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Logan Walker 343

GLE: Grade 82. Knowledge of principles and processes of governance systemsDescribe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

Content Area Alternative Texts Collection/Rubric

NONWHITE

Rubio , M. (2012). An American son: A memoir. New York, NY: Sentinel. Retrieved from h ttp://www.christianbook.com/an-american-son-a-memoir/marco-r ubio/ 9781595230942/pd/309420?dv=c&en=google-pla&kw=other-0-20&p=1167941&gclid=CJCV7YnczbcCFfLm7AodvBIAPw

This is a memoir written by Marco Rubio about his journey to become a senator and live the American dream after being born from two Cuban parents. Rubio has had an extremely fast rise to national prominence and is one of the leaders of the Republican Party.

WOMAN

Rice, C. (2011). No higher honor: A memoir of my years in Washington. New York, New York: Crown. Retrieved from http://www.christianbook.com/higher-honor-memoir-years-in-washington/condoleezza-rice/9780307587862/pd/587862/1349094003?event=CF

In this book, Condoleezza Rice shares about her experience as a National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. There were many key political events during her time in office that she discusses.

MAGAZINE (2)

Chameides, B. (2013, May 23). On science, politics and climate change. National Geographic, Retrieved from h ttp://www.greatenergychallengeblog.com/2013/05/23/on-science- p olitics-and-climate-change/

This is an article about how science, politics and climate change all effect one another. It is an extremely biased article, as well and could lead to discussion on how authors have their own bias.

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Corcoran, C. (2014, June). Al Leiter, u.s. senator (r-nj): Really? no, but mets fan Chris Christie could make it happen. Sports Illustrated, Retrieved from h ttp://mlb.si.com/2013/06/04/al-leiter-u-s-senator-r -nj-really-no-not-really-but-mets-fan- chris-christie-could-make-it-happen/

This is from Sports Illustrated online and is an article about how a former Major League pitcher now may make an effort to become a U.S. Senator. It talks about Governor Chris Christie and his potential as a Republican 2016 presidential candidate, too.

NEWSPAPER (2)

Galloway, J. (2013, June 6). Verizon taps open the gap between defense and liberty wings of gop. Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved from h ttp://www.ajc.com/weblogs/political- i nsider/2013/jun/06/verizon-taps-open-gap-between-defense-and-liberty-/

This is an article about how the Republicans and Democrats are debating whether the National Government should have the power to wire-tap everyday citizens. Some viewpoints are represented from both sides in the article.

Henderson, J. (2013, June 5). Fierce support of Obamacare will harm democrats more than help them. Sunshine State News. Retrieved from http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/fierce-support-obamacare-will-harm-democrats-more-help-them

This is an article about how Democrats are supporting Obamacare and Republicans are opposing it and how it will affect future elections. Both sides of the argument are represented.

Thee-Brenan, M. (2013, June 6). I.R.S. targeting of conservatives wrong, most say in poll. New York Times. Retrieved from h ttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/politics/poll-irs- t argeting-of-conservatives.html?ref=politics&_r=0

This is an article about how the I.R.S targeted conservative groups. Many questions still surround the situation and party lines are heavily involved.

NONFICTION (3)

Calkhoven, L. (2006). George Washington: An American life. New York, NY: Sterling

Publishing Company.

This book is a biography of the life of George Washington. It goes into his views of many things, especially government and would give students insight to what Washington thought.

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O'Brien, C. (2009). Secret lives of the U.S. presidents. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

This is a book about the secret lives of U. S. Presidents. It is very interesting to see some of the things they did and how it affected their political careers.

Ryan, P. (2001, May). George W. Bush (United States Presidents). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/George-Bush-United-States-Presidents/dp/1577653025/ref=sr_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370619228&sr=1-14&keywords=georgewbushchildrensbook

This is a non-fiction book with pictures that can be used for a variety of ages. It gives a nice summary of Bush’s biography early in his presidency.

NOVELS (3)

Beck, G. (2010, June 15). The overton window. New York, NY: Pocket Books. Retrieved fromht tp://www.amazon.com/TheOvertonWindowGlennBeck/dp/B005OHVVVG/ ref=sr_1_7? ie=UTF8&qid=1370616903&sr=8-7&keywords=glennbeck

This book is a political thriller that goes into deep discussion about public perception and how politics do matter in everyday life. After an attack on the United States, people are in so much chaos and confusion, they’re not even sure which side to fight for.

Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

This book is full of political implications that have been enforced by a society separate from the rest of the world. The community has tried to make a perfect world, and in doing so has hid many truths from its people.

Vidal , G. (2000, February 15). Lincoln: A novel. New York, NY: Vintage. Retrieved from h ttp://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Novel-American-Chronicle-S eries/dp/0375708766/ ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370615379&sr=8-1&keywords=lincoln gore vidal

This fiction novel dives into elements of Abraham Lincoln’s life and all he had to deal with during his presidency. It is based on history, but expands to make the story more interesting to readers.

