Here are some examples of performance tasks which my Grade 7 students have created for the Seven Years' War unit. This particular unit was insightful and became a turning point in my education profession. Originally I stuck to the old ways and ask students to create a poster and write a brief explanation of their choice. The posters and the brief explanations are adequate performance tasks...but I do not want adequate (also not very relevant or authentic to contemporary and future society). As it turns out, I needed to reassess my own teaching practice. One group came bravely forth and proposed a new direction to this unit's project. They suggested a YouTube music video which will cover all the evaluation criteria. And this was the result.
Needless to say, I was astonished by the production. I was proud of my student but I felt disappointment in myself for falling for the old routine. I need to get out of this old way of teaching. After this invaluable experience, I really pushed myself to think in different way, look forward, and continuously evolve teaching practice. I look back at PSII and still amazed by how much I really learned and how much I need to improve to be the best teacher for the future generations.