Create a Solution to the Crisis in American Education

 How would you solve America’s educational crisis? Work in a small group of five students to come up with an innovative and creative solution to the problem. It shouldn’t be similar to anything that’s been tried before. Use the articles and lectures provided in the unit as sources to support your ideas. Also, be sure to use sources that contradict your ideas and to refute their arguments. Mention each source at least one time. Use APA style when citing your sources. Your group should take each of the questions below into consideration. Your response will come in the form of a 5-paragraph paper and a 15 minute presentation. Each student in the group will be responsible for one component of your project. Each student will write one of the five paragraphs and present a two minute portion of the presentation based on his or her selected component.

 1. Do teachers’ unions help student achievement or hinder it?

2. How do you deal with the bureaucracy of school district's central offices?

3. Do you think charter schools are the answer? Why or why not?

 4. How will you deal with No Child Left Behind’s requirement for 100% proficiency in reading and math by 2014?

 5. How do you close the achievement gap?

 6. Is teacher tenure a problem? If you believe so, explain how you would deal with it.

7. How does income inequality influence education? How does your plan address this situation?

 8. Would you change how schools are funded? How?

 9. Does your proposal include standardized testing? Why? How?

10. Do bad neighborhoods cause bad schools or do bad schools cause bad neighborhoods?

11. Would you include merit pay in your plan? Why or why not?

 The basic structure of your paper/presentation should consist of the following components:

1. Introduction: Use a very specific starting point to hook the audience. Use an example that will clearly illustrate the value of your solution.

 2. Background: Briefly summarize the crisis of American Education. Slant your summary in favor of your idea.

 3. Confirmation: Describe how your idea will work in full detail.

 4. Refutation: Before the critics have a chance to object to your ideas/arguments, refute them!

5. Conclusion: Explain, in detail, the benefits that will occur if your idea is implemented. For more information on this structure go here:

 http://www.chicagonow.com/white-rhino/2012/05/if-you-teach-or-write-5-paragraph-essays-stop-it/

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Online Articles:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201107/education-testing-in-schools-isnt-working

http://standardizedtests.procon.org/

http://www.troymedia.com/2011/10/21/standardized-testing-in-schools-is-a-good-thing/

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/what-superman-got-wrong-point.html

Professor Plumb Murder Mystery Activity -- Past Modals for Specualtion

For a high-intermediate grammar class, I used the power point presentation and the worksheet that follows to create a context in which students can use modals plus the present perfect to talk about past speculations. Students listen to the power point, which tells a murder mystery story. While they listen, they take notes on the four suspects in the case. After they've taken notes, they write sentences that make speculations about "who done it." Lively class discussion follows. I used this over the past two days in class, and it was really fun. I suggest dividing it into two days to leave students wondering who the real murder is. Enjoy! If you use it, let me know how it works. I'd love to get feedback. P.S. As an expansion activity, I used www.polleverywhere.com to create online polls. Each poll contained a modal plus present perfect sentence that speculated about the murder mystery. Students could vote whether they agreed or disagreed with the speculative statement via text message or email on these polls. Students enjoyed being allowed to use their phones in class! I highly recommend this as an expansion activity.

Past modals murder_mystery from blueparachute.

Professor Plumb Murder Mystery Activity.docx