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Source Task

Source
The Historical Thinking Project (Canada)

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

The FLQ - Was the Wars Measure Act a Necessity or an Over-reaction?

In this task, students will develop a historical argument on whether or not they believe the invocation of the War Measures Act was just or not.

This task includes:
1. Task Description
2. Additional Resources: Detailed lesson plan, web resources, rubric, handouts

Source
Stanford Beyond the Bubble

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

The First Thanksgiving

This task measures students’ ability to source a document.  When historians interpret a document, they look at who wrote it and when.  Source information presents clues about whether the document provides reliable evidence about the past. This task gauges whether students understand an important aspect of sourcing: the time elapsed between when a document (in this case, a painting) was produced, and the event it depicts. To accomplish this, students must agree or disagree with a claim about the usefulness of the source, and explain their thinking.

The task includes a range of supplementary materials, many available for download with the creation of a free account:

Source
New York Performance Standards Consortium

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
10

The French Revolution

In this task, students will research both the French and Haitian Revolutions and write a position paper on their findings. 

This class includes:
1. Task Description

Source
Stanford Beyond the Bubble

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

The KKK in the 1870's

This task assesses students’ ability to reason how evidence supports a historical argument. Students must explain how an 1872 editorial describing the organization of the Ku Klux Klan, and a testimony given before Congress describing Klan intimidation, both support the conclusion that Americans were concerned about the KKK during the 1870's.

Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment as well as the Rubric with benchmark descriptors.

Source
New York Performance Standards Consortium

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
9, 10, 11, 12

The Lend-Lease Bill

In this task, student will write an essay about the Lend-Lease Bill. 

This task includes:
1. Student Work: 1 example essay

Source
West Virginia Teach21 Project Based Learning

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
12

The Living Constitution?

In this task, students will act as Constitutional scholars and summarize the Constitution. 

This task includes:
1. Task Description
2. Additional Resources: Standards, support documents, guide to managing the process

Source
National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA, New Zealand)

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
3, 7

The Map

The Map task allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of the map location of eleven prominent places throughout New Zealand. Students will complete this task working in stations. The resources required for this task are eleven postcards on New Zealand places and eleven stickers with place names and arrows.

This task is a part of the Knowledge task series from 1997 by NEMP.

Source
High Tech High School

Subject
History/Social Studies, Humanities, Interdisciplinary

Grade Level
7

The Mayan Community Project

In this task, students will extensively research the Mayan culture and create an A-Z children's book with what they've learned. The class will sell their books as a fundraiser to help children in Mayan communites attend school. 

This task includes:
1. Task Description
2. Student Work: 3 examples
3. Additional Resources: Assessment Activities, timeline, required materials, learning goals, teacher reflections, student resources, Mayan PowerPoint presentation

Source
High Tech High School

Subject
History/Social Studies, Humanities, Interdisciplinary

Grade Level
8

The New Americans Project

In this task, students will be partnered with a new American, or someone who has immigrated, and learn about their lives through interviews and research. 

This task includes:
1. Task Description
2. Student Work: 12 examples
3. Additional Resources: Teacher reflections, content topics, learning goals, literature circle suggestions, timeline, real world connections, sample parent letter, lesson plan, rubric

Source
Stanford Beyond the Bubble

Subject
History/Social Studies

Grade Level
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

The Role of Women

This task assesses students’ ability to reason how evidence supports a historical argument. Students must explain how a conservative political cartoon about women's societal roles, and feminist writing by radical feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman, both support the conclusion that many Americans opposed the shift of women's roles from the private sphere to the public.

Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment as well as the Rubric with benchmark descriptors. Also included are links to the original primary sources through the Library of Congress.

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