POEM/SONG

Haines, J. (1999). Nine political poems. Retrieved from http://www.archipelago.org/vol8-3/haines.htm

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On this website there are nine political poems. I would have to carefully select the ones to use for class, but they are very good and would make students think deeply about the political process.

COMIC BOOK, CARTOON, GRAPHIC NOVEL, OR VISUAL

Luckovich, M. (2013, June 5). Unpopular. Retrieved from http://www.cagle.com/2013/06/unpopular/

This is a political cartoon about how Republicans are struggling to gain popularity amongst young voters. It makes a strong statement about how “out of touch” Republicans are perceived to be.

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK (2)

Cronin, D. (2004, March 2). Duck for president. New York, NY: Antheneum Books for Young Readers. Retrieved from h ttp://www.amazon.com/President-Times-Illustrated-Childrens- A wards/dp/0689863772/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

This is a picture book about how a duck runs for president. The duck starts with humble beginnings and gradually works his way to run for president.

Morris, D. (2012, September 18). Dubs runs for president [hardcover]. Lenexa, KS: Velocity Press. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/dp/1938804031

This is a picture book that details how a dog runs for president. It gives students some ideas about the process that candidates have to go through to become president, and it is easily applicable to upper grades.

Winters, K. (2008, July 17). My teacher for president [paperback]. London, England: Puffin. Retrieved from h ttp://www.amazon.com/My-Teacher-President-Kay- W inters/dp/0142411701/ref=pd_sim_b_24

This is a picture book about how a student thinks his teacher is a perfect candidate to run for president. It compares the daily duties of a teacher to the duties of a president.

WEBSITE (2)

Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.diffen.com/difference/Barack_Obama_vs_Mitt_Romney

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This website compared Barack Obama and his 2012 Republican opponent Mitt Romney. It goes into great detail about their views on issues.

Flanders, S. (2007). The origins and functions of political parties. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/political-parties

This website gives an explanation all about political parties. It discusses how they were started and how they function as a part of our government.

Where do you fit? (2013). Retrieved from http://www.people-press.org/political-party-quiz/This is a political quiz that has people answer questions to see where they align on the political spectrum. It’s a fun way to see where you end up.

Vocabulary Word Sort

Word Sort

On Science, Politics and Climate Change

Chameides, B. (2013, May 23). On science, politics and climate change. National Geographic,

Retrieved from http://www.greatenergychallengeblog.com/2013/05/23/on-science-politics-and-climate-change /

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.3 Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

SS2 1.10

Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

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Directions: Each group will review the categories provided and into which you will sort the vocabulary terms/concepts. (For an Open Word Sort, instruct the student teams to suggest categories for organizing the words.) You will have about 10 minutes to assign the words to the appropriate categories. We will have a class discussion with each group presenting your word list for one of the categories. You will be asked to defend your sorting of terms by sharing the common features of the categories and how each specific term/concept meets the criteria.

Science Politics Climate Change

Absorb

Linear Regression

Regression

Natural Variability

La Nina

El Nino

Carbon

Carbon Dioxide

Scientific Consensus

Precipitation

House Committee

Subcommittee

Democratic Party

Legislation

Granting Funds

Political Reviews

Conservative

Republican

Climate

Temperatures

Atmosphere

Global Emissions

This word sort could be given to students before they start units in science and politics. The article the terms come from combines science and politics in a way to integrate the topics with literature. This could be a way to assess how much students know about these specific fields of

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science and social studies (political science). After the students have read the article and done some activities, the word sort could be re-used to check for understanding on an assignment.

Vocabulary Self-Awareness ChartI.R.S. Targeting of Conservatives Wrong, Most Say in Poll

Thee-Brenan, M. (2013, June 6). I.R.S. targeting of conservatives wrong, most say in poll. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/politics/poll-irs-targeting-of-conservatives.html?ref=politics&_r=0

SS2 1.10Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

Student Directions: 1. Examine the list of words you have written in the first column 2. Put a “+” next to each word you know well, and give an accurate example and definition

of the word. Your definition and example must relate to the unit of study. 3. Place a “check” next to any words for which you can write only a definition or an

example, but not both. 4. Place a “?“ next to words that are new to you. 5. Put a “-“ next to each word you don’t know. Go back and change when it becomes

familiar to you. 6. Add any additional words you feel are important to know or are unfamiliar to you.

You will use this chart throughout the unit on political science. By the end of the unit should have the entire chart completed. Because you will be revising this chart, write in pencil.

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Word + - Example Definition

scandal + I.R.S employees may be fired after the recent scandal.

An action that causes a loss of credibility.

administration The Obama administration is being questioned over the Benghazi situation.

illegality ? -

unethical

tax-exempt status

Internal Revenue ServiceConservatives

Republicans

Democrats

Tea Party

cover-ups

policy

Model the process of using this chart for students prior to the reading. (The first three have been modeled.) After modeling, have the students fill out the chart. Students should continue to fill out the chart and revise their responses while they read the article and again after. This will allow students to monitor their knowledge of the terms/concepts throughout the study. The classroom teacher can also monitor student responses throughout the study.

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QAR

APA Reference:

Flanders, S. (2007). The origins and functions of political parties. Retrieved from

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/political-parties

Content GLE/s: SS2 1.10

Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

ELA Common Core:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Student directions: Students will read The Origins and Functions of Political Parties. Then, they will go through the following Question-Answer-Relationship diagram and answer the questions. The first questions are pulled directly from the text. The next questions are to be answered without pulling information directly from the text. The students have to think on their own after reading the article.

In the Text Question Answer

Right There questions (2)(think who is, where is, list, when is, how many, when did, name, what kind of-Remember that the answer will be in one location in the text)

1. What is a political party?

A political party is a group of voters organized to support certain public policies.

2. When did political parties as we know them begin to develop?

They began to develop in the late 1600s.

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Think and Search questions (2)(require students to "search" through the entire passage they read to find information)

1. Find two examples of early political parties in the United States.

The Federalists and the anti-Federalists.

2. Compare and contrast the Republicans and Democrats views on the role of government.

Republicans believe the government should virtually stay out of solving problems nationally, while the Democrats believe the government is capable and should be used to solve problems, even at a national level.

In Your HeadAuthor and You questions (1)(require students to answer with information not in the text; however, students must read the text material to understand what the question is asking then use the information from the text and then explain what you know or have experienced)

1. Was Franklin D. Roosevelt right to pass the New Deal? Why?

No, Roosevelt was not right to pass the New Deal. What Roosevelt did was unconstitutional. The government will never stop growing and infringing on rights. It’s my experience the government will stick their nose in many things they have no business being in. For example, they cut the jobs of some people in my town because their factor did not pass environmental standards. The national government has limits for a reason and the New Deal started moving the country toward a welfare state that is still increasing today. In addition, government should not interfere with business. OrYes, Roosevelt was right to pass the New Deal. The national government has to help its citizens when they need it. Also, it brought programs like Social Security, which have helped many elderly people. Next, union laws have helped workers. It’s

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my experience that elderly people and workers have benefited from this law and work in better conditions and have better benefits because of it. My grandparents would have nothing without social security.

On Your Own questions (1)(can be answered with information from the students' background knowledge and do not require reading the text

1. Have you ever had a debate with a person over an issue you disagreed upon? Describe your experience.

The other day my friend and I disagreed upon who the best college football player is right now. I said Taylor Martinez, and he said Johnny Maziel. I argued Martinez is already a 3-year starter at a football powerhouse at Nebraska as the quarterback. Martinez is both an effective runner and passer and has won many games as the starting quarterback. He countered saying Manziel is only a sophomore and won the Heisman trophy (the ultimate individual trophy in college football) last year as a freshman. Then, he explained how well Texas A&M did with him as the starter. They even beat eventual National Champion, Alabama. After weighing the options, I sided with my friend, even though I am a Nebraska fan. Manziel’s freshman season and Heisman trophy were unprecedented, and to do what he did in the SEC was impressive.

Rubric for Author and Me (adjust your rubric to match your question)

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4 3 2 1Student states if Franklin D. Roosevelt was right or wrong to pass the New Deal. Two pieces of information from the text are used to support the answer. The student thoroughly explains background knowledge or experiences to further support their answer.

Student states if Franklin D. Roosevelt was right or wrong to pass the New Deal. At least one piece of information from the text is used to support the answer and the student uses some background knowledge or experience to further explain and support their answer.

Student states if Franklin D. Roosevelt was right or wrong to pass the New Deal and uses at least one piece of information from the text OR uses background knowledge/experiences to support and explain.

Student states if Franklin D. Roosevelt was right or wrong to pass the New Deal but does not use information from the text or personal knowledge/experience to support or explain.

Rubric for On My Own (adjust your rubric to match your question)

4 3 2 1Student stated a debate they had over an issue. They explained options and reasons for the various choices. Student states the final decision with a thorough explanation of their choice.

Student stated a debate they had over an issue and provided at least two options with an adequate explanation of their final choice.

Student presented a vaguely stated debate and their decision with only minimal explanation.

Student failed to clearly present a debate. No clear decision was stated. Student vaguely responds to the debate. No explanation was provided.

When and why I would use this strategy:

This activity would be a great option to use after students read a text to see if they comprehended the text. The students are not only required to pull answers directly from the text, but use their own reasoning ability and background knowledge in addition to the text to answer questions. This leads students into higher order questions.

