Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action

In the three-step process for “Taking Informed Action,” students consider what lessons their study of the founding offers for building a more democratic society today. The three activities associated with the Informed Action ask students to a) UNDERSTAND the issues evident from the inquiry in a larger and/or current context, b) ASSESS the relevance and impact of the issues, and c) ACT in ways that allow students to demonstrate agency in a real-world context. We encourage educators to modify the informed action to their unique classroom context and the needs and interests of their students. 

 “How do we reckon with a history full of complexities and contradictions?” In a format of your choice (e.g., digital presentation, poster, paragraph), discuss the complexities and contradictions in the history of the founding of the United States and how we should remember and respond to those complexities and contradictions today. 

Accomplished through the supporting questions and formative tasks.

Building on the ideas explored in supporting question 3, identify someone who is not typically regarded as a founder of the United States, but who nonetheless made important contributions to democratic ideals such as self-determination, freedom, and human rights. The following is a list of suggested historical figures to consider, but you may pick a figure who is not on this list: 

• William Apess
• Pontiac
• Mary (Molly) Brant
• Abigail Adams
• Judith Sargent Murray
• Phillis Wheatley
• Benjamin Banneker
• Ona Judge 

Once you’ve chosen a figure, research answers to the following questions: 

• Why should this individual be remembered as an important historical figure in US history? What contributions did they make? What struggles or opposition did they face?
• How did this person contribute to democratic ideals such as self-determination, freedom, and human rights? What tools or lessons have they left for those who wish to achieve democracy more fully today?

 In a medium of your choice (e.g., spoken word poem, blog/social media post, school exhibition, mural, performance), communicate your conclusions about your selected figure to a broader audience.