BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 1
Period 1
Submitted: 2/5/2017
School: Garfield High School
Investigation 8
Teacher: Jim Smith
Overall Class Performance
CONSTRUCTING
AN ARGUMENT
USING TEXT
AS EVIDENCE
APPLYING
BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING WITH
APPROPRIATE MECHANICS
5 - Exceptional
4 - Skilled
3 - Proficient
2 - Developing
1 - Inadequate
Investigation #
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
Writing Rubic Definitions
CONSTRUCTING THE ARGUMENT
USING TEXT AS EVIDENCE
The text focuses on a topic to inform a reader with ideas, concepts, and
information. The author anticipates the audience’s background knowledge
of the topic.
The text presents relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,
and examples. The conclusion ties to and supports the information/
explanation.
APPLYING BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING MECHANICS
The text uses appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections
of the Big History project text, creates cohesion, and clarifies the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
The text presents a formal, objective tone and uses precise language and
topic-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. The text
also demonstrates Standard English conventions.
Have feedback on BHP Score? Fill out the survey at http://www.bhp.com/survey
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 2
Performance by Student
INVESTIGATION
STUDENT
2
6
8
OVERALL
2
6
8
2
6 8
2
6
8
2
6 8
CONSTRUCTING
AN ARGUMENT
USING TEXT AS
EVIDENCE
APPLYING BHP
CONCEPTS
WRITING
MECHANICS
Baltazar
Mohammad
4
5
4
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Billington
Deb
5
3
3
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Bullock
Alex
4
5
4
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Certain
Douglass
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Christine
Evangeline
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Dishon
Nickolas
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Dunavant
Lula
4
5
4
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Evert
Elenor
5
3
3
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Fenster
Debbi
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Gies
Shannan
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Hollaway
Jeni
4
5
4
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Kort
Joline
5
3
3
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Lindenberg
Marjory
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Louviere
Ara
5
4
3
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Massenburg
Elnora
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Mckeller
Verena
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Mclawhorn
Debrah
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Meads
Cheyenne
5
3
3
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Nicoletti
Roxanna
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Pearl
Toshiko
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Policastro
Edie
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Schull
Jina
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Scogin
Clorinda
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Sheckler
Randell
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Sitz
Willy
5
3
4
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
Solari
Charissa
4
5
5
5 5 4
4 3 3
3 4 4
5 3 5
Sydow
Lynsey
5
3
3
5 4 5
5 5 5
4 4 5
4 5 3
4
3
4
5
5
4
4
CLASS AVERAGE
4
5
5
5
4
5
5
3
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 1
Investigation 8
School: Garfield High School
Teacher: Jim Smith
Baltazar, Mohammad
Grader Comments
Great job having a clear claim/thesis in your introduction! Make sure to start a new paragraph when you begin a new main
idea. For example, 14th century government actions, how plague doctors protected themselves, and the different theories
about how plague spread are all in one paragraph when they could be at least two paragraphs, and maybe even three. Having
one paragraph per idea helps the readability of your writing. Good work connecting government actions between the two
outbreaks! In the future, use additional evidence and include more analysis of the evidence, instead of mostly summary, to
support your claims better. Also include a counterclaim to strengthen your argument. Make sure each sentence in your
conclusion is purposeful and is supportive of your entire essay. Proofread to fix minor grammar errors.
Competency Scores
CONSTRUCTING
AN ARGUMENT
USING TEXT
AS EVIDENCE
APPLYING
BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING
MECHANICS
5 - Exceptional
4 - Skilled
3 - Proficient
2 - Developing
1 - Inadequate
Investigation #
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
Writing Rubic Definitions
CONSTRUCTING THE ARGUMENT
USING TEXT AS EVIDENCE
The text focuses on a topic to inform a reader with ideas, concepts, and
information. The author anticipates the audience’s background knowledge
of the topic.
The text presents relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,
and examples. The conclusion ties to and supports the information/
explanation.
APPLYING BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING MECHANICS
The text uses appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections
of the Big History project text, creates cohesion, and clarifies the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
The text presents a formal, objective tone and uses precise language and
topic-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. The text
also demonstrates Standard English conventions.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 2
Original Essay
How and Why Have Our Reaction and Our Response to Disease Changed?
Diseases in the earlier centuries were an issue because science was not as advanced as it was today. The Bubonic Plague
happened many times during history, but the worst times had very different precautions and solutions. The doctors and
governments made precautions to help prevent the spread of disease, but these precautions were not very effective compared
to the vaccines and medicines today.
