2/6

zachary fitzgerald
rev.sloss


A Is this a problem that you think is important? why?
yes he think this is an important problem.

B Do you think others in the our community belive this is an important problem?why? yes he think that the community is an argeement that the community does argee that we need a new school.

C what policy, if any,does government now have to deal with this problem? yes he think that the government do have to deal with it.

1 what are the advantabes af this policy? the advantage is that we seat on a good school.

2 what are the disadvantages of this policy? we need a new school at byrd academy and we does not get it.

3 how might the be improved? he think that he can make the policy good.

4 does it need to be replace?why? he think that we should bring more to this policy.

5 what disagreement about this policy,if any, exist in our community? he think that we should use our voice.

d where can I [or my class] get more imformation about this problem and the different positions people take on the problem? he think that we should send letter to the people that they will send back.



I feel like that we will get the new school because he will try to put us in the newspaper and he will bring jesse jackson to our school and to interview him.

Aftetr the interview I wanted to interview more people like ms.james,mrs.garter,jessejackson. I want to interview them because they make me feel powerful to be making my own choicees.

2/9
am writing about a poll or a survey.I will want to go to other class and get other peoples thought to see who want a new school or not.

I will go to the pincalpal and interview him.

Then I will go to jesse jackson and put pressure on him.

I will want go arould the hood and get signature.

here are some quastion I will want to ask some people.


Do you think that we need a new school?


why do we a new school?


can the problem be fix?


if you was the head of the lsc what will?

2/13

I think that it will be a nice thing to do with Quention Curtis will be fun. today we had to listion to him and see what we will do with him. he will put us in the maginazine and we will do some thing with somebody famous.

2/17

Please copy the text below and paste it in a NEW DOCUMENT in the Project Citizen Student Journal. The title of the NEW DOCUMENT should be 2/17/04- The Petition. Once you have pasted the questions, please respond to each in AT LEAST one sentence. Mr. Schultz

1. What is a petition? A petition is a group of signature to saport a cause.

2. Why are we having people sign our petition? Because we are tying to get a new school.

3. I felt successful with the petition becuase I was doing good with it.

4. The easiest part of the petition was to get the signture from people.

5. This was easy because it was something I would like to do.

6. The hardest part of the petition was to go to people house and get thier signture.

7. This was hard because it got boring doing it.

8. When I was petitioning, I enjoyed it because it was something I would like to do.

9. I enjoyed it because

10. When I was petitioning, I disliked it because I did not want to go to people and thier signature.

11. I dislike it because it got boring.

12. My next steps for petitioning are to try to get a new school.

2/18

1. What is a survey? when you go around with something that you can get some argee or disargee.
   
   2. Why are we having students and teachers take our survey? because we are tying to get a new school.
   
   3. I felt successful with the survey becuase I had a lot people take it.
   
   4. The easiest part of the survey was going to people class and giving it to them.
   
   5. This was easy because it was something I will like to do.
   
   6. The hardest part of the survey was when you had to help them with it.
   
   7. This was hard because some people did not have time to do it.
   
   8. When I doing the survey, I enjoyed it because it was fun to go to people and have them do it.
   
   9. I enjoyed it because it was something I will like to do.
   
   10. When I was surveying, I disliked the people who was not going to take it because they was mad.
   
   11. I dislike it because when we did not wanted to stop we had to.
   
   12. My next steps for surveying are to go and see if walter brunett to take one.

2/19

1. STATEMENT: Yesterday Mr. Schultz went to the Board Members of the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) to present the great things Room 405 is doing.
   How does this make you feel? Why? This makes me feel happy. I am happy because I want people to know about this school so that we can get a new school.
   
   2. STATEMENT: The class was successful getting many responses to our school wide survey.
   How does this make you feel? Why? I felt mad because it was boring.
   
   3. STATEMENT: Everyone in the class was supposed to get 125 signatures on the petition to show support. Not everybody has.
   How does this make you feel? Why? that make me feel happy. I was happy because I was one of them who did not get 125 signatures.
   
