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Collins (English) - PSA Project - April 2018: Home

       

ARTICLE:  The 10 best PSAs of all time  (Washington Post)

ARTICLE:  How to Create the Perfect Public Service Announcement  (Center for Digital Education)

Database Remote Access

You will need a username and password to access the Exploring Issues database links outside of school:

Username:  fclibrary201
Password:   morton

Criminal Justice

The U.S. makes up 5% of the world’s population but 25% of its prisoners.  As of 2016, there were 2.2 million adults locked up in the United States.  And although African-Americans and Hispanics make up only 32% of the U.S. population, they account for 56% of the prison population. This topic also includes how people of color are treated by police. In recent years, the Black Lives Matter activist movement began in response to a series of shootings of unarmed Black males by police officers. The movement campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards Black people. Why is this movement so important? What can be done to make our police and criminal justice systems more just?  

DATABASE TOPIC:  Police Powers    (Exploring Issues Database)

ARTICLES:

  • OVERVIEW:  Racial Profiling  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Shootings of Latinos by police get less attention  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Protests spread across the counbtry for change  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Opinion: Many ways to warm up relations between police, black citizens  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  The shooting of Trayvon Martin started a movement that stirs people still  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Definition of systemic racism in sociology  (Newsela)

PHOTO & VIDEO:

  • VIDEO:  Black Lives Matter movement, explained  (Washington Post)

Education Inequality and Segregation

On average, school funding comes from 45% local money, 45% state money, and 10% federal money.  That 45% local funding is based on property taxes, and low-income communities have lower property values and fewer businesses.  Therefore, they have less money for education.  In Illinois, one district spends $9,794 per student while another spends $28,639 per student. Often times, these low-income communities are majority students of color. Eighteen percent of schools in the U.S. are ‘hyper-segregated’, meaning 90% or more of the students are minorities—and the number of hyper-segregated schools is growing instead of decreasing.  What policies are in place that lead to this segregation? What can we do about it? How can we address the inequalities in education funding? 

WEBSITE:  ACLU   (American Civil Liberties Association)

  • ARTICLE:  School-to-prison-pipeline
  • ARTICLE:  In Perverse Equation, Sketches + Skin Color = Gang Tagger

ARTICLES:

  • ARTICLE:  Ending School Segregation in the U.S.   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  10 Things you should know about Brown v. Board of Education   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Rich whites and poor students of color more and more separated in schools   (Newsela)

WEBSITE:

  • WEBSITE:   Segregation, school funding inequalities still punishing Black, Latino students   (NBC News)
  • WEBSITE:   How Illinois Pays For Public Schools, $9,794 Vs. $28,639   (NPR / WBEZ)
  • WEBSITE:   Racial disparities persist in U.S. schools, study finds   (CNN)

PHOTO & VIDEO:

  • VIDEO:  Gone too far  (ACLU)

Gun Violence

Guns kill an average of 96 Americans every day. There are 89 guns for every 100 people in the United States.  The school shooting in Parkland, Florida was the 90th mass shooting in the U.S. since 1982. 64% of homicides in this country involved a firearm, compared to 4.5% of homicides in England.  Americans are divided between protecting the 2nd Amendment right to own guns versus protecting the public. For this topic, you can focus on gun violence in urban neighborhoods, gun control, or school shootings.

DATABASE TOPIC:  Gun Control     (Exploring Issues Database)

DATABASE TOPIC:  Mass Shootings    (Exploring Issues Database)

ARTICLES:

  • ARTICLE:  Issue Overview - Guns in America  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Understanding key terms in the gun control debate  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  PRO/CON: Is it time to pass tough gun control laws?  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Student survivors emerge as critics of current gun laws (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Demonstrators march across the nation to demand gun regulations  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  In Chicago, 660 people have been shot this year. That is 320 fewer than 2017  (Chicago Tribune)

PHOTO & VIDEO:

  • PHOTO GALLERY:  Gun violence in Chicago kills hundreds every year  (Chicago Tribune)
  • PHOTOS:  Creative Commons Photos of Gun Violence  (Photos for Class)
  • VIDEO:  Bullets Have No Names - Chicago Violence Documentary Trailer

Immigration Reform

There is a lot in the news lately about immigration, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), and ‘Dreamers.’ What is the best solution for children who came here with their parents without legal paperwork? What restrictions should we have for who comes into our country?  

