How to be Healthy Campaign
Your school district needs to improve attendance. One of the common reasons students miss school is due to illness. A major focus to address the problem is to improve individual behavior. Your class is to design campaigns to teach healthy habits that promote good health. Select a single topic. Develop a message and program for an age group: elementary, intermediate 3-5, middle school 6-8, high school 9-12. The campaign may use print, web based and/or multimedia resources.
Conduct a survey of your class.
What is their yearly absenteeism rate? Chart the results.
Why did they miss school? Make some general categories: illness, appointment, travel...
Create a marketing campaign with several specific steps to better health.
Your campaign must state the problem.
Explain why/how it is a problem.
What is your school's absenteeism rate for students? (Hint: Your school's annual No Child Left Behind Report card will give you that number. This is a public document.)
Set a SMART goal - (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results oriented, Time related.)
Strive to make the program appealing to the age group you have chosen. Think from the child's perspective.
Show them the benefits of your suggestions.
Be realistic. (Your approach should be "doable" in the real world.)
Be cost effective. (Giving each kid an expensive reward for better health is out.)
Proof the project. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets work.
As a class - Evaluate the campaign projects.
Present the winning project to your student council, your school's administration or the School Board.
Resources:
Washup.org | Immunization map | Dental Health
Only action produces change | Writing to persuade
Web Video presentations - how the Internet and Web based information is changing the nature of political discussion in the U.S.A. Review these options and try your hand at making a persuasive message for the Web. Watch the Climate Counts movie for an interesting twist on this concept.
The Yes Men - Examine this approach to dealing with an important issue. Examples: WTO/GATT | Dow- Union Carbide | Ice Age Petition
Examine the Data on overweight teens - use the source noted on the form to update the data then complete the exercise.
Time use of Teens activity | Images as Messages
| Hunger in America
Government, Statistics and the Media
You do not have to be physically together to work together. - Watch Google Docs video - How could you use Google Docs to do a project?
