The Lottery Rose
During the course of this novel, you will work outside of class on a project involving the subject of abuse. As each of you know, child abuse is an ongoing problem with no end in sight. There are cases of child abuse reported everyday all over the world. This project will give you a chance to explore this societal issue first hand and react to some of the cases you find.
Over the next 2 weeks, you will be required to find 4 cases of abuse (one of each type) reported in local, national or worldwide newspapers and/or magazines (online or print). This means you will read and report out on:
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A physical abuse case
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A sexual abuse case
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A case of neglect
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A case of emotional abuse
On the due date, Nov. 14, you will submit a packet containing:
- A copy of the article (12 pts)
- An original summary of the events reported (7-10 sentences typed, double-spaced, 12 font) for each article. (25 pts)
- The type of abuse that occurred in each case (this should be underlined in your summary) (8 pts)
- A personal reaction, at least a paragraph in length, (7-10 sentences, typed, double-spaced, 12 font) to the events of each article. (25 pts)
- An academic Cover-Page (15 pts)
- A works cited page listing all four of the sources used for this project in appropriate MLA style. (15 pts)
These packets will ideally be 6 pages in length, one page per case and one page for the cover and works cited page.
These packets will not be accepted late under any circumstances. This will be done on your own time. There will be no time allocated for this project during class time. If you need access to a computer, a newspaper, magazines, or the internet, please let me know and I will make arrangements for you. All of you know the assignment, and absent or not, you know the expectations. The due date is as follows:
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November 14th |
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Background to understand the terminology:
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Start with SIRS database - you will need a business card with log-in information.
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Here is an example of searching using the advanced search option: Note that I am searching by DATE to find the newest information first. Child Abuse is a major subject in this database, so you will be finding many articles.
Here is an entry that is in the search results - Note the date and also note the descriptors. It is "emotional" child abuse because of the descriptors referring to polygamy and rape in marriage. When you click on the title, you may read the entire article found in the newspaper from London, England called The Observer. So, you have found an article from Europe.
'I Honestly Think He Believed He Was God'
The Observer (London, England) Sept. 7, 2008; Lexile Score: 1130; 23K, SIRS Researcher
Summary: "Elissa Wall can clearly remember her wedding day. She remembers the simple white dress made by her mother and sister, the sparkly tiara she wore in her hair and the ride she took in a horse-drawn carriage. But most of all, she remembers being 14 years old and trying her hardest not to cry. ... For three years, Elissa, who had been raised within the FLDS [Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] to believe that marriage was the pinnacle of a woman's achievement, was routinely raped and sexually assaulted by her husband. By the age of 17, she had suffered four miscarriages and a stillborn child. At her lowest point, she attempted suicide with a handful of Ibuprofen pills." (The Observer) This article details the hardships of former FLDS childbride Elissa Wall, including her testimony, which "enabled the authorities to pursue Warren Jeffs for arranging marriage to a girl under the age of legal consent, thereby becoming an accomplice to rape. "
Descriptors: Mormon fundamentalism, Polygamy, Rape in marriage, Marriage, Religious aspects, Child marriage, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, Jeffs, Warren
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MARVEL is the most complete source for national and local (Maine) articles in both the newspapers and magazines. On the left-hand side of the subject listings you will see Newspapers (yellow section)
Start with Proquest Newspapers. Search the term "child abuse" as a Subject. Boolean search with AND and add "cases." Limit your search to Full Text. If you want to search only in Maine, you can choose Maine Newsstand instead of Proquest Newspapers.
Use the Teen Resources Link in the left-hand yellow box and click on the Student Research Center. This is referred to as "federated searching" because it is combining several databases together for easier searching.