BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.

2 ACTIVITY STUDENT MATERIALS

ANALYZING INVESTIGATION WRITING – APPLYING BHP CONCEPTS
Purpose
In this third activity in the Investigation Writing series, you’ll tackle the fifth row of the BHP Writing Rubric, Applying BHP Concepts. This is yet another
way for you to think about how the criteria presented in the rubric can be found in writing. You’ll examine another writing sample from the course,
looking for the BHP concepts in the student essay. At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify the key elements that should be a part of any
Investigation essay you write. This is the first step in becoming a more skilled BHP writer.

Practices
Reading, claim testing
You cannot complete this activity’s worksheet without engaging in analytical reading. The practices of reading and writing are bound in many ways, and
you should think about those connections whenever possible. The essay you are asked to review discusses claim testing – make sure to review this
practice with your class to keep it fresh in your mind.

Process
This is another activity in which you’ll examine a piece of student writing to identify the core elements that should be included in an Investigation essay.
This time, you’ll be focusing on the use of BHP concepts. This essay incorporates BHP concepts that you already know a good bit about, even though it’s
early in the course—claim testing and the geocentric/heliocentric views of the Universe.

Look at the fifth row of the BHP Writing Rubric—Applying BHP Concepts. When analyzing the student writing sample in relation to this criteria from the
rubric, pay attention to whether or not BHP concepts are used, how they are used (that is, are they used accurately and with understanding?), and if the
concepts used are connected to arguments made in the paper.

Now, take out the Applying BHP Concepts Worksheet, and read the essay keeping BHP concepts in mind. This essay is in response to the Unit 2
Investigation question, “How and why do individuals change their minds?” After you’ve read the essay once, reread and annotate it, following the
directions provided. Once you’re done with the worksheet, review the answers with your class. For your next activity, you’ll be responding to another
Investigation question, so be sure to include BHP concepts as part of your Investigation essay.

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BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 3.2 ACTIVITY STUDENT MATERIALS
ANALYZING INVESTIGATION WRITING – APPLYING BHP CONCEPTS
Directions: First, read the text below, thinking about the fifth row of the BHP Writing Rubric, Applying BHP Concepts. After you’ve read it, mark up the passage as follows:

1. Circle anywhere BHP concepts are used.

2. Underline anywhere the writer shows an understanding of the BHP concepts.
3. Highlight (or underline in a new color) any text in which the writer connects the concepts to the argument or evidence.

Tip: Some of the writing is both circled, underlined, AND highlighted.

Note: This essay is in response to the Unit 2 Investigation question (which is also the Investigation 0 question), “How and why do individuals change their minds?”

The way our world works is truly fascinating. New inventions and discoveries are being made every day. For example before Edwin Hubble discovered other
galaxies, we thought our universe was the whole galaxy. Individuals are capable of changing their mind based upon intuition, logic, authority, and evidence.
Intuition means the direct perception of truths and facts. For example, if I need gas to run a car and I have no gas that means that I cannot run the car. Logic means
proof by reasoning. Authority means expertise in a field and evidence is information that proves or disproves. In this essay I shall be addressing how and why
humans change their mind.
From thousands of years ago humans have been continuously giving reasons to explain phenomena’s that occur in our world. For example, in ancient civilizations
people claimed that the creator of the universe was a divine being whom they called God. But over time we collected new evidence and we formed the Big Bang
Theory. We like to give reasons to explain what goes on around us and as we get more evidence our theories also change.
It is necessary for our theories to change because as I mentioned numerous times, new evidence can lead to new perceptions of the same idea. It would certainly
be a waste not to use that evidence to improve our understanding. It has happened continuously throughout history from Amun Ra dragging the sun across the sky
for the Egyptians all the way to it moving across the sky because of Earth’s rotation.
Let us take the example of the shift from the geocentric to the heliocentric universe provided for us in the Big History document. First Ptolemy suggested the idea
of geocentricism. I like to think he used basic logic and intuition to form this theory. He observed that the sun, moon and the planets moved across the sky. The
Earth seemed stationary and so it seems obvious the planets, stars and moon orbit us. This theory was accepted for many years. More than a thousand years later,
Copernicus saw how the planets orbits could fit better with the heliocentric universe. This again shows humans change their mind mainly on evidence but we also
tend to follow people with authority in the subject.
Others may argue that authority or intuition is more important when individuals change their mind. However, in all regards, if Stephan Hawking came and told us
right now that we are all living inside a black hole and didn’t have any evidence to support the fact, would it be prudent to claim that is the right answer to whatever
question he answered. Intuition can be good for making basic assumptions, but when we are talking about groundbreaking discoveries, a lot of factors such as
scientific rules come into play.
All in all, I feel as we gain new information, new evidence, we need to put all of it together to form the ultimate jigsaw puzzle. Humans change their mind because
we want to create better explanations for the universe, or for anything else. We change our minds because the four claim testers provide a basis forus to test new
theories and see which one fits best. Perhaps in the future, we’ll be making discoveries of numerous universes.

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BIG HISTORY PROJECT TEACHING MATERIALS
COMPLETE RUBRIC
WRITING RUBRIC

Advanced Proficient Developing Emerging

Claim and Focus* The essay makes a precise and The essay makes a clear claim The essay makes a claim based on The essay makes an overly
significant claim based on the topic based on the topic and/or the topic and/or source(s), but it may simplistic or vague claim, or a
Make a clear claim about the
and/or source(s). The essay maintains source(s). The essay maintains not fully address the demands of the position on the topic and/or
topic early in the essay and
a strong focus on defending a directly focus on defending an identifiable prompt. Counterclaims may not be source(s) may not be stated.
focus on proving it.
stated position, using the whole essay position, using most of the essay to acknowledged, and the essay may Counterclaims are not
to support and develop the claim support and develop the claim and not stay focused on the purpose and acknowledged, and the essay does
and counterclaims while thoroughly counterclaims while addressing task. not address the purpose, task, or
addressing the demands of the prompt. the demands of the prompt. demands of the prompt.

Analysis and Evidence The essay cites the most appropriate The essay cites sufficient and The essay cites evidence to support The essay cites minimal or
and valid evidence to support appropriate evidence to support its claim, but it may be insufficient irrelevant evidence to support
Choose the right evidence
its claim, drawing information its claim, drawing information or draw unevenly from available its claim. Support may rely
and explain how it supports
substantively from multiple sources from multiple sources to defend sources. Support may be inadequate primarily on opinion, reasoning,
the claim and analysis.
to defend its position and effectively its position and refute counter- in defense of the position and or summary of the source(s)
refute counterclaims. The essay claims. The essay demonstrates refutation of the counterclaim without clear cited evidence. The
demonstrates insightful reasoning and reasoning and understanding or rely too heavily on summary. essay demonstrates little to no
careful understanding of the sources, of the sources, potentially The essay demonstrates some reasoning and/or understanding of
acknowledging inconsistencies or acknowledging inconsistencies reasoning and/or understanding of the sources. An explanation of the
weaknesses in evidence, and fully or weaknesses in evidence, the sources, though explanations of relationship between claims and
explains the relationship between and adequately explains the the relationship between claims and support is not present.
claims and support. relationship between claims and support are not always clear.
support.

Organization The essay incorporates precise The essay employs an The essay uses a simplistic An organizational structure is not
transitions within a sophisticated organizational structure that organizational structure, though evident, and relationships between
Present ideas in a structure
organizational structure that shows the relationships between relationships between ideas may ideas are not consistently clear.
that enhances the analysis.
enhances the relationships between and among ideas, yielding a not be consistently clear. Use of The essay may read as a series
Use transitions throughout
and among ideas and promotes cohesive analysis. Clear transitions transitions is sparse, repetitive, of unrelated ideas, as the absence
the essay to make
cohesion and clarity. A well-executed, support a logical progression and/or does not show the of transitions makes it difficult to
connections clear.
logical progression of ideas is clearly of ideas, including an effective connections among sections of see connections among sections
constructed, including an effective introduction and a conclusion the text. A progression of ideas is of the text. An introduction and/
introduction and a conclusion which which follows from and supports evident, however, the introduction or conclusion is missing from the
follows from and supports the claim the claim and analysis. and/or conclusion may not be essay.
and analysis. fully developed or follow from and
support the claim and/or analysis.

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BIG HISTORY PROJECT TEACHING MATERIALS
COMPLETE RUBRIC
WRITING RUBRIC

Advanced Proficient Developing Emerging

Language and Style The essay has an established, formal The essay has an established, formal The essay attempts to establish The essay does not establish
style and objective tone that is style that is maintained throughout. a formal style that may not be and/or maintain a formal style. The
Use specific, interesting
maintained throughout. The essay The essay uses mostly correct, maintained throughout. The essay essay uses little variety in sentence
language and clear sentence
uses varied sentence structure, varied sentence structure and attempts to vary sentence structure structure, and the language is
structure to communicate
precise language, and domain-specific generally uses precise language and uses some precise language general and not domain-specific.
ideas.
vocabulary in a way that addresses and domain-specific vocabulary in that may be domain-specific at times The essay contains errors that
the complexity of the topic. Few a way that generally addresses the but may address the complexity of interfere with meaning.
errors are present, and they do not complexity of the topic. The essay the topic inconsistently. The essay
interfere with meaning. may have some errors, but they do contains some errors that may
not interfere with meaning. interfere with meaning.

Applying BHP Concepts† The essay effectively applies at The essay applies one BHP course- The essay tries to apply at least The essay incorrectly or
least one BHP course-level concept level concept and/or unit-level one BHP course-level or unit-level inappropriately mentions at least
Choose and accurately apply
and/or unit-level concept or concept or content. The concept concept or content, but does not fully one BHP course-level concept
the relevant BHP concepts
content. The concept(s) or content or content is connected to the articulate the concept’s meaning or and/or unit-level concept or
in a way that shows
are connected to the argument argument or evidence in the essay, connection to the argument. It does content, and it may include
understanding, and further
or evidence in the essay, and and misconceptions are avoided. avoid explicit misconceptions of the misconceptions of that concept.
supports the argument and
misconceptions are avoided. There There are no errors in applying concept and may make an occasional The essay may make many minor
evidence presented in the
are no errors in applying BHP BHP concept or content to illustrate minor error in applying BHP facts or errors or a major error in applying
essay.
concepts or content, and the essay or support concepts and claims, concepts (that is, ones not found in new BHP facts or concepts (that is,
draws on both knowledge within the or to inform the essay. The essay the Investigation library) to illustrate ones not found in the Investigation
Investigation and the unit as well draws on both knowledge within the or support concepts and claims, library). The student fails to use
as knowledge beyond or outside Investigation and the unit as well or to inform the essay. The essay historical content in any meaningful
the Investigation or unit. The essay as knowledge beyond or outside does not draw on broader historical way, and instead simply lists
demonstrates a clear understanding the Investigation or unit. The essay or scientific knowledge than is factors or describes elements of
of the topic, the concepts, and the might draw on broader historical or contained in the course. the topic.
time period discussed in the essay. scientific knowledge than is located
The essay makes use of broader in the course to make claims, but
historical or scientific knowledge might contain some inaccuracies.
than is located in the course.

*Turnitin, LLC, created the first four rows of this rubric for use with their Revision Assistant and Turnitin tools.

†The “Applying BHP Concepts” row of the rubric should be used by teachers and students to assess student learning and understanding in this area. Teachers should not assess
student writing using Turnitin reports exclusively.

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BIG HISTORY PROJECT STUDENT RUBRIC
WRITING RUBRIC Name: Date:

Advanced (4) Proficient (3) Developing (2) Emerging (1) Score

Claim and Focus

Analysis and Evidence

Organization

Language and Style

Applying BHP Concepts

Toal Score

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