Sample Interdisciplinary Performance Tasks - Social Studies: Revolutionary War
Fiction Writing
EQs that
guide the
task
Editorial
Persuasive Speech
Literary Essay
SS: Why rebel against authority?
SS: Would you have been a revolutionary in 1776?
SS: What are the effects of rebellion?
ELA: How do people compose engaging and believable stories?
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Goal
The goal is to develop an engaging and believable story
that tells of the experiences of the Revolutionary War
from the perspective of two or more of the following:
o Patriot
o Loyalist
o Neutralist
ELA: How do people use words to influence people?
ELA: Why do people share their opinions?
ELA: Why do people write about their reading?
The goal is to develop a convincing editorial or persuasive speech that includes a
point of view with reasons and factual information about one of the following
topics:
o To rebel or not to rebel?
o To quit or not to quit at Valley Forge?
o Leadership or home-field advantage? (most important cause of
American victory)

The goal is to compare and contrast two resources that address the same
theme or Big Idea about the causes and effects of the Revolutionary War.
Role
Author of fiction novels
Student researcher and writer/speaker

You are YOU!
Audience
Other 5th grade students
Other students
The challenge involves using historical facts and turning
them into an engaging, but realistic story that takes place in
during the Revolutionary period and that tells the story from
a first person or third person point of view. The story should
be centered on two or more perspectives/characters and
focus on answering the Essential Question: Why rebel
against authority?
You will create a short fiction story that focuses on two or
more main characters and how they experience a single
event in different ways.
The challenge involves using several sources to build knowledge around the causes
and effects of the Revolutionary War.


Other students and your teacher
The challenge involves identifying a theme or Big Idea about the
Revolutionary period of American history and then writing about the
similarities and differences in how the authors treat the theme or Big
Idea.

You need to develop a literary essay that includes your opinion about
which author you believe most effectively tackled the theme or Big Idea
that you identified.


Reflects on the big ideas and themes of the text.
Develops an opinion with relevant evidence and examples from the text,
including quotations.
Provides a concluding statement.
Situation
Product


Standards
for Success



Bases the conflict in the story on an actual cause and
effect relationship from this time period.
Bases the conflict in the story on an actual cause and
effect relationship from this time period.
Narrowly defines the conflict in the story and considers
it from the perspective of the characters.
Organizes an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Uses dialogue and description to develop experiences
and events and/or to show the responses of characters
to situations.
You will create an editorial or speech designed to influence other people about the
stance you take on one of the following:
o To rebel or not to rebel?
o To quit or not to quit at Valley Forge?
o Leadership or home-field advantage? (most important cause of
American victory)
 Uses several sources to build knowledge around an issue.
 Takes notes and summarizes notes from research.
 Introduces an issue and states an opinion.
 Supports point of view with reasons and factual information.
 Provides a concluding statement or section related to the opinion.

Parkway School District, Elementary Curriculum Team, November 2013
Sample Interdisciplinary Performance Tasks - Social Studies: Revolutionary War
Key Considerations:
1. Like other informational texts, Social Studies-related texts are usually organized using problem-solution, cause-effect, and compare-contrast structures. Alerting students
to these structures not only helps them navigate the texts in a more efficient and effective way, it also helps them begin to think about patterning their own writing in the
content area after these structures.
2. The ability to engage in the close reading of Social Studies-related texts is a critical factor in determining the quality of the product that students create to represent their
understanding of the topic. Mary Ehrenworth, deputy director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, has suggested that it is
important to teach students that there are “predictable questions readers can ask as they read to get more out of their reading.” Some questions that readers might
pose are:
 What does this text want me to know? What information does this text teach?
 What does this text want me to understand? What new ideas and concepts does it suggest?
 What does this text want me to feel? What emotions does it stir up?
 How does it accomplish these tasks?
 Who perspective is represented in this text?
 Who point of view is most fully explored?
 Who is honored or privileged in the text and how? Who is marginalized?
 How does the perspective in this text compare with others on this issue?
 How does the author use persuasive techniques, literary devices, or writerly craft to convey meaning?
3. The ELA-Reading units teach students the skills of navigating non-fiction texts. It is critical to make intentional connections to these skills when students are engaged
with Social Studies-related texts. If a performance task by a student lacks quality, relevant details and “misses the point”, consider teaching directly into these ELA skills
during Social Studies.
Parkway School District, Elementary Curriculum Team, November 2013