By completing this Capstone, you will be showing evidence of the following skills: (scroll down for rubric)

Final Step:

After you have finished steps 1 THRU 3, YOU WILL NOW START ON FINAL PORTION OF THIS PERFORMANCE TASK PROJECT. WHEN FINISHED, YOU WILL SUBMIT THIS ASSIGNMENT INTO SLATE.

Now it is your turn. Rewrite the argument in the Declaration of Independence in your own words. Make sure to use the same structure and the topics Thomas Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress used. Those topics are in the chart.

How to Build an Argument

In this task, you will construct an argument that responds to the compelling question. Students should have a good start after completing the formative performance tasks, where they examined the three parts of the Declaration of Independence and sources related to independence. Now students’ work should shift to the bigger question of why countries declare independence.

Before undertaking the Capstone Task, it may be helpful for students to review the sources provided as well as writing and/or reading guides they may have used in the formative performance tasks. Doing so should help students develop their opinions and highlight appropriate examples and details to support their responses. Having students rehearse their answers, opinions, and supporting details orally may be helpful for students to be successful on the task.

Your arguments likely will vary, but could include any or all of the following claims:

• Countries have declared independence because they think they are not being treated well.
• Over time, the needs of people in colonies change and are not the same as the ruling country.
• Not giving people natural rights has inspired them to want independence.
• All the big and small things that ruling countries do over time have made people want independence.
• Ruling countries sometimes have not changed with the changing needs of their colonies.
• Independence movements in one country sometimes inspire groups in other countries to declare their own independence.

An example of a student response:

We keep asking over and over for you to stop abusing our freedoms, but you never respond or do anything different. Since the king is behaving badly, he should not rule the free people of America.

We have told the British over and over how unhappy we are. We told you that the Parliament was being unfair. We explained to you why we came to America. We reminded you that many of us are originally from England and believe the same things as you, but you will not listen to reason. We must then either be friends or enemies.

Because of everything we said above, we are FREE and INDEPENDENT. We promise to each other to stick to this declaration at all cost.

TASK:

After you create your argument, place it in one of these different forms. Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay, or comic strip) that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical sources. Use your choice of what you want to help you express this argument.