BUTLER/BOTSIOS
SOCIAL SCIENCE UNIT PLAN
1st QUARTER
6 Weeks
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals: What program objectives or learning outcomes will this design address?
Construct charts, graphs, and narratives to explain particular events or issues over time.
Explain how physical features and human characteristics of a place influenced the development of civilizations,
societies, and regions.
Explain how technology or innovation transformed civilizations, socieities, and regions over time.
Explain the role that key historical figures and groups had in transforming society.
Understandings:
Essential Questions:
Students will analyze how civilizations
came to be and what lasting legacies
they left behind.
Students will analyze primary and
secondary sources and then draw
conclusions about the relationship
between them and the period of time.
What provocative questions will foster inquiry, understanding,
This week:
Why do people live and move where they do?
Why do people live the way they do?
How and why do human societies organize the way they do?
How does technology affect people’s lives?
How has conflict and cooperation shaped human history?
How do we know what we know about human history?
Why do civilizations rise and decline?
Theme:
Texts:
Ancient River Valley Civilizations
Holt McDougal Ancient Civilizations
http://www.atlasofworldhistory.com
http://socialsciences.dadeschools.net/files/benchmarks/pacingguide
s/6th%20Gr.%20World%20History%20Opening%20of%20Schools%2
0Lessons.pdf
Vocabulary:
primary
secondary sources
Decade
Century
Millennium
Epoch
Era
Prehistory
B.C.
A.D.
B.C.E.
C.E.
Timeline
Period
Prehistory
Ancient History
Middle Ages
Modern History archaeology,
artifacts, paleontology, fossils,
anthropology, species, Homo
sapiens, evidence, primary
source, secondary source,
point of view, bias,
conclusion, scholarly
Bronze Age, domesticate,
hunters and gatherers, Ice
Age, Neolithic Age, nomads,
Paleolithic Age,
specialization, systematic
agriculture, technology
fertile crescent, civilization,
silt, irrigation, surplus, citystate, monotheism,
polytheism, ziggurat,
cuneiform, scribe, epic
Dynasty, empire, kingdom,
pharaoh, pyramid
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Major Assessments
Standards Assessed
Through what authentic performance tasks
will students demonstrate the desired
understanding?
Major Assessment #1:
Ancient River Valley Civ. Map Project
What standards will be assessed through this task?
 14
 15
 16
 17
 18
Major Assessment #2:
Organizer notes
Minor Assessments:
Interactive notebook activities
Exit slips
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Each day is to contain the essential map standard, learning activities that will enable students to demonstrate their understanding of
the objectives, and formal assessments.
8/11/14
Use map and globe
reading skills
-map skills workbook
http://www.watchkno
wlearn.org/Category.
aspx?CategoryID=3
352
http://www.atlasofwo
rldhistory.com
Interpret graphs and
charts
Read for literal
meaning
Summarize to select
main idea
-map skills workbook
Basal H2-H4
Basal Ch1 p2-11 and
p52
Use context clues
and appropriate
sources such as
glossaries, texts, and
dictionaries to gain
meaning.
Basal Ch1 p12-17
8/18/14
Use primary and
secondary sources
to interpret various
historicsal
perspectives
Construct maps,
charts, graphs,
models, databases,
and models as tools
to illustrate
information about
different people,
places, and regions.
Construct maps,
charts, graphs,
models, databases,
and models as tools
to illustrate
information about
different people,
places, and regions
Construct maps,
charts, graphs,
models, databases,
and models as tools
to illustrate
information about
different people,
places, and regions
Create maps, charts,
graphs, models,
databases, and
models as tools to
illustrate information
about different
people, places, and
regions
-map skills workbook
current events chart
and geographic
newspaper activities
-map skills workbook
current events chart
and geographic
newspaper activities
-map skills workbook
current events chart
and geographic
newspaper activities
-map skills workbook
current events chart
and geographic
newspaper activities
CE are critical to
greater
understanding of the
past
template-see below
template-see below
template-see below
Political,
economic,
religious, social,
intellectual, and
geographic
influnces the Early
humans.
Identifying changes
in daily life From
Paleolithic to
Neolithic thru use
of graphic
organizers.
Identifying social
organization with
quote sandwich
activity with article
“Social
organization in the
Neolithic period”.
P114
8/25/14
Current events chart
and geographic
newspaper activities
How does
understanding the
past help us to
understand the
present?
template-see below
9/01/14
template-see below
5 themes of
geography
Create maps, charts,
graphs, models,
databases, and
models as tools to
illustrate information
about different
people, places, and
regions
Basal ch2 p24-43
Mapping the
physiographic
features of the
river civilizations
template-see below
9/08/14
discovering how
Sumerian city
states emerged.
