Too Many People Have Died from Covid-19 in the United States

Mark Torres

Edward Reynolds West Side High School

INTRODUCTION

On January 3, 2020 Chinese officials provided information to the World Health Organization on the cluster of cases of “viral pneumonia of unknown cause” identified in Wuhan. Then on January 9, 2020 the World Health Organization reported that Chinese authorities had determined that the outbreak was caused by a novel coronavirus. This information was processed by different countries in different ways. Some reacted quickly and activated their pandemic response teams while others like the United States lagged behind on their response. Although the United States is the country with the third largest population in the world, it has the largest number of Covid-19 deaths. In this WebQuest we will address the issue that Too Many Have Died from Covid-19 in the United States by comparing global policy responses to the pandemic.

TASK

In your groups, please use the 6-step Public Policy Analyst (PPA) to create a Google Slides presentation addressing the following statement: Too many people have died from Covid-19 in the United States.

PROCESS

We will make the work more interesting and fun by dividing the class into different groups. Our groups will be focused on the country you pick for this WebQuest. We will also have different roles in each group, there will be extra credit for those who take their tasks seriously and support the team. For each group, we need a Team Leader who will check-in with their team members, make sure everyone is getting along and doing her/his part. We also need a Presenter, the person who will organize the presentation of the WebQuest to the class. Someone needs to be the Slide Developer, getting ideas from the rest of the team to make a presentation that is factual, persuasive and attractive. Finally, we will need a Recorder who will take notes about ideas and the roles of different people in the group.

The team will then use the 6 Public Policy Analyst (PPA) steps to create Google Slides addressing the statement: Too many people have died from Covid-19 in the United States.

1. Define the Problem

2. Gather the Evidence

3. Identify the Causes

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy

5. Develop Solutions

6. Select the Best Solution (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)

All groups should use pictures, as well as different layouts and effects to create your Google Slides. Please create a Google Slides presentation with at least 8 slides. Also, please choose a country from this list to study its policy response to COVID-19 and to compare it to the response in our country. Your group should also choose a country from the list below to begin your Google Slides presentation:

A. Australia

B. China

C. Cuba

D. Japan

E. New Zealand

F. Singapore

G. South Korea

H. Taiwan

I. Vietnam

Your first slide should include the title: Too Many People Have Died from Covid-19 in the United States. Also, include the names of your group members, the date and your class. The next 6 slides should be focused on answering the PPA questions below. And the last slide should be a conclusion in which your group evaluates this project and says whether it was useful or not, and please don’t forget to tell us the reasons that have led your group to these conclusions.

RESOURCES: Your group is not limited to these resources, but please feel free to use them to complete your project:

1. The problem is that the United States has the largest number of Covid-19 deaths in the world. Therefore, too many people have died from Covid-19 in the United States.

2. The evidence can be seen in various websites that have been tracking global Covid-19 infection, recovery and death rates. You can use these links to access the evidence for this project: John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, CDC Data Tracker and National Public Radio (NPR) Coronavirus World Map.

3. There are many causes why different countries had different responses to Covid-19, some had recent experiences with viral diseases like SARS and MERS. Also, some had pandemic response teams that were quickly activated, while other countries did not. Please use these links to assess the causes for different responses: Sage Journals: Why Do Countries Respond Differently to COVID-19?, The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Learning from Experience: Why Nations May Have Responded Differently to COVID-19, and LSE: London School of Economics and Political Science

4. The existing policies in the United States have changed over time and continue to develop. Please use these links analyze our policies in dealing with Covid-19: AJMC: A Timeline of COVID-19 Developments in 2020, Just Security: Timeline of the Coronavirus Pandemic, and FRASER: Timeline of Events Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

5. There are many policies that were implemented by different countries around the world. Please compare the policies used by your chosen country, with their results and with the policies used in the United States and our results. Please use these resources to explore the different policies and outcomes:

1.CBS: Has Australia beaten COVID-19 by ignoring WHO advice on border closures?,

2.The Conversation: China beat the Coronavirus,

3.New Scientist: How Cuba and Uruguay are quashing coronavirus as neighbours struggle, https://www.newscientist.com/article/2247740-how-cuba-and-uruguay-are-quashing-coronavirus-as-neighbours-struggle/#ixzz6pgyjPChB, 4.Schroders: What the data tells us about Japan's Covid-19 response,

5.Contagion Live: How Did New Zealand Control COVID-19?,

6.Conde Nast Traveler: How Singapore's COVID-19 Response Has Been a Model for Others,

7.Exemplars in Global Health: South Korea,

8.The Lancet Regional Health: Potential lessons from the Taiwan and New Zealand health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and

9.BBC News: Coronavirus: How 'overreaction' made Vietnam a virus success.

EVALUATION

Cycle Project Rubric: How to get a good grade.

Category	4	3	2	1
Required Elements	-The google slides include all required elements as well as additional information.	-All required elements are included on the google slides.	-All but 1 of the required elements are included on the google slides.	-Several required elements were missing.
Graphics: Relevance	-All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. You can include pictures, maps, flags, graphs, charts, videos and memes.	-All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand.	-All graphics relate to the topic.	-Graphics do not relate to the topic.
Attractiveness	-The google slides are exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.	-The google slides are attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.	-The google slides are acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy.	-The google slides are distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.
Grammar	-There are no grammatical/mechanical mistakes on the google slides.	-There are 1-2 grammatical/mechanical mistakes on the google slides.	-There are 3-4 grammatical/mechanical mistakes on the google slides.	-There are more than 4 grammatical/mechanical mistakes on the google slides.

CONCLUSION

In this WebQuest your group will be the expert, please trust yourselves and your ability to do research and come up with conclusions that are important and meaningful. In general, there is a feeling that people in the United States need to be more informed and active in preventing health disasters. Your research and conclusions in this WebQuest can become the catalyst for change in our country.

STANDARDS

New York State Literacy 6-12 Anchor Standards for Reading

Key Ideas and Details

STANDARD 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

STANDARD 2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Craft and Structure

STANDARD 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

STANDARD 5: Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

New York State Literacy 6-12 Anchor Standards for Writing

Text Types and Purposes

STANDARD 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. STANDARD 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

STANDARD 5: Conduct short as well as more sustained research based on focused questions to demonstrate understanding of the subject under investigation. STANDARD 6: Gather relevant information from multiple sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

STANDARD 7: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.