DATABASE TOPIC:  Illegal Immigration    (Exploring Issues Database)

ARTICLES:

  • ARTICLE:  What is DACA and who are the dreamers?  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Trump ends DACA immigrant program, but gives Congress window to save it  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Supreme Court gives immigrant "Dreamers" a reprieve - for now  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Streets paved with gold: A history of immigration in America  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Raised in the U.S., deported to Mexico, is fitting in just a "dream"?  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  PRO/CON: "Children's border crisis"   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Federal Judge Upholds DACA  (April 25, 2018)  (NPR)

PHOTO & VIDEO:

  • PHOTOS:  Creative Commons Photos of Immigration  (Photos for Class)

LGBT Rights

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community has made great strides in gaining equal rights in the 21st century. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize marriages between same-sex couples and allow same-sex couples to adopt. However, there is still no federal statute addressing employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. What are the next steps in the LGBT Rights Movement? 

DATABASE TOPIC:  Gay and Lesbian Rights  (ABC-CLIO)

ARTICLES:

  • ARTICLE:  The Stonewall Riots: Catalyst for Gay Rights Movement   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  How Did the Rainbow Flag Become an LGBT Symbol?   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  White House lifts transgender student bathroom guidance   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  The Supreme Court says gay couples are allowed to be married   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  Employment discrimination: The next frontier for LGBT community  (USA Today)

WEBSITES:

  • WEBSITE:   Widespread Discrimination Continues to Shape LGBT People’s Lives   (Center for American Progress)

 

#metoo Movement

The #metoo movement started to shed light on the rampant sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. In the U.S., 54% of women surveyed reported being the victim of sexual assault and/or harassment. 95% of those victims also reported that there was no punishment for the male perpetrator. Recently, celebrities have brought attention to this issue and how widespread it is in their own workplaces. Do you have any ideas on how to address this issue?

ARTICLES:

  • Text Set:  The #MeToo Movement  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  What the Numbers Behind the #MeToo Movement Show Us  (Ms. Magazine)
  • ARTICLE:  "Silence Breakers" grace cover of Time magazine as Person of the Year  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:  They spoke out before #MeToo about sexual attacks
  • ARTICLE:  #MeToo and Time's Up Founders Explain the Difference Between the 2 Movements — And How They're Alike  (Time)

WEBSITES:

PHOTO & VIDEO:

  • VIDEO:  ‘It’s Not Just A Moment, It’s A Movement’  (You Tube)
  • VIDEO:  How the "Me Too." Meme Went VIRAL  (You Tube)

Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram… The average adult spends 135 minutes/day on social media.  The average teen spends nine hours/day on media (including TV, internet, online music videos, and social media). How does this impact our lives? Our society? Our ability to interact with others face-to-face? Is social media having more of a positive or negative impact on our world?

DATABASE TOPIC:  Social Networking     (Exploring Issues Database)

DATABASE TOPIC:  Cell Phones     (Exploring Issues Database)

  • DATABASE OVERVIEW:  Cell Phones  (Exploring Issues)
  • FACTS:  Cell Phones Facts & Statistics  (Exploring Issues)
  • INFOGRAPHICS:  Cell Phones Infographics   (Exploring Issues)

ARTICLES:

  • ARTICLE:   Issue Overview: Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?  (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:   Social media can be hostile place, but also a supportive one   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:   It's complicated: Many teens break up with social media for a week   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:   Studies send mixed messages on influence of social media on teens   (Newsela)
  • ARTICLE:   People speak up on social media   (Newsela)

PHOTO & VIDEO:

  • VIDEO:   TEDx Talks - The Role of Social Media in our Lives