Background

Each year Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS) hosts a competition for its campuses that invites students and teachers to investigate a problem or issue that is both current and local and requires the use of Essential Skills Framework™ obtained in core courses to research that problem or issue and present viable solutions and meaningful determinations.  Through the Annual Academic Challenge, YCCS is striving to provide students additional opportunities to engage in in-depth research and reflective learning experiences which empower them to better understand and, ultimately, improve their own communities.

The competition also serves as a platform for YCCS to promote and model its best practices for alternative education as described in their Redesign Initiative™.  YCCS has identified each of the following research-based educational practices as key contributors to student learning and has incorporated them into the design of the competition:

• Literacy Strategies
• Problem-Based or Inquiry-Based Learning
• Cooperative Learning
• Thematic or Inter-Disciplinary Units/Planning
• Writing Across The Curriculum
• Research Methods
• Real World Applications
• Standards-Based Learning and Assessment
• Constructivist Pedagogy

Application

The application form may be found here.

Timeline

Date	Academic Challenge Activity
Thursday, January 19	Announcement to Campuses of YCCS Annual Academic Challenge
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 03	Campus Applications for YCCS Annual Academic Challenge Due
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 06	YCCS Approval of Applications and Announcement of Eligible Participants
*February 21 – February 24	YCCS Review of Campus Topics and Resources
*March 05 – March 09	YCCS Review of Campus Research Titles and Methods
*March 19 – March 23	YCCS Review of Campus Research Results and Data
*April 09 – April 13	YCCS Review of Initial Draft of Campus Research Paper and Project Display Board or Project Model
FRIDAY, MAY 04	Campus Final Submission of Research Paper and a copy of the Project Display Board or Project Model
Friday, May 18 (May 11th Alternate)	YCCS Annual Academic Challenge @ Herman Hall on the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology

* YCCS School Improvement Representatives will visit and meet with campus teams

during YCCS Reviews in order to assess progress and provide guidance and assistance.

Resources

The following internet sites will provide additional information for you and your students as you get started exploring topics and preparing your research.  Additional information and resources will be sent to you via e-mail throughout the competition.

• www.facingthefuture.org
• http://fieldmuseum.org/explore/biodiversity-and-conservation-web-life
• http://earthday.net/footprint2/index.html
• http://dsc.discovery.com/search/results.html?focus=site&query=planet+earth&ewrd=1
• http://www.earthday.org/about-ecological-footprint-calculator
• http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org
• http://www.sustainable-chicago.com
• http://fieldmuseum.org/explore/toolkit-climate-action-approach-bronzeville
• http://www.cnt.org/

Possible Topics

The following topics are intended to provide you and your students with ideas to begin your planning and your exploration into green solutions for a sustainable Chicago.  Please remember that your team may identify and choose another topic as long it addresses the goal of the Challenge and is approved on your campus application.  It is important that your students utilize critical thinking skills in-line with Bloom’s Taxonomy when reviewing possible topics and thoroughly analyze environmental problems, evaluate several factors contributing to the problems, and ultimately create and present a viable green solution.

1. Have your students compare and contrast energy use and CO2 emissions locally, by sector in the United States, and in other countries.  Research and discuss energy impacts and sustainable energy solutions.

a)    Renewable Energy

b)   Fossil Fuels & Climate Change

c)    Renewable & Sustainable Energy Technologies

d)   Solar Panel Installation

e)    Wind-powered Devices

2. Have your students research which kinds of fish are harvested locally in a sustainable manner.  Measure the effectiveness of these practices and compare them to unsustainable harvesting practices.  Determine whether or not similar sustainable harvesting practices could be implemented with other fish and the impact this solution would have on the environment.

a)    Biology of Food & Water Resources

b)   Sources of Water & Food

c)    Water Treatment & Distribution

d)   Global & Food Sustainability

e)    Crops & Global Food Economies

3. Have your students create representational maps of their school and the surrounding community to conceptualize and understand the relationships between resources, the environment, community, and sustainability.  The students can then brainstorm specific ways to make their school community more sustainable through improvements to the physical environment.

a)    Green Building & Sustainability

b)   Community Recycling Project Greenhouse & Rooftop Gardens

c)    Urban Design

d)   Climate & Atmospheric Change

e)    Ecological Footprint