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

Dig Deep (History)

Student assignment:

In a persuasive paper or presentation, you will:

  1. develops a thesis on a historical question that is supported by the analysis of specific artifacts and/or primary sources,
  2. describe three differing published interpretations on the historical question that are relevant to your thesis, and
  3. describe the interaction between geographic factors and the social, economic, and cultural aspects of the historical question.

The historical interpretation may take any of a variety of forms, e.g., essay, letter from or to a historical character, journal entries, newspaper article.

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:

Revolution and the New Nation 1754 to 1829

Expansion and Reform 1801 to 1861

Civil War and Reconstruction 1850 to 1877

The Development of the Industrial United States 1870 to 1900

The Emergence of Modern America 1890 to 1930

The Great Depression and World War II 1929 to 1945

Postwar United States 1945 to 1970

Associated Washington State Standards {EALR}

  • History 1.2.3: Identify and analyze major issues, people, and events in Washington State, U.S., and World History.
  • History 1.1.3b: Compare and evaluate competing historical narratives and analyze multiple perspectives.
  • Geography 3.2: Analyze how the environment and environmental changes affect people.

Scoring
EALR Scoring
(*for additional levels, see OSPI Scoring Rubric)
History 1.2.3 *at highest level... Develops a clear and reasonable thesis on a historical question that is supported by the analysis of three (or more) specific artifacts and/or primary sources. Account contains no inaccuracies.
History 1.1.3b *at highest level... Accurately describes three (or more) differing published interpretations on the historical question that are relevant to the student’s interpretation.
Geography 3.2 *at highest level... Accurately describes interaction between geographic factors AND two of the following:
  • social aspects of the question
  • economic aspects of the question -cultural aspects of the question
  • political aspects of the question.
National Archives and Records Administration
6125 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
http://www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska