Evidence-Supported arguments...
The ability to create and communicate strong, evidence-supported arguments is a life skill which will benefit students throughout their academic and professional careers. Following the CERCA model, students learn how to craft, support, defend, and improve their own arguments. Through careful planning, teachers can design their lessons in a way which allows students the ability to visualize their own progress and skill development.
The Roman Empire Project
The Roman Empire Project was used as summative assessment during my student-teaching experience at Mather High School. Focusing on the creation of evidence-supported arguments, this project was created in direct response to student input and provided a way for students to visually represent their learning and arguments through illustrations and presentations. During this project students would periodically receive new sources to break down, assess, and use to address essential questions. The schedule of this project was designed to give students a variety of work environments and the opportunity to evaluate the work of their peers. The work cycle began with students analyzing sources and with a peer, before individually creating arguments supported by the source. The students would then collaborate with a larger group to add the best arguments to a presentation.
Day 1 - Sourcing/Close Reading
Standards
NCSS Theme 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
SS.IS.11.9-12: Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Objectives
Infer and analyze how Roman infrastructure affected the Roman empire’s ability to deal with issues of supply, control, and government.
Collaborate with our peers to present and support arguments about how Roman infrastructure affected the Roman empire’s ability to deal with issues of supply, control, and government.
We will be able to...