Student groups
discuss and draw
conclusions on a
historical
explanation to
citystates
emerged.
Understanding our
place in history:
Sumerian
achievements
Is the US a
civilization based
on the
characteristics
learned?
P65-9
Mapping the
physiographic
features of Egypt
and the Near East
Creating illustrated
journals about
ancient Egyptian
daily life
P86-95
P96-106
P54-59
Experiencing the
challenge of
interpreting the
past
The Epic of
Gilgamesh
Origins of Judaism:
history of the
ancient israelites
Applying the code
of Hammurabi to
Babylonian court
cases
P70-71
p60-4
9/15/14
Political,
economic,
religious, social,
intellectual, and
geographic
influnces Ancient
P72-6
Egypt & Near East
P86-95
9/22/14
constructing a
timeline of
Mesopotamian
civilizations
Student groups
synthesize their
research in an
illustrated journal
assignment
Trading goods
with the power of
Kush
P107-113
PERSIA graphic organizer for ancient cultures:
POLITICAL INFLUENCES
Governmental structure, war,
treaties, courts/laws, leaders, popular
participation, loyalty to leader
SOCIAL INFLUENCES
Family order, patriarchal,
matriarchal, gender relations, role of
women and children, social classes,
slavery, entertainment, lifestyles
ECONOMIC INFLUENCES
State control of trade/industry,
agriculture, industry, labor systems,
levels of technology, levels of
international trade, gender, slavery,
money system
INTELLECTUAL INFLUENCES
Art, music, writing, literature,
philosophy, math, science,
education, innovation, technology
PERSIA Graphic Organizer
Nile River Valley Civilization
Political Influences
Economic Influences
Religious Influences
Social Influences
Intellectual Influences
Area- Geographic Influences
Ancient River Valley Civilizations Project
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES
Importance on societal interaction,
holy books, beliefs/teachings,
conversion, role of missionaries,
sin/salvation, deities
GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES
Location, physical geography,human
geography, movement, spatial
diffusion, urbanization,
globalization, human.environment
interaction
Ancient Civilzations Basal Exercises
Teacher modeling of lesson assignment components with the students then gradually releasing
them into assignment tasks.
Quote sandwich exemplar:
According to the facts in the article, “Social Organization in the Neolithic Period,” historians will
classify the United States as a hierachal society many years from now. The article gives a lot of
examples of how hierarchal cities are set up. Some of the details include different sized housing,
different levels of power for different people, and unequal wealth. In the text, it gives an example
of the different levels of power. If there was a farmer in a hierachal society, he would start out
growing crops and eventually hire people. Once he hired workers he would be making even more
money and have power over his workers. I connected this to working in America because our
society is similar to this. Hiearchies, or societies with “rulers” set apart from others’ are
organized so that some people have more power than others.” This evidence led me to believe
that future historians will find evidence that proves our country was hiearachal. This quote shows
that in hierarchal societies, “some people have more power than other.” We have a President
who has more power than the other citizens of our country. Even at work people have different
levels ofpower because the boss has the ability to hire and fire people. Each person is also “set
apart fromothers” in many ways. For example, some people have a lot of money; others have
none at all. If you walked down the street, you would see all different sized houses. Some people
live in mansions, others have small houses. Clearly, these verify our country will be classified as
hierarchical.
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________
Quote sandwich graphic organizer for non-fiction text
(a quote sandwich is one thorough paragraph)
Title:
Author:
Prompt: (Write it out here)
1. Focus Sentence (1 sentence): (Fill in the title and the author…remember to use quotation
marks if the title is an article, underline if it is a book!)
According to __________________ in ________________
2. Context (2-3 sentences): (Background info that sets up the quote. Re-tell a little bit of the
text to help the reader understand your focus.)
3. Quote (1-2 sentence(s)): (Don’t forget your page number! – See resources for using
quotes)
According to the author, “…
4. Return Back to Focus (1 sentence): Restate focus using one of these specific phrases:
1. This shows that…2. As you can see…3. This evidence led me to believe…5. Your own
words (approved by teacher)…
Name:_______________________________
Date: __________________
Social Organization in the Neolithic Period Notes Graphic Organizer
Characteristics
Egalitarian
Hiearchal
Name:___________________________________ Date:_______________
Current Events
Title of Article_________________________________________________
Author:__________________________________ Date:________________
Source:_______________________________________________________
This article was
about________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Quote from the text
Reaction/Opinion/Additional Information
Connection (text – text/world/self)
Current Events
You have to learn the past to understand the present.
Current is defined as occurring in or belonging to the present time.
One of our focus points this year will be to examine what is happening right now
in the world and try to make connections to the past, present and ourselves.
We will primarily focus on ancient history, which is important to learn because it shows where we come from and how we got
here. But, this assignment puts those events in a broader context~ how do current events affect our lives’ today and in the
future?
Current Events Assignment
If you want to do well on the current events assignments this year follow the simple tips listed
below
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You MUST find an article for each of our Thematic Essential Questions. Although, certain topics
are NOT allowed: Sports, Entertainment, Crime, Editorials (Opinions)...
What does that leave? PLENTY!!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Geography: Environment, Immigration, Global Warming, etc. as it relates to humans.
Culture: Customs, traditions, religion and politics, etc.
Government: Elections, laws, court decisions, etc.
Technology: New inventions, Innovative ways to better our lives, etc.
Cooperation&Conflict:Foreignpolicy,tradeagreementsanddisputes,wars,etc.
Resources: Natural or human resource issues between governments or groups.
History/Archeology:Newdiscoveriesortheoriesaboutthepast(fossilfinds,etc.)
Empires: What country dominates the world now...and who is rising?
In a nutshell~ articles about individual people or events that affect a small number of people are
generally not acceptable.
Although a car accident on Rt. 95, a Red Sox win, or Paris Hilton getting caught doing something
she shouldn’t is considered newsworthy; they are not the types of current events I want you to
focus on.
If you have a doubt about whether an article is acceptable or not SHOW IT TO ME AHEAD OF
TIME. If you complete a current events assignment on a topic that is NOT acceptable It will NOT
accepted!!
This is where #1 on the “Must-Do” is important~ if you wait until the last minute and do not check
with me first you may not get credit for the assignment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I need HELP!!!
Current Events Online
Current Event Must-Do List 1. Don’t wait until the last minute
2. Ifyoudon’tunderstandwhatthefirstarticleyouselectedisabout-choseadifferentone
3. Chose articles about topics that interest you.
Current Events Connection Cheat Sheet
When thinking about the world around us (past and present) it is important to make connections to the
events we learn or hear about. Why, might you ask? Because making connections helps us to remember
and understand an event more clearly. If you can connect a current event with a personal experience or
with something you have learned in the past you are much more likely to identify with it or remember it.
Thoughtful, insightful, and clear connections are not as hard as you may think. Below are some ideas to
get you thinking about how to begin making connections to the world around you.
When you hear or read about an event try to make at least one of the following connections from the areas
below:
Text to Self
A connection between the text and something in your own life experience
Places you have visited ~~~~~~~ Family vacations ~~~~~~~ Conversations with your parents or family
members ~~~~~~~ Sports teams, clubs, organizations that you have been a part of ~~~~~~~ Something
that happened to you or someone you know
Text to Text
A connection between the text and another story, article or text that you have read before
An article in Social Studies or another class ~~~~~~~ Social Studies or other textbook ~~~~~~~ the
newspaper ~~~~~~~ the internet ~~~~~~~
an encyclopedia ~~~~~~~
a book ~~~~~~~
a short story ~~~~~~~
a play
Text to World
A connection between the text and something that is occurring or has occurred in the
world
Story you watched on the news ~~~~~~~ Something you learned in school this year or previous years
~~~~~~~
An event from history that you learned about from watching a documentary ~~~~~~~ Speaking to
someone who lived through an event (primary source)
Current Events
Source Guidelines
Current is defined as occurring in or belonging to the present time. Therefore, you must
follow the time guidelines below when selecting an article to use for your current events
assignment.
Your article must come from a reputable news source. All of the sources listed below are
acceptable. However, if you find an article from a source not listed below you must ask
me first if it is acceptable to use for the assignment.
