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9th, 10th Grades  Project 6 weeks

Protest Pulse: Crowds, Safety, and Change

erin s
Updated
Planning & Carrying Out Investigations
Critiquing
Developing Questions
Processing & Representing Data
Constructing Meaning
+ 8 more
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The Challenge

When crowd density exceeds the capacity of a street, plaza, or route, movement slows, exits become harder to reach, communication breaks down, and the risk of injury from crushing, falls, panic, or emergency vehicle delays increases. If demonstrations are unsafe or ineffective because of overcrowding, you also see broader civic consequences, including reduced public participation, greater strain on emergency services, and increased barriers to people exercising their rights in public spaces.

Challenge Question

How might we address overcrowding and crowd-flow risks at local protests so that community organizers working with the NYCLU and fire department can hold safer, more effective demonstrations in our community?

Standards

  • [NY Performance Standards Consortium] Planning & Carrying Out Investigations - Poses directional hypothesis(es) grounded in review of literature. Describes methods in detail and justifies critical decisions in experiment design or data curation.
  • [NY Performance Standards Consortium] Critiquing - Justifies how impactful limitations, uncontrolled variables, or sources of error may have worked to limit the quality of the results, analysis or conclusion. Justifies proposed revisions to the experimental process to maximize the quality of the data.
  • [NY Performance Standards Consortium] Developing Questions - Generates a compelling testable question grounded in evidence to address a gap in student's scientific knowledge.
  • [NY Performance Standards Consortium] Processing & Representing Data - Processes relevant data, generating figure(s) that comprehensively address experimental question using appropriate mathematical analysis.
  • [NY Performance Standards Consortium] Constructing Meaning - Interprets relevant results and uses specific examples to form a convincing argument for how those results relate to the hypothesis. Identifies the potential implications and significance of the findings within the scientific context and review of literature.
  • [NY Performance Standards Consortium] Synthesizing Information - Demonstrates fluent understanding of scientific concepts and variables being explored through synthesis of information from credible sources in a properly cited scholarly literature review.
  • [NY Performance Standards Consortium] Communicating - Effectively communicates scientific thinking in a clear and organized way.

Competencies

  • Academically Prepared - Demonstrates a strong foundation in the New York State learning standards and is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve success in college, careers, civic engagement, service, and life.
  • Creative Innovator - Utilizes imagination, curiosity, and flexible thinking to solve problems creatively, and develop new ideas and products, while adapting to evolving circumstances and challenges.
  • Critical Thinker - Analyzes information thoughtfully, evaluates evidence critically, and identifies patterns and connections between different pieces of information (across multiple content areas) to address complex issues and navigate the world with insight.
  • Effective Communicator - Articulates ideas clearly and confidently through speaking, writing, and the use of different types of media for various purposes, while engaging with diverse audiences and actively listening to different perspectives.
  • Global Citizen - Acts responsibly and ethically within local, global, and digital communities, employing civic knowledge, skills, and mindsets to promote global sustainability and contribute positively to a culturally diverse, democratic society.
  • Reflective and Future Focused - Engages in self-reflection to identify strengths and areas for growth, sets meaningful goals, uses social awareness to maintain supportive relationships, and demonstrates responsible decision-making that prioritizes social, emotional, and mental well-being.

Learning Partners and Clients

The New York Civil Liberties Union will serve as the primary client, giving students an authentic audience for their research-based recommendations on protest crowd safety and effective organizing. The fire department will act as a learning partner by helping students understand emergency planning, crowd flow risks, capacity limits, and safety protocols for public gatherings. Together, these partners connect students’ scientific investigation and design work to real community needs and provide feedback on the feasibility, ethics, and public impact of their proposed protest safety practices.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can investigate a simulated protest crowd scenario, notice where overcrowding makes movement and communication unsafe, and identify root causes that make a protest less effective and more dangerous.
Examine
I can generate a testable question and directional hypothesis about how crowd density, movement patterns, or communication systems affect protest safety and effectiveness. I can analyze credible sources, case studies, and guidance from the NYCLU and fire department to explain the scientific and civic factors that shape safe crowd management. I can plan and carry out an investigation or data collection process, justify my methods, and track variables that influence risk in crowded protests. I can process and represent my data in graphs, maps, or models to identify patterns and evaluate how overcrowding changes outcomes. I can critique limitations, uncontrolled variables, and sources of error in my investigation and propose revisions that would improve the quality of my findings.
Engineer
I can develop a practical crowd safety recommendation plan for local protest organizers, including route design, spacing strategies, communication systems, and emergency procedures to propose to the NYCLU for community use.
Do
I can pilot my crowd safety recommendations through a simulation or community feedback session, collect and analyze real-world data on how well they reduce risk and improve protest flow, and revise my conclusions based on the evidence.
Share
I can share my recommendations, evidence, and personal growth through an interactive presentation and feedback session with the NYCLU, the fire department, peers, families, and community members, explaining both what I learned about protest crowd safety and what I learned about myself as a community organizer and critical thinker.