Thursday/ Friday 6/7 October

Students shared their poems in two voices.

Students wrote a self-evaluation of the poem that completes the statement: My poem ______ the criteria for the assignment. This self-evaluation gives specific information for each bullet in the rubric. Poem and evaluation were turned in.

Students then began pre-writing or drafting the culminating assessment for this unit (assignment posted below). A rough draft is due next class, and the final draft is due on the 17/18th of October depending on which day a student has class.

Living in the USA: Historiography Unit

Culminating Assessment

You have a choice of two topics on which to write an essay.  Regardless of which topic you write on, your essay will include:

            * awareness of bias or personal and ideological perspective in the writing of history

            * include supporting evidence from the materials provided in class (or from your own outside research)

Option 1:

Write a reflection / personal response essay to your previous history teachers or to your younger self as a student of history.  In your essay, show your understanding of the decisions that were made in the version of history you were taught, and what you think about that version now after having completed this unit.  Show your awareness of how personal bias (of time, politics, gender) has influenced your learning of history.

Option 2:

Write an essay on your previous experiences studying history.  In your essay, show how your learning history is an example of five degrees of separation from the event(s) being taught.  Show your awareness of how the decisions in writing the history of this event demonstrate personal bias (of time, politics, gender, social class) influenced this version of history.

Regardless of which option you choose, you may want to include responses to the following questions:

(1) Whose voices and experiences were part of your learning history?  

(2) Whose stories were told?

(3) Whose were left out?

(4) How were events portrayed?

(5) Who were the “winners” and who were the “losers”?

Your essay will include  at least three pieces of textual evidence from any of the materials we’ve read in class.  Final drafts will be typed, double-spaced in a Times New Roman or Palatino type-face in a 12 point size.  It will also include an introduction, a thesis statement and a conclusion.

Exceeds	Meets	Does Not Meet
Strong introduction with engaging hook that captures the reader’s attention Exceedingly clear thesis statement	Introduction includes thesis statement Thesis statement is clear and demonstrable	Missing introduction (or uses definition in introduction) Thesis statement is unclear or not demonstrable
Essay is compelling to read Transitions assist organization of essay	Organization of essay is easy to follow Essay includes transitions	Organization is clunky or ideas are difficult to follow Transitions are missing, awkward or inappropriate to topic of paragraph
Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how historiography reflects bias or perspective in writing history through social class, gender, race, etc. Includes 4 or more pieces of textual evidence Analysis of evidence strongly supports claims made in thesis	Appropriately uses the term “historiography” in the essay Includes 3 pieces of textual evidence Textual evidence is related to thesis	Little or no understanding of the concept of historiography 2 or fewer pieces of textual evidence Textual evidence doesn’t support claims or thesis.
Conclusion is clear and strongly demonstrates fluency with topic	Conclusion is clear	Missing or unclear conclusion that does not demonstrate an understanding of the topic
Few or no errors in conventions of standard written English	Some errors in conventions of standard written English	Several errors in conventions of standard written English