The ABC’s of Anne Frank performance based assessment is designed to help students develop informational writing skills with a specific audience and purpose in mind. Students must convey their knowledge of Anne Frank to younger students, specifically fifth graders, in a format that integrates writing, research, and design. The assessment promotes critical thinking by making students convey the tragic and often graphic nature of the Holocaust and life of Anne Frank in a way that is suitable for a young audience. The assessment gives each student depth of knowledge about World War II, the Holocaust, and the life of Anne Frank, promoting metacognition well beyond the reading of the play. It is the culminating activity in a unit on Anne Frank that includes readings in the genres of nonfiction and drama.** This performance assessment was developed by a collaborative team of teachers and division staff from Middlesex, Poquoson, and West Point school divisions.

Students will plan, write, and submit a formal MLA formatted research paper regarding Checks and Balances from the VA Civics Curriculum. Students will research a topic, create a thesis statement, and include in-text citations in their final product. ** This performance assessment was developed by a collaborative team of teachers and division staff from Middlesex, Poquoson, and West Point school divisions.

Students will participate in a variety of activities to complete the experiment, and the student will produce written steps, notes, and results for each part of the experiment using the scientific method. For each part of the experiment, students will do the task two ways: sitting cross-legged on the floor to simulate what it would be like to be Kevin, and standing on a chair to simulate what it would be like to be Max** This performance assessment was developed by a collaborative team of teachers and division staff from Middlesex, Poquoson, and West Point school divisions.

mini-From the beginning of the novel study, students will focus on what it means to be a hero, and who acts heroically in the story. At the conclusion of the reading, they will use the evidence they have gathered throughout their reading to determine who the hero in the story is. They will use this evidence to produce a five-paragraph essay to support their claim.** This performance assessment was developed by a collaborative team of teachers and division staff from Middlesex, Poquoson, and West Point school divisions.