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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Apartheid in South Africa 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 social conditions of apartheid grew out of racial oppression instituted during European colonial rule of South Africa. Strong students will also explain that social conditions like those depicted in the photograph led the United States Congress to impose economic sanctions against South Africa in an effort to bring an end to the policy of apartheid. 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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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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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 |
Australians- Yesterday and Today The Australians- Yesterday and Today unit includes an introduction, the learning focus, 5 teaching and learning activities, assessment criteria, and resources. Unit description from source: In Australians – yesterday and today students compare and contrast the experiences of two immigrant families or individuals to Australia in the post-World War II period and in present times. As part of a team, they frame research questions to explore the context for particular migrant stories and make links to historical circumstances in their home country and in Australia. They also reflect on how they work in a team, delegate tasks and manage their time. |
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Battle of Chateauguay In this task, students will explore the concepts of identity and continuity and change through exploring how the Battle of Chateauguay helped shape Canadian identity. This task includes: |
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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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CIVICS In this task, students will plan and take part in action projects based on issues in their community. This task includes: |
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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 |
Calligraphic Arts In this task, students will learn about the art of Calligraphy and then write their own short piece in the style. Their work will be presented through multiple mediums and in online galleries. This task includes: |
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Canada's Reaction to the Outbreak of War: 1914-2001 In this task, students will research Canada's reactions to various wars throughout the last couple centuries. This task includes: |
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