Political Science

• Continuing influence of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments
  
  
• Establishment and impact of legal methods to deny civil rights to African Americans: Jim Crow Law, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), literacy tests, grandfather clause, poll taxes
  
  
• Impact of the Election of 1877
  
  
• Long-term effects of the Freedman's Bureau
  

Economics

• Effects of sharecropping on farmers
  

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1. The students will develop and present a newspaper with four newspaper articles that demonstrate their understanding of the concept of reconstruction on the South and the social, political and economic effect(s) of Reconstruction.
   
   
2. The students will write a personal letter to a fellow reporter discussing one of the changes witnessed during the reconstruction of the South
   

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You are a news reporter. You are faced with letting a fellow new reporter know through newspaper articles about the changes you have seen in the South since Reconstruction.. You must help him/her see how one change has had a social, political or economic effect on the South. Once you have completed your newspaper articles, you must try to be a keynote speaker at the news reporters' convention coming to Chicago in November. You believe that your fellow writers up North have no idea what is going on in the South and you must do your part to inform them.

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Day One - Activity One:

Step 1: Students will be given a list of items to decide if they fit under social, political or social effects of reconstruction. (Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes, 13th amendment, 14th amendment, 15th amendment, Freedmen's Bureau, literacy tests, grandfather clause, poll tax, sharecropping, election of 1877, amnesty, Civil Rights Act of 1866, Reconstruction Acts, carpetbaggers, scalawags, Ku Klux Klan, Compromise of 1877).

Step 2: Each student will have the opportunity to decide from the list which item they will use in their newspaper articles.

Step 3: Students will share their answers from the list with the class. This step is used to prevent several groups from using the same topics.

Materials: Information sheet
Student Product or Performance: Categorized list

Day One - Activity Two:
Estimated Time: 45 minutes

Step One: Students will work together to determine which part of the newspaper each member of the group will complete. Each student must take one part and someone must be responsible for presenting the newspaper to the entire class.

Step Two: Students will begin to put their articles together and work on the format for the newspaper. Each newspaper must have a title, date and cost. Along with the social, political and economic effects, there must be one article that deals with Reconstruction in general. This article must show that the entire group understands the period called Reconstruction.

Step Three: Students must decide before the end of the period how the articles will be placed on the chart paper and who will be responsible for that task. They will only have 15 minutes of the next class period to finalize their papers.

Materials: Plain paper, colored pencils, chart paper
Student Product or Performance: Draft copy of news articles

Day One: Activity Three:
Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Wrap Up - Students will have an opportunity to ask questions concerning what they have completed and where they need to be by the end of the period. This time will help us to determine how much time the students will need at the beginning of the next period.

Day Two - Activity One:
Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Step One: Students will work on their newspapers.

Step Two: Each group will receive the chart paper to be used for their newspapers.

Materials: Chart paper
Student Product or Performance: Completed newspaper

Day Two - Activity Two:
Estimated Time: 45 minutes

Step One: Group presentations

Step Two: Question and Answer Period: Students in the class can ask questions concerning the information presented to help them complete their evaluation forms.

Materials: Completed newspapers, evaluation forms
Student Product or Performance: Completed newspapers
Scoring Tool: Evaluation forms

Day Two - Activity Three:
Estimated Time: 2-3 minutes after each presentation

Step One: After asking questions for clarification of any presentation, students will complete the evaluation form for each group.

Materials: Evaluation form

Scoring Tool: Evaluation form

Step Two: Tieing together all topics and work discussed

Day Two - Home Assignment
Estimated Time: 30-45 minutes

Write a personal letter to a fellow reporter discussing one of the changes you have witnessed during the reconstruction of the South. Discuss one social, political and economic effect of that change. Explain how that change affected the people of the South.
Materials: BCR sheet
Scoring tool: Social Studies Rubric

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Oral Presentation Rubric

Delivery

• 5 - Spoke clearly, did not read from notes, flawless speech patterns
  
• 4 - Spoke clearly, referred to notes, speech patterns somewhat inexact...pauses,
  repetition of some words, etc.
  