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Graphic Organizer Chapter 7

Comparing Barack Obama and Mitt Romney

Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.diffen.com/difference/Barack_Obama_vs_Mitt_Romney

GLE: SS2 1.10

Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.3 Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

Directions: Each student will review the Venn Diagram given to them and the categories that they will be sorting. Students will have 15 minutes to review the website and place information in the correct section of the Venn Diagram. Students need to put only the most important points down. We will then have a class discussion and go through the information that was written down. Students may have to defend their position if there is a disagreement on where to put information.

When and why in classroom: This Venn Diagram could be used in the classroom for any subject for information students are comparing and contrasting. It gives a great visual for students to see the similarities and differences. It also can easily be referred back to. Furthermore, it could be used to assess students’ understanding later in the unit to see if they have learned the differences and similarities.

The teacher model is below followed by the student blank copy.

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Barack Obama Both Mitt Romney

-Democrat

-Raise taxes

-Stimulus

-National HealthCare

-More diplomacy instead of military

action

-Cap and trade

-Publicly opposes war

-Supports same-sex marriage

-Supports Roe v. Wade

-Lawyer

-Christian

-Joe Biden running mate

-Republican

-Tax-cuts

-Private Health Care

-Military when necessary

-Opposes cap and trade

-Opposes same-sex marriage

-Opposes abortion

-Businessman

-Mormon

-Paul Ryan running mate

-Legal immigration

-Harvard

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Barack Obama Both Mitt Romney

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Chapter 8 Artifact Note-taking Logan Walker

The Origins and Functions of Political Parties

Flanders, S. (2007). The origins and functions of political parties. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/political-parties

GLE: SS2 1.10 Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Directions: Each student will review the Cornell note-taking method given to them. Students write notes or draw symbols on the right side of the paper. On the left side of the paper, students write their reactions, headings, thoughts and questions about the reading. Then, on the bottom, students summarize the information in 1 to 3 sentences. Students will have 25 minutes to review the website and take notes. We will then have a class discussion over the important points and the questions students had.

When and Why in Classroom: This Cornell method could be used in the classroom in a variety of areas. It gives students an opportunity to organize their notes in a manner where they can ask questions and reflect in one column and answer the questions in another with their notes. When done correctly, it is a great tool to refer back to for review. It can also be used throughout a unit for students to go back and add to.

The teacher model is below followed by the student model.

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Name: Date: Class: Page:

Questions/ReactionsI didn’t realize political parties are

that old.What is a political party?

Political Parties in the U.S.Why did the founders not want

political parties?

Early U. S. Parties

Racial differences are still and issue.

Democrats and Republicans

Where do Conservatives and Liberals fit?

Which party is better?What are the futures of the parties?

U.S. 3rd PartiesI wish 3rd parties could make a bigger

impact.

How U.S. Parties WorkSpecial interest groups seem to affect

candidates’ integrity.

Political Parties in Other Countries

Notes-Political party-group of voters organized to support certain public policies.

-offers candidates for public office-originated in England-differences in power of government in original parties, too

-Founding fathers did not like the idea of political parties.-Madison saw them as necessary, though.

-Federalists-strong central government-Anti-federalists-not strong central government-Differences lead to Civil War-State rights? Who has final authority?-States seceded from Union-1860 Northern Democrat, Southern Democrat, Republican, and the Constitutional-Union Party

-Defeat of Confederacy weakened Democrats-1930s Great Depression divided the parties.-FDRs New Deal-Social Security and other National Government help to people.-Still disagree based on the issue in government’s role.

-Primarily 2 party system-3rd parties play small roles at times.-affect election outcomes-Socialist party-more welfare-Ross Perot-Dixiecrats-protested growing movement for Afr. Am. rights.

-Highly organized, have platforms, find candidates, run opinion polls, fund raising-Special interest groups-raise money to influence candidates on issues -Laws determine how $ can be raised

-Multiparty systems common in Europe.-Not everywhere has multiple parties-Combinations of parties run some countries

Summary: Political parties are groups of people that influence the leadership of countries across the world based on certain public policies that they want. The United States has a mainly two-party system with the Republicans, who want less central government power, and the Democrats, who want more central government power, essentially. Platforms of parties gradually evolve over time based on issues in the country, and the party in power affects how the country is ran.

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Name: Date: Class: Page:

Questions/Reactions Notes

Summary:

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Shared Reading Artifact

Text:

Henderson, J. (2013, June 5). Fierce support of obamacare will harm democrats more than help them. Sunshine State News. Retrieved from http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/fierce-support-obamacare-will-harm-democrats-more-help-them

GLE:

Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Text Teacher commentary during the think aloud

Strategies modeled/practiced

Fierce Support of Obamacare Will Harm Democrats More than Help Them

“As I look at this article I see a bold headline. The author is making a statement that they have drawn based on information he has received. When it says the word “fierce,” it makes me wonder why this word was added and if statistics later in the article will define “fierce.” Furthermore, I wonder if the

Predicting using titles and graphics help focus and add motivation to read further.

