Charles R. Seguer, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School 

Learning Standards in Action: 

Template for Designing Projects and Assessments 

(Based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks) 

Description of the Project or the Essential Questions: 

The students will be able to understand the basics of running a business, cost-benefit analysis, and how government policies foster or inhibit trade through regulation. A case study of the permitting and licensure process of the Rochester Environmental Park will provide the data for this project. 

Grade Level (s): 12th Grade Economics, Civics, or Current Events Classes 

State Curriculum Frameworks Learning Standards addressed: 

History/Social Science 

Economic Strands Learning Strand 15. Today's Economy. The students will describe the distinctive aspects of the contemporary economy of the United States. 

Learning Strand 14. The students will describe the development of the American Economy, including Massachusetts and New England from Colonial times to the present. Learning Strand 12. Fundamental Economic Concepts. Students will understand fundamental economic concepts, including choice, ownership, exchange, co-operation, purposive effort, incentive, and money. 

The above are taken from the . 

From the History Strands the students will use Strand 3. Research, Evidence, and Point of View. The students will acquire the ability to form answerable questions, to collect, evaluate, and employinformation from primary and secondary sources, and apply it in oral and written presentations. 

The Learning Strands for Government and Civics are 17, Principles and Practices of American Government; and 18, Citizenship. 

Geography Strand 10, Human Alteration of the Environment. 

Students will describe the ways in which human activity has changed the world, uch as removing natural barriers; transplanting some animal or plant species, and eliminating others; increasing or decreasing the fertility of the land; the mining of resources. They explain how science, technology, and institutions of many kinds have affected the human capacity to alter environments. 

English Language Arts The students will write articles for a Newsletter on the REP, students will write and evaluate government documents concerning the REP, and oral reports will be made to the class and the REP Committee. 

Arts 
Combined with such Shops as Drafting, Offset Printing, and Computer Information Technology. Various projects, plot plans, site usage plans, and designing the logo for the company. 

Comprehensive Health Careers  
Shop could examine the types of illness that could be associated with REP and what methods exist to detect and contain these problems. 

Mathematics 
Students could be assigned projects such as measuring the actual tonnage shipped into REP for a week, month, and year. Various probability and site saturation problems could be studied, injury and spill-free days could be record and tables developed. Profitability could be measured by comparing income minus costs and expenditures. The damage to the town roads by 25 large trucks using the road could be examined as well as the taxes paid by REP. 

Science & Technology 
Soil analysis projects and definitions of hazardous materials could be done. Tech Prep students could be assigned a CO-OP Job at REP to learn to calibrate equipment, recorded and analyze measurements, help to operate the weighing station, and to maintain vehicles and essential equipment. Targeted Shops could be Electronics, Electrical, Machine Tool, and Automotive Students with Diesel training. Offset Printing already Prints the Newsletter and designed the logo. 

World Languages 
Not Applicable 

Local district or school curriculum objectives 
The mission is to provide trained students to function effectively in the world of work. REP provides Old Colony with a series of practical opportunities and experiences to better prepare our students to be successful in the career of their choice. It also provides a case study based on real applications and licensure requests to analyze actions of local, state, and federal agencies, boards, commissions, and laws. Our students will interact with businessmen and elected officials, gaining an understanding of how the process of government regulation functions. They will evaluate the process and see how points of view may vary on the same issue depending on whether you are a businessman, government official, elected official, worker, customer, or abutter of the project. 

Enabling Activities 
The students will analyze documents from the REP application to permit a large handling and processing facility to be built in the town of Rochester, MA. They will review the marketing plan, site plan, equipment list, nuisance mitigation and storage information. They will take field trips to the REP to observe and record their own date for review. Selectmen and state and local officials can be interviewed and their observations recorded. Various committees within the Social Studies class will record data, write reports on their assigned area, and report in writing and orally to the group. This Social Studies class will act as a sub-group reporting to the REP Standing Committee composed of students, faculty, administration, and management of REP. 

Products or Performances 
The students will write individual reports on the 

process of obtaining permits and licensures to build REP. They will list all government 

agencies on any level involved in the process and provide a list of all essential 

persons, addresses, phone and fax numbers, and web site addresses. The individuals 

will report to their five- member project control group. This group will combine the 

data and information and write a two- page report with one group focusing on 

environmental issues, one group on governmental agencies, one group on techno- 

logical assessment, one group on business, marketing, and profitability, and the last 

on Old Colony's involvement with REP, future employment, school services, training, 

and community interaction with the REP and Old Colony. This combined report will 

be given to the Standing Committee and will be available in condensed form in 

the Newsletter and the School Report to the community. 

