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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Density of a Sinker In this task, students will calculate the density, mass, and volume of a sinker and apply that knowledge to an alternate situation. This task includes: |
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Dichotomous Key 2 In this task, students will identify organisms using a dichotomous key. This task includes: |
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Dirt Detectives In this task, students will roleplay as archaeologists. They will create a culture bag that they feel best represents them and present it to the class. Afterwards, students will create a box at home with various items in dirt. Back in class, students will "dig" through artifacts and use notes from the presentations to correlate people to artifacts and glean information about each other. They will use this project to gain a better understanding about how archaeologists use artifacts to learn about the past. This task includes: |
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Don't Need No Bullies 'Round Here In this task, students will write a rap song and compose accompanying music that encourages classmates to stop bullying. This task includes: |
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Dr. Seuss Project In this task, students will write and illustrate their own book inspired by Dr.Seuss in order to explore the artisitc elements in his books. This task includes: |
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Earthquake Epicenter In this task, students will determine the epicenter of an earthquake. This task includes: |
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Electrical Circuits and Switches In this task, students will design and explain a model of circuits and switches and then redesign for it to be turned on by someone with no hands. This task includes: |
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Erosion In this task, students will design and conduct and experiment to investigate the question: How does the erosion of sand compare with the erosion of gravel? This task includes: |
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Evacuating Japanese Americans 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 bombing at Pearl Harbor made Americans suspicious of Japanese and Japanese-Americans living in the United States, leading them to be imprisoned in camps. Students will also be able to place internment in the historical context of American xenophobia directed at individuals of Asian descent at the time, and explain how both the Gentlemen's Agreement and the internment of Japanese Americans were products of this. 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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Explosion of the USS Maine This task assesses students’ ability to reason how evidence supports a historical argument. Students must explain how a report by the Naval Court of Inquiry and a San Francisco newspaper article both support the conclusion that confusion pervaded US public thought following the sinking of the USS Maine. Resources for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment as well as the Rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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