Asking about bias and inferences make the students think about why the author wrote this article.

Vocabulary-Examples of Democrats

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author is biased. A bold headline like this may come from someone who is against Democrats. I also see a picture of President Obama’s signature on a document. This is just making a point that he signed the Obamacare bill into law and the Democrats are supporting the law and by affiliation, Barack Obama, who is a Democrat. We remember from earlier discussion that Democrats are generally in favor of more government power. Obamacare is an example of more government involvement in Healthcare.”

National Democrats plan to defend President Barack Obama’s federal health-care law as a matter of concerted party strategy in 2014, but they might as well know: Florida Republicans will welcome it.

Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Democrats across the nation are increasingly going to bat for the health-care law, which remains controversial three years after it was first passed.

In fact, the law is still widely unpopular, and according to a poll released earlier this week, its opponents are more fired up than its defenders.

“I see from reading the start of this article that Democrats are planning to defend Obamacare. I did not realize it was a part of a whole-party strategy, though. It makes me wonder if they individually support it, or do they just have to go along with the rest of the party. It also says, “according to a poll,” that it is unpopular, so maybe the author is not biased, but is basing his conclusions on evidence through a poll. I wonder if later in the article it will go into more detail about the poll.”

Pulling explicit information from the text.

Verifying predictions and inferences.

Rasmussen Reports unveiled a poll Monday which finds 54 percent of those surveyed have an unfavorable view of the law while only 41 percent of them see it in a favorable light. Only

“After reading this part of the text, I see we are finally getting into the statistics. It says explicitly 54 percent of the people surveyed have an unfavorable view of the law

Citing public opinion statistics to draw conclusions.

Pulling information from the text.

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15 percent see the law as very favorable, while 40 percent -- almost as many who see it as favorable -- view it as very unfavorable. The poll of 1,000 likely voters was taken from May 31-June 1 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

Certainly, Republicans in Florida continue to push against the federal health-care law. Responding to a constituent survey on immigration on Monday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., took a whack at the federal health-care law, ripping into it as a “government subsidy.”

while 41 percent see it in a favorable light. This is a pretty dramatic telling of the law. We can analyze and see there is a large gap between favorability. With a gap this large, it is easy to see where the author drew his conclusions about Democrat support of the bill will harm them more than help them. Then, it explains how Republicans (who are in favor of smaller government) are countering the Democrats. Senator Marco Rubio, one of the current leaders of the Republican party, called it a government subsidy, which is essentially a government payment to a producer. The bill is not supposed to be a subsidy.”

Analyzing both sides of the argument.

Vocabulary

Summary:

The Shared Reading approach uses many different strategies to help students evaluate texts. From activating background knowledge, to looking for implicit thoughts by the author, Shared Reading does it all. The teacher commentary really can help students learn how to think about and approach different texts, too.

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Modeled Writing

Galloway, J. (2013, June 6). Verizon taps open the gap between defense and liberty wings of gop. Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved from http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/political-

insider/2013/jun/06/verizon-taps-open-gap-between-defense-and-liberty-/

I Took A Walk by Henry Cole

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Content Area: Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

Directions: Read the article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution about Verizon and government taps. Then, read I Took A Walk by Henry Cole. Students then take information from the article and previous information learned in class and put it in a format like I Took A Walk as if they were rewriting the story based on the article they read. It will be graded with a rubric.

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I Tapped A Call by Logan Walker

One regular summer morning

I went to work

And was asked to listen

To a call…

I sat back in my taxpayer-funded chair

And focused my hearing

To the voice of a regular person.

I heard…

His son’s name

His business ideas

His political views

Weekend plans

His life’s goals

His best friend’s name

The other caller’s name

His best fishing spot

His wife’s tastes

His religious views

His finances

His favorite teams

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Some things I didn’t understand

Nothing involving terrorism.

Rubric (place a check in the box)

Yes (2) Kind Of (1) No (0)Setting

Clear Point of View3 references from

articleRelates to government

When and Why in classroom:

I would use this in the classroom when I wanted to students to both pull explicitly stated things from a text and apply with things the text implies. It allows me to see if they comprehend the text and can apply it to a different format. It is a more interesting and authentic assignment then asking them questions out of the book or on a worksheet.

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Grade 8 Performance Task

APA Reference:

Flanders, S. (2007). The origins and functions of political parties. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/political-parties

Content GLE/s: Describe how to participate in government (i.e., voting, campaigning, lobbying, participating in a political party, petitioning, influencing public opinion, etc.)

