Sample Interdisciplinary Performance Tasks - Social Studies: Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction
Fiction Writing
Poetry
Literary Essay
Persuasive Essay
Informational Article
SS: What impact does war have on people and
history?
SS: What impact does war have on people and
history? OR What is equality?
SS: What causes war? OR What impact does war
have on people and history? OR What is equality?
ELA: How do people compose engaging and
believable stories?

The goal is to develop an engaging and
believable story that focuses on the cause &
effect relationship of one of the following
and that addresses the Social Studies
Essential Questions above:
o
Impact of one of the following on
groups of people and the nation
as a whole.

The Civil War

Border War

Reconstruction
ELA: How do poets bring new perspectives to
others?

The goal is to develop a poem that precisely
conveys one of the historical perspectives and
that addresses one of the Social Studies
Essential Questions above:
o
Abraham Lincoln
o
Confederate/Union soldier
o
Dred Scott
o
Former slave
o
Missourian along the KansasMissouri border
o
Sharecropper
o
Slave
o
Wife or child of a soldier
ELA: Why do people write about their reading?
SS: What causes war? OR What impact does war have
on people and history? OR What is equality? OR How
do people respond after war?
ELA: How can I share my opinions?

The goal is to write about a big idea, issue, or
theme identified from literature on:
o
The causes and effects of the Civil
War.
o
The causes and effects of
Reconstruction.

The goal is to support a point of view with
reasons and factual information about one of the
following issues and that addresses one of the
Social Studies Essential Questions above.
o
Causes and effects of the Civil War
o
Causes and effects of Reconstruction
o
Kansas – Missouri Border War
Role

Author of fiction novels


You are YOU!

You are YOU!

You are YOU!
Audience


Other 4th grade students,
teachers/school officials who select reading
materials for students.
The challenge involves using historical facts
and turning them into an engaging, but
realistic story that takes place during the
Civil War and Reconstruction period of
history and that tells the story from multiple
perspectives.

Other Americans during the mid to late
century.

Other students and your teacher

Other students

Other students and your teacher

The challenge involves using historical facts
and turning them into a poem for the purpose
of unifying citizens, inspiring troops,
highlighting human suffering, remembering
the sacrifice of others, binding up the nation’s
wounds after the war, or celebrating a major
accomplishment. See the Library of Congress’
– The Role of Civil War Poetry for examples.

The challenge involves writing an essay that
reveals your thoughts or beliefs on the big
idea, issue, or theme found in a text from the
unit.


The challenge involves researching and organizing
information from several different social studies texts
and using that information to expand and share
thinking about the similarities and differences of the
impact of the Civil War on various groups of people.

You will create a short fiction story.

You will create a poem that focuses on the
perspective of one person or group of people
and that addresses one of the EQs.

You will create a literary essay.

The challenge involves trying to influence the
thinking of your classmates on one of the
following issues:
o
What was the most significant cause
of the Civil War?
o
Which Missouri-related event had
the greatest impact on the nation as
a whole: the Border War or the Dred
Scott Decision?
o
Which Amendment, the 14th or 15th,
created the greatest amount of
equality for African Americans?
o
How “free” were African Americans
following the Civil War?
You will create a persuasive essay that addresses
one of the issues and that is framed by one of the
EQs.

You need to develop an article in response to the EQ:
What impact does war have on people?

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.

Structures the poem using verse, rhythm, and
meter.
Chooses words and phrases that convey
perspective and ideas precisely.
Is based on historical facts and accurately
portrays the perspective.
Addresses a Social Studies Essential Question.
Addresses one of the purposes listed in the
“Situation” section above.

Reflects on the big ideas and themes of the
text.
Develops the idea or theme with relevant
evidence and examples from the text,
including quotations.
Provides a concluding statement.


Identifies opinion about one of the issues.
Introduces topic clearly, states and opinion, and
creates an organizational structure in which
related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s
purpose.
Supports the opinion/point of view with reasons
and factual information.
Does not just keep essay within context of the
events in the unit, but connects the
understanding gained to modern-day situations
(see the Situation above)

Writing addresses the Essential Question for Social
Studies and is focused on a compare/contrast
relationship.
Writing clearly communicates new learning in a
coherent way.
Writing includes a topic that is developed with facts,
definitions, and details.
Writing is organized and sorted into parts and
categories using headings.
Writing is based on the information researched and
organized by the student or group of students.
Writing provides a concluding statement or section.
EQs that guide
the task
Goal

Situation
Product

Standards for
Success






Select from the list above
19th




SS: What impact does war have on people and history?
ELA: How do people organize informational articles so
others can learn about social studies topics?

The goal is to conduct research in order to compare
and contrast the impact of the Civil War on various
groups of people living during the Civil War.





Parkway School District, Elementary Curriculum Team, November 2013
Sample Interdisciplinary Performance Tasks - Social Studies: Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction
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. The following Reading units are especially applicable in preparing students for success during this unit: Historical Fiction, Navigating Nonfiction,
Understanding Views, Values, and Cultures of Others, and Nonfiction Reading to Become Experts.
Parkway School District, Elementary Curriculum Team, November 2013