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 |
Plague Doctor This task asks that students source a painting of clothing worn by doctors in the 17th century in order to determine its usefulness in answering the question of what doctors wore when treating patients with the Plague. Students with a sophisticated understanding of how to source a document will be able to explain that the painting is useful in that it is based on information from a person who witnessed the plague in the 17th century. They will also observe, however, that the image might be limited as evidence of what doctors wore, because it is an artist’s interpretation rendered over two centuries after the account was recorded. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
The Conservation Movement This task assesses students' ability to contextualize two historical documents and place them in the correct chronological order. This assessment draws on students' knowledge about American environmental movements. Document A is from an interview with Barry Commoner in Scientific American in 1997. Document B is part of an 1894 bill introduced to the House of Representatives. More than just the recall of facts and dates, students must show that they have a broad understanding of how the focus of the environmental movement changed over time and demonstrate the ability to use their knowledge about these changes to place the two documents in context. In this assessment, students who correctly contextualize the documents will see that Document B, which is a bill that proposed the establishment of Yellowstone as the first National Park, was a product of the Progressive Era push to conserve land in the West, and therefore likely written before Document A, which reflects more contemporary concerns about the effects of modern technology on the environment and human health. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment (with primaary source materials), and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
1877 Railroad Strike This task assesses students’ ability to to source and corroborate a document. Drawing on knowledge gained from sourcing an excerpt from an 1877 newspaper article about railroad strikes in Columbus, Ohio, students then evaluate it in several ways; Question 1 asks students to evaluate whether the excerpt provides enough evidence to draw conclusions about the broader railroad strike as a whole. To answer this question, students must source the document to determine whether the account can be regarded as conclusive evidence. Question 2 asks students to identify and evaluate whether additional documents or perspectives could be used to corroborate the account. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
A Cartoon Role Model In A Cartoon Role Model students will describe positive and negative role model characteristics; demonstrate the strategy role model used to deal with stress (peer pressure, eustress and distress). This task includes:
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Source Subject Grade Level |
A Letter to the Publisher In A Letter to the Publisher students will identify negative messages (relating to body image, peer pressure, etc.) contained in advertisements; describe changes that could be made to advertisements that would result in a positive effect. This task includes:
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Source Subject Grade Level |
A Perspective on Slavery This task requires students to weigh the values and limitations of a document as historical evidence, as it relates to conditions slaves faced in the United States. Students well-versed in sourcing a document will be able to explain that the account of Henry Nelson, a son of former slaves, is useful in that it was informed by his parents whom, again, were slaves at the end of the Civil War. Students will also point out, however, that Nelson was offering second-hand information, making his interview less useful as specific evidence of the conditions facing slaves at the end of the war. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Acme Advertising In Acme Advertising students will demonstrate how social skills can lead to a positive resolution of a negative social situation. This task includes:
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Source Subject Grade Level |
African American Workers This task asks students to source and corroborate an account by an English traveller describing African American workers in New York City. Question 1 asks students to evaluate whether the excerpt provides enough evidence to draw conclusions about the working conditions facing African Americans in New York City at the time. To answer this question, students must source the document to determine whether the author’s account can be thought of as conclusive evidence. Question 2 asks students to evaluate whether additional documents could be used to corroborate the account. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
African American Workers This task asks students to source and corroborate an account by an English traveller describing African American workers in New York City. Question 1 asks students to evaluate whether the excerpt provides enough evidence to draw conclusions about the working conditions facing African Americans in New York City at the time. To answer this question, students must source the document to determine whether the author’s account can be thought of as conclusive evidence. Question 2 asks students to evaluate whether additional documents could be used to corroborate the account. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
American Imperialism This task asks students to source and corroborate an editorial from a Nebraska newspaper about overseas expansion. Question 1 asks students to evaluate whether the passage provides enough evidence to draw conclusions about American attitudes about overseas expansion at the time. To answer this question, students must source the document to determine whether the editorial can be thought of as conclusive evidence. Question 2 asks students to evaluate whether additional documents or missing perspectives could be used to corroborate the document. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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