Please note that many tasks were constructed prior to Common Core and the task alignments to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were not identified in the task materials. To search for the performance tasks explicitly aligned to the CCSS, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), or College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, please go to CCSS, NGSS, and C3 tabs.
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Appeasement at Munich This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, this assessment requires students to make connections across time and construct an argument about how events are connected. Students with a strong sense of the past will be able to explain that the Munich Agreement can be seen in part as the result of the sanctions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. A strong response to the second question will explain that the Munich Agreement emboldened Hitler, which eventually led to the invasion of Poland. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment with source materials, as well as the Rubric containing benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Attack on Fort Sumter This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, this assessment requires students to make connections across time and construct an argument about how events are connected. Students with a strong sense of the past will be able to explain that the election of Abraham Lincoln contributed to the formation of the Confederacy because of his opposition to slavery in the territories. Students will also explain that the rising price of cotton on the international market due to textile mills in England made slavery even more indispensible to the South. Both of these connections point ultimately to the start of the Civil War. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment with source materials, as well as the Rubric containing benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Breadlines in the 1930's This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, this assessment requires students to make connections across time and construct an argument about how events are connected. Students with a strong sense of the past will be able to explain, after analyzing a photograph of a long ‘breadline’ of unemployed Americans, that the Works Progress Administration was established as a federal response to the problem of American unemployment. Students will also explain that the Wall Street Crash of 1929 precipitated the high unemployment rates in the 1930's, increasing the number of patrons at breadlines and soup kitchens. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment with source materials, as well as the Rubric containing benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
California Propositions In this task, students create their own advertising campaigns based on real California Propositions relevant today. Students must engage in research around a particular issue, create an argument supported with evidence, and collaborate effectively in a group setting to present their reasoning in an ad campaign using a form of digital media. The project description is conveyed through a Youtube video, but does contain a general overview of teacher expectations and student work samples. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Career Explorations This unit includes an unit overview and 3 subunit overviews with built-in lessons. Unit description from the source: Students will investigate the varied career opportunities available within the health and biomedical sciences. They will conduct research on possible career paths and investigate the skills needed for each one. This unit will also give students an opportunity to learn about typical activities in various jobs and help them identify potential careers that match their interests, strengths, and goals. In addition, students will explore the broader social and economic impact of their career choices, while reviewing the historical origins of various health-related careers and their significance to the welfare of humankind. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Catch the Fever This unit includes an unit overview and 3 subunit overviews with built-in lessons. Unit description from the source: In this unit, students will explore the emergence and impact of communicable diseases on society. Students will investigate the role of microorganisms in causing disease. They will study the impact of a public health infrastructure, along with medical and pharmaceutical advances, on the evolution of microorganisms. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
China's Cultural Revolution This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, this assessment requires students to make connections across time and construct an argument about how events are connected. Students with a strong sense of the past will be able to identify that the poster promotes Maoist teachings and explain that Mao Zedong rose to power during the Chinese Revolution. Strong students will also note that the utter failure of the Great Leap Forward diminished some of Mao’s power and reputation. They will elaborate that this failure contributed to Mao’s initiation of the Cultural Revolution in an attempt to eliminate critics and win back popular support. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment with source materials, as well as the Rubric containing benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Choose You Own Adventure In this task, students will create an interactive Choose Your Own Adventure model by exploring family and state histories to answer the question, "What makes people take a risk?". This task includes: |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Choral Reading The Choral Reading performance assessment includes two tasks and will be completed twice, once as a pre-assessment and once as a post-assessment, for a unit on nonfiction reading/information book writing. In Task 1, students will choral read a book and draw and write questions they have about the details in the text. They will try to answer their questions. Students will then discuss the book and share out some of their questions and answers. In Task 2, students will write their own information book to teach the important information they have learned. The last page of their book will include a big idea or observation. This assessment includes a rubric. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Clay's American System This task assesses students’ ability to reason how evidence supports a historical argument. Students must explain how Henry Clay's speech defending his “American System”, and an editorial critique of federal government intervention, both support the conclusion that many Americans opposed increased government regulation at the time. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment as well as the Rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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