• 3 - Spoke clearly, read directly from notes, speech patterns inexact using
  "like," "you know," more than one time
  
• 2 - Unclear speech, read directly from notes, distracting speech patterns using
  "like," "you know, " etc. several times to the point of distraction
  
• 1 - Unclear speech, read notes, irritating speech patterns
  

Participation

• 5 - All of the group spoke/got the audience to respond in some way
  
• 4 - All of the group spoke
  
• 3 - Most of the group spoke
  
• 2 - Some of the group spoke
  
• 1 - One member spoke
  

Sources of Information

• 5 - 2 Internet + 1 traditional
  
• 4 - 2 Internet + 0 traditional
  
• 3 - 1 Internet + 2 traditional
  
• 2 - 1 Internet + 1 traditional
  
• 1 - 0 Internet + 1 traditional
  

Use of Technology

• 5 - 2 or more GIFs used on monitor and/or created your own web page and/or
  PowerPoint presentation
  
• 4 - 1 GIF used on monitor
  
• 3 - Paper handouts and overheads
  
• 2 - Paper handouts
  
• 1 - Simple pictures passed around
  

Content of Oral Report

• 5 - Sophisticated, elaborate, quoted sources, correctly answered questions
  
• 4 - Less sophisticated and elaborate, correctly answered questions
  
• 3 - Average level of sophistication and elaboration, answered questions
  
• 2 - Simple, unable to answer questions
  
• 1 - Incomplete, unable to answer questions
  

Timing

• 5- (5 - 8) minutes in length
  
• 4 - minimum of 5 minutes, more than 8 minutes
  
• 3 - minimum of 5 minutes, more than 10 minutes
  
• 2 - less than 4 minutes
  
• 1 - less than 3 minutes
  

Maryland High School Social Studies Rubric: Constructed Response Items

LEVEL 4
This response shows understanding of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is insightful, integrates knowledge, and demonstrates powerful application.

• The application shows powerful evidence of higher order thinking skills.
  
• Concepts are accurate and well supported.
  
• There are no misconceptions.
  
• The response is comprehensive.
  

LEVEL 3
This response shows some understanding of the content, question, and/or problem. The response includes appropriate application that demonstrates evidence of higher order thinking skills.

• The application shows some evidence of higher order thinking skills.
  
• Concepts are accurate and supported.
  
• There are no interfering misconceptions.
  
• The response may not develop all parts equally.
  

LEVEL 2
This response shows knowledge of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is acceptable with some key ideas. The response shows little or no evidence of application.

• The response includes some basic ideas.
  
• The response provides little or no support.
  
• There are minimal misconceptions.
  

LEVEL 1
This response shows minimal knowledge of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is related to the question, but it is inadequate.

• The response includes incomplete or fragmented ideas or knowledge.
  
• There may be significant misconceptions.
  

LEVEL 0
The response is completely incorrect or irrelevant. There may be no response.

Knowledge and Understanding indicate the degree to which the response reflects a grasp of the content, question, and/or problem presented in the stimulus. The response indicates mastery that progresses from knowledge to understanding.

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Organize: We will show the following data for each time that we assess and score the same learning standard(s):

• Number of students who performed at or above the proficient level on the scoring tool; 75 (4 of 7 special needs students)
  
  
• Number of students who performed below the proficient level on the scoring tool; 7 (1 special needs student)
  
  
• Percentage of students who performed at or above the proficient level on the scoring tool. 80%
  

Analyze: We will examine the data to look for trends, contributing factors, and implications of student performance over a series of assessments of the same learning standard.

• Trends: This topic was covered using three different formats to get the same information presented to the students.
  
  
• Contributing factors: Students were familiar with writing a letter. We think that the format and the amount of time put into the topic helped students to do well. We also think that giving students a chance to rewrite before turning in the final draft helped them to see exactly what we expected.
  
  
• Implications for student performance: Students seemed comfortable in completing a task that they had already experienced in another class (English). We will try to incorporate this style of writing for other Brief Constructed Responses BCRs).

Reflect: As we looked at the results, we noticed that students enjoyed writing the letter and were happy to see that this BCR took on another design, one that they had used in another class.

We didn't realize that students don't believe that they should write anything other than a simple sentence in a Social Studies class.