Applied Final Project- “Your Lot in Life” Assignment  (35%)

You will be writing a paper about one of these scenarios.

1.    You are expecting your first baby and are thinking about sleeping arrangements. You have heard of the concept of “the family bed” and are considering having the baby sleep with you and your spouse.

2.    You are expecting your first child and are interested in breastfeeding your baby. You would also like to return to work relatively soon. You have to decide how valuable breastfeeding is and whether you can work and breastfeed.

3.    Your 12-year-old step-daughter tells you that you are not her real mother (or father) and can’t tell her what to do.

4.    You are extremely concerned because your 11-year-old son has been suspended from school numerous times for fighting. He just can’t seem to get along with other children.

5.    You and your spouse have just decided to divorce. Your 7-year-old is very upset about this change.

6.    Your parents were over for dinner the other night. Your 6-year-old did not want to eat the beans you served, or the fish. Your parents said that you should have insisted that he/she should have had some, and that you should insist on this as a regular practice in your home.

7.    Your 9-year-old is frequently sad and feels that nobody likes him/her. A friend has just suggested that maybe he/she is suffering from childhood depression.

8.    Your daughter is having a great deal of difficulty in school. You think she may have learning disabilities. You would like to get the school system to evaluate her and help plan a program for her.

9.    Your 2-year-old has not begun speaking yet.

10.  Your 6-year-old still wets the bed almost every night.

11.  Your 6-year-old has just been diagnosed with  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

12.  Your 9-year-old daughter has begun menstruating and you are concerned about the effects of early puberty on her social development.

13.  Your children are all adults and have moved out of the family home. Your youngest daughter is 24, a single parent, and has just asked to move back into your home because she has been laid off at work.

14.  Your five-year-old’s birthday is just one month before the age cut-off for kindergarten. You are considering having him/her start school a year later.

15.  Your son/daughter has always struggled with school. Your third grader’s teacher has just suggested that he/she repeat the third grade.

16.  Your 12-year-old daughter who has never had a weight or eating problem is now worrying that she is too fat. The mother of one of her friends has just told you that she thinks your daughter may be bulimic.

17.  You have noticed behavioral changes in your 14-year-old and are concerned that he/she may be using drugs or alcohol.

18.  You are expecting your first child. You and your spouse are beginning the search for good daycare.

19.  You are considering home-schooling your child. You need to get enough information to actually start home-schooling your child.

20.  Your 14-year-old daughter accidentally leaves her purse open in the family room and you see a package of birth-control pills.

21.  You have discovered that your 12-year-old has been downloading and viewing pornography on the Internet.  

22.  Your 16-year-old has decided to go on a diet.  While you want your child to be healthy, you notice that s/he frequently skips meals, exercises 3-4 times daily, and refers to herself/himself as “fat”. 

23.  While putting away laundry, you find a box of condoms in your 15-year-old’s room.

24.  Your 17-year-old brings her/his friends to the house frequently.  You notice that many of these friends are openly homosexual. 

25.  It is February.  Your 18-year-old, who is graduating in May, has not completed any college applications or expressed any plans for life after high school.

26.  You overhear a conversation your 14-year-old is having and every other word out of his/her mouth is profanity.

27.  You find a bottle of vodka under your 18-year-old’s bed. 

28.  Your 16 year old comes into the house after attending a party, smelling of cigarettes and marijuana.

29.  Your 15-year-old is student council president, captain of the lacrosse team, plays the piano, teaches Sunday school, volunteers at the local soup kitchen, is taking 5 Advanced Placement courses, and is a member of National Honor Society.

30.  Your 18-year-old insists on marrying his/her high school sweetheart at graduation, although receiving several full scholarships to various colleges, as well as several promising internships.  In addition, the sweetheart is a LOSER!

