Washington State
Curriculum Based Assessment [CBA] Links to the National Archives and Records Administration's Primary Documents located at [web]www.ourdocuments.gov
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10th-11th Grade

Cultural Interactions (History, Geography)

Student assignment:

In a persuasive paper or presentation, you will:

  1. Select a contemporary or historical cultural group that has emigrated or has been resettled in two different parts of a country or the world (e.g., Vietnamese, Senegalese, British, Greeks, Bosnians, indigenous groups from all around the world).
  2. Compare and contrast the cultural group’s current economic success in each region/country with similarities and differences.
  3. Compare and contrast the cultural group’s current political status in each region/country with similarities and differences.
  4. Compare and contrast the current social conditions affecting the cultural groups in each region/country with similarities and differences.
  5. Present a position/thesis discussing in which region the cultural group fares better that:
    • is clear,
    • outlines social, economic and political reasons, and
    • includes a general statement about why groups fare better in different regions.

Primary source documents from "Our Documents, 100 Milestone Source Documents from the National Archives and Records Administration," relating to this Curriculum Based Assessment [CBA]:

Important notes for using this section:

  • Following each sub-topic is a list representing specific documents that are believed to best illustrate a topic. Each document is linked to an interactive digital copy of the record itself, complete with description, background information, a transcribed copy [for convenience and for students having difficulty reading handwriting] and teaching suggestions, from the "Our Documents" web site [see [web]www.ourdocuments.gov]. Just click on the document title and it will take you to the specific "Our Documents" page.
  • In addition, there is a "Document Only" link which can be used in classrooms with fewer web connections. This is an "Adobe Acrobat" [.pdf] file and can be opened in advance and copied by the instructor or student directly, without a web connection, on any type of computer, as long as Adobe Acrobat is loaded on the computer. For a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat program [web]click here.

Sample Topics and Associated Primary Sources:

United States - Native Populations Who Migrated or Were Forced to Migrate

United States - Japanese Internment During World War II

United States - Chinese Exclusion

United States - North (industrial) vs. South (agricultural)

Associated Washington State Standards {EALR}

  • Economics 2.2.3c: Evaluate how the characteristics of economic systems may advantage or disadvantage a particular group of people.
  • Geography 1.2.3a: Explain why different places of the world have particular physical and human characteristics.
  • Social Studies Inquiry and Information Skills 1.1.2f: Creates a product that uses social studies content to support findings; present product in an appropriate manner to a meaningful audience.

Scoring
EALR Scoring
(*for additional levels, see OSPI Scoring Rubric)
Economics 2.2.3c *at highest level... Compares and contrasts the cultural group’s economic success in each region/country with at least two similarities and differences clearly and accurately explained and supported by specific information (at least one similarity and one difference).
Geography 1.2.3a *at highest level … Compares and contrasts the cultural group’s political status in each region/country with at least two similarities and differences clearly and accurately explained and supported by specific information (at least one similarity and one difference).
AND
Compares and contrasts the social conditions affecting the cultural groups in each region/country with at least two similarities and differences clearly and accurately explained and supported by specific information (at least one similarity and one difference).
Social Studies Inquiry and Information Skills 1.1.2f *at highest level... Presents a position/thesis discussing in which region the cultural group fares better that
  • is clear,
  • outlines social, economic, and political reasons, and
  • includes a general statement about why groups fare better in different regions.
National Archives and Records Administration
6125 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
http://www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska