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Scenario	The minimum wage was first established at 25 cents in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Initially, this wage increase applied to employees involved in interstate commerce or production of goods for interstate commerce. It was later extended to include employees of companies doing at least $500,000 in business a year and also to employees of government agencies, hospitals, and schools. Congress and the President have raised the minimum wage over time to reflect changes in the cost of living. - The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition in Prentice Hall's 2001 edition of Economics
The Task	You will work in groups of three or four in order to complete this task. After gathering data and information regarding the minimum wage, your group will take one of the following positions: 1) Congress should raise the national minimum wage. 2) Congress should abolish the national minimum wage. 3) The minimum wage should remain at its current level. After gathering and sorting information and data to support your position, your group will present its findings to your classmates and your teacher. Your presentation should be persuasive in nature and should last approximately fifteen minutes. Each group member must actively participate in the presentation. In addition, each of you will write a persuasive letter to your Congressman or Senator. In the letter, you will explain your position regarding the minimum wage, presenting evidence to support your position. You will persuade your Congressman or Senator to see your point of view.
Assessment	You will be graded on the following: presentation letter collaborative work skills bibliography, notes, and all other evidence of research and organization. reflective paragraph The presentation counts for 40% of your total score. Your letter counts for 35% of your total score. The grade you receive for collaborative work skills will make up 10% of your total score. An error-free bibliography, along with your notes and other evidence of planning will count for 10% of your total score. Your reflective paragraph counts as 5% of your total grade.
Question	Here are some questions to get you started. You should develop your own questions to help guide you through your research. New questions should arise as you answer previous questions. Possible Questions: How might raising/abolishing the minimum wage affect unemployment? How might raising/abolishing the minimum wage affect the availability of jobs for teenagers? How might raising/abolishing the minimum wage affect specific industries (manufacturing, service industries, etc.)? How might raising/abolishing the minimum wage affect the prices for goods and services? These are only initial questions to help you begin your research. You are expected to expand on these questions (ask how, why, etc.) and develop questions of your own.
Gather & Sort	Here are some websites to jumpstart your research of the minimum wage: Almanac of Policy Issues Economic Policy Institute Economics Resource Center United States Department of Labor Once you have completed an initial search, you may need to refine your search to find specific information. You should also access articles and data from databases available through the Kentucky Virtual Library, which you can get to from the AHS homepage. In order to sort the information you gather, it may be helpful to use graphic organizers. You may prefer to take notes over what you read. Here are some note-taking skills that you might find helpful.
Organize	Synthesize Synthesis is the act of pulling your research and ideas together to form new meaning. Are your details organized? Have you gathered enough details to become a convincing spokesperson? Avoid plagiarism. Evaluation Which of your questions have you answered? Which questions still need to be answered? What new questions have arisen through your research? Complete the Self-Assessment for a Research Module.
Conclusion	Make sure all assignments are complete. Class Presentation Letter Collaborative Group Work Rubrics Bibliography and other research Reflective paragraph Reflection: Has your position regarding the minimum wage changed since the class presentations?

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