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Department of Education
Ancient Greece Team Project
In a group of 3 you are to select a topic to research. Your group will construct an
Information Poster and deliver an Oral Presentation to the class on your selected topic.
Topics to choose from:
o Government in Athens and Sparta
o The Trojan War
o The Spartans
o Daily Life in Athens
o The Golden Age of Greece
o The Olympic Games
You will be assessed on:
o Your ability to effectively work in a team
o The research questions that will guide your research
o Research skills and synthesis of information gathered
o Poster layout
o Spelling and grammar
o Oral presentation skills
Refer to the Assessment Rubric for more information on how you and your team will be
assessed.
Step 1: Team work
To produce a successful project, your team needs to work productively and cooperatively.
Therefore, roles and tasks within the team need to be allocated equally and fairly.
Furthermore, good team work requires effort and constant evaluation. Use the checklist
below to reflect on how well you and your team are progressing throughout the project.
Effective team members:
 Help to direct the team to meet
goals
 Do not prevent the team from
meeting goals
 Care about the goals of the team
 Participate actively to complete
goals
 Collect information for the project
 Performs all duties assigned
 Share ideas with the team
 Listen attentively to team mates
 Encourage team mates to share
ideas
Last updated: 12.06.07
 Make fair decisions
 Involve the whole team in the
project
 Encourage the team to evaluate
how well they are working
 Resolve team conflicts
 Mentor fellow team members
© State of Victoria, 2007
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/
Department of Education
Step 2: Develop research questions
Once your team has selected a topic you are required to develop key research questions to guide your research. To help you construct appropriate
questions complete the following table.
Design questions that specifically relate to your topic
What was? What did?
Where was? Where
did?
When was? When
did?
Who was? Who did?
Why was? Why did?
How was? How did?
How does _______
compare to Ancient
Egypt?
Extension: How does
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© State of Victoria, 2007
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Department of Education
_______ compare to
the present?
Extension: How does
_______ compare to
the Middle Ages?
As a team, refine your questions and select 6 questions to research. Your team may decide to research extension questions (this is optional). Complete
the table below and show your teacher.
Your Topic:
Research Question 1:
Research Question 2:
Research Question 3:
Research Question 4:
Research Question 5:
Research Question 6:
Step 3: Gather information
Begin researching your topic and collecting information. Ensure you keep a record of all sources used. Your bibliography needs to look like this:
Last updated: 12.06.07
© State of Victoria, 2007
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Department of Education
For Books
Title
(underlined)
Place of Publication
Mastos, Maria (2000) Great Greeks , Longman, Melbourne.
UU
Authors Name
(last name
then first name)
UU
Year of Publication
(in brackets)
Name of Publisher
For Internet Sites
UU
Ancient Olympics (retrieved via Internet on 3 October 2006) www.ancientgreece.com
UU
Title
(underlined)
Date retrieved
(in brackets)
Web Address
Step 4: Synthesis of research
Take notes from the sources you have collected. Make sure that you always use your own words. Use a dictionary to help you understand any new
terminology you may come across. All members of the team need help each other develop a thorough understanding of the topic and ensure that the
research questions are being answered.
Step 5: Poster
Produce the poster. Make sure that the layout is logical and eye-catching and includes a border, bold heading, sub headings, relevant diagrams and
labels.
Step 6: Oral presentation
Organise the oral presentation. You must prepare cue cards and include relevant visuals to engage the audience. Remember to practice.
Last updated: 12.06.07
© State of Victoria, 2007
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/
Department of Education
Step 7: Evaluation
Once your team has submitted the poster and presented the oral you need to evaluate the performance of one of your team mates. You must do so by
completing the ‘Peer Evaluation of Team Work Skills’.
Step 8: Reflection
Finally, you need to write a diary entry on how well you worked within your team by answering the following questions:
o How did I contribute to the team?
o What team work skills did I demonstrate?
o How can I improve my team work skills?
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© State of Victoria, 2007
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/
Department of Education
Ancient Greece Team Project – Peer Evaluation of Team Work Skills
Peer Evaluation of ___________________
By ___________________
Never
Rarely
0
1
Sometimes
2
Often
Always
3
4
Helps to direct the team to
meet goals
Doesn’t prevent the team from
meeting goals
Cares about the goals of the
team
Participates actively to
complete goals
Collects information for the
project
Performs all duties assigned
Shares ideas with the team
Listens attentively to team
mates
Encourages team mates to
share ideas
Makes fair decisions
Involves the whole team in the
project
Encourages the team to
evaluate their performance
Resolves team conflicts
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Department of Education
Mentors fellow team members
Comments
Total
/56
Assessment Task Title: Ancient Greece Team Project
Domains:
Humanities – History
Interpersonal Development – Working In Teams
Levels:
5
Describe the learning and teaching experiences happening in your classroom
This assessment task is a part of our study of Ancient Civilizations. During Term 3, I introduced the class to the study of History and to the key
concepts related to Ancient Civilisations. We then focused on various aspects of daily life, community life and governance in Ancient Egypt. Through
class activities and research tasks students developed their knowledge of primary and secondary sources and their research skills.
