Performance Task Template
1
Title:Candidate for Government Office
Content Area: / Grade Level:
Social Studies / 6th Grade
Performance Task (GRASPS):
Real-world Goal: / Persuade your friends you have thought through your choice to run for office
Real-world Role: / Candidate for Government Office
Real-world Audience: / Your Friends
Real-world Situation: / You have decided to run for office. When you mention this to your friends they are concerned you have not thought this through. Your task is to write an email to your friends. In this email you must rank the government offices in order of your dream job: Office of the President; the Senate; The House of Representatives; and the Supreme Court. Then you will explain the reason you ranked them in this order, making sure to use the responsibilities and powers of each position in your explanation.
Real-world Products/Performances: / An email to a peer, and a response to another peers email
Standards for Success: / 5.3.6. A:Describe the responsibilities and powers of the three branches ofgovernment.
5.3.6. D:Identify leadership positions and their primary duties at the local,state, and national levels.
5.3.6. F:Explain how courts resolve conflicts.
Length(Check one): / about 15 minutes
about 30 minutes
about 45 minutes
about 60 minutes
about 90 minutes
X over 90 minutes
Student Work: / Final Emails (one to a friend and a friend’s response). Student will print out a copy of the email that shows the original email and the friend’s response given.
Student Learning: / The structure, organization, and operations of the three branches of the United States Government.
Resources students will be provided or will have to acquire: / U.S. Constitution, computer/mobile device, attached graphic organizer, rubric
Criteria that will be used to assess student performance: / Attached rubric for this performance task. Students will also take a test on Unit 4 material.
Scoring Guide:
Could be a checklist, rubric or combination of the two. Rubrics should not include a scale that exceeds 4 points.
4
Exemplary / 3
Accomplished / 2
Developing / 1
Emerging / Score and Feedback
Ideas and Content / The writing is clear and focused. It holds the reader’s attention. Main ideas are well developed and include responsibilities and powers of each position. / The writing is mostly focused and can be easily understood by the reader. Main ideas are present, but are missing one of the government positions. / The ideas are somewhat unclear of the attempted development is minimal, too simple, irrelevant or incomplete. Missing two of the government positions. / The ideas are unclear, inconsistent, and/or lack a central theme and/or purpose. Missing three or more of the government positions.
Organization / Effectively organized in logical and creative manner. Creative and engaging greeting and salutation. / Strong order and structure. Inviting greeting and satisfying salutation. / Organization is appropriate but conventional. Missing or weak greeting or salutation. / Lack of structure; disorganized and hard to follow. Missing or weak introduction and/or conclusion.
Mechanics / Demonstrates mastery of capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and conventions. / Shows appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling and clear sentence construction. / Shows inconsistent use of capitalization, punctuation, spelling and clear sentence construction. / Shows minimal understanding of mechanics and conventions.
Note to teacher - Multiply the students’ score by 2. This means the total performance task is worth 24 points in the assessment category. The students will also take the common assessment that is worth 53 points.
Categorize your performance task using the Rigor/Relevance Framework
Quadrant:D
Rationale:Using a real life experience such as running for an office and communicating with peers will demonstrate student knowledge. Showing the roles and functions of the United States government offices is a key part of the rubric, which is used to grade this assessment. Emailing is now the preferred form of communication.