March Madness Gateway

1. Grayson Rams2014: Day Two March MadnessGateway

2. *One social studies area of focus may be repeated each school year. However, the specific prompts differ within the repeated area of focus.

4. Student Friendly Rubrics for High School Gateway Assessment You have a generic rubric provided in your learning folder. Domain 1: Development, Analysis, and Interpretation. How well you demonstrated an understanding of all parts of the assigned task. In order to score all points, • You fully explained all parts of the assigned task with specific details. • You included an in-depth analysis of ideas and relationships related to the task. • Facts, events, and concepts were fully developed. • All of your ideas were focused on the assigned task. Your score can be anywhere from a 5 to a 1 depending on how well you complete the task.

5. Domain 2: Expression of Knowledge. How much relevant, correct prior knowledge and vocabulary you included in your paper. In order to score all points, • Your paper contained extensive correct historical information beyond what is in the documents. • You used extensive vocabulary throughout your paper. • You effectively used the provided documents. Your score can be anywhere from a 5 to a 1 depending on how well you complete the task.

6. Domain 3: Organization of Concepts: How well you organized your ideas. • In order to score all points, • • All parts of your organizational plan were effective and appropriate. • • Your ideas were effectively sequenced. • • Your introduction and conclusion were effective for the assigned task and appropriate to the purpose. • • You used an extensive variety of transition words and phrases; all of your ideas are logically linked to the ideas that precede and follow it. • Your score can be anywhere from a 5 to a 1 depending on how well you complete the task.

7. Domain 4: Conventions: How well you demonstrated control of sentence formation, usage, & mechanics (citations, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and paragraph breaks) In order to score all points, • Your sentences were extensively varied, clear, and effective in all parts of your paper. • All elements of usage were consistently correct (subject-verb agreement, standard word forms, pronoun-antecedent agreement, tense). • All elements of mechanics were consistently correct (citation of original sources, internal punctuation, spelling, capitalization, paragraph breaks). • There were very few errors in your paper.

8. Check your purple advisement folder for a copy of the rubric that lists the four domains and how your essays will be assessed.

9. Things to include in every Gateway Essay: • What is a THESIS? • Definition: A thesis tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the topic; it’s a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. • Why is it important? • Where should your thesis be located within the essay? • It is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

10. Things to include in every Gateway Essay: • Thesis • Body Paragraphs (each paragraph should include the following; you need 3-4) • Topic sentence • At LEAST 2 facts from your PRIOR KNOWLEDGE • At LEAST 2 facts from a DOCUMENT • A sentence that includes something along the lines of: “This is important because…” • An Introduction and conclusion

11. Things to remember when writing: • Outline before you write; Your essay will be better if it is organized • Use a thesisstatement so we know what your argument is