31.  Your 17-year-old announces that s/he is about to become a parent.

32.  You and your spouse do not agree about whether parents can argue in front of their children.

Part 1: Setting the Scene (5%) – Due Sunday September 6^th

Choose one of the Lot of Life scenarios. You should elaborate on the scenario by writing a 1-2 full pages of content in the letter to a relative or close friend or as a diary from the perspective of a parent writing about his or her child. Your letter/diary should explain what happened, what issues you will look into and some ideas about how you will deal with the situation. If the scenario you have chosen is touched on in your textbook you can mention what you are leaning in the class you are taking.

Your paper should have a cover sheet that lists your name, the BEHS section number, the scenario you have chosen, and finally, whether or not the Lot in Life is true or not true for you.

Part 2: Doing the Research (15%) – Due Sunday September 20^th

Note: The cover sheet and references do not count toward the content page requirement.

Prepare a (4-5 full pages of content) research paper on the underlying issue you chose in the Lot in Life.  This paper should be no longer than 5 pages and include at least four references in APA style. You should have at least FOUR outside sources, primarily from government and community agencies as well as at least 2 scholarly journals and books. References to your course readings should be included when they are appropriate.

Your paper should have a cover sheet that lists your name, the BEHS section number, the scenario you have chosen, and finally, whether or not the Lot in Life is true or not true for you.

Paste your Part 1 assignment in at the end of this research paper.

Grading Rubric for Writing Assignment:

35 points – earned for substantially completing all elements in this assignment. To be considered a full page, papers must be typed, doubled spaced, 12 pt font and complete the page. It will be graded on the following basis.  All papers must meet formatting requirements, have acceptable grammar, syntax and sentence structure, have at least minimal required pages excluding the cover page and reference page and be turned in by the completion date.

·          Setting the Scene ( 5 points):

·         substantially describes the problem or scenario (describing the child’s behavior and your reactions).

·         describes how you will deal with the situation,

·         at least 1-2 full pages double-spaced of content

·         Research (15 points):

·         provides background information about the issue which is traditional library research,

·         included references to all sources used in APA or MLA styles. Included at least 4-5 references with at least 2 professional journal sources,

·         at least 4-5 double spaced full pages of content excluding the cover sheet and references

·         Solution (15 points):

·         contacted at least two local community agencies (not just Web sites) that can help provide information, training, or support about the problem. Include specifics on how to contact the agency, what services they have available, and how much these services cost. If you include WWW sources for your background research on this topic, review the guidelines about evaluating Web sources given earlier,

·         at least 2-3 full pages double-spaced not including the references

full points – earned when all of the above requirements are met and work was completed on time.

  half points  – earned when minimal requirements are met or if number of content pages are not there.

0 points – earned if the paper is overdue without an acceptable excuse and/or most of the requirements are missing.

Assignment Format and Referencing Style

Use UMUC’s Guide to Writing and Research for the format, especially for how to cite your references. You may also wish to consult guidelines for APA style. (Do not use footnotes at the bottom of the page; rather, following APA, list your references at the end of the paper.)

Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional use of another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to the author. Make sure you read chapter 5, Academic Integrity and Documentation, in theGuide to Writing and Research. The UMUC Undergraduate Catalog also contains a lengthy discussion on Academic Integrity and Academic Dishonesty. Plagiarism will result in an F and zero points for that particular assignment and a report to the Dean. Depending on the severity of the plagiarism, plagiarism could result in an F for the course.

Web Resources

As you use the Web for information, you should be aware of the fact that the Web has both good and bad information, as well as information that is biased. There are many online resources devoted to finding and evaluating information on the Web.   A very detailed discussion of how to evaluate information can be found at Johns Hopkins University. Do not use Wikipedia as a source for your information.

Finally, sources that tend to have good information include the following: college or university department sites (be careful of student pages; some are very good, but some are not so good), professional organizations, governmental agencies, professional journals, and regularly published newspapers and magazines.

Use the following Check List when submitting the research paper. RESEARCH PAPERS MISSING THE CHECK LIST WILL LOSE TEN POINTS.

Part 3: Solution (15%) – Due October 4^th