A.

Puley
Culminating Task

Research Project & Performance Task

*Adapted from Nelson Literacy 5 – Early Civilizations Performance Task

Overall Expectations
Oral Communication: use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different
audiences for a variety of purposes.

Writing: Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and
audience.

Draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic
elements appropriate for the purpose and audience.

Media: create a variety of media texts for different purposes and

audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques.

Reflect on and identify their strengths as media interpreters and creators,

areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful in
understanding and creating media texts.

Task: A Virtual Poster on Glogster!

Introducing the Task

Tell students they will have an opportunity to bring together their

knowledge of early civilizations, their new strategies in reading and
writing, their powers of creativity, and their understanding of the
conventions of posters through this performance task.
 A. Puley
Process

1. Imagine that a Museum is opening a new building devoted to exhibits of early civilizations. You
have been asked by the museum to design a poster about one of the earliest civilizations in the
exhibit.

2. Choose an early civilization that you studied in this unit for your poster. You can use information
from the unit you can also do research to find other information if you wish.

3. Think about the audience for the poster.

a. Who do you want to attract to the museum? Is the poster directed at adults, children,
families, or everyone?
b. What impression do you want to make on your audience? Do you want them to come and
have fun, learn, or do hands on things?

4. Think about the conventions of posters. An effective poster is one that provides your audience
with all the information they need. Your poster needs to include the following:

a. A unique title, catchphrase, and name of the museum – Don’t be too wordy!
b. Information that tells them what they can see and do at the exhibit. Be sure that your
organization is clear and concise. You can use headings, paragraphs, images, maps, video
or a combination of all to present your information.
c. Photographs and illustrations must be used to draw your audience into the poster and
make them want to come to the exhibit. You can draw pictures and scan them into the
computer, or download (free) photos or drawings from the internet.
d. Make sure the colors you use complement each other. Gray and other muted colors are
best for the background and brighter colors work well for borders or emphasis. Just do
not go overboard with the colors - stick to two or three colors (not counting your photos,
of course).

5. You will also need to think about your posters layout. Balance your space. Don't feel like you
need to fill every inch of your poster with something. Use "white space" - the space that isn't
filled with graphics or text as much as needed. A cluttered poster - one with so much text and
graphics that people don't know what to look at first - is a turn off. Who wants to read all that
text on a poster? If they don't know where to start reading, they won't start at all.

http://www.glogster.com/
You will be using Glogster to design your poster. Glogster is a virtual poster designer - an internet
application that you will be using on the World Wide Web. Glogster allows you to upload pictures,
documents, text, photos, and video.

Reflection

After you have revised, edited, and published the final copy of your poster to Glogster, you will record
your self talking about your poster using the Web Cam of the computer. You will discuss the choice of
items that you have put on your poster, why you chose to put them there, and why you designed your
poster the way you did. You will explain each component of the poster, explaining why it will attract
people to the museum and the exhibit.
 A. Puley
Making A Poster: Ancient Civilization Museum Exhibit

Teacher Name: Mr. Puley

Student Name: ________________________________________

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
CATEGORY
80-100% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59%
Application
Attractiveness The poster is The poster is The poster is The poster is
exceptionally attractive in terms acceptably distractingly messy
attractive in terms of design, layout attractive though it or very poorly
of design, layout, and neatness. may be a bit messy. designed. It is not
and neatness. attractive.

Graphics - All graphics are All graphics are All graphics relate Graphics do not
Relevance related to the topic related to the topic to the topic. Most relate to the topic
and make it easier and most make it borrowed graphics OR several
to understand. All easier to have a source borrowed graphics
borrowed graphics understand. All citation. do not have a
have a source borrowed graphics source citation.
citation. have a source
citation.
Graphics - Several of the One or two of the The graphics are No graphics made
Originality graphics used on graphics used on made by the by the student are
the poster reflect a the poster reflect student, but are included.
exceptional degree student creativity in based on the
of student creativity their creation designs or ideas of
in their creation and/or display. others.
and/or display.
Graphics -Clarity Graphics are all in Most graphics are Most graphics are Many graphics are
focus and the in focus and the in focus and the not clear or are too
content easily content easily content is easily small.
viewed and viewed and viewed and
identified. identified. identified.

Communication
Expression and …with a high …with …with some …with limited
organization of degree of considerable effectiveness. effectiveness.
ideas and effectiveness effectiveness.
information (e.g.,
clear expression,
logical
organization) in
oral, visual, and
written forms.
 A. Puley
Communication …with a high …with …with some …with limited
for different degree of considerable effectiveness. effectiveness.
audiences and effectiveness effectiveness.
purposes (e.g., use
of appropriate style,
voice, point of
view, tone) in
visual and written
form.
Use of conventions …with a high …with …with some …with limited
(e.g., grammar, degree of considerable effectiveness. effectiveness.
spelling, effectiveness effectiveness.
punctuation, usage),
vocabulary, and
terminology
taught in this unit.
Thinking and Inquiry

Use of planning …with a high …with …with some …with limited

skills degree of considerable effectiveness. effectiveness.
(e.g., generating effectiveness effectiveness.
ideas,
gathering
information,
focusing research,
organizing
information)
Knowledge and Understanding

Student can …with a high …with …with some …with limited

accurately answer degree of considerable effectiveness. effectiveness.
all questions related effectiveness effectiveness.
to facts in the poster
and processes used
to create the poster

Comments:

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