GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

Grade a Project: Social Studies

Regan Meyer
University of Sioux Falls

GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

The assignment I was tasked with evaluating came from a high school level World History
and Government course in Hill City, South Dakota. This first-year teacher had his students
develop an essential question pertaining to a specific person, place, thing, event, or concept studied
during the class. The question could literally be about any of the information covered in the
course, but it had to be approved by the instructor. He provided a learning contract, copy of his
rubric, and a very extensive list of project ideas ranging from brochures and maps to recipes and
radio broadcasts. Of the multitude of project ideas, I was given two slideshows and two brochures
to grade. Now, I was instructed to evaluate these projects and to find one that represents mastery
of the subject, one that meets requirements, and one that is below requirements. However, based
on the rubric used to assess the assignment and the projects I was given, I did not believe that any
of them demonstrated sound mastery. Granted, there were two that came close, but ultimately
failed to succeed in all of the categories presented on the instructor's rubric. I will expand on how
to rectify this situation and my suggestions later on.
The brochure chronicling the various ways that the Maya have affected our world was well
developed, aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and clearly displayed the essential question it sought to
answer. Immediately I noticed the amount of effort and time that the student put into this project,
and that there was ample evidence supporting the assertions he or she made. One of the areas
where I can see the student struggled is providing specific examples of the advancements the
Mayans made. At one point, the student says, "They knew a lot about farming and the rain
system," and did not cite an example. If he or she would have mentioned how the Mayan dealt
with lack of rain or how they built agricultural terraces to differentiate their crops, I would have felt
better about the overall takeaway from the lesson. Also, there are significant grammatical issues
with this brochure. Incorrect commas, using the wrong possessive when referencing the Maya, and

GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

a lot of repetition were present. Alas, I could not factor these into the final grade, because the
rubric did not have a portion dedicated to spelling and grammar. Overall, this was the best project
of the group and did demonstrate a good grasp of the subject matter.
Another project that satisfied the requirements put forth by the teacher is a slideshow on
Napoleon Bonaparte. This student established a focused and clear essential question, and
provided good evidence supporting his or her answers. On one of the slides the author provided a
pie chart outlining the percentage of people making up the "estates" in 18th Century France. From
memory I recalled that the term estate was used interchangeably with class or order. So, the first
estate was made up of the clergy, the second estate was nobility, and the third estate was literally
everyone else. It would have been helpful if the student had provided a labeled legend and
perhaps a small explanation on the class order during the French Revolution. A major red flag for
this presentation, however, was the abrupt change of voice between the fourth and fifth slides.
Certain vocabulary utilized in the final slide seems to be out of character for the individual who
voiced the remainder of the slideshow. Terms like stranglehold and entrenched appear at odds
with the plainer text of the earlier slides. Much like the Mayan project, this student did not seem
to address many higher order-thinking skills or provide detailed reflection on the project, making
only a meeting requirements grade attainable.
The first project to receive a below requirements was a slideshow on Genghis Khan.
Although the project was solely about Genghis Khan, the student's essential question addressed
East Asian leaders. A simple reworking of the question to only refer to Genghis Khan would
greatly improve the scope of the project as a whole. As for the information the student presents: it
is rather limited and is not well developed. Many of the statements made are not expanded upon
and never make full connections with the essential question. This is another project where

GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

grammatical and spelling errors are present. While the student does support and answer the
essential question in some small part there needs to be more solid connections and explanations
made between the supporting evidence and the essential question.
The last project I graded was a brochure that attempted to outline how Adolf Hitler was
connected with the Holy Roman Empire. I had to research precisely what this student was
ascertaining because I know that there are millennia separating the two subjects. Benito Mussolini,
the Fascist ruler of Italy during World War II, referred to his government as the Holy Roman
Empire. Unfortunately, the student fails to make this abundantly clear in the brochure. Also, the
student does not present an essential question to be answered, and only provides one source.
Upon further investigation, I found that this source leads to a news website that provides tops
stories as they relate to Bible prophecy. The number of grammatical and spelling errors was
significant, and there is really no substance the entire project. The project, based on my grading
using the given rubric, did not meet requirements.
Throughout the course of this assignment I encountered challenges and discovered biases
that I didn't even know existed. The primary obstacle was the rubric itself. The analytic and
generic rubric seemed to skim over the various aspects of the assigned project as opposed to
individually evaluating them. "Grading rubrics cannot and should not require teachers to abandon
individuality or cease responding on a personal level." (Spandel 2006) Also, there was a severe
disconnect between what was presented on the rubric and the projects that the students generated.
All of the criteria lack sufficient explanations and are too generic for a project like this. Honestly,
the rubric doesn't appear to have been constructed for this specific assignment and that seems to
have had a negative effect. Wilson (2006) sums up the negative characteristics of rubrics rather
well by saying that "they tear at the foundations of the rhetorical heart of writing, reducing student

GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

essays, and our responses to an exercise in purposelessness." I cannot help but feel as though
these students were incapable of putting together quality projects because of this blanketed rubric
format.
Due to the anonymous nature of this assignment I did not have to worry about any negative
perceptions of the students clouding my judgment. However, I did come to realize that I am a
tough grader and it could be due to other biases. I've always been a good student who strives to
exceed any expectations that are placed upon me. When I was a child I was diagnosed with
ADHD and a significant anxiety disorder, so school hasn't always come easy. Regardless of any
handicaps, I push myself to succeed. Unfortunately, I often expect this kind of attitude and results
from all students. From the moment I began reading some of the projects, I was frustrated with
the poor grammar and spelling. The lack of supporting evidence and explanation was also a major
issue for me. I could not, and am still unable to, comprehend why a student wouldn't put in more
information if it were available? Ironically, my bias actually aided in my realization of what is
wrong with the teacher's assignment: his rubric.
A solid rubric is so much more than a means of evaluating assessments. I liken it to a good
recipe: the information necessary for you to succeed is there, but you still must put in the hard
work and cook. In actuality, the benefits of a rubric are two-fold. On one hand the student is
made aware of necessary information and how they will be evaluated. On the other hand the
teacher's confidence in his or her grading skills is bolstered due to the rubric's very existence.
(Livingston 2012) When a rubric is neglected or poorly crafted, however, it can be costly to both
teacher and student. The student is ill prepared for the assignment and the teacher lacks a sound
basis on which to formulate grades. This teacher's rubric is fails to properly define the assignment,
and in doing so allows far too much variation in terms of grading.

GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

An issue that was prevalent in every project was grammar and spelling. It is often disputed
whether or not to grade mechanics in a subject outside of English, but I would argue it incredibly
necessary. When writing, it is crucial that "students learn to write to the expectations of an external
audience; it is this dynamic, after all, that they will generally encounter in the real world for which
their education is meant to prepare them." (Livingston) I am not suggesting that sentence structure
and grammar needs to be a separate category, but I certainly believe that it should be factored into
the overall grade. (Smith 2008) With the mechanics displayed in these projects, I would suggest a
review course of structure and grammar be taught. Also, perhaps a day of peer reviewing could be
done so that the students can evaluate each other's work while getting a second set of eyes to look
over their work.
The instructions attached to the rubric and learning contract need to be more clear-cut and
thorough in describing the project. Personally, I believe that the lengthy list of project formats
could have proved counterproductive by overloading his students with too many choices. Students
should still be allowed to choose their format, but I would suggest cutting down the list to around
15 examples. Some of the ideas listed don't seem to be doable within the span of time allotted for
this assignment. The concept behind the essential question could use some bolstering as well.
Instead of spending so much time outlining formats, more attention should be paid to a concise,
focused, and detailed essential question. For example, instead of asking "How the Mayans have
affected our world today," the question could pinpoint a specific facet of advancements where the
Maya excelled. None of the projects succeeded in answering the personal questions pertaining to
how the assignment personally affected the students. By labeling these questions as "must answer",
the teacher could definitely garner more proper responses.

GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

If students can learn from mistakes, so can teachers. The results of this project can help
influence how the assignment and rubric may need to be changed. By looking at the projects, the
teacher can determine the appropriate evaluative criteria. (Wilson) Based on what I think the
teacher hoped the students would take away from this assignment, I believe the rubric should be
broken down into: essential question, supporting information and/or evidence, argument/answer to
essential question, reflection, and formatting/style. I would still categorize this rubric as generic,
because it can be applied to almost any subject or assignment that requires a thesis/essential
question. With this format the student will be better informed as to the requirements expected,
and how they can exceed said expectations.
This project was, in no way, easy for me. Truthfully, it first appeared rather straight
forward, but then once I dove in to the grading and assessing, it continued to prove frustrating and
difficult. Regardless of my struggle, this assignment was incredibly rewarding. It forced me to set
aside my biases and predispositions, and to focus solely on the quality of both the student and the
teacher's work. Sadly, there is no perfect rubric in this world. As students, curriculum, and
teachers evolve, so must the ways in which we assess students. I will say that I am a major
proponent of rubrics and the countless ways they can improve a student's quality of work. It also
helps me, as an educator, better understand how assignments play out and how students respond
to them. Near the end of his article Livingston (2012) summed up the desired outcome of using
rubrics rather eloquently: "I want students to take stances, to take chances, and to make strong
rhetorical arguments based on evidence, all conveyed within the bounds of proper practice. This
is how I define good writing to them." I couldn't have said it any better.

GRADE A PROJECT: SOCIAL STUDIES

References

Livingston, M. (2012). The infamy of grading rubrics. English Journal, 102(2), 108-113
Smith, L. (2008). Grading written projects: what approaches do students find most helpful?
Journal of Education for Business. 83(6), 325-330
Spandel, V. (2006) In defense of rubrics. English Journal, 96(1), 19-22
Wilson, M. (2006) Rethinking rubrics in writing assessment. Print