Most popular sources:
Source Name
Type
Within the last
abcnews.com
Online Television News 1 week
Boston Globe boston.com
Newspaper Online version 1 week
cbsnews.com
Online Television News 1 week
cnn.com
Online Television News 1 week
foxnews.com
Online Television News 1 week
Kent County Daily Times kentcountytimes.com Newspaper Online version 1 week
msnbc.com
Online Television News 1 week
National Geographic nationalgeographic.com Magazine Online version 1 year
Newsweek newsweek.com
Magazine Online version 2 weeks
Providence Journal projo.com
Newspaper Online version 1 week
reuters.com
Online News Service
1 week
Time time.com
Magazine Online version 2 weeks
US News and World Report usnews.com
Magazine Online version 2 weeks
USA Today usatoday.com
Newspaper Online version 1 week
Other acceptable sources include all other major newspapers/news magazines and their online
versions~ Examples include but are not limited to:
Los Angeles Times Chicago Tribune New York Times
New York Post Forbes Magazine San Francisco Chronicle Associated Press Washington Post
You may use Google News as a search for articles, but Google News is not the source. Google
News is simply a news search engine that gathers links to other newspapers or magazines.
Whichever site it directs you to is the source
Name: _________________________
Date:_________
Period:_____
Create a Newspaper: Choose 1 Geographic Area
4
3
2
Exceeds
Meets
Approaches
Meeting
Expectation
Expectation
Expectation
Expectation
Class
1
Not
Required Information:
 Completion of Newspaper Graphic Organizer Form:
o Appropriate articles chosen
o Title, Source and Date of article given on created newspaper
o Appropriate geographical region chosen
o Pretend you are a journalist for a specific region (i.e. Afghanistan).
Research current issues in that area and write 3 creative articles
using factual information on the topics chosen.
Newspaper Articles and Critical Thinking/Analysis:
 Current Event Newspaper is neat and detailed, easy to read & includes
 factual articles about the chosen geographic location
 Explanation of articles, people and places are well explained and provide
sufficient evidence of the geographic region and the current events
happening there
 Demonstrates understanding of major current event issues occurring in
chosen geographic area through thorough newspaper entries
Conventions:
 All explanations have few to no errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization,
thus demonstrating control of grammar rules and conventions.
 Variety of sentence structures used
 Consistent use of rich vocabulary
Current Event Written Response Grade: ___________
Name: _________________________
Date:_________
Period:_____
Political Cartoon
4
3
2
Exceeds
Meets
Approaches
Meeting
Expectation
Expectation
Expectation
Expectation
Class
1
Not
Required Information:
 Completion of Current Event: Political Cartoon Form:
o Appropriate article chosen
o Title, Source and Date of news sources given
o Students will complete the Political Cartoon form and will create a
political cartoon representing the topic being discussed.
o Students MUST include both the written work and the cartoon
drawing
Political Cartoon and Critical Thinking/Analysis:
 Current Event Political Cartoon Form is neat and detailed, easy to read &
includes a thoughtful explanation of the article chosen
 Explanation of article, people and places are well explained and provide
sufficient evidence
 Insightfully creates a political cartoon (drawing) by using original
information from the article to support creative work
 Demonstrates thorough understanding of authors point of view
Conventions:
 All explanations have few to no errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization,
thus demonstrating control of grammar rules and conventions.
 Variety of sentence structures used
 Consistent use of rich vocabulary
Current Event Written Response Grade: ___________
Name: _________________________
Date:_________
Period:_____
Voice Your Opinion
4
3
2
Exceeds
Meets
Approaches
Meeting
Expectation
Expectation
Expectation
Expectation
Class
1
Not
Required Information:
 Completion of Current Event: Voice Your Opinion Form:
o Title, Source and Date of article given
o Appropriate topic chosen
o Choose a hot topic (i.e. health care reform) and complete the Voice
Your Opinion Form with an explanation of your opinion on the
topic
o Opinion includes an introduction paragraph explaining the hot topic
and your opinion, a detailed paragraph explaining the topic and why
you feel the way you do (citing factual evidence to back up your
writing), and a conclusion paragraph
Your Opinion and Critical Thinking/Analysis:
 Current Event: Voice Your Opinion Form is neat and detailed, easy to read
& includes a thoughtful opinion and factual information to support your
opinion
 Explanation of article, people and places are well explained and provide
sufficient evidence
 Insightfully states position by using original information from the text to
support your opinion
 Demonstrates critical thinking beyond the given opinion of the original
author
Conventions:
 All explanations have few to no errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization,
thus demonstrating control of grammar rules and conventions.
