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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Seeing Structure in Expressions In this task, students must answer five short questions. This task includes: |
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Seven Years' War This task assesses whether students can source and contextualize a document. Students must first examine an 1870s image of French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and then determine which fact can help them evaluate the reliability of the drawing as evidence of what happened at Fort William Henry. Strong students will be able to explain how prevailing attitudes about Native Americans (Fact 1) could affect how an artist depicts the past. 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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Seville Quran This task assesses students' knowledge of the time period of Muslim presence in Europe (1200’s)—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 understanding of the past will explain that the fact the featured source—the Quran—was made in Seville, points to the Islamic presence in the city in 1226. As an Islamic city in Iberia, it was the target of the Reconquista, which was raging at the time this Quran was completed. A strong response to the second question in this task might explain that in the 8th century, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded to Seville and beyond, establishing Islam as the dominant religion in Seville for centuries to come. 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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Shakespeare: The Inventor of Modern Man In this task, students will explore the claim that Shakespeare is the inventor of modern man by looking at the impact of his work through time. This task includes: |
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Shop, Eat, Move In Shop, Eat, Move students will compare nutritional labels, identify positive and negative nutritional components, and identify additional foods that would compensate a healthy meal. This task includes:
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Sidewalk Patterns In this task, students will create an equation to determine the amount of each colored brick needed to create a specific sidewalk pattern. Similar to Sidewalk Stones, but with more guidance. This task includes: |
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Sidewalk Stones In this task, students will create an equation to determine the amount of each colored brick needed to create a specific sidewalk pattern. This task includes: |
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Significance of the Battle of Detroit In this task, students will use role-playing to explore the circumstances that led to the Battle of Detroit. This task includes: |
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Significance of the War of 1812 In this task, students will gather context on the War of 1812 by reviewing other historical events in Canadian history. This task includes: |
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Signing of the Mayflower Compact This task measures students’ ability to source a document. When historians interpret a document, they first look to find out who wrote it and when. This information presents important clues about whether the document provides reliable evidence about the past. This assessment gauges whether students understand an important aspect of sourcing: the time elapsed between when a document was produced and the event that it depicts. Students who understand the importance of when a document was produced will see that this painting offers limited evidence to historians who wish to understand the signing of the Mayflower Compact because it was produced over 200 years after the event. The task includes a range of supplementary materials, all accessible and available for download with the creation of a free account through the site:
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