Prior to beginning the assessment task we had a sequence of lessons that focused on developing the behaviours, attitudes and skills required to work in
teams effectively (such as: participating actively, listening attentively, making fair decisions, encouraging team members, resolving conflicts, etc.) This
was integral as it ensured that students had an understanding of the behaviours, attitudes and skills required to work in teams productively and
cooperatively.
Prior to commencing the project the class developed ‘Guidelines for Effective Team Work’ that they all were required to adhere to.
Describe the assessment task
The assessment task involves students forming a team to research an aspect of Ancient Greece. The team is required to plan their own investigation
and report their findings to the class in the form of an oral presentation and poster.
Use of the assessment task – Which students? How? When?
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© State of Victoria, 2007
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/
Department of Education
The task is designed to develop team work, research, writing and oral presentation skills. I used this assessment task in a Year 7 Humanities class. I
introduced it during our study of Ancient Civilizations at the beginning of Term 4. I therefore based my assessment criteria on progression points for
4.5.
What did you find out about the students?
Based on student performance I found out:
o that students can work responsibly and effectively within teams with appropriate scaffolding
o literacy skills are indelible to effective research
o students need to be guided on how to prioritise their work load
o students are far too kind when completing peer assessments
What was the evidence?
I used the following assessment tools/evidence to make an on balanced judgment of student learning:
o teacher observation of team work
o peer assessment of team work
o student self reflection of team work
o poster
o oral presentation
How did you assess your group against the standards at different levels?
I created an Assessment Rubric for this task. The Rubric is built around the progression points for Interpersonal Development – Working in Teams and
History – Historical Knowledge and Understanding & Historical Reasoning and Interpretation.
The Assessment Rubric is broken up into specific skills. From the Domain Interpersonal Development and its Dimension Working in Teams, I developed 3
criteria: ‘behaviour and attitude’, ‘taking responsibility’ and ‘evaluation of team progress’. From the Domain History and its Dimensions Historical
Knowledge and Understanding & Historical Reasoning and Interpretation, I developed 4 criteria: ‘research questions’, ‘research’, ‘synthesis of research’ and
‘historical knowledge and content’. These 7 criteria focus on the processes involved in making the final products and are more heavily weighted than
the next 5 criteria.
The 5 other criteria are ‘poster layout’, ‘spelling and grammar’, ‘eye contact’, ‘vocal skills’ and ‘presentation content and professionalism’. These criteria
focus on the final products and are not based on progression points.
Last updated: 12.06.07
© State of Victoria, 2007
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/
Department of Education
The expected level for my class was 4.5. The Rubric begins at level 4 (well below the expected level) and progresses up to level 5 (well above the
expected level). The descriptors within the Rubric allow students to see what they are required to do to achieve a specific standard.
What domains and dimensions are being covered?
The domains and dimensions covered are:
o Level 5 Interpersonal Development – Working in Teams
o Level 5 History – Historical Knowledge and Understanding
o Level 5 History –Historical Reasoning and Interpretation
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© State of Victoria, 2007
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/
Department of Education
Ancient Greece Team Project - Assessment Rubric
Level of
Well below expected
Below expected
Achievement
level
level
At the expected
level
Above the expected
level
Well above the expected
level
Supported other team
members to share
information and explore
the ideas of others.
Employed strategies to
cope with any team
difficulties.
Collected useful
information for the team
and completed set tasks on
time. Mentored others to
do the same.
Reflected on and improved
the strategies used by the
team. Mentored others to
do the same.
Team independently
developed appropriate and
well thought out research
questions that challenged
the team.
Gathered relevant
information from a variety
of sources. Able to identify
gaps and evaluate the
usefulness of resources.
Bibliography includes 6
resources.
Written in own words.
Research questions are
answered with great depth.
Described in detail aspects
of Ancient Greek society,
compared them to other
Ancient and Medieval
societies and to the
Behaviour and
Attitude
Usually worked
cooperatively.
