Your common assessment assignment consists of writing a FIVE PARAPGRAPH ESSAY. The thesis statement should respond to the following prompt: what do these primary sources really tell us—on the whole, was the impact of trade between the old world and the new world beneficial for those concerned, or not?

The steps you follow to complete the common assessment are these:

FIRST: Read the designated primary sources. While reading, underline the statements that make a point, present an argument, or state a claim concerning whether the impact of trade between the old world and the new world was beneficial for those concerned, or not. In the primary sources, identify at least three supporting and three opposing statements.

SECOND: Analyze the underlined statements, arguments, or claims. Determine which statements support or oppose the argument (a plus sign or minus sign by each underlined statement helps to do so). The side whose statements seem strongest to you will become your thesis/argument.

THIRD: Identify the three statements that most powerfully support the argument you have chosen.

FOURTH: Complete the persuasion map. The first paragraph contains the thesis statement. In the first (top) box, briefly outline your argument (for example, “Trade between the old and new worlds was more beneficial than not…”), and very briefly explain why the following three key ideas support it. In the second box (under the thesis statement), identify the primary source you will use for the first key idea, and the line number where it is found to support that key idea in writing the common assessment. (In writing the actual common assessment, you will need to quote the parts of the primary sources you use that support the key ideas, and provide their line numbers. For the persuasion map, you need only provide a brief description of the key ideas and the line numbers in the primary sources where they are found). In sequence (the order in which they are found in the primary sources), repeat the process for the second and third key ideas, in boxes three and four respectively. The fifth box contains a brief outline of your concluding paragraph, which will explain how and or why the three key ideas you identified support the argument.

FIFTH: The instructor must review and approve the persuasion map (and sign it indicating approval) before you begin actual work on the common assessment. The common assessment will be completed using Google Dox, to be shared with Mr. Hanson.

SIXTH: Follow the rubric carefully to make sure you understand how each of the four categories of the common assessment is graded. When you have completed the common assessment, return the rubric—with your name on it. The instructor will then use it to grade the common assessment and return it to you.

NOTE: In the standards world, White Pine High School uses a decimal-based A-B-C-D-F scale. A grade of “B” means that the student has achieved “proficiency regarding the information taught in class with no major errors or omissions.” Thus a “B” means proficiency. Because these summative exams are so important for the teacher to measure the students’ learning, we require that students complete them. Opting not to complete a common assessment is unacceptable. Further, we require that students earn at least a “B” (or proficiency) on each section of the exam. Students get multiple attempts to earn this score, as we believe that there is still learning taking place while students keep working. Each section of the exam (delineated on the rubric), earns its own score. There is no averaging of scores on the exam. So, a student could possibly earn an “A” in one section, an “A” in another, and a “D” in the third. Students are required to resubmit each section for which a score lower than a “B” was earned until a score of at least a “B” is obtained for each category.

The idea is to avoid students "coasting" because their grade has been okay up to that point. They must demonstrate that they have learned the material expected. Thus for a student to earn credit in a social studies core course, not only must they complete the regular coursework with a grade of at least a “D” minus (6 on the decimal scale), but they must also complete each common assessment and receive at least a “B” in each of the four scoring categories. Until that standard has been met, the instructor will override the student’s class grade to an “F” in Power School.

The five paragraphs (¶) should contain the following items, using the same order which you see presented here:

¶ 1 At least three sentences containing somewhere within them: (1) an introduction, (2) your thesis statement, and (3) a foreshadowing of the three key ideas upon which you will expound in paragraphs two, three, and four of the essay.

¶ 2 Your first key idea, one driven by the first (in the sequence in which it appears in the primary source document used) quotation you identified. Its purpose is to support your thesis statement. You must include at least THREE things in this paragraph (A), the direct quotation itself, (B) where it comes from (*see example below), and most importantly (C) WHY it supports your thesis. There again should be no fewer than three sentences in this paragraph.

¶ 3 Your second key idea driven by the second (in sequence, as above) quotation you identified to support your thesis statement. You must include at least THREE things in this paragraph (A), the direct quotation itself, (B) where it comes from, and most importantly (C) WHY it supports your thesis. Naturally, there should be no fewer than three sentences in this paragraph.

¶ 4 Your third key idea driven by the third (in sequence) quotation you identified to support your thesis statement. You must include at least THREE things in this paragraph (A), the direct quotation itself, (B) where it comes from, and most importantly (C) WHY it supports your thesis. As usual, there should be no fewer than three sentences in this paragraph.

¶ 5 Your conclusion, which in at least one sentence should restate your thesis, hopefully using some different terminology, words that means the same thing as your thesis, and a summary why the three quotations you used support your thesis. Needless to say, there should be no fewer than three sentences in this, the most important paragraph of your essay.

* Examples of how to cite the sources of your quotations for this assignment would be as follows; the citation should be used after each quotation you use, and yes, the parentheses should be retained when citing the material:

“…misfortunes have arisen…from accidents…“ (Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, book IV, lines 13-14)

“…it is a principal…to maintain and defend…“ (Thomas Mun, England’s Treasure by Forrain Trade, lines 32-33)