Challenge Question

Standards

• [Massachusetts] T4.8 - With other students, identify a significant public policy issue in the community, gather information about that issue, fairly evaluate the various points of view and competing interests, discuss policy options as a group and seek to arrive at a consensus or compromise agreement, examine ways of participating in the decision-making process about the issue, and draft one or more position papers, oral or multimedia presentations on how the issue may be resolved.
• [Massachusetts] 1.T1.10 - Evaluate the qualities of a good citizen or member of the community, drawing on examples from history, literature, informational texts, news reports, and personal experiences.
• [Massachusetts] 6-8.WCA.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
• [Massachusetts] 8.T4.6 - Evaluate information related to elections (e.g., policy positions and debates among candidates, campaign financing, campaign advertising, influence of news media and social media, and data relating to voter turnout in elections).
• [Massachusetts] 9-10.WCA.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
• [Massachusetts] NML5.5 - Collaborate on a substantial project with outside experts and others through online digital tools (e.g., public policy debate, community service learning project, capstone project.
• [Massachusetts] 9-10.SCLA.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on discipline-specific topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• [Massachusetts] 1.T1.8 - Demonstrate understanding that members of a town, city, or nation in the United States are called citizens, and that their rights and responsibilities include (a) electing leaders who serve fixed terms (b) paying attention to the leader's actions, and (c) deciding whether or not to re-elect them on the basis of how well they have served citizens.
• [Massachusetts] 11-12.SCLA.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on discipline-specific topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• [Massachusetts] 8.T4.7 - Apply knowledge of the meaning of leadership and the qualities of good leaders to evaluate political leaders at the community, the state and national levels.

Competencies

• Design Solutions - Identify an issue or design challenge (DS.1)
• Design Solutions - Build models, prototypes, or action plans (DS.2)