Whole Team Writing Mission: Explore Mini Project and Rubric
To help prepare you for later formal essays, we will explore lesser-known people, places, and
events throughout American history. Each student will receive a unique list of topics to
investigate. Please carefully select high quality, reputable sources to research the topic. Be sure
to record all information you will need to appropriately cite the information you use. Although
you may use any images that you accurately cite, please try to use open access resources as much
as possible. Next, please compose a brief overview of the information you learned and which we
will post, after peer review and revision, to our Writing Mission: Explore website. As each
participant contributes his or her topic information, our class website will update, eventually
creating a breakdown of some—but certainly not all—important elements of more vaguely
described and, in many instances, minimally taught aspects of American History. After you have
written and peer workshopped your entries, please submit your script and images in a Google
document to me via Blackboard. On the Discussion Board, compose a 250-300 word reflection
about how your discoveries have affected you. It is fine to include your own thoughts and
feelings in this instance because your gut reactions may help you to figure out the big “So
What?” you will need for later formal essays. Finally, constructively comment on two peers’
Discussion Board reflections with a 75 to 100 word response.
Each entry should concisely name the people, places, and/or events assigned along with a brief
summary of each topic. All source materials must be cited.
Your grade for this mini project will be based on the following criteria, with a maximum of ten
points awarded for each element:
1. _____ Entry highlights information of key importance about the topic
2. _____ Time frame and all information attributed to the topic is correct
3. _____ Information sources are high quality and reputable (no Wikipedia-type searches)
4. _____ All entry information is cited
5. _____ Topic information is composed in complete sentences
6. _____ Entry is free of grammatical errors
7. _____ Entry is free of punctuation and spelling errors
8. _____ Script has been submitted to Blackboard on time and is error-free
9. _____ Discussion Board reflection is thoughtful and error-free
10. _____ Commentary to peer reflections is constructive and well-reasoned