In the Fourteenth Century, people believed that the Bubonic Plague was spread by contagion. Lisan al-Din Ibn al-Khatib, a
Muslim doctor wrote, "It is not a secret: those who come into contact with plague patients mostly die, while those who do not
come into contact survive"(Text 04). The doctors did not have a way to control or get rid of the disease. Likewise, they did not
know how it started or the real reason it spread. To prevent contagion, doctors and governments wore the proper attire and
passed laws to restrict citizens from the plague. The doctors wore long coats, heavy gloves, and thick boots. Big History
Project states, "Plague doctors also wore beaklike masks in which they put spices, herbs, and vinegar, they carried long
wands"(Text 03). The governments took precautions too. Pistoia, Italy passed laws to prevent people in the city from getting
and spreading the plague. Some of these laws restrict residents of Pistoia from leaving or inviting others into the city, and
others were for food storage and upkeep. One law from the Ordinances against the Spread of the Plague, Pistoia, Italy states,
"So that the living are not made ill by rotten and corrupt food, no butcher or retailer of meat shall dare to hang up meat, or keep
and sell meat hung up in their storehouse or over the counter"(Text 05). There were also groups of people who believed that
evil people had caused the plague. Jews and others were persecuted for this reason. A physician, Alphanso of Córdoba
explains, "As soon as the bottle is broken the disease vapor will spread out and disperse in the air. Whoever is touched by this
vapor will die very soon"(Text 05). People also believed that the constellations in space had created vapors that polluted the air
when it reached earth. The doctors advised people not to bathe, use rainwater in cooking or go out at night. The Members of the
College of Physicians of Paris stated, "Wormwood and chamomile should be burnt in great quantity in the market places and in
the house" (Text 05). As the evidence shows, people had many different theories on how the plague started. The Fourteenth
Century Bubonic plague was very deadly especially since there was no logical idea for how it started or how to cure the plague
in contrast to the new sciences in the Nineteenth Century.
In the Nineteenth Century, technology was more advanced and people could find the cause of diseases easier. The microscope
had been invented at the time and Hong Kong had another outbreak of the plague. The bacteria associated with the plague was
called Yersin pestis. This bacteria got its name from the scientist Alexandre Yersin. When the plague appeared again, he
identified the bacteria in the blood of infected rats. He concluded that the infection was spread by the rats. A French physician
named Paul-Louis Simond created an experiment to test his claim that the fleas carried the plague, contradicting what Yersin
published. The government, yet again, took many precautions to stop the spread of the plague. Big History Project explains,"As
knowledge spread of the role that infected fleas and rats played in the plague epidemic, many cities launched a full-scale
assault on rats that lasted for many years"(Text 09). Cities ended trade and made rat patrols to check incoming ships. The fleas
were carried by the rats which explains the reasoning for killing pest in large amounts.
Compared to today's technology and science, the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries not as advanced. Some may believe that
the Bubonic Plague diminished overtime, but it was only through medicine and technology advancements that the plague could
become dormant. Today's sciences and technologies are still advancing as we find the cures for cancer, Ebola, AIDS, asthma
and other diseases that are said to be incurable. While doctors do have temporary solutions for some of these diseases, the
patients deserve a permanent cure. In the future, it is inevitable that technology will keep advancing and we will find a cure for
the people suffering with diseases.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 1
Investigation 8
School: Garfield High School
Teacher: Jim Smith
Meads, Cheyenne
Grader Comments
Hello, thanks for submitting your essay! It was difficult to identify the topic of your paper because your claim/thesis is
unclear. The paper does not refute a counterclaim to demonstrate the opposing side of the topic. Good work on citing
sources! However, add more analysis to support your thesis/claim. Connections between claim and evidence need to be more
developed. BHP concepts are missing from the paper. Your style is engaging and your word choice is varied. Missing
commas was the main issue with grammar/mechanics.
Competency Scores
CONSTRUCTING
AN ARGUMENT
USING TEXT
AS EVIDENCE
APPLYING
BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING
MECHANICS
5 - Exceptional
4 - Skilled
3 - Proficient
2 - Developing
1 - Inadequate
Investigation #
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
Writing Rubic Definitions
CONSTRUCTING THE ARGUMENT
USING TEXT AS EVIDENCE
The text focuses on a topic to inform a reader with ideas, concepts, and
information. The author anticipates the audience’s background knowledge
of the topic.
The text presents relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,
and examples. The conclusion ties to and supports the information/
explanation.
