Adapted and used with permission from Gretchen Looney, Charleston County School District, SC
Performance Task: Texting While Driving: To Ban, or not to Ban?
Time Frame: 2 days (180 minutes)
CCR Standard: Reading Anchor Standards 1 & 9, Writing Anchor Standards 1, 4, 6 & 8
Your assignment:
South Carolina does not have a law regarding texting while driving, but state legislators are currently working to change this and have introduced several bills to ban texting:
South Carolina Distracted driving legislation (2012):
House Bill 4451: Would outlaw text messaging while driving. Fines up to $150 (original bill was $100) with no points or insurance reporting (original bill assessed 2 points against driver’s license). No negligence assumed nor extra penalties for texting and causing an accident. (Original bill provided for for felonies: If serious injury occurs as a result of texting, fines up to $5,000 plus possible imprisonment. If death occurs, up to $10,000 plus imprisonment.) Exempts voice-operated texting. Police cannot search electronic devices for evidence. No tickets to be issued at police checkpoints unless another violation occurs. Approved by the Education and Public Works subcommittee on Feb. 9. Heavily amended and approved by the House in a second-reading vote of 93-15 on March 7. Approved by the House on March 8 and sent to the Senate. Approved by the Judiciary Committee on April 24. Latest legislative action:
Second reading in Senate on June 6. Session ended without further Senate action. (Bowen)
Your voice needs to be heard. You will read several articles, view a video, and engage in a small group discussion to gather evidence in order to present your stance on this topic in a letter to your local state of South Carolina representative.
Second reading in Senate on June 6. Session ended without further Senate action. (Bowen)
Your voice needs to be heard. You will read several articles, view a video, and engage in a small group discussion to gather evidence in order to present your stance on this topic in a letter to your local state of South Carolina representative.
Steps you will be following:
In order to plan and compose your letter, you will do all of the following:
1) Decide whether you support a ban in South Carolina on texting while driving by using your background knowledge.
2) Read several articles and watch a video from the Resource Library on the topic of texting while driving, taking notes* on these sources.
3) Participate in a discussion of the information in the sources with a small group, taking notes on your discussion.
4) Determine your stance on this issue, organize your evidence, plan, and write your letter.
*Notetaking: You may open a Word Document and take notes, or you may use scratch paper.
1) Decide whether you support a ban in South Carolina on texting while driving by using your background knowledge.
2) Read several articles and watch a video from the Resource Library on the topic of texting while driving, taking notes* on these sources.
3) Participate in a discussion of the information in the sources with a small group, taking notes on your discussion.
4) Determine your stance on this issue, organize your evidence, plan, and write your letter.
*Notetaking: You may open a Word Document and take notes, or you may use scratch paper.
Small Group Discussion:
Discuss as a group the following questions. Add new ideas from the discussion to your notes.
1) Why should South Carolina ban texting while driving? How would a ban on texting while driving infringe upon our civil rights?
2) Did your opinion about texting while driving change after reading the article and seeing the video? If not, why not? If so, how, and why?
1) Why should South Carolina ban texting while driving? How would a ban on texting while driving infringe upon our civil rights?
2) Did your opinion about texting while driving change after reading the article and seeing the video? If not, why not? If so, how, and why?
Letter:
Review and use your notes along with the argumentative writing rubric to plan and to draft your letter, independently. Make a claim for or against a ban on texting while driving in South Carolina. Support your claim with details from what you have read, viewed, and discussed.