 Variety of sentence structures used
 Consistent use of rich vocabulary
Current Event Written Response Grade: ___________
Name: _____________________________________
Class:__________
Date: ____________
Title of Article: _______________________________
Date:__________
Source:________________
Voice Your Opinion
Hot Topic
Hot Topic
& Theme
Introduction: Explain your Hot Topic here:
Topic here:
Lists five facts about your Hot
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
My Opinion: Voice your opinion here
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Conclusion: Wrap up your thoughts here:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
___
Name _______________________________Date_________________
Period________
Point of View: Rewrite a Newspaper Article
Title of Article:
__________________________________________________________
Source:________________________________ Date of Article:
____________________
Circle the appropriate theme that applies to the content of the article:
Geography
Culture
Government
Technology
Resources
History/Archeology
Cooperation & Conflict
Empires
Opening Paragraph: With your new opinion: ________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____
Supporting Paragraphs: Write 2-3 paragraphs explaining your opinion using facts from the original text!
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Closing Paragraph: Wrap up your thoughts here
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________
Name _______________________________Date_________________
Period________
Political Cartoon
Title of Article:
__________________________________________________________
Source:________________________________ Date of Article:
____________________
Circle the appropriate theme that applies to the content of the article:
Geography
Culture
Government
Technology
Resources
History/Archeology
Cooperation & Conflict
Empires
_____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
This article was about
List and describe the people mentioned:
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________
List and describe the places mentioned:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Draw Political Cartoon here:
______________________________
______________________________
Name _______________________________Date_________________
Period________
Create a Newspaper: Choose 1 Geographic
Area
Be sure to attach all articles used!!!!!
Circle the appropriate theme that applies to the content of the article:
Geography
Culture
Government
Technology
Resources
History/Archeology
Cooperation & Conflict
Empires
Introduction of Geographic Area: Where is it?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
1st Current Event issue occurring in this area:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
2nd Current Event issue occurring in this area:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
_____________________
3rd Current Event issue occurring in this area:
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
Now…
Use the information collected in your 3 Current
Event issues and create an actual newspaper
previewing the 3 topics. Be sure to include an
introduction to the Geographic region and
visuals!!!!!
Rubric for Assessing a Timeline
4
Entry Choice
Scale & Sequence
Mechanics
Visual Presentation
Great care taken in
selection of timeline
entries; either most
significan events or
those that show
historical pattern or
those that show
cause-effect
relationship selected
Scale consistent and
accurate; increments
marked; all entries in
sequence and
placed with care.
One or two mistakes
Visually striking; very
effective in
communicating
historical information
3
2
1
Selections meet
assignment criteria;
few inaccuracies
May include required
number of entries;
some inaccuracies
Does not include
required number of
entries.
Scale accurate;
increments marked;
entries in sequence
Scale roughly drawn;
increments fairly and
accurately marked;
some entries out of
sequence
Some errors in
spelling and dates
Legible
No apparent scale;
increments not
marked; many
entries out of
sequence.
Many errors in
spelling and dates
Illegible and messy
May have more than
a couple mistakes
Clear and
uncluttered
Travel Brochure Rubric
Student
Name: ________________________________________Class:__________
4
3
2
1
Content Accuracy
All facts in the
brochure are
accurate.
99-90% of the
facts in the
brochure are
accurate.
89-80% of the
facts in the
brochure are
accurate.
Fewer than 80% of
the facts in the
brochure are
accurate.
Writing Organization
Each section in
the brochure has a
clear beginning,
middle, and end.
Almost all sections
of the brochure
have a clear
beginning, middle
and end.
Most sections of
the brochure have
a clear beginning,
middle and end.
Less than half of
the sections of the
brochure have a
clear beginning,
middle and end.
Spelling &
Proofreading
No spelling errors
remain after one
person other than
the typist reads
and corrects the
brochure.
No more than 1
spelling error
remains after one
person other than
the typist reads
and corrects the
brochure.
No more than 3
Several spelling
spelling errors
errors in the
remain after one brochure.
person other than
the typist reads
and corrects the
brochure.
Writing Vocabulary
The authors
correctly use
several new words
and define words
unfamiliar to the
reader.
The authors
correctly use a
few new words
and define words
unfamiliar to the
reader.
The authors try to The authors do not
use some new
incorporate new
vocabulary, but
vocabulary.
may use 1-2
words incorrectly.
Attractiveness &
Organization
The brochure has
exceptionally
attractive
formatting and
well-organized
information.
The brochure has The brochure has
attractive
well-organized
formatting and
information.
well-organized
information.
The brochure's
formatting and
organization of
material are
confusing to the
reader.
Graphics/Pictures
Graphics go well
with the text and
there is a good
mix of text and
graphics.
Graphics go well
with the text, but
there are so many
that they distract
from the text.
Graphics do not go
with the
accompanying text
or appear to be
randomly chosen.
