"Tee Time"

A WebQuest for inquiring minds
Designed by Rebecca "Captain" McLelland


 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page


Introduction

As a citizen of Perth Amboy you have been notified of the redevelopment of the neighborhood along High, Rector and Washington Streets.  A group of wealthy investors have been speaking with your town council and the Mayor about the prospects of a professional golf course to cover the stretch of land that is currently home to abandoned or burned out factories along the Bay. As part of the legal process the involved people must now meet with the town at large through a series of public discussion sessions. 

 


The Task

In order to fully understand the implications of a golf course added to your town along the Raritan Bay you will:

  • research and assume your assigned role as a citizen of Perth Amboy;
  • persuade the town council and the Mayor of your position in a mock council meeting;
  • compare the benefits and controversies of the proposed development



The Process
  1. You will be assigned a role along with others in your area of interest 
  2. Each member will be required to attend an actual Perth Amboy Council Meeting to familiarize themselves with the process of addressing the council.
  3. Use the Internet sites provided as starting points for your research, but you will need to also access other sources for your role. 
  4. Groups can decide if they wish to have one speaker represent their group or if each member will speak on their own. 
  5. Construct a list of twenty reasons in support of or rejecting the golf course (as indicated by your role). You will have one week from the starting date to complete this part of your research. This list must be approved before the eighth day of the research time span. 
  6. Your speech will then be written within the following week and must be checked at least twice during that time for persuasiveness, attention to details, support/statistics and readability. 
  7. As you prepare your speech for the meeting keep in mind that it must be at least 3 minutes long, but no longer than 15 minutes for your entire group. You should have visuals available to use (flip boards, flowcharts, handouts, photos, etc.) to stress the important points of your argument. 
  8. The final speech for the mock council meeting can be written on note cards or paper, or it can be memorized. All group members must have a specific role in the council meeting presentation, even if one person is the chosen speaker. In order to seem convincing your group needs to focus on sounding real, mature and educated. 

The Players:
Environmentalists
Golf Enthusiasts
Concerned Citizens
Proponents for Urban Revitalization

 


The environmentalists believe that there are several ecological problems associated with the building and maintaining of this golf course, especially along Raritan Bay. In order to understand their thought process you will need to check out these web sites:
The golf enthusiasts LOVE golf, LIVE golf, and believe that having an interest in golf improves ones character. Aside from their obvious desire to have a golf course closer to home, they want to prove that golfing in Perth Amboy will provide peace and harmony, as well as an economic boom. If you are a golfer, you'll need to take your golf cart along these sites:
Concerned citizens think that building a golf course is excessive when not enough low income housing is available in town. These people want to know why the site will be made into a golf course when there are people who would benefit from low income housing along that stretch of land. You may not want to see a golf course there, but it is not for environmental reasons. You want to help out the less fortunate and feel that the golf course is a slap in the face to the people you advocate. Gain support from these sites:
The proponents for urban revitalization want something to move into that eye-sore of a neighborhood that would equal financial benefits for Perth Amboy. They believe in a simple mathematical equation: golf course = property taxes paid by golf course + jobs for local people + influx of wealthier people to the area + higher home values. To find out why, visit these online sources:

 http://www.fcw.com/civic/articles/1999/CIVIC_120699_46.asp 

 http://www.state.nj.us/osp/plan/sdrpsp07.htm 

 http://www.michiganinbrief.org/text/issues/issue-63.htm 

 http://www.epa.gov/region02/epd/97151.htm 



Evaluation
 
    Beginning

    10

    		 Developing

    15

    		 Accomplished

    20

    		 Exemplary

    25

    		 Score
    List of pros or cons
    (completed individually within one week of start date)    		 Have at least 8 supporting reasons for your speech and completed within time frame. Have at least 15 supporting reasons for your speech and completed within time frame. Have at least 20 supporting reasons for your speech and completed within time frame. Have at least 25 supporting reasons for your speech and completed within time frame.  
    Attending and summarizing an actual council meeting Attended meeting and completed a one paragraph summary of the event.  Attended meeting and completed a well written, one paragraph summary of the event.  Attended meeting and completed a well written, two paragraph summary of the event.  Attended meeting and completed a well written, three paragraph summary of the event.   
    Construction of 
    speech















     

    		 on time, but lacks details, uses slang instead of appropriate language, not very persuasive, unrealistic approach  on time and has a few supporting details, uses mostly appropriate language, but is not extremely persuasive on time and has many supporting details, uses appropriate language and is pretty persuasive on time, a lot of supporting details, 
    appropriate and mature language, extremely persuasive     		 
    Class performance/ presentation of speech
















     

    		 lacks enthusiasm, little to no supporting details mentioned, very little eye contact, seems rushed or unrealistic mildly enthusiastic, little support, some eye contact, yet voice seems uncomfortable and has no visuals pretty enthusiastic and solid, but may need a few more days to polish, some visuals, good voice projection, higher level vocabulary and grammar solid presentation, has visuals, enthusiasm, seems real, assumed the true role assigned, excellent voice projection, higher level vocabulary and grammar  
     

    Conclusion

    After hearing all of the arguments, would you want a golf course in Perth Amboy? Do the advantages outweigh the dangers or inconveniences?  Could your argument persuade you if you did not hold that opinion?

    The issues involved in this Webquest do not apply only to golf courses, but to any type of development. When something is built in a neighborhood, it is your civic responsibility to ask questions and have a complete understanding about who will be effected. If you believe that a project will cause more harm than good, then take a stand against it. 

    CARPE DIEM !

     


    Credits & References

    Various books in the school and/or public library may be of use to you in  your search. Do not hesitate to contact the librarians for assistance if you require it. Also, the New York Times web site is extremely helpful in finding support for your argument. Utilize the various search engines (Excite, Snap, Yahoo) to gather your information. 
     

    Information and images gathered on this page can be found among all the links listed. Design and concept of this WebQuest are from the mind of Bec. 
     



 

PORT 151,198,22,187,4,194 htm need to take your golf cart along these sites:


Concerned citizens think that building a golf course is excessive when not enough low income housing is available in town. These people want to know why the site will be made into a golf course when there are people who would benefit from low income housing along that stretch of land. You may not want to see a golf course there, but it is not for environmental reasons. You want to help out the less fortunate and feel that the golf course is a slap in the face to the people you advocate. Gain support from these sites: