Introduction 6: Guidelines for Forums

Class discussion is an important aspect of any social studies course. Discussing your ideas with others not only helps you to develop critical thinking skills and clarify your own thinking, it also allows you to see the viewpoints of other people. They may have ideas and information or alternate ways of looking at issues that you have not thought about. Learning how other people think sharpens your own thinking skills and improves your understanding of other people and important issues.

All Forum topic postings are indicated by the Forum icon that is shown on the left. Click on the Reply link found on the right-hand side of the page to access the forum. Remember to click the "Post" button when you are ready to submit your discussion.

You are required to participate in the forums. Topic Postings are related to issues in the course.

WARNING:  Your topic postings must follow acceptable use guidelines.

  • Be thoughtful and respectful. Think about your ideas before you submit them.

  • Support your opinions with well-researched and thoughtful positions. Provide links to news sites.

  • Avoid "post and run" entries. In other words, stay away from comments such as "I agree with Mr. Smith," or "Good point, Johnny," or "That's a dumb idea."

Your Forum postings will be assessed according to the following rubric:

Scoring Criteria
Discussions
Ideas and Support
7.5

The student...
Communication of Ideas
2.5

The student...

Excellent

  • provides thoughtful ideas and thorough explanations

  • provides support that is specific, relevant, and accurate

  • demonstrates a confident and perceptive understanding of  the assigned task

    7.5

  • writes fluently with effective organization

  • uses vocabulary that is precise, accurate, and effective

  • shows confident control of sentence construction, grammar, and mechanics

    2.5

Proficient

  • provides meaningful ideas and appropriate explanations

  • provides support that is relevant and appropriate but may contain minor errors

  • demonstrates a proficient and clear understanding of the assigned task

    6

  • writes with proficient organization

  • uses vocabulary that is specific, accurate, and appropriate

  • shows proficient control of sentence construction, grammar, and mechanics

    2

Satisfactory

  • provides straightforward ideas and general explanations

  • provides support that is relevant but general and/or incompletely developed

  • demonstrates an acceptable understanding of the assigned task

    4.5

  • writes generally clearly with functional organization

  • uses vocabulary that is appropriate and generally accurate, but not specific

  • shows satisfactory control of sentence construction, grammar, and mechanics (Minor errors do not interfere seriously with communication.)

    1.5

Limited

  • provides ideas and/or explanations that are limited and over-generalized

  • provides support that is superficial and may not always be relevant

  • demonstrates a limited understanding of the assigned task

    3

  • writes unevenly and /or incompletely

  • uses vocabulary that is general and/or imprecise and/or inappropriate

  • shows faltering control of sentence construction, grammar, and mechanics

    1

 

Poor

  • provides ideas and/or explanations that are minimal and/or tangential

  • provides support, if present, that is superficial, incomplete, and/or marginally relevant

  • demonstrates a minimal understanding of the assigned task

    1.5

  • writes unclearly and in a disorganized manner

  • uses vocabulary that is ineffective and frequently incorrect

  • shows lack of control of sentence construction, grammar, and mechanics

    0.5