Assessments for Social Studies in 8th grade

Use the Grid Method to create a student-centered, competency-based framework for any subject.

Rubrics are a must have when doing Project-based learning, but a Progress Assessment Tool can really place the experience in the hands of the students. While digging deeper into an Umbrella Question (driving question), students can write their own learning targets by a teacher giving them standards.

Steve Martinez has used this method to align the content standards, literacy, standards, CTE standards, or general skills that he wanted students to work on. Students write learning targets that will be used throughout the PBL unit, document how each learning target will be hit or mastered, and then have a column for feedback and reflection (self-reflection, peer-to-peer reflection, and/or teacher to student feedback).

Feel free to use as many or as little learning targets for the PBL unit of your choice. Steve would use this document to conference with students 1:1 or in small groups through the duration of a PBL unit. This document was inspired by the work of Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy.

Gear up for success with our comprehensive Exam Revision Template! This three-page tool empowers students to organize notes, create study schedules, and practice sample questions for ultimate exam preparedness.

Try out Project-based Learning with this French Revolution template!

The supporting questions are a great strategy at the beginning of a Project-based Learning Unit. Our Kami Hero Steve Martinez uses this to have his students receive an Umbrella Question (Driving Question) that becomes the focus of the entire PBL experience.

The supporting questions are questions that students can ask to better understand the Umbrella Question, or what needs to be asked in order to begin to answer the Umbrella Question. This level of empowerment and inquiry positions students to ask their own questions, find truth through inquiry, and then document their citations to refer back to later.

This Umbrella Question reads, “To What Degree, Should Citizens Stand Up to Their Government.” What kind of BIG Complex questions can you think of for students?

Kami amplifies this inquiry by giving students the ability to “talk out” their inquiry, “plan out their PBL,” and receive feedback from their teacher through the Kami tools. The supporting questions is a jumping off start before tackling the PBL by interrogating the question.

Get exam-ready with this handy exam revision template!

Gear up for success with our comprehensive Exam Revision Template! This three-page tool empowers students to organize notes, create study schedules, and practice sample questions for ultimate exam preparedness.

Unleash the power of student inquiry by providing a BIG umbrella question (driving question) for students to tackle for the duration of a Project-based learning (PBL) unit.

What kind of BIG questions or wicked problems can you give your students? Insert yours for students and have them create their own supporting questions to better understand the Umbrella Questions, or supporting questions they must ask to begin to address or solve the Umbrella question. Students then can use their own inquiry to find truth for their own questions. Students can exercise research skills, interview professionals, listen to podcasts, or read literature to answer their questions.

This template provides an opportunity for students to document citations. Steve Martinez would use this as the first step of a PBL unit with his students. This document was inspired by the work of Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy.