World War II Performance Assessment

This unit connects your understandings of the past to experiences that you may well encounter in
the future. It will provide you with the opportunity to develop and showcase your knowledge,
skills, and creativity as you create and publish a sophisticated ‘work’ or project that illuminates
your response to one of the key questions of the twentieth century. Historians and students of
history continue to wrestle with these questions today; this is you opportunity to make your
mark, and in doing so, further prepare for your future as successful college and graduate
students, and professionals.

You will of course, share your final works/projects with classmates, and there is the potential for
sharing/publishing our collective works/projects beyond Somers High School.

It is important to note that throughout this performance assessment, you will be given more
independence than 10 Honors students have had in the past; it is important that you use this
independent time wisely. [You would not be incorrect in thinking that this is a ‘pilot’ of sorts.
Keep in mind that in many ways your experiences in this unit will mirror what you can expect in
college and beyond, and the Social Studies Department and Administration of SHS believe that
you are up to this task.]

The work begins!

______________________________________________________________________________
These are the questions we will address in this unit:

1. How did World War I cause World War II? (As you address this question, consider: How
did aggression and appeasement contribute to the start of WWII?)

2. How did the major events of World War II shape its eventual outcome? (As you address
this question, consider: Which regions were attacked and occupied by Axis powers, and what
was life like under their occupation? How did Hitler’s invasion of Russia change the balance of
power in the European war? How did the Allies ultimately defeat the Axis powers?)

3. How did the resolution of World War II lead to Cold War tensions? (As you address this
question, consider: How did the conclusion of World War II lead directly to the start of the Cold
War? What philosophical differences exist between the United States and the Soviet Union?)

4. How did Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini impact history? (As you
address this question, consider: How did individual beliefs and ideas shape the development and
aftermath of World War II? How did the Allies mobilize all of their resources for the war effort?
How did the actions of key individuals shape the Cold War?)
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Step 1 – Choosing a group, a scenario, and rank your EQs

Deadline: 2pm, Tuesday April 5th

Directions: Please break into small collaborative groups of 1-4 members. This is an
intense assessment, so I advise you to choose partners with whom you can work closely
and rely upon. Once you have chosen a group, you need to select a scenario.

Scenario Overview – On the next page you will find four scenarios that do the following:
1) require you to use history critically, 2) require sophistication, seriousness, and great
productivity, 3) imply a high degree of independence, and 4) are completely plausible.

After you have selected your group and scenario, please rank the four essential questions
from this unit in order of interest to you. You will ultimately be assigned an essential
question based on my needs and your interests. We must have equal coverage of all
essential questions, so I cannot promise that you will all get your first pick.

Deadline: One member from your group needs to email me the following information by
2pm, Tuesday April 5th:

- Names of group members

- Complete contact info for all group members (email addresses)
- Your scenario
- Your essential question rankings

Step 2 – Refining your goal

Deadline: 730am, Thursday April 7th

Directions: Write a one page reflection response to the following question: What exactly
do you need to do in order to satisfy your scenario? I suggest you consider the following:

- What sort of things are they looking for?

- What do you need to demonstrate?
- What sort of technology should you incorporate?
- How could you satisfy this task?

Deadline: One member from your group needs to email me your group’s reflection by
730am, Thursday April 7th. I suggest you look at the organization’s website and look at
any examples you can find on the internet. If you get stuck, feel free to contact me and
we can set up a time to chat.
 Scenario A (Broadcast Journalism) – It is 2013, and you are high school seniors looking to
apply to Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. This is a highly
competitive program, and an admissions representative mentioned that it would greatly
improve your candidacy if you brought a sample of your work to your college interview.
http://newhouse.syr.edu/

Scenario B (Communications, Film, Production) – It is 2018, and you are graduate students in
Johns Hopkins University’s Master of Arts in Communications program. You are looking for
an internship with the History Channel, NPR or PBS, and your career counselor has suggested
that you create a new piece for your portfolio that is worthy of their standards.
http://advanced.jhu.edu/academic/communication/
http://www.aetn.com/careers.html
http://www.npr.org/about/jobs/intern/
http://www.pbs.org/about/careers/

Scenario C (History) – It is 2017, and you are college seniors applying to the graduate history
program at the University of Chicago. Admissions counselors have recommended that in
addition to your writing samples, you should also include a product that uses advanced
technology to illustrate your ability to analyze and synthesize history.
http://history.uchicago.edu/

Scenario D (Education) – It is 2013, and you are high school seniors looking to apply to the
education program at Oswego State University. After meeting with the admissions officers, it
is apparent that you could further your candidacy if you demonstrated your ability to fuse
together your knowledge of history with your ability to effectively communicate using
technology.
http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/education.html

Scenario E – Choose your own adventure. [Let’s meet to discuss this option.]

