We engage in our last lecture this week on the causes of the Civil War. After this, students will embark on their last assessment, the Final Assessment. This is a task that will seek to bring together all that we have done this year. I thought I would offer a glimpse of this by reprinting a copy of the letter, the last letter, that I will be sending out to all stakeholders (Can one sense a recurring theme, here?)
Dear Parents/ Guardians of __________________:
The purpose of this letter is to detail the ingredients of this year’s Social Studies Final Assessment. This year’s collection of tasks that represent this last foray into the domain of scholarship are as eclectic as our students and will prove to test our students one more time, as we approach the end of our journey of 7-1 Social Studies.
There are four tasks and students will have to choose one of the four. All work will be done in class and at home. Student work will be due at the end of class on May 30. Students will be graded on a 4-3-2-1 standards rubric in the areas of quality of ideas, organization/ coherence, support, and style. This task will not be graded on the basis of points. My explicit hope for all students is that they average a 4, 3, or 2. There will be no change in students’ overall grades unless they average a 1 for this task. At this stage of the year, students should be striving to demonstrate their best quality of work, on this their last work sample for the year in this class.
All four tasks have been distributed to students. The following is a brief synopsis of each task. Once again, students will choose one of the following:
* Textbook Based Analysis of Chapter 15- This option is a direct analysis of the Civil War. Students will engage in study of specific battles, figures, Lincoln’s role in the conflict, and result of the conflict. This task will conclude with reflective questions about students’ work in 7-1 Social Studies.
* Task Rotation Assessment of chapter 15- This option is an interpretive analysis of Chapter 15. The options presented to students highlight the four dominant learning styles, of which students are expected to complete a minimum of two. This option is designed for students who feel comfortable with the textbook, yet feel the need to express their ideas and take risks with such a knowledge base.
* Modern Injustice Task- This option is geared for students to engage in an analysis of American History and the current landscape of America. Students are being asked to identify one example of a “modern injustice,” something that denies the principles and ideas outlined in Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, The Preamble to the Constitution, and/ or Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” Students will then have to link this current example of modern injustice with a past example from American History that parallels the modern example of injustice. Finally, students will compose a collage or manifesto that demands attention to the current injustice as well as a call for change. Students who enjoy applying history to a modern context will find this task to be enlightening.
* Academic Obituary- A reflective piece for students who wish to merge personal experience with American History, this task is to serve as an intellectual memoir or academic legacy of time spent as a member of the 7-1 Social Studies classroom community. This is a task that merges creative thought with analytic precision.
It is my hope that students can harness their energies to display their best work on this, their last assessment in my class. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at school or at my home (___________________). You can also reach me via email at akannan@op97.org . It has been an honor to be your child’s teacher and my privilege to have served as their guide through American History.
Thanking you in advance for all of your support.
Mr. Kannan
It is the last line that causes the most amount of emotion. I will probably post one more blog entry, but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for all of your support.
Many thanks and happy sojourning into a new horizon.
Mr. Kannan
Dear Parents/ Guardians of __________________:
The purpose of this letter is to detail the ingredients of this year’s Social Studies Final Assessment. This year’s collection of tasks that represent this last foray into the domain of scholarship are as eclectic as our students and will prove to test our students one more time, as we approach the end of our journey of 7-1 Social Studies.
There are four tasks and students will have to choose one of the four. All work will be done in class and at home. Student work will be due at the end of class on May 30. Students will be graded on a 4-3-2-1 standards rubric in the areas of quality of ideas, organization/ coherence, support, and style. This task will not be graded on the basis of points. My explicit hope for all students is that they average a 4, 3, or 2. There will be no change in students’ overall grades unless they average a 1 for this task. At this stage of the year, students should be striving to demonstrate their best quality of work, on this their last work sample for the year in this class.
All four tasks have been distributed to students. The following is a brief synopsis of each task. Once again, students will choose one of the following:
* Textbook Based Analysis of Chapter 15- This option is a direct analysis of the Civil War. Students will engage in study of specific battles, figures, Lincoln’s role in the conflict, and result of the conflict. This task will conclude with reflective questions about students’ work in 7-1 Social Studies.
* Task Rotation Assessment of chapter 15- This option is an interpretive analysis of Chapter 15. The options presented to students highlight the four dominant learning styles, of which students are expected to complete a minimum of two. This option is designed for students who feel comfortable with the textbook, yet feel the need to express their ideas and take risks with such a knowledge base.
* Modern Injustice Task- This option is geared for students to engage in an analysis of American History and the current landscape of America. Students are being asked to identify one example of a “modern injustice,” something that denies the principles and ideas outlined in Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, The Preamble to the Constitution, and/ or Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” Students will then have to link this current example of modern injustice with a past example from American History that parallels the modern example of injustice. Finally, students will compose a collage or manifesto that demands attention to the current injustice as well as a call for change. Students who enjoy applying history to a modern context will find this task to be enlightening.
* Academic Obituary- A reflective piece for students who wish to merge personal experience with American History, this task is to serve as an intellectual memoir or academic legacy of time spent as a member of the 7-1 Social Studies classroom community. This is a task that merges creative thought with analytic precision.
It is my hope that students can harness their energies to display their best work on this, their last assessment in my class. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at school or at my home (___________________). You can also reach me via email at akannan@op97.org . It has been an honor to be your child’s teacher and my privilege to have served as their guide through American History.
Thanking you in advance for all of your support.
Mr. Kannan
It is the last line that causes the most amount of emotion. I will probably post one more blog entry, but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for all of your support.
Many thanks and happy sojourning into a new horizon.
Mr. Kannan
P.S. Monday's quiz has been posted underneath the link for "handouts". You will also find lecture notes for this week's lecture, as well as the Final Assessment tasks/ descriptions/ information. Small group breakout was fun, but nothing can surpass working as a collective unit. One last point: With grades in my class concluding Friday, the notations listed in mygradebook.com are accurate indications as to how students will fare for the trimester. The only change would be a deduction should a student average a "1" for the final assessment.
No comments:
Post a Comment