teach parents everything they need to know. Besides, licensing opponents argue, we all have a right to have children. If someone cannot take the classes, should he or she lose the right to be a parent? Those who oppose mandatory licensing also say the way we raise children should be left to each family’s discretion. In addition, licensing parents is not practical. Even if a licensing program is a good idea, it cannot be enforced. What do you think? Should it be mandatory to get a parent license?

SHOULD IT BE MANDATORY TO GET

A LICENSE TO BE A PARENT?


Un

it 3

.24

- S

ho

uld

it

be

man

dat

ory

to

ge

t a

lice

nse

to

be

a p

are

nt?

Fo

cus

Wo

rd C

hart

Wo

rdM

ean

ing

Fo

rms

Ex

am

ple

s o

f U

seN

ote

s

man

dato

ry(a

dj.)

- req

uire

d

isol

ated

(adj

.) - s

et a

part

from

ot

hers

; con

fined

disc

retio

n(n

.) - i

ndiv

idua

l ch

oice

visi

ble

(adj

.) - c

apab

le o

f be

ing

seen

outc

omes

(n.)

- res

ults


Unit 3.24 - Should it be mandatory to get a license to be a parent? Problem of the Week

Child abuse is a big problem. Parents use their discretion to decide how to treat their children. Sadly, some of these parents use violence. Some people think mandatory parent licenses will help stop child abuse.

About 4 children are killed each day by abusers. Three-quarters of these children are killed by parents. This graph shows the average number of children killed each day by abusers several years ago.

1. Which years are visible on the graph?a) 1999 – 2004b) 1999 – 2003 c) 1990 – 2000d) 1990 – 2004

2. The 5 values on the graph are 3.82, 3.72, 3.56, 3.84, and 4.11. List these numbers in order from least to greatest.

Discussion Question: You are president of a group of students that wants mandatory parent licenses in Massachusetts. You will speak to the state legislature tomorrow. You will use this graph to help you make your case. What will you say?

3.0

3.4

3.8

4.2

4.6

5.0

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

3.823.72

3.56

3.84

4.11


Unit 3.24 - Should it be mandatory to get a license to be a parent? Debating the Issue


POSITIONS1 2

3 4

There should be mandatory licensing for parents. Licenses would protect

children and educate parents.

Parenting classes should be mandatory for very young parents, but parents over 20 should not be forced to get a license.

There should not be mandatory licensing for parents. Everyone should be free to raise their children as they want.

Licensing for parents should be optional. Parents could choose

whether or not to take classes to learn how to raise their children if

they want to.


Unit 3.24 - Should it be mandatory to get a license to be a parent?Science Activity

Physical abuse of children leaves visible marks, but it also can leave other hidden marks on how a child’s brain develops. Abused children often feel isolated and lonely. They typically get a great deal of exposure to angry facial expressions and less exposure to happy facial expressions. Because abused children are used to seeing people angry, they may have trouble recognizing when people are happy. Being unable to recognize a happy face could create a new kind of negative outcome for abused children because they would be less able to respond appropriately to happy expressions. These children might even misinterpret the happy faces as angry because that is the expression they are used to seeing.

Question:Does abuse make children less able to accurately recognize facial expressions?

Hypothesis:Children who have been physically abused will be less accurate in categorizing facial expressions than children who have not been abused.

Materials:‣ Facial expression recognition tests



Procedure:Children were asked to look at a series of photographs. The photographs showed people with different expressions: happy, sad, angry, and fearful. Children were asked to tell the researchers which expression was on each face.

Data:

Conclusion:




Happy Faces Sad Faces Angry Faces Fearful Faces

Children with physical abuse

85% accurate15% chose fearful

75% accurate25% chose angry 100% accurate

80% accurate20% chose sad

Children who were not abused 100% accurate


98% accurate2% chose sad



Writing PromptUnit 3.24 - Should it be mandatory to get a license to be a parent? Support your position with clear reasons and specific examples. Try to use relevant words from the Word Generation list in your response.

Focus Words visible | isolate | discretion | mandatory | outcome

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Join the national conversation! Word Generation - Unit...

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