Background Assignment

Directions: For this assignment, you are going to write a document that provides important information about the topic you’ve chosen. Note that this is not an essay. This is simply an assignment that provides needed information on your topic. For this assignment you will need the following: An appropriate topic 3 solid sources on your topic

Directions Continued: Your Background assignment should be divided up into different sections. You will need to write sections on the following: Any relevant history or background that your topic requires Definitions of any terms/concepts that are important to your topic but may not be widely known by the casual reader The common arguments that people writing about this topic make A works cited of sources that you’ve used for this assignment. Each section should have its own title and should be 1-2 well-developed paragraphs long (with the exception of the sections listing your sources and the list of terms). Also note that this assignment will be due on September 24th.

Example: Topic: Common Core. Background/Relevant History: The Common Core is a set of standards in mathematics and English that students in grades K-12 should master at the end of each school year. The new standards put an emphasis on the ability to read and write critically in all subject areas. The Common Core Standards were created to ensure that the next generation of students will be able to compete in the progressing international economy. The NGA and the CCSSO created the Common Core Standards in 2009. Forty five states have adopted these standards since 2010.

Example Continued: Concepts and Definitions Common Core Standards - Standards in English and Math that define what concepts a student should master at the end of each grade level NGA - National Governors Association CCSSO - Council of Chief State School Officers Critical Thinking Skills - Ability to read or evaluate information and write a reasonable and factual conclusion Conservatives - Political term for people who tend to believe in traditional ways of government Liberals - Political term for people who believe in the progression of society

Example Continued: Common Arguments Teachers, Parents, Administrators, and Politicians all feel differently about the Common Core system. For the most part, the controversy over the standards is a political issue. Conservatives tend to oppose the standards, arguing that the federal government does not have the right to decide what each state should implement in their curriculum. That matter is to be left to the states. On the other hand, Liberals tend to be in favor of the federal government creating one national curriculum, believing that it is only fair if students from each state are learning the same material at the same time, and in the same way.

Example Continued: Works Cited " College- and Career-Ready Standards." U.S Department of Education, ed.gov. Mcardle, Elaine. "What Happened to the Common Core?" Harvard Magazine, 3 Sep. 2014, gse.harvard.edu. Robbins, Jane and Mark Bauerlein. "The Common Core State Standards: Two Views." National Association of Scholars, 16 April 2013, nas.org.