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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The Virginia Company This task assesses whether students can source and contextualize a document. Students must first examine a report on the progress of the Virginia Company, then determine which fact can help them evaluate the report's reliability. Strong students will be able to explain how the Company's desire to attract new investors (Fact 2) may have led the authors to put a positive spin on life in Virginia. 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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The War of 1812 This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, the task 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 President Madison's proclamation of war on Britain was in part due to trade restrictions enforced by the British during the Napoleonic Wars between France and Britain. Students will also explain that Britain's support for Native American tribes resisting US expansion into the Northwest Territory contributed to the declaration of war on Britain. 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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Timber: History of BC's Logging Industry In this task, students will use pictures and timelines to determine changes in the logging industry throughout the last couple centuries. This task includes: |
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Tobacco Times In Tobacco Times students will identify short-term effects of smoking and smokeless tobacco, determine smoking myths from smoking facts, and identify issues relating to peer pressure. This task includes:
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Touring the Systems In Touring the Systems students will compare components of circulatory, respiratory, digestive, nervous, muscular, skeletal, reproductive and/or endocrine systems to everyday objects. This task includes:
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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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Triangular Frameworks In this tasks, students will use multiple mathematical methods to explore how many triangles can be made with a set of predetermined side lengths. This task includes: |
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Trigonometric Functions In this task, students will answer three short questions involving sin, cos, and tan. This task includes: |
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True Media Message In True Media Message students will identify false messages in advertisements and explain how they negatively affect a person's social, emotional or physical well-being. This task includes:
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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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