ELA Standard/s:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Student Directions: Within Assignment

Explanation of when and why you would use this in the classroom:

Political Parties

1. Task Overview

2. Classroom Activity

3. Student Task: Parts 1 and 2

4. Scoring Rubrics

Task Overview (20 minutes for classroom activity, 105 for performance task = 125 total minutes)

Classroom Activity (20 minutes)

Students will be introduced to the topic of political parties to prepare an argumentative article. They will be given time to read and view the sources and briefly discuss them.

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Part 1 (35 minutes)

Students will examine the sources and take notes. They will then respond to three (3) constructed-response questions. Part 2 (70 minutes)

Students will have access to the sources they examined in Part 1. They will refer to their notes and their answers to the constructed-response questions to compose a full-length argumentative article. Students cannot change their answers to the constructed-response questions. They will pre-write, draft, and revise an article.

Scorable Products

Student responses to the constructed-response questions at the end of Part 1 and the article completed in Part 2 will be scored. Notes completed in Part 1 and pre-writing and drafting in Part 2 will not be scored.

Teacher Preparation/Resource Requirements

This is a computer-based test that requires an interface for each test-taker. The testing software will include access to spell check, but not to grammar check. The teacher should ensure that sufficient blank paper and writing tools are available for student note-taking.

Teacher Directions for the Classroom Activity

Introductory Classroom Activity (20 minutes)

Accessing the Stimuli (~18 minutes)

1. Provide students with copies of the article “The Origins and Functions of Political Parties.” Instruct the students to read the articles silently to themselves (~13 minutes).

2. Lead a whole class discussion about the articles using the questions below (~5 minutes):

1. Question 1: What are some of the functions of political parties?

2. Question 2: Why have political parties gone through so many changes over time?

Teacher Directions for Parts 1 and 2

Part 1 (35 minutes)

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Part 1 (35 minutes)

Students should receive the sources, directions, questions, article assignment, and any other material related to the task. They should receive the constructed-response questions in Part 1 and the article assignment in Part 2. 1. Initiate the online testing session. 2. Alert the students when there are 15 minutes remaining in Part 1. 3. Alert the students when there are 5 minutes remaining in Part 1. 4. Have students write their names on any notes. Collect all student notes. 5. Close the testing session.

Stretch Break

Part 2 (70 minutes)

1. Initiate the testing Part 2. 2. Allow students to access the sources, their notes, and their answers to the constructed-response questions presented in Part 1. They will not be allowed to change their answers. 3. Once 15 minutes have elapsed, suggest students begin writing the article. 4. Alert the students when 30 minutes remain. 5. Alert students when 15 minutes remain and suggest they begin revising their articles. 6. Close the testing session.

Student Directions for Parts 1 and 2

Part 1 (35 minutes)

Your task

You will examine a source about political parties. Then you will answer three questions about what you have learned. In Part 2, you will write an argumentative article about political parties to your local State Representative.

Steps to follow

In order to plan and write your article, you will do all of the following: 1. Examine your source. 2. Make notes about the information from the source. 3. Answer three questions about the source.

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Directions for beginning

You will now examine a source on political parties. Take notes because you may want to refer to your notes while writing your article. You can re-examine any of the sources as often as you like.

Research Questions

After examining the research sources, use the remaining time in Part 1 to answer three questions about them. Your answers to these questions will be scored. Also, your answers will help you think about the research sources you have read and viewed, which should help you write your argumentative article.

You may click on the appropriate buttons to refer to the sources when you think it will be helpful. You may also refer to your notes. Answer the questions in the spaces provided below them.

1. What evidence does the author of “The Origins and Functions of Political Parties” present that would best convince your State Representative that he should be involved with a political party? Use details from the article to thoroughly support your answer.

2. What information in the text could lead a reader to believe that Republicans and Democrats are more similar than they are different? Use detail from the text to support your answer.

3. Explain why it is important to consider information from the article “The Origins and Functions of Political Parties” when deciding on joining a political party. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Part 2 (70 minutes)

You will now have 70 minutes to review your notes and sources, plan, draft, and revise your article. You may use your notes and refer to the sources. You may also refer to the answers you wrote to questions in Part 1, but you cannot change those answers. Now read your assignment and the information about how your article will be scored; then begin your work.

Your Assignment

Some people in the community have suggested that your State Representatives affiliations with his political party have effected some of his decisions that have not benefited the community.

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Your assignment is to write an argumentative essay to the State Representative on this topic. In your essay, you will take a side about whether the State Representative should remain in affiliation with his political party, or identify himself as independent from party affiliation. Support your position with information from the source you have examined. The audience for this article is the State Representative.

