RPS Content Literacies Standards-Based Performance Assessments
The Shakespeare Conspiracy Theory Developed by Revere High School Literacy Coach Mary Ellen Dakin
Task: WHAT are we going to do? Establish and support a claim in response to a question first raised in 1785: Did William Shakespeare write the plays of William Shakespeare?
Purpose: WHY are we doing this? • • • • • • • • •
To engage in research as conversation To question perceived connections between social status, wealth, education, and ability To participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on a variety of complex texts, building on others’ questions and ideas and expressing their own (SL1) To analyze various accounts of the subject told in different mediums, determining which details are emphasized in each (RIT 7) To write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence (W1) To produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience (W4) To synthesize multiple sources, demonstrating understanding of the issue (W7) To develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on what is most significant for task, purpose, and audience (W5) To present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically, addressing opposing perspectives and aligning the substance and style to the purpose and audience (SL4)
Audience: WHO is our intended audience? Your classmates and teacher; the Anti-Stratfordians!
Process: HOW are we going to do this? 1. Guided by the Organizer and Descriptors for Close Reading of Multimedia Texts, perform a series of specialized readings of a variety of texts and engage in peer conversations in which you develop an understanding of conspiracy and conspiracy theories based on the elements of composition in each text. 2. Analyze the texts, annotating them for their evidence, reasoning, and counterclaims. 3. Take a stand in response to the prompt. 4. Form writing teams of 4-5; together write an introduction that establishes your team’s credibility on the issue and puts forth a clear and reasonable claim. 5. Organize the content of the body paragraphs and assign writers to each body paragraph. Compose body paragraphs that support your central claim with a balance of appeals to reason and emotion and with relevant and sufficient evidence from at least three sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation or paraphrase. 6. Regroup and organize the sequence of body paragraphs, adding transitions where needed. 7. Together, compose a conclusion that summarizes your claim, reflects on the fairness of your claim, and/or comments on the importance of the issue and the reasons we should care. 8. Use technology to produce and publish your shared writing.
Timeline: WHEN will we do this? Over the course of one week in April