   3. What can Room 405 students do to get more signatures on the petition? go around and get more signatures.
   
   4. Do you think it is important to continue getting signatures on the petition? yes because we are tying to get a new school.
   
   5. Now that many classes have returned their surveys, what is the next step? to go around and find people that are something famous and get thier phone number and get thier opinion.
   
   6. What do you think the surveys will reveal about the feelings and thoughts about the kids and teachers at Byrd Academy? It will reval some of the kids want a new school and some will not.
   
   7. What is going to be a good way to share the results of the survey? With the school? With the community? With the city? With the Board of Education? We will have to tell them by getting in the newspaper and who every get the newspaper it will help us.
   
   8. STATEMENT: Mr. Schultz combined all the students stories into a letter that was hand delivered to Rev. Jesse Jackson yesterday.
   How does this make you feel? Why? that make me feel Excited to have rev.jackson to take place in this project with us.
   
   9. STATEMENT: Mr. Schultz used the same letter but changed who it was made out to and gave it to all the board members at the CRF meeting yesterday and it was very well received. Some members even want to come to our school based on the invitation from the class. How does this make you feel? Why? that make feel happy because we areget more people involed in it.
   
   10. STATEMENT: One alternative solution to our class policy will be to combine Byrd Academy with another nearby school.
   How does this make you feel? Why? it make me feel mad because we will have fight every day and we will NOT get along.
   
   11. If Byrd got combined with another school, is our fight worth it? Why? yes because if we do not take action we will not get a new school.
   
   11. I feel that I have been contributing to our cause because I have being to get more signatures and doing survey.
   
   12. Our next steps for our action plan should be to go to the broad of education and see why they did not give us a new school.
   
   13. To make this more fun and interesting we should be do more games about this project and we should get more free time.

2/24

1. How many total people took the survey? 271

2. How many more girls took the survey than boys? 37

3. What was the percent of girls that took the survey? 55.4

4. What was the percent of PK students that took the survey? 6.3

5. What was the total number of people that feel that the closets and washrooms are the biggest problems at Byrd? 148

6. What is the sum of the number of boys that took the survey and the number of people that feel the gym is the biggest problem?168

7. What is the mode (most common answer) to the problems with Byrd? lunchroom

8. What percent of the respondents feel that the school is fixable?26

9. What is the percent of the total that were 5th graders who took our survey? 11.8

10. Which grade had the most impact on the survey results? 4grade

3/24

Below is a message from a woman who read the newspaper article. Please copy and paste it into your journal and respond to it. I would like you to also reflect on everything that has happened in Project Citizen this past week: newspaper, Therese Quinn, video, etc.

To the students of room 405.

Do you realize how brave you are in fighting for what is right. Many adults do not dare voice their opinion but you all took a stand. Please don't give up the fight. Did you know that the civil rights movement in the 1960's was not just led by the adults but by the young people. One group called SNCC- Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee actually helped black people in Mississippi to win the right to vote in their state. Before the young people got involved these people weren't allowed to vote. The members of SNCC taught in a "freedom school" and helped youth and adults learn about their rights as citizens. These young people worked hard and sometimes felt like giving up but they were determined to make a difference and stand up for what was right. So stay strong, young warriors your ancestors would be very proud of you !!!

Cassandra McKay

I felt like giving up but your story stop me from giving up. Now I am going to fight for what is right to get a new school. We are not going to give up the fight for nothing. we can be brave for a new school like the SNCC for the better school that we will be able to learn what we need to learn. I know this because I read it in a book that had the civil right movement about MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. iN THE BOOK IT SAID THAT HE HAD A DREAM THAT HE WOULD NEVER GIVE UP.

Cassandra said that we were like warriors and our ancestors would be very proud. This makes me feel much better because I want keep fighting. I was upset and mad yesterday becuase I ddi not get quoted in the newspaper. This letter from Cassandra makes me want to go on.

Our action plan will help us get a new school.


Therese Quinn gave us some good idea about how we could take action. I interviewed her and I felt I was a little scared. When she came to are school she give us some thing that we will be able to get the alderman to agree with are problem to get a new school.

