Brief descriptions of the activities include explanations of how they relate to the standards' benchmarks. Then at the beginning of each activity, the related standards and benchmarks are listed again. Although the topics in this series fall under the heading of social studies, other areas of the curriculum are also addressed. Wherever possible, young adult literature is suggested so students can learn about history from a young adult's perspective. Writing assignments vary from diaries and journals to speeches and persuasive essays.
Activities also involve art, drama, science, and math.
Each title in this series includes activities in which students voice conflicting opinions from a historical period and debate the issues, basing their points of view on extensive research. Whenever possible, students are encouraged to do original research using primary source documents. Preparation for Standardized Tests Activities such as analyzing primary source documents and defending conflicting opinions not only reinforce learning of the subject matter, they also help students learn how to write essays for the document-based assessments that are an important part of many tests. Assessment Rubrics Included in each package is a Rubric Bank from which criteria are chosen for assessment purposes. Teachers and students can brainstorm together, creating a list of criteria appropriate and meaningful to the unit.