APPLYING BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING MECHANICS
The text uses appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections
of the Big History project text, creates cohesion, and clarifies the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
The text presents a formal, objective tone and uses precise language and
topic-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. The text
also demonstrates Standard English conventions.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 2
Original Essay
What is a plague? A plague is a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium. Many people were very
fearful of the plague because there used to be no known cure for it. As a result almost everyone infected with the plague would
almost certainly die. Because of the advances in medicine over time, treatments and cures for disease and plagues have been
found so an outbreak of one is not as scary.
There have been a countless number of plagues over the years with the last one ending only in 1950 (text 01). When outbreaks
of plagues would occur there were special physicians know as plague doctors who were used to treat the patients. As
explained in the big history project, doctors treating patients with the plague wore, "long coats, heavy gloves, and thick boots.
Plague doctors also wore beaklike mask in which they put spices, herbs, and vinegar, and they carried long wands" (text 03).
The protective clothing was worn to prevent the doctors from the infected patients they were treating. Plagues broke out for a
variety of reasons, the most common reason was from people coming in contact with each other. A Muslim doctor, Lisan al-Din
lbn al-Khatib, wrote that the plague that spread between 1394 and 1352 was because the plague is contagious and sick people
give it to healthy people (text 04). It was discovered that the plague would spread from sick people coming in contact with
people, clothing, jewelry, and any other objects they would touch. Many cities put laws in order to try and prevent the plague
from infecting the people who lived in that city (text 05).
Science helped to find causes and cures for the plague in the 19th century (text 07). The first major plague that was spread,
people wanted nothing to do with. The second time the plague came around, scientist were interested in finding out more about
it. A French physician and biologist Paul-Louis Simone was the first to discover that fleas played a big role in the plague (text
08). He conducted an experiment to prove his theory and the results showed that fleas were carriers of the plague and were
infecting rats and people. As a result of his discovery, cities were killing all rats in hope that their city would be spared from the
plague (text 09).
Plagues are an unavoidable event in history and our future. Since new advances are constantly being made in medicine, it is not
as scary anymore when a plague does occur. In the future, there will be more cures for disease and plagues so plague
outbreaks may come to an end all together. Discoveries in medicine and science have helped and continue to help stop the
spread of diseases.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 1
Investigation 8
School: Garfield High School
Teacher: Jim Smith
Pearl, Toshiko
Grader Comments
You addressed the prompt, but there was no clear claim in the essay to address how our response to disease has changed
over time. You provided some good summary of the texts, but because there was no claim, you were unable to tie these
ideas back to a central argument. Good job utilizing information from several of the texts, but again, be sure to give more
analysis about why the information is important when thinking about the driving question in the prompt. You mentioned the
course concept of advancing technology and knowledge in your conclusion, but this concept was not thoroughly explained
or applied throughout the response. The essay had some grammatical and spelling errors throughout, as well as some vague
language (e.g. “so serious, “very important”); greater variation in sentence structure and word choice will help strengthen
your ideas.
Competency Scores
CONSTRUCTING
AN ARGUMENT
USING TEXT
AS EVIDENCE
APPLYING
BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING
MECHANICS
5 - Exceptional
4 - Skilled
3 - Proficient
2 - Developing
1 - Inadequate
Investigation #
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
Writing Rubic Definitions
CONSTRUCTING THE ARGUMENT
USING TEXT AS EVIDENCE
The text focuses on a topic to inform a reader with ideas, concepts, and
information. The author anticipates the audience’s background knowledge
of the topic.
The text presents relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,
and examples. The conclusion ties to and supports the information/
explanation.
APPLYING BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING MECHANICS
The text uses appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections
of the Big History project text, creates cohesion, and clarifies the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
The text presents a formal, objective tone and uses precise language and
topic-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. The text
also demonstrates Standard English conventions.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 2
Original Essay
How and why have our reaction and our response to disease changed?
Disease is a very important topic and it is addressed many of time whether it is through a nation or the whole world. Plague is
one of the things that makes disease so serious because a plague can result in death over a large area. More than 100 million
people have been killed by the bubonic plague. Humans react to diseases differently because in some cases you can get
immune to them, also humans respond to diseases differently and different time periods in history. For example, the spread of a
plague in the 14th century killed at least one of every three people. In another case, people in the 19th century reacted to the
same disease and 15 million people were killed. In any case, disease or plagues are very serious and hard to stop when they
start.
As introduced before, two of the biggest plagues in history is the 14th century and the 19th century one. The first began in the
1320s that originated in China and later spread to other areas of the world, it is estimated that it killed around 20 million, but
some think it killed off half of the population when it reached Europe and the Middle East. This plague is most commonly known
as the Black Death, because a very scary symptom is the blackening of the skin