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The Crime Picture in America
Designed by Mr. Krieger [JKHistoryTeacher@hotmail.com] Introduction | Task & Objectives | Poster | Evaluation | Links Introduction
What do you think of these facts?? From 2009-2010, the violent crime rate in the U.S. decreased by 5.5%. In 2009, there were 7 violent crimes and 111 property crimes reported to the Ipswich Police Department. In the
city of Boston, there were 50 homicides in 2009. In 2008, Boston
experienced 63 homicides. As of
September 12, 2011, overall reported crime in Boston has decreased by 11%
compared to the same time last year. For your first project in this course, you will create a poster that will give people a look at the crime picture in the United States and then you will show the image of crime in an American city. While the FBI and other agencies produce significant amounts of data and statistics that are profoundly telling of crime in America, I have yet to see a graphical presentation that combines raw data with images. Let your creative juices flow as you create your posters. The Task & Objectives You and your partner(s) will create a poster. The goal of the poster is to provide a picture of criminal activity in the United States. You will use data from the FBI as well as other official resources. To accomplish your task, you will research crime statistics on the web. There are two major sources of crime statistics in the United States; the FBI's Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The most widely quoted source is the UCR. For this project, most of you will use data from the UCR. However, one group will examine the NCVS and provide us with an overview. Data in the UCR is divided into the following two categories: Part I Offenses (Major crimes) Part II Offenses (Generally less serious and/or less frequent crimes) By the end of this project, you will be able to:
As you proceed, please follow the directions carefully.
Posters Introduction >> The UCR is divided into Part I and Part II crimes. Furthermore, Part I crimes are divided into two categories; violent and property crimes. While we will focus on the eight Part I crimes and the terminology related to these crimes, we will also look at some specific categories of crimes.
Teams/Topics >> In the table below, each of you has been assigned a partner and a topic. By the end of this webquest, you will be an EXPERT on this topic and you will share your knowledge with the class.
Poster Required Posters Elements >> As you create your posters, think about the goal: providing a picture of criminal activity in the United States. Your poster should include a combination of images, text, and data. Be creative!! Since the topics vary, I expect a wide range of organization and information with the posters. Below is a brief list of required elements that should be included in your poster: 1. Definitions > Define the topic of your poster. For example, if you are presenting a poster about arson, make sure you include a specific definition of arson. Also, make sure you include definitions of other terms that the general public may not know. For example, you may need to define clearance rate or how the UCR defines an arrest. All definitions can be found in the UCR. 2. 2009 Data > Use the UCR (or other sources, if applicable) to obtain actual data. Think about including the most relevant statistics. For example, you could include the # of offenses, the % change from 2008 to 2009, or the months with the most activity. Search the UCR for interesting facts that you could include in your poster and presentation. 3. Trends > This is where you should interpret the data. Look at a historical perspective. You may want to create a graph or chart to show your findings. 4. Portray crime in the United States > Include maps, if necessary that will give the audience a "picture" of your crime in the U.S. 5. Crime Clock > Create a crime clock. Look at some of the samples provided to get ideas. The crime clock is a major component of the poster. Your crime clock should show the frequency of crime in the U.S. and help us understand any changes in the crime rate over the years. The crime clock is for the United States should include all Part One crimes. 7. Other elements that COULD be included > Include the url for a city's police department and other city agencies that could be helpful for understanding crime in the city. Show population data for the city. On your poster include the source for the data. Class Presentation You will present your poster to the class. Below are notes about your presentation: 1) Please do not read the posters to the class. We can read. As important as the information is from the posters, your interpretation, analysis and explanation are much more important. Think about what is ON the posters and make some comments. We want to know what you think. 2) Your presentation grade will be based on your familiarity with your information and how well your "relate" to your audience. Eye contact and clear speaking are two great ways to "connect" with your audience. In a nutshell, keep us interested and you have an A+. Make us wish we were watching paint on the ceiling dry and you're grade will be lower. You may use notes. However, if you keep looking at your poster, you will have points deducted. 3) Each person should present for 5-7 minutes. After your brief presentation, we will have questions and students will take notes. 4) Your team should split the presentation equally. Evaluation This project is worth 100 points. Please refer to the rubric for the grading criteria. LinksSearchable Database for Police Departments in the U.S. |
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