Portfolio Artifact Rationale Statement Cuban Missile Crisis Assignment Context and Connection to Educational Frameworks This is an assignment

that I have used many times with sophomore United States History students. The assignment utilizes an interesting online resource that organizes declassified primary documents and pictures related to the Cuban Missile Crisis from the national security archive. The use of primary sources alone is essential in high school history classes, but this assignment also supports students as they explore the archive online and experience history in their own way. I have also used this exercise in conjunction with a writing assignment where students have to analyze the options presented to President Kennedy and craft a memo giving their opinion as if they are a member of his cabinet. It is important to give students tools that help them to analyze history and place them in positions where they have to consider how decision-making works. When I wrote this assignment, I was heavily influenced by Blooms taxonomy. I did not have formal training as a teacher for ten years of teaching, but I was introduced to Bloom by another teacher and I used his ideas about building higher levels of thinking to design my lessons and assignments. This assignment was designed to allow students an opportunity to examine basic evidence and then build on theories and ideas that were considered by leaders at the time. Bloom has definitely influenced my work as an educator both before I began the LTM program and as I work my way through training. Standard/Ability WTS #1 AEA Coordination Artifact Cuban Missile Crisis Assignment Restate in your own words what this standard/ability means Teachers are able to actively engage students in ways that create meaningful learning experiences. Teachers must utilize resources that support learning. AEA Coordination This assignment demonstrates my ability as a teacher to manage classroom and online resources. Students are building on literacy skills and critical thinking skills as they consider multiple sources, both primary and secondary, to develop a thorough understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis and its legacy.

WTS #1 This assignment demonstrates my ability as a teacher to support the inquiry process with my students. It is also important to note that the use of technology with this assignment gives students access to history in ways that only 15 years ago would have required a long field trip to the national archives library.