3/29

View Message

From: Brian Schultz (schultz)
To: Byrd Academy - Room 405

Subject: Assignment 3/29/04
Date: Monday, March 29, 2004, at 07:20:15

Please copy and paste the letter below into your student journal. Then make an extended response using the 4-Step chart to answer the question at the end.
-------------------------------------------------------
Dear 5th Grade Class at Byrd:

I am a Board member of the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago and recently had the pleasure of meeting your teacher Mr. Schultz. He told us then of your mission to affect the decision making of the school system and the state in order to secure a better learning environment. I also read Mr. Zorn's article discussing the steps you have taken and will continue to take.

Your commitment to this project is outstanding. You are right to want to be in an environment which is more effective for your learning needs as you move through your school career. I encourage you to keep working towards your goals especially in the professional manner you have already demonstrated. In school, just as in a business environment, there will
always be issues to tackle and better solutions to seek out. The most important thing I have learned is to keep working towards what you think is the right solution. If you don't reach the "perfect" solution you had originally intended, I have learned that great things happen along the way and superb alternatives also appear.

I commend your approach to this problem and your passion for it as well. Even though I am not at school with you, I have learned a great deal simply by hearing of your actions and plans. While you seek a better environment for your education, it seems as though you have already, through your own efforts, elevated your education.

My best wishes for your continued crusade.

Renee Citera
CRFC Board Member
-------------------------------------------------------
Based on what Ms. Citera wrote to you, what will happen if you do not reach the "perfect" solution to your Project Citizen plans?


If we do not get a new school we still learn something about how to have a pitition and to have lots of stuff. Like an examples we did a survey and we hand ed them out to the whole school and asked them what they thank about the school and do they think that we needs a new school. We was going to ask them do they think that a new school were in vision. We was on the news for a school that when we was going to get a new school but when that little boy got shoot we had to give are new school to jenner academy and are new school was going to be next to jenner but are dream is about six years old. The school is 45 years old and that when we are needing a new school.

4/8

Room 405-
Your interview and tour went well yesterday. You did a great job dividing roles and taking responsibility. Mr. Delgado was very impressed!

Please copy and paste the following in your journal and respond to the questions. Title your new document 4/8/04. Please write at least one complete sentence for each question.

1. Who did you interview and give a tour to yesterday?
Yesterday we interviewed ...willie delado.

2. What was your favorite part of the interview with Mr. Delgado?
My favorite part of the interview was ... when his was answering the quastion.

3. What was the best thing that he said to the class?
The best thing he said to the class was... he was proud of us.

4. Mr. Delgado explained that we all need to be better and different than our parents. What does he mean by this? he mean that he do not want us to do the wrong thing.

5. Representative Delgado was impressed with Room 405. Why? because we are trying to get a new school by doing something with are life.

6. What is Mr. Delgado's role in the community? representative of the community.

7. Do you believe Mr. Delgado when he says there is money for schools? Why or why not? I do not know if it is true or not.

8. What did Mr. Delgado say about different people moving into the neighborhood and how they should be treated? he said that every body should be treated equil.

9. After the interview and tour, do you think it is possible to get a new school? Why or why not? I do not know if we are going to get a new school.

***After you have completed the journal entry make sure to save it then go to the action plan folder and go to shared documents and find the Byrd Pictures iMovie. Watch the movie and then post 'discussion' on it. It may take a while to load.***

6/7

I samd. i dont want to go to a new school. i want to stay at byrd. i want to saty at byrd becasue if i go to another school, i will only know some of the people. that makes me feel mad. because i would like to saty at byrd. i want to saty at byrd because we did a whole project and owur results we did not come up with nothing. ame up so with somethings but they are goingt o shut our school down fo somethings. i asm mad because we did not get what we wanted, but we did get some accompioshments. i feel they did that for nothing.

i beivleve that i will be able to use the skill in the future becuase we learned how the government works and when we take the consttion in eight grade we will know some of the stuff that is on there. that is why the school should not have to be close.