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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Traders in the West This task assesses whether students can source and contextualize a document. Students must first examine an account of the interactions between American traders and Native Americans, then determine which facts can help them evaluate the account's reliability. Strong students will be able to explain how Farnham's vested interest in the event (Fact 2) and in gaining territory for the American flag (Fact 3) may have shaped his telling of the incident. 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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Tupac Amaru II This task assesses students' knowledge of the time period of native resistance to Spanish exploration (1700’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 sense of the time period will explain that Túpac Amaru II led a rebellion against the Spanish, who conquered the Inca Empire under the direction of Francisco Pizarro. A strong response to the second question may explain that Amaru’s rebellion destabilized Spanish control over Peru, partially leading to Spain's defeat in the Peruvian War of Independence. Alternatively, students may identify the call for independence enunciated by Amaru during the rebellion as the inspiration and precursor to the Peruvian War of Independence. 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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Two Accounts of the Fall of New France In this task, students will interpret two accounts of how the fall of New France in order to learn about competing narratives. This task includes: |
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UNESCO World Heritage Sites In the UNESCO World Heritage Sites task, students will explore and research the heritage of their country. In the forum, they will present their country and Unesco heritage sites, it's history, the tales about the place, and its meaning in their country's and the world's history. |
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Unions in Paterson, New Jersey This task gauges students' ability to source and contextualize a document. Students first listen to an excerpt from an interview with Marianna Costa, a union leader from Paterson, New Jersey. Students then analyze four historical facts and determine which ones can help discern whether Costa’s account of union accomplishments is historically reliable. 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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Unit Wrap-Up: Community and Change and the War of 1812 In this task, students will explore the continuities and changes in the interpretations of the War of 1812 throughout the last two centuries. This task includes: |
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Unknown Liquids In this task, students will design and carry out an experiment to decide which of the two given solutions is more dense. This task includes: |
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Velocity This task (in PALM and in PALS) focuses on Motions and Forces. Students must determine the average speed, by using the averages, that a toy car travels for three different distances. This task includes: |
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Voyage (Volunteer of Youth Age) The Voyage (Volunteer of Youth Age) task aims to arouse the awareness of the Youth to care for people and things all round us, such as our living environment, the orphans, the disabled students, the paralytics, and the victims of natural calamities at home and abroad. Its goal is to urge the Youth to take action and work out some ways to help the needy as volunteers. Students will create a diary report on volunteering, a photo collections on their youth service, make art work, write essays, and present a report. |
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Wall of Names The Wall of Names task is designed to support student self-expression using various artistic devices and to teach them to cherish intercultural exchanges. This task includes discussion, research, writing, and creating art. The task includes a description of a possible classroom activity. |
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