Claim Testing – Evidence
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-1CLAIM TESTING – EVIDENCEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 3.1 ACTIVITYPreparation• Download “Europe: Exception or Variety?”PurposeYou will be practicing claim testing throughout the course—and in everyday life. At times, you’ll find that using one claim tester will be sufficient for determining a claim’s validity. In other instances, you will need to use multiple claim testers. Thus far, you’ve learned about the claim testers in general, and you’ve learned specifically about authority. As you develop as writers, readers, and speakers, you will need to be able to use evidence to prove your claims and assertions. Evidence is often considered the most important claim tester because it relies largely on factual information, research, and data. Not only will using evidence help you prove your own claims, it will also help you determine what to believe in the writing of others. By applying multiple claim testers at the same time, you’ll be able to determine if evidence is being proposed by a credible authority and use it to further your own claims.PracticesReading, writingIn this activity, you will read the article article “Europe: Exception or Variety?” closely to better understand the claims and evidence in the content. You will analyze the strength of evidence proposed in the article, which will increase your awareness of how to incorporate strong evidence in your own writing. ProcessEvidence is information that we can gather to understand the world around us—specifically things that we can see and observe. You’re going to read the article “Europe: Exception or Variety?” to see how the author used evidence to support his claims. Before you start reading, think about how WHP evaluates evidence as part of writing. Take out the WHP LEQ Writing Rubric and review the Evidence row to remind yourself what evidence looks like when it’s being used to support a claim. Remember, evidence doesn’t mean a lot if you don’t have the claim it supports (or refutes) in mind, so as you read, focus on the main claim that Trevor Getz uses to answer the title question about whether Europe was an exception or a variety. Once you’ve completed a first read/skim, shift to reading the article as a class. You’ll take turns reading each paragraph aloud. After each paragraph, you’ll stop and reflect, and try to pick out any claims that may have been made. As you identify claims, be ready to share why you identified those particular statements as claims. As you work through this with your class, highlight the claims you can find. Now that you’ve found the claims, it’s time to think about evidence. Is all evidence the same? Are some types of evidence better than others? As a class, brainstorm as many types of evidence people use when studying history as you can. Now, read the article on your own again, this time looking for and underlining the supporting statements or evidence being used to support the claims. Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Claim Testing - Evidence”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-2CLAIM TESTING – EVIDENCEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 3.1 ACTIVITYThen, look for and circle any counterclaims you see in the article. Be prepared to share your findings with the class. Finally, respond to the prompts below to submit as an exit ticket.• Write a claim about which piece of evidence is strongest in supporting its claim and why.• Write a claim about which piece of evidence would be easiest to refute and why.
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-3CLAIM TESTING – EVIDENCEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 3.1 ACTIVITYAdvanced*ProficientDevelopingEmergingThesis/Claim Make a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a clear line of reasoning and connects to the prompt.The essay makes a specific and historically defensible claim that responds to the prompt and establishes a line of reasoning. The thesis must consist of one or more sentences, located in one of the following places:• Introduction• Second paragraph (if the first paragraph is an attempt at contextualization)• ConclusionThe essay makes a specific and historically defensible claim that addresses the prompt but does not establish a line of reasoning. The thesis must consist of one or more sentences, located in one of the following places:• Introduction• Second paragraph (if the first paragraph is an attempt at contextualization)• ConclusionThe essay makes a generic claim that addresses the prompt but lacks specificity and does not establish a line of reasoning. The thesis may be located someplace other than the introduction or second paragraph of the essay.The essay merely restates or rephrases the prompt, or makes no claim at all.ContextualizationDescribe the broader historical context relevant to the prompt.The essay describes a broader historical context relevant to the prompt. This must relate the topic of the prompt to broader historical events, developments, or processes that occur before, during, or continue after the time frame of the question. This requires more than merely a phrase or reference.The essay describes a broader historical context, but it is not relevant to the prompt.The essay does not describe a broader historical context but may mention a phrase or reference that alludes to a broader historical context.The essay does not attempt to describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.EvidenceUse historical evidence that is relevant to both the argument and the prompt. The essay cites sufficient and appropriate examples of evidence to support its claim, and supports an argument relevant to the prompt. The essay cites one example of appropriate evidence to support its claim, drawing in information that supports an argument relevant to the prompt.The essay provides specific examples of evidence relevant to the prompt, but they are not connected to an argument relevant to the prompt.The essay does not provide any specific examples of evidence relevant to the prompt.*Advanced criteria is aligned to what students need to earn points on the AP exam. If they received advanced rankings in each of the categories, then they would likely earn the equivalent of 6 points for their LEQ response.LEQ Writing Rubric
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-4CLAIM TESTING – EVIDENCEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 3.1 ACTIVITYAdvanced*ProficientDevelopingEmergingHistorical ReasoningDemonstrate the use of historical reasoning to frame or construct an argument. The essay successfully uses the correct historical reasoning (such as causation, comparison, or CCOT) to frame or structure and develop an argument that is relevant to the prompt.The essay uses the correct historical reasoning (such as causation, comparison, or CCOT) to frame or structure an argument relevant to the prompt, but the reasoning is either not developed or carried through the entire essay. The essay attempts to use historical reasoning (such as causation, comparison, or CCOT) but either fails to successfully do so or the reasoning is not relevant to the prompt.The essay does not attempt to use historical reasoning.ComplexityDevelop and support a logical argument that recognizes historical complexity and uses evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses and responds to the prompt.The essay demonstrates a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the question.Complexity can be demonstrated in a number of ways:• Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables.• Explaining both similarities and differences, or both change and continuity, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both cause and effect.• Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods.• Confirming the validity of an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence.This understanding must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.The essay attempts to demonstrate one or more of the criteria for complexity but does not go far enough or make the necessary connections to the argument.Complexity can be demonstrated in a number of ways.• Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables.• Explaining both similarities and differences, or both change and continuity, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both cause and effect.• Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods.• Confirming the validity of an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence.This understanding must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.The essay may make a passing reference to one of the criteria for complexity but does not:• Make a valid historical argument.• Develop the reference into something more substantial.• Connect the findings to the prompt.There is no attempt to develop the argument beyond what is stated in the prompt.