The National Archives at Seattle

Washington State: Classroom Based Assessment(CBA)

Links to Primary Documents at the National Archives and Records Administration

8th Grade

Causes of Conflict (History)

Student assignment:

In a persuasive paper or presentation, you will:

  1. Describe the background of the conflict including:
    • who was involved in the conflict,
    • what the conflict was,
    • when the conflict took place, and
    • where the conflict took place.
  2. Explain multiple factors/reasons that played a role in the causing the conflict providing concrete details and commentary for each factor/reason.
  3. Present a position/thesis on the cause(s) of the conflict that
    • is clear,
    • outlines the central factors/reasons, and
    • demonstrates conceptual understanding of conflict.
* Conflict can be defined as the struggle between opposing forces.

Primary source documents from "Our Documents, 100 Milestone Source Documents from the National Archives and Records Administration," relating to this Classroom Based Assessment [CBA]:

Important notes for using this section:

  • Following each sub-topic is a list representing specific documents that are believed to best illustrate a topic. Each document is linked to an interactive digital copy of the record itself, complete with description, background information and teaching suggestions, from the "Our Documents" web site www.ourdocuments.gov. The transcribed copy is for your convenience and for students having difficulty reading handwriting. All pages can be easily downloaded and/or printed. Just click on the document title and it will take you to the specific "Our Documents" page.

Sample Topics and Associated Primary Sources:

Conflicts with Foreign Powers

Revolutionary War War of 1812 Mexican War Spanish American War World War I World War II Arab-Israeli War Korean War Cuban Missile Crisis Cold War Vietnam War

Internal Conflict Within the United States

Civil War Indian Wars

Political Differences (Democrat vs. Republican)

Conflicts Between American Citizens and Foreign-born

Associated Washington State Standards {EALR}

  • History 1.1.2b - Using evidence for support, identify, analyze, and explain possible causal factors contributing to given historical events.
  • History 2.1.2a - Explain the origin and context of major ideas and their impact on societies.
  • Social Studies Inquiry and Information Skills 1.1.2f - Create a product that uses social studies content to support findings; present product in an appropriate manner to a meaningful audience.
  • Social Studies Skills 1.1.2d - Recognize relevant facts and ideas in social studies documents: evaluate bias of sources/ authors; classify information as fact/opinion.

Scoring
EALR Scoring
(*for additional levels, see OSPI Scoring Rubric)
History 1.1.2b *at highest level... Describes the background of the conflict including all of the following:
  • who was involved in the conflict,
  • what the conflict was,
  • when the conflict took place, and
  • where the conflict took place.
History 2.1.2a *at highest level... Accurately explains three factors/reasons that played a role in the cause of the conflict with one or more supported arguments for each.
Social Studies Inquiry and Information Skills 1.1.2f *at highest level... Presents a plausible position/thesis on the cause(s) of the conflict that
  • is clear,
  • outlines the central factors/reasons, and
  • demonstrates conceptual understanding of conflict.
Social Studies Skills 1.1.2d *at highest level... Annotated bibliography includes a variety of resources from multiple perspectives. Annotations discuss reliability and credibility and show validity through comparison of resources.

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