Generative Topic: People in Colonial History Unit-level Understanding Goals addressed by this performance: Sentence Form (Question Form): Students will understand the values held by the men who founded the United States of America. (What assumptions did the Founding Fathers hold?) Students will understand what can and cannot be inferred about the culture of Colonial America through some well-documented lives from the period. (What patterns can we see in how the Founding Fathers lived?) Students will understand criteria by which the quality of their final projects can be judged. (How can we recognize good work?) Understanding Performances: [Assignment: Using a variety of sources, students work in collaborative groups to research and teach the class about a well-documented founder of the United States of America.] Students identify sources and analyze them for point of view. Groups develop a series of informal wall displays and presentations that present evidenceto support an interpretation or theme. Through cycles of presenting drafts, receiving feedback, and identifying what worked well, students develop criteria for the assessment sheet. [See next page: Assessment Sheet.] This was used by students and peers as a performance guide during work on the final project and as a form for students and teachers to assess final performances. Students keep a process journal of reflections on their work. Ongoing Assessment: Feedback: Informal and oral by peers and teacher Written reflections by students, peers, and teachers Criteria: Developed collaboratively by student and teacher. Synthesized as Assessment Sheet by teacher

Pictures of Practice Contents Introduction The Colonial Biography Unit (7th Grade History) A Year of Seventh Grade English A Year of Eighth Grade Science The Jazz Unit Snapshot Using the CCDT to Develop Generative Topics