INTRODUCTION
LEARNERS
STANDARDS
DANGEROUS DRIVING DISTRACTIONS is a unit designed to help students be aware of driving distractions that they might encounter during their driving experience. Throughout the course, students work independently and in groups. They conduct research, write an essay, conduct personal interviews, prepare a chart of their findings, prepare a presentation for a group of their peers, and finally write a reflection of their reaction to the unit.
PROCESS
EVALUATION
CONCLUSION
Prior to beginning the unit, students should have a working knowledge of how to navigate the internet. Learners should have a high school reading level in order to conduct the required research and complete the tasks. Learners should also have basic communication skills in order to discuss the project in a group setting and to complete the interviews. Modifications need to be made for learners who do not have this level of ability.
Learners do not need to have any driving experience.
This unit meets at least the following TEKS standards:
(B) draw upon the distinguishing characteristics of written forms such as essays, scientific reports, speeches, and memoranda to write effectively in each form;
(C) write in a voice and style appropriate to audience and purpose;
(D) employ literary devices to enhance style and voice;
(E) employ precise language to communicate ideas clearly and concisely; and
(F) organize ideas in writing to ensure coherence, logical progression, and support for ideas.
(B) develop drafts both independently and collaboratively by organizing content such as paragraphing and outlining and by refining style to suit occasion, audience, and purpose;
(C) use vocabulary, organization, and rhetorical devices appropriate to audience and purpose;
(D) use varied sentence structure to express meanings and achieve desired effect;
(E) revise drafts by rethinking content organization and style to better accomplish the task;
(F) use effective sequences and transitions to achieve coherence and meaning;
(G) use technology for aspects of creating, revising, editing, and publishing texts; and
(H) refine selected pieces to publish for general and specific audiences.
(B) demonstrate control over grammatical elements such as subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, verb forms, and parallelism;
(C) compose increasingly more involved sentences that contain gerunds, participles, and infinitives in their various functions;
(D) produce error-free writing in the final draft; and
(E) use a manual of style such as Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), and The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS).
(B) use writing to discover, record, review, and learn;
(C) use writing to organize and support what is known and what needs to be learned about a topic;
(D) compile information from primary and secondary sources using available technology;
(E) organize notes from multiple sources in useful and informing ways such as graphics, conceptual maps, and learning logs;
(F) link related information and ideas from a variety of sources;
(G) compile written ideas and representations into reports, summaries, or other formats and draw conclusions; and
(H) use writing as a tool for reflection, exploration, learning, problem solving, and personal growth.
(C) collaborate with other writers;
(B) analyze and discuss published pieces as writing models and apply criteria developed by self and others to evaluate writing;
(B) use effective strategies for listening such as preparing for listening, identifying the types of listening, and adopting appropriate strategies;
(C) demonstrate proficiency in critical, empathic, appreciative, and reflective listening;
(D) use effective strategies to evaluate his/her own listening such as asking questions for clarification, comparing and contrasting interpretations with those of others, and researching points of interest or contention; and
(E) use effective listening to provide appropriate feedback in a variety of situations such as c
(B) use informal, standard, and technical English to meet demands of occasion, audience, and task;
(C) respond appropriately to the opinions and views of others;
(D) adopt verbal and nonverbal strategies to accommodate needs of the listener and occasion;
(E) ask clear questions for a variety of purposes and respond appropriately to the questions of others;
(F) make relevant contributions in conversations and discussions;
(G) express and defend a point of view using precise language and appropriate detail; and
(H) speak responsibly to present accurate, truthful, and ethical messages.
(B) support major thesis with logical points or arguments;
(C) choose valid evidence or proofs to support claims;
(D) use effective appeals to support points, claims, or arguments;
(E) use language and rhetorical strategies skillfully in informative and persuasive messages;
(F) analyze purpose, audience, and occasion to choose effective verbal and nonverbal strategies for presenting messages and performances;
(G) interpret literary texts such as telling stories, and interpreting scenes from narrative or dramatic texts or poems; and
(H) use feedback to judge effectiveness in communicating and setting goals for future presentations.
(B) apply valid criteria to analyze, evaluate, and critique literary performances;
(C) use praise and suggestions of others to improve his/her own communication; and
(D) identify and analyze the effect of artistic elements within literary texts such as character development, rhyme, imagery, and language.
(B) use a variety of forms and technologies such as videos, photographs, and web pages to communicate specific messages;
(C) use a range of techniques to plan and create a media text and reflect critically on the work produced;
(D) create media products to include a ten- to fifteen-minute investigative documentary, ad campaigns, political campaigns, or parodies to engage specific audiences; and
(E) create, present, test, and revise a project and analyze a response using data-gathering techniques such as questionnaires, group discussions, and feedback forms.