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Congratulations to Mrs. Worrall's class, the winners of the 2009 state competition, for their project entitled "Recess Reinstated"!
A complete list of our winners will be posted soon!
The faculty and staff at Thurgood Marshall are proud to announce our participation as a Project Citizen School of Excellence. All Marshall students will be learning about public policy and its effects by identifying and proposing a solution to a problem in their school or community.
What is Project Citizen?
On May 12, 2009, students representing classes at Marshall Middle will convene in Nashville to present to various judging committees a school or community problem, their research about the problem, and their proposed public policy solution to the problem. The process, however, begins on the first day of school...
Social Studies: students learn about local, state and national government entities and how they operate; civic responsibility; the freedoms and limits of the Constitution
Language Arts: students practice writing persuasively, structuring essays, using grammar conventions, organizing information, and public speaking
Science: students learn how and why to use the scientific method in gathering and testing data
Math: students learn to graphically represent and analyze data
Art: students learn to use various mediums and how to use and combine color for visually aesthetic presentations
Computer: students learn to analyze internet and media resources for authenticity, reliability and bias; how to use style and formatting tools to best effect for visual presentations
Beginning in the second semester, Project Citizen classes will begin the five-step process of building their project...
Step 1:
Identifying Public Policy Problems in the Community
Classes will discuss/debate problems in their school or community concerning community standards, basic freedoms, the environment, government services, etc.
Step 2:
Select a Problem for Class Study
Students will identify which public policy issues are most important to them and vote on which problem they choose to study.
Step 3:
Gathering Information on the Problem
Students will use resources including print and electronic media, community leaders and organizations, government offices and officials, and citizens of their community to research the problem.
Step 4:
Developing a Class Portfolio
Classes will be divided into four groups to work on specific aspects of the problem:
- Group 1: Explaining the problem and its effect upon the community
- Group 2: Examining various alternatives that would solve the problem
- Group 3: Proposing the chosen public policy that the class decides is the best alternative
- Group 4: Developing an Action Plan that the class will follow in order to get their policy enacted
Each group will build one "board" and one section of a "research binder"--collectively referred to as a Class Portfolio--to be presented in step five. Click HERE to see samples of completed portfolios.
Step 5:
Presenting the Portfolio
Representatives from each class will attend the Project Citizen Showcase in Nashville to present their project. In addition, students will be encouraged to present their policy initiatives to the appropriate governmental agencies. Click to see the Portfolio Evaluation Sheet and the Hearing Evaluation Sheet that the judges will use for these presentations.
We are very excited to be involved in Project Citizen here at Marshall, and we hope to spread the excitement to other Metro schools! More photos and updates will be added to this page as the year progresses. |
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