Article Scoring

Your article will be scored on the following criteria:

Your article will be scored on the following criteria: 1. Statement of purpose / focus and organization—How well did you clearly state your claim on the topic and maintain your focus? How well did your ideas logically flow from the introduction to conclusion using effective transitions? How well did you stay on topic throughout the article? 2. Elaboration of evidence—How well did you provide evidence from the sources to support your opinions? How well did you elaborate with specific information from the sources you reviewed? How well did you effectively express ideas using precise language that was appropriate for your audience and purpose? 3. Conventions—How well did you follow the rules of usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling?

Now begin work on your article. Manage your time carefully so that you can:

plan your article

write your article

revise and edit for a final draft

Word-processing tools and spell check are available to you.

Type your response in the space provided. Write as much as you need to fulfill the requirements of the task; you are not limited by the size of the response area on the screen.

Source Information:

Stimulus #1

Read this article about political parties and their functions.

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Flanders, S. (2007). The origins and functions of political parties. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/political-parties

Scoring information for questions:

1. Claim 4, Target 3

2-point Research (Grades 6–11) Evaluate Information/Sources Rubric (Claim 4, Target 3)2 The response gives sufficient evidence of the ability to evaluate the

credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and sources. The response includes a thorough explanation of what evidence the article presents that would convince the representative to continue to be a part of his political party. Strong support is provided by relevant details from the source.

1 The response gives limited evidence of the ability to evaluate the credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and sources. The response includes a partial explanation of what evidence the article presents that would convince the representative to continue to be a part of his political party. Limited support is provided by relevant details from the source.

0 A response gets no credit if it provides no evidence of the ability to evaluate the credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and sources. The response does not include any relevant details from the article to show what evidence is presented that would convince the representative that he should continue to be a part of his political party. The response may be vague, incorrect, or completely absent.

Sample 2-Point Response: There are several reasons the State Representative should be involved in a political party. First, the article says that parties make it easier for people to identify with candidates. When the State

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Representative is associated with a party that has certain beliefs with issues, voters can more easily know if they agree with that candidate or not. Furthermore, it says the some of the founding fathers of the country started the political parties, even though they did not entirely approve of them. Finally, it says parties are highly organized. This organization can lead to better and clearer ideas on problem solving.

Sample 1-Point Response: The State Representative should continue to be a part of his political party because it gives him a party to associate with. Parties also date back to the beginning of the United States, so they must be important to government. Even the founding fathers were involved with parties.

Sample 0-Point Response: The article talks about parties and how they influence parties. Republicans and Democrats don’t get along.

2. Claim 4, Target 3

2-point Research (Grades 6–11) Evaluate Information/Sources Rubric (Claim 4, Target 3)

2 The response gives sufficient evidence of the ability to evaluate the credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and sources. The response includes detailed information that shows how Republicans and Democrats are more similar than they are different. The response is supported with relevant details from both sources.

1 The response gives limited evidence of the ability to evaluate the credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and sources. The response includes some details about how Republicans and Democrats are more similar than they are different. The response includes limited relevant details from the sources.

0 A response gets no credit if it provides no evidence of the ability to evaluate the credibility, completeness, relevancy, and/or accuracy of the information and sources. The response does not include an explanation of how Republicans and

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Democrats are more similar than they are different. The response may be vague, incorrect, or completely absent.

Sample 2-Point Response: The article shows evidence of how similar Republicans and Democrats actually are. It says they mostly agree on social security, unemployment insurance, basic foreign policy, and civil rights. It also says they agree on the end result most of the time, just not the means to get there. Their biggest difference according to the article is how much of a role the government should have. This shows how they mostly want the same things.

Sample 1-Point Response: Republicans and Democrats are basically the same thing. They both want power and control and what is best for the people. Neither of them wants to have wars, but know they are sometimes necessary. They both want to help the elderly, too.

Sample 0-Point Response: Republicans and Democrats are totally different. Republicans want elderly people to suffer and give them no help.

3. Claim 4, Target 4

2-point Research (Grades 6–11) Use Evidence Rubric (Claim 4, Target 4)

2 The response gives sufficient evidence of the ability to cite evidence to support opinions and ideas. The response includes a thorough explanation about why it’s important to consider information from the article when deciding to join a political party. The response includes strong relevant details from the source.

1 The response gives limited evidence of the ability to cite evidence to support opinions and ideas. The response includes a limited explanation about why it’s important to consider information from the article when deciding to join a political party. The response includes limited relevant

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details from the source.0 A response gets no credit if it provides no evidence of the ability to cite

evidence to support opinions and ideas. The response does not explain why it’s important to consider information from the article when deciding to join a political party. The response does not include relevant details and may be vague, incorrect, or completely absent.

