Lowell High School- Social Studies Department
Honors
U.S. History II A
st
1 Quarter Common Assessment
Letter to the Editor (600 to 750 words)
For this section of the common assessment, each student is responsible for composing a formal
letter to a newspaper about the grievances workers have towards their wages and working
conditions. This letter is worth 60 points of your common assessment grade.
The letter should include the following components:
- Letter Format (including date, return address, editorial address, salutation,
ending, and signature)
(8 points)
- Biographical Profile (see directions below)
(32 points)
- Description of four (4) specific working conditions related to your job that need to be
immediately addressed by the ownership and management
(8 points)
- Propose at least two (2) solutions to these working conditions that will be acceptable
to both labor and management
(8 points)
- Prediction of what may occur if labor and ownership do not come to any terms
of agreement
(4 points)
Total
60 points
Biographical Profile Directions:
You will assume the role of an immigrant worker in America during the late 1800’s. Your letter
to the editor should contain at least 300 words that outline your ethnic origin and biographical
profile (history and current situation). This part should appear near the beginning of your letter
after the formalities of addressing the editor. Within this paragraph you should include the
following information:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Name, Age, Gender
Country of Origin
Marital and Family Status
Occupation
5. Union affiliation
6. Stance toward union activity
7. Pastime
8. Hopes for the future
Considerations for Biographical Profile
1. Your name, age, and gender should be appropriate to where you live in America and
your occupation. They also should reflect your country of origin.
2. Your country of origin should be appropriate for the place in America that you live and
to the time period you are describing. You should mention at least two push/pull reasons
that lead you to leave your home country and settle in the United States. Those push/pull
reasons should be historically accurate.
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Lowell High School- Social Studies Department
3. Marital and Family Status should be appropriate to your age and might affect your
union stance, pastime, and hopes for the future.
4. Occupation should give at least four (4) details that are historically accurate about the
occupation. The occupation should be something actually done by someone from your
country of origin.
5. Union affiliation should be appropriate to your occupation. If you choose not to be
union affiliated, you should state why not (whether through personal decision or
management’s attacks on union organizing in your industry).
6. Your stance toward union activity should give at least two (2) historically accurate
details from our studies that back up your stance.
7. Pastime. You will need to decide how much pastime (free time for personal pursuits)
your character has. Give two (2) historically accurate descriptions of what you do.
8. Hopes for the future should be realistic to the time and place you are describing.
Grading
Letter Format
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Adequate
Needs Improvement
Excellent Format that
includes all requested
elements and is
exceptionally
historically accurate
regarding addresses,
dates, and forms of
address – 10 pts
Strong Format that
includes all requested
elements and is
historically accurate
with only one or two
slips – 8 pts
Fair Format that
includes most
requested elements,
but with more than
two slips of historical
accuracy – 6 pts
Little attempt to
properly format the
letter – 3 pts
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Adequate
Needs Improvement
All elements covered
with more historical
facts than requested
and excellent feel of
historical authenticity
– 36 pts
All elements covered
with what is requested
and some feel for
historical authenticity
– 32 pts
At least three-fourths
of the elements are
covered with some
historical accuracy –
24 pts
Half or fewer of the
elements are covered,
little effort at
historical accuracy –
16 pts
Biographical Profile
Occupation/Workplace Problems
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Adequate
Needs Improvement
More than four
historically accurate
issues – 10 pts
Four historically
accurate issues – 8 pts
Three historically
accurate issues – 6 pts
Two or fewer
historically accurate
issues – 3 pts
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Lowell High School- Social Studies Department
Solutions
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Adequate
Needs Improvement
More than two
solutions that are
historically grounded
in fact – 10 pts
Two solutions that are
historically grounded
in fact – 8 pts
Only one solution that
is historically
grounded in fact or
two solutions that do
not correspond to
actual history– 6 pts
Only one solution
offered, it does not
correspond to actual
history – 3 pts
Exceeds Expectations
Meets Expectations
Adequate
Needs Improvement
Prediction is
comprehensive and
based in actual
history, relates
appropriately to your
occupation, and uses
effective language –
10 pts
Prediction is
comprehensive and
based in actual
history, relates to your
occupation – 8 pts
Prediction is based on
actual history but has
only fair relation to
your occupation – 6
pts
Prediction is made,
but is not based in
actual history with
only minimal relation
to your occupation – 3
pts
Prediction
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