Demonstrated an
awareness of the factors
that can cause team
conflicts.
Usually supportive and
worked cooperatively.
Demonstrated knowledge
of negotiating skills to
resolve any conflicts.
Supportive and
cooperative member of the
team. Used negotiating
skills to resolve any
conflicts.
Encouraged and mentored
team members to achieve
team goals. Used
negotiating skills to resolve
any conflicts
Taking
Responsibility
Collected little information
for the team and
completed a few set tasks.
Collected some
information for the team
and completed most of the
set tasks on time.
Collected useful
information for the team
and completed set tasks on
time.
Evaluation of
Team Progress
Demonstrated some
understanding of criteria
for evaluating team
performance.
Team relied mostly on
teacher generated research
questions.
Demonstrated a good
understanding of criteria
for evaluating team
performance.
Team independently
developed some
appropriate research
questions.
Monitored the progress of
the team against team
performance criteria.
Collected useful
information for the team
and completed set tasks on
time. Encouraged others to
do the same.
Reflected on and improved
the strategies used by the
team.
Team independently
developed appropriate
research questions.
Team independently
developed appropriate and
well thought out research
questions.
Gathered some relevant
information.
Bibliography includes 1-2
resources.
Gathered some relevant
information.
Bibliography includes 3
resources.
Gathered relevant
information from a variety
of sources.
Bibliography includes 4
resources.
Gathered relevant
information from a variety
of sources. Able to identify
gaps in resources.
Bibliography includes 5
resources.
Written in own words.
Responses are limited.
Written in own words.
Research questions are
answered with little depth.
Described in detail aspects
of Ancient Greek society.
Written in own words.
Research questions are
answered with some depth.
Described in detail aspects
of Ancient Greek society
and compared them to
other Ancient societies.
Written in own words.
Research questions are
answered with depth.
Described in detail aspects
of Ancient Greek society,
compared them to other
Ancient societies and to
the present.
Research
Questions
Research
Synthesis of
Research
Historical
Knowledge &
Content
Described some aspects of
Ancient Greek society.
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© State of Victoria, 2007
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Department of Education
Level of
Achievement
Well below expected
level
Below expected
level
At the expected
level
Above the expected
level
present.
Well above the expected
level
Marks
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Poster Layout
Poster did not include two
or more features (eg.
heading, sub headings,
border, relevant diagrams
and labels).
Poster did not include one
feature (eg. heading, sub
headings, border, relevant
diagrams and labels).
Poster was attractive.
Included a heading, sub
headings, border, relevant
diagrams and labels.
Spelling and
Grammar
Poster contained 3-4
spelling or grammatical
errors.
Poster contained 1-2
spelling or grammatical
errors.
Poster had no spelling or
grammatical errors.
Information was well
expressed.
Poster was very eyecatching.
Included a bold heading,
sub headings, border,
relevant diagrams and
labels.
Poster had no spelling or
grammatical errors.
Information was well
expressed and fluent.
Eye Contact
Student had little eye
contact with audience and
read from cue cards for
most of the presentation.
Student mumbled, had a
low voice and
mispronounced some
words.
Presentation lacked
organisation and fell within
1-2 minutes. Presentation
was lackluster and did not
include visual aids.
Student maintained eye
contact most of the time
and frequently returned to
cue cards.
Student had a low voice
and mispronounced some
words.
Student maintained eye
contact most of the time
and sometimes returned to
cue cards.
Student had a clear voice
and pronounced most
words correctly.
Student maintained eye
contact with audience and
occasionally returned to
cue cards.
Student had a clear voice
and pronounced all words
correctly.
Poster was creative and
original.
Included a bold heading,
sub headings, border,
relevant diagrams and
labels.
Poster had no spelling or
grammatical errors.
Information was very well
expressed and fluent.
Demonstrated an excellent
vocabulary.
Student maintained eye
contact with audience and
rarely needed to return to
cue cards.
Student had a clear, strong
voice and precise
pronunciation.
Presentation lacked
organisation and fell within
2-3 minutes. Presentation
did not engage the
audience and visual aids
added little to the
presentation.
Presentation was organised
and fell within 3-4 minutes.
Presentation was
interesting and some visual
aids were used.
Presentation was well
organized and fell within 45 minutes.
Presentation was
interesting and visual aids
were appropriate.
Presentation was well
organized and fell within 45 minutes.
Presentation was
exciting/engaging and
enhanced by visual aids.
Vocal Skills
Presentation
Content and
Professionalism
Comments
Last updated: 12.06.07
© State of Victoria, 2007