Sample 2-Point Response: The article has some important information to consider before joining a political party. First, it talks about how different parties support different public policies. Before joining a party, a person would have to know what policies the party supports. Next, it talks about how parties started with representatives for the people. Parties give people more of an opportunity to be represented. Furthermore, it discusses the parties in the United States and what their biggest differences are, such as the role of government involvement. All of these are important issues that a person needs to look into before deciding on a political party and the article does a nice job explaining why they are important to consider.

Sample 1-Point Response: The article has some information that could be useful before joining a political party. First, it says how parties shouldn’t have been formed according to George Washington, but were anyway. So, one should be skeptical before joining. Next, it says how similar the parties are so it’s not as big of a deal as you might think.

Sample 0-Point Response: People join political parties to gain attention and money for themselves. They are all the same and joining them is pointless.

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Rubric and scoring information for full-write:

4-PointArgumentative

Performance Task Writing Rubric (Grades 6–11)Score 4 3 2 1 NS

Statement of Purpose/Focus and Organization

The response is fully sustained and consistently and purposefully focused: claim is clearly stated, focused, and strongly maintained alternate or opposing claims are clearly addressed* claim is introduced and communicated clearly within the purpose, audience, and taskThe response has a clear and effective organizational structure creating a sense of unity

The response is adequately sustained and generally focused: claim is clear and mostly maintained, though some loosely related material may be present context provided for the claim is adequate within the purpose, audience, and taskThe response has an evident organizational structure and a sense of completeness, though there may be minor flaws and some ideas

The response is somewhat sustained and may have a minor drift in focus: may be clearly focused on the claim but is insufficiently sustained, or claim on the issue may be somewhat unclear and/or unfocusedThe response has an inconsistent organizational structure, and flaws are evident:inconsistent use of transitional strategies and/or little variety

The response may be related to the purpose but may provide little or no focus: may be very brief may have a major drift claim may be confusing or ambiguousThe response has little or no discernible organizational structure: few or no transitional strategies are evident frequent extraneous ideas may intrude

Insufficient, illegible, in a language other than English, incoherent, off-topic, or off-purpose writing

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and completeness: consistent use of a variety of transitional strategies to clarify the relationships between and among ideas logical progression of ideas from beginning to end effective introduction and conclusion for audience and purpose strong connections among ideas, with some syntactic variety

may be loosely connected:adequate use of transitional strategies with some variety to clarify the relationships between and among ideas adequate progression of ideas from beginning to end adequate introduction and conclusion adequate, if slightly inconsistent, connection among ideas

uneven progression of ideas from beginning to end conclusion and introduction, if present, are weak weak connection among ideas

4-PointArgumentative

Performance Task Writing Rubric (Grades 6–11)

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Score 4 3 2 1 NS

Evidence/Elaboration

The response provides thorough and convincing support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes the effective use of sources, facts, and details. The response achieves substantial depth that is specific and relevant: use of evidence from sources is integrated, comprehensive, relevant, and concrete effective use of a variety of elaborative techniquesThe response clearly and effectively expresses ideas, using precise language: use of academic and domain-specific vocabulary is clearly appropriate for the

The response provides adequate support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes the use of sources, facts, and details. The response achieves some depth and specificity but is predominantly general: some evidence from sources is included, though citations may be general or imprecise adequate use of some elaborative techniquesThe response adequately expresses ideas, employing a mix of precise with more general language: use of domain-specific vocabulary is generally appropriate

The response provides uneven, cursory support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes partial or uneven use of sources, facts, and details. The response achieves little depth: evidence from sources is weakly integrated, and citations, if present, are uneven weak or uneven use of elaborative techniquesThe response expresses ideas unevenly, using simplistic language: use of domain-specific vocabulary may at times be inappropriate for the audience and purpose

The response provides minimal support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes little or no use of sources, facts, and details: Use of evidence from sources is minimal, absent, incorrect, or irrelevantThe response’s expression of ideas is vague, lacks clarity, or is confusing: uses limited language or domain-specific vocabulary may have little sense of audience and purpose

Insufficient, illegible, in a language other than English, incoherent, off-topic, or off-purpose writing

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audience and purpose

for the audience and purpose

2-PointArgumentative

Performance Task Writing Rubric (Grades 6–11)

Score 2 1 NS

The response demonstrates an adequate command of conventions: errors in usage and sentence formation may be present, but no systematic pattern of errors is displayed and meaning is not obscured adequate use of punctuation, capitalization, and spelling

The response demonstrates a partial command of conventions: errors in usage may obscure meaning inconsistent use of punctuation, capitalization, and spelling

Insufficient, illegible, in a language other than English, incoherent, off-topic, or off-purpose writing

Explanation of when and why you would use this in the classroom:

I would use this in the classroom in many ways and in multiple content areas. This Performance Task makes students pull information directly from the text and apply it into their responses. It also gives them authentic writing assignments that make it more engaging.