Criteria for Assessment Based on Standards 
Each student in the Social Studies classes will complete an individual and a group report to be graded. The individual report, group report, and any pertinent and quality worksheets, drawings, pictures, graphs, charts, tables, projections, or related shop projects will be placed in their individual portfolio. 

A test will be given measuring the student's ability to name government agencies and institutions involved in the permitting process. Also, they will be asked to analyze the procedure from the point of view of a businessman, customer, and/or the community the site is located in. Economic choices must be made, profitability must be taken into account, and the needs of the community must be met. 

Skills 
The students will demonstrate the skills of making economic choices, navigating the governmental corridors of permitting, understanding how land use has a great affect on the community and environment. The tension between job creation, environmental preservation, market development, and the role of government regulating the individual will be developed through reading various applications, charts, environmental impact statements, and business plans. The students will gain the ability to gather information, write reports, and orally address small groups and the class as a whole. They will create a group report which will be given to a committee composed of people involved in the operation of a real business of significant importance to their communities.

Culminating Activity (may be large or small)  

Learning Standards and Local Objectives	Enabling Activities	Products or Performance
Economic Strand 13. Economic Reasoning	REP Business Plan	Students understand the needto write and follow the guidelines of a business plan.
Same as above	Analyze income and expenditures	Cost-benefit analysis will be accomplished. Students will asked if they would invest in the REP and to explain.
Same as above	Involvement of various governmental agencies in the application process.	The students will be able to distinguish between local, state, and federal government agencies by placing the funtions under the correct level of government.
Economic Strand 12. Fundamental Economic Concepts (cont.)	Sunday Boston Globe Simulated Stock Market Program	The students will list in writing various ways of investing and determine if the REP is a solid investment opportunity.
Economic Strands 1-12. Economic terms.	Government decision- making at all levels will be recorded and discussed.	The students will be able explain by writing how government choices and policies affect business.
Civics and Government Strand 15 Authority, Responsibility, and Power	The case study of the REP will explore how government agencies at various level can impact economic development and balance growth with community needs.	The students will count the number of government agen cies involved in the appli cation process and sum marize in an essay if this is necessary.
Civics and Government Strand 18, Citizenship.	The REP case study and application process involves citizens on all sides of the issue. Only those actually involved in the process will have the influence to advocate successfully for their agenda.	The students will attend a Selectmen's meeting, a con servation commission meet ing, and a town meeting. They will write a short essay of the power structure in the town.
Strands of the other disciplines will be addressed by the participating Teachers working on the REP project.	The REP case study will provide numerous data and primary source material.	The students will draw a plot plan of the REP and list the building, storage, and processing areas. In depth studies can be done in many related areas such as Newsletters, school newspaper articles, lists of materials found at the REP, traffic flow and related problems.

 

Level Description of Performance WHAT ARE STANDARDS BASED UNITS OF STUDY? 

A case study of the Rochester Environmental Park. The standard based units of study are taken from the National Standards or State Frameworks in the Economic, History, and Civics and Government Frameworks. 

1. The Topic or Essential Question? 
How does the government regulate economic development at the various levels in the town of Rochester, MA? Does this process work for the community in a positive or negative way? Who benefits? 

2. The Standards (select from National Standards/State Framework) 
The Standards were selected from the State Frameworks. They were selected from the Civics and Government Strands #15, 17, & 18, the Economic Strands # 1- 12, 13, 14, & 15, and History Strands 3 & 6. 

3. Tasks and Activities (designed to teach and demonstrate knowledge and skills - what to know or be able to do) 
The students will perform a case study of the REP application for permitting and licensing as an Operational Large Handling and Processing Facility. 

1. The students will be able to list the government agencies involved in the permitting process. 

2. The students will describe in writing the affect of the REP on Rochester's economic development. 

3. The students will evaluate in writing the environmental impact of this facility being located in Rochester. 

4. The students will explain in writing how local, state, and federal government impacts or regulates business development and determine if this is a positive or negative dynamic. 

5. The students will be involved with field trips and meetings to the REP and be able to identify the problems and management decisions necessary to successfully operate a business as we head to the next millennium. 

