Who Wants to Be a Teenager?
Is it de~VINE or de-PITS?
~an exercise in data collection for
informed decision making~

Created and Developed by
Carole Tauber
Cabin John Middle School
carole_tauber@fc.mcps.k12.md.us
May 2001

INTRODUCTION
INTRTASKTION
INTPROCESSON

INTRODUCTION

The year is 3001. A group of FUTURISTS have an opportunity to return to the year 2001 as teenagers, but they are not sure they would like it.

TASK

As an intelligent FUTURIST" and possible member of this exploratory group, you go into the time archives and search the answers to some probing questions before you submit a final report about whether or not it is advisable to be a teenager in the year 2001.

PROCESS

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

Step One~
First, create a Microsoft Word document to record the answers to the probing questions you and your fellow FUTURISTS have about life as a teenager in the year 2001. Each time you visit an informational site to collect data you will copy and paste the sentence at the end of each step of this process into your document. Be certain that the information in your sentence comes from the reading you do at the site. You will recognize the sentence because it will be preceded by this icon:

Step Two~
The FUTURISTS have heard that teenagers are very self-absorbed and don't think about anything or anyone but themselves. Could that be true? Do teens in the year 2001 help others? What did you
find out?

There are many ways teenagers reach out to their communities including...

Step Three~
What kinds of stress do teenagers experience? Visit this site to discover when teens feel the most stressed and what they can do about it. This is the kind of
information you need to know.
Teens are stressed about..., and some people say teen stress can be relieved by...

Step Four~
Some people are saying that teenagers must have curfews. This is a major source of disagreements between teenagers and their parents. Some, however, find that not having a curfew is beneficial to a teen for several reasons.
Find out what those reasons are.
One of the benefits of not having a curfew is...

 

Step Five~
Do teens eat properly? Many people answer, "All teens have horrible eating habits!"
Find some strategies that families use to cope with the odd diets of their teenage members.
A teen can become involved in family meals by...

 

Step Six~
What if you're invited to a party and need to bring a gift?
Find out what would be an appropriate gift for a teen and reasonably priced (under $20), too.
A teen would love getting a ... because...

 

Step Seven~
Prepare your document for the chief FUTURIST. It must include:

all five sentences completed

a page border

a header with your name, date, and class

a footer with the file name and path (h:initialsteacher'snameperiodfilename)

a catchy title

at least one but no more than three pictures or icons appropriate to the text