CATEGORY
Graphics go well
with the text, but
there are too few
and the brochure
seems "textheavy".
Sources
Comments:
Careful and
accurate records
are kept to
document the
source of 95-100%
of the facts and
graphics in the
brochure.
Careful and
accurate records
are kept to
document the
source of 94-85%
of the facts and
graphics in the
brochure.
Careful and
accurate records
are kept to
document the
source of 84-75%
of the facts and
graphics in the
brochure.
Sources are not
documented
accurately or are
not kept on many
facts and graphics
Current Event Writing Reminders Heading


If there is no author write “Staff” 
The source is where the article was originally printed~ look underneath the 
headline for a newspaper’s name. Just because you found the article in the 
Providence Journal does not mean that the source is the ProJo. 

The second date line is for the date of the article 
Summarizing Sentence(s) 

One or two sentences giving an overview of what the article is about. You do not
need to provide specific details in this section. Hint: use the bold headline to help
you! 
Main Ideas 

As you are reading the article underline, highlight, or circle the key points in the
article. Focusing on the “who” and the “where”. 
Connection 




Make at least one clear connection to the topic of the article 
Text – text, text – world, text – self (see the connection cheat sheet for help) 
One clear and detailed connection is better than two short ones. 
Two detailed and clear connections are better than one clear detailed
connection!! 
Writing Tips 
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Avoid writing in the first person when summarizing the article (ex. “I”) 
Avoid possessive pronouns when writing your summarizing sentences 
(ex. “we, us, our, my...”) 
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CAPITALIZE names, places, and the first word of each new sentence 
Use pronouns only after you have identified who or what you are referring to 
Write small numbers out- (ex. write “four” rather than writing “4”) 
Do not use abbreviations 
Do not use symbols in your writing (&, *, @, #,) 
Avoid excessive use of exclamation points!!!!! 
Indent new paragraphs when writing your connection 
Write a rough draft first, proofread, then write a final copy 
artical -> article
beleive -> believe tomarrow -> tomorrow Wenesday -> Wednesday calender -> calendar
Commonly Misspelled Words
definately -> definitely thier -> their
suceed -> succeed accepteble -> acceptable lisense -> license
exemple -> example hurrican -> hurricane recieve -> receive
alot -> a lot
scheduel -> schedule
The word document of the Current Event Assignment Form is on the
website~ download it and type your assignment. Use the tools of
Microsoft Word (dictionary, grammar check, and thesaurus).
Graphic Organizer
Student Name:
________________________________________Class:__________
4
3
2
1
Content Accuracy
All research is
thorough,
insightful and
correct.
Most research is
thorough,
insightful and
correct.
Some research
is thorough,
insightful and
correct.
Research is not
thorough and
insightful.
Referencing the
Text
Citations and
references to the
text were used
perfectly.
Citations and
references to
the text were
used with minor
error.
Citations and
references to
the text were
used
inconsistently or
incorrectly.
Citations and
references to the
text were not
used correctly.
Organization
All research is
Most research is Some research
logical, coherent logical, coherent is logical,
and organized. and organized. coherent and
organized.
CATEGORY
Comments:
Research is
disorganized and
lacking
coherency.
Student Poster Rubric
Content
Design
Creativity
Visual
Appeal
4
3
2
1
All requirements
present well
written text and
carefully chosen
visuals work
together to
illustrate and
inform about
poster subject
Followed layout
sample, logical and
easy to read text
and visuals, neatly
designed layout
compliments
content
Pleasing use of
color, shapes,
symbols and other
graphic elements
captures viewers’
attention and
interest
Incorporates
unique and
pertinent ideas
design elements,
visuals or text that
make the poster
stand out
All requirements
present, descriptive
text and
appropriate visuals
work together to
inform viewers
Most requirements
present, text
contains some
inaccuracies or
lacks organization
or impact,
inappropriate or
missing visuals
Requirements
missing poorly
written inaccurate
or insufficient text
and or visuals or
“cut & pasted”
text.
Followed layout
sample, logical
text and visuals
that are neat and
easy to understand
Followed layout
sample, somewhat
disorganized
Did not follow
layout sample
disorganized
hastily and
carelessly planned
Good use of color
and eye-catching
graphic elements
Graphics have
clustered
appearances or are
sparse (too much
empty space)
Little constructive
use of color or
graphic elements
Contains some
unique or
imaginative
elements
Contains some
good, although not
entirely original
elements
No evidence or
creativity