Step 3 – Research – Full Class Meeting in classroom, Thursday April 7th.

Deadline: 730am Monday April 11th.

Directions: I will finalize your group’s assigned EQ by 2pm Wednesday April 6th and
email it to the group. Once you have finished step 2 and have your assigned EQ, you
need to start trolling the web for relevant and interesting multimedia.

You will have to illustrate your complete understanding of the essential question in a
presentation that will be shared with your peers, with other teachers, and with the
administration. In addition to your complete explanation of the assigned essential
question, I want you to try to address this question’s relationship to our greater
understanding of how history moves in a continuum and that the events of World War II
are directly linked to events preceding and following.
Step 3, continued – Research

Depending on your scenario, you should plan on illustrating your understanding using
one of the following: a prezi, a website, a movie, or a presentation medium of your
choosing.

No matter what presentation style you choose, you must include:

- primary source material
- quotations from historical figures
- images from the Library of Congress
- other relevant material

At this point, you should start collecting information that is relevant to your essential
question and will help you satisfy your scenario. I am going to ask you to share this
information with your group on either a wiki or Google document. I want to be able to
monitor your progress and join in the conversation.

Deadline: By 730am Monday April 11th, I want to see you transitioning from finding
information to making sense of what you have found. By Monday, you need to have
started a conversation about how you are going to create a final product that satisfies
your scenario. That is what you will spend the last week before vacation working on.

Step 4 – Presentation development

Final Deadline: 730am Monday April 25th.

Directions: After completing some initial research, start planning your final
presentation/product. I cannot tell you exactly what to do next, as you will each be
plotting your own course through this phase of the assignment. Expect me to be in touch,
as I would like to schedule at least two brief meetings during this last week of in-school
work. I want to see finished, final products by the morning of Monday, April 25th. We
will talk about when you will be presenting these at that time.

A Few Final Notes:

- During independent work time, please simply tell me where you intend to work
during our scheduled class time. You can work in either cafeteria, the library, a
computer lab, or any other appropriate location on campus.

- You need to maintain communication with me digitally, as that is likely how you
would communicate with your academic advisors in all of the scenarios listed above.

- If you need to meet with me, email me. If I need to meet with you, I will email you.

- Feel free to utilize our high school’s library media specialist, Mrs. Read.
 - Name: ________________________

World War II Performance Assessment Scoring

Possible Points
Scoring Criteria Points Earned
Criterion 1: Communication, Deadlines, & Technology Application
In-class and electronic communication is easy and effective. Deadlines
are met without issue. Students comply with the expectation that they 30
should communicate via email first. Students use technology to
collaborate and communicate with each other.
Criterion 2: Group Collaboration
Student performs a valuable function as a member of a group (if 30
applicable.) Student contribution adds to the overall group productivity.
Criterion 3: Project Step 2
Response to the ‘next step’ task is detailed and suggestive of reflection
30
and background research. The response indicates an understanding of
what must be done next.
Criterion 4: Project Step 3
Materials shared to satisfy the research portion of the project were
30
meaningful and used in the final product. Students actively comment on
submissions and publically develop their ideas.
Criterion 5: Final Product – Organization
The final product is organized in a way that aligns with the selected 30
scenario. The product is sophisticated and professional in appearance.
Criterion 6: Final Product – Use of Required Sources
The final product satisfies the requirement of required sources. The 40
sources required are used in a way that adds value to the entire project.
Criterion 7: Final Product – Mechanics
Final product does not contain grammatical and/or technical mistakes. 20
Criterion 8: Final Product – Satisfaction of Scenario
Final product is a great submission that satisfies the scenario. The final
50
product appropriately reflects the Essential Question, and illustrates an
advanced understanding of related events.
Criterion 9: Self Reflection/Journal
Student submits a meaningful self reflection. Student shares experiences 20
and questions during in-class debriefing discussions.
Criterion 10: Holistic Impact Score
I am convinced that this was a meaningful experience. The final
product is an artifact worthy of preservation. Students walk away from 20
this experience with a greater understanding of history and the process
and with a work or project that will showcase their work.

Totals: 300