4. Products and Performances (the basis for assessment - how do you know students know what you ask of them) 

1. This class will be assigned to work in groups. Each group will be responsible to produce a section of a Report on the REP. Each student will be assigned a particular section of the REP study to analyze and report on. The five groups will then report to the class, edit the report, combine the report, and submit the report to the REP standing committee and the Newsletter committee. They will interact with the management of REP and various local officials. Their work will be evaluated by various members of the community as well as Teachers at Old Colony. Some students will gather data from the weigh-in station, others will gather data or where the construction and demolition material is coming from, while others will sumarize the process of tire handling and processing. The data will be used to produce the class report and reports from other disciplines involved. 

5. Criteria for Assessment (based on standards) 

Economics Learning Standard 16. 

Scoring Guides (used to assess and evaluate) Students will describe in writing the relations between private enterprise and government. 

Learning Strand 15. The students will be able describe how waste handling and storage has opened an area of economic opportunity. 

Learning Strand 15. The students will compare the process of the application process for the REP and developing a saw mill in 1850. 

Learning Strand 13. The students will do a cost-benefit analysis of the projected figures for the REP and decide whether or not it would be a good investment from different points of view. 

Same as above The students will understand the process of writing a business plan by evaluating the REP plan for both the short-term and the long- term. 

Learning Strand 12 The students will be able to list in writing the various ways money can be invested and evaluate the REP as an investment compared to other possibilities for investment. 

Same as above The students will be able to understand the concept of ownership and the risks and work involved. 

Geography Learning Strand 6 &7. The students will interpret how land use can effect a community and that choices and solutions involve compromise and follow through by business, government, and the citizens of a community. 

6. How to communicate student learning - how good is good enough?) The students will write individual components of a group report. The entire class will put the information from the five groups together into a five page summary class report. That report will be submitted to the REP Standing Committee, the school newspaper, and be published in the School Annual Report to the community. 

7. Exemplars (collected over time to clarify expectations for student learning and aid in evaluating and revising the unit) 

The students will place any individual reports, data analysis sheets, tests, observations, pictures, records of participation in a project or committee, and any other related materials in their individual portfolio. During the Junior and Senior years the student and his/her related teacher will begin to edit the portfolio for use as a record of their work and skill. This portfolio is designed to maximize a student's performance record to convince an employer that they have done some meaningful work during their school career at Old Colony. 

If the material being placed in the student's portfolio from the 12th Grade Social Studies class is not of a high enough standard, then an evaluation of the reasons for this deficiency must be determined. Depending on the results of the inquiry the Unit or the student's work must be modified and improved. 

Sample Lesson Plan Rochester Environmental Park 

Social Studies Essential Questions to Answer 

1. What is the mission statement of Rochester Environmental Park? 

2. Describe the types of material the REP will handle? 

3. Which roads will the material shipped to REP travel in Rochester? Which state roads will be used? 

4. Using the market plan of the REP, what markets is the REP targeting? 

5. Using the REP tonnage dates for the date (s) of our field trip, project the weekly amount of material handled by the REP? B O N U S Calculate and make a bar graph of the tonnage handled for this month in the REP. 

6. What was the land used for before it became the REP? * B O N U S* Who owned this land before the REP bought it? 

7. How does the REP affect life in your community? Think about the cost of handling this material in each of our towns? 

8. What landfill does you commmunity use? What is the cost per ton to handle this material? 

9. Does the REP affect your particular trade? List any types of material the REP would handle in a business where you may work? 

10. As an example of land use in the community, do you think the REP is serving the community well? Explain? 

11. As a business investment, is the REP something that you would invest some money in as opposed to buying a CD in a bank? 

12. What types of investment oppurtunities are available to the owner(s) of the REP? 

13. Compare the REP to the press release in the Standard-Times published July 11, 1997. What very important product that the park will handle was ommitted? 

14. Why do you think the REP was located where it is? Find a topographical map and find out the topography at the REP. What type(s) of solid is found at the REP? 

15. Draw a map of the REP's location in Rochester in relation to forms of transportation. Do a rough plan of the system operation of the REP. 

16. Will the REP handle hazardous material? Why or why not? Where would REP locate any hazardous material? What are the consequenses of bringing in hazardous material? 

17. How is our school involved in the REP? 

18. Provide a list of trades offered at Old Colony that would be able to work at the REP? (Hint: focus on the machinery or planning of the REP) 

19. What size does the REP reduce the material be handling to ? Why would this process be necessary for the successful operation of the REP? 

20. List the ways the REP could influence your life in the next 5 years.

Websites/Resources:

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection:

Central Region

Northeast Region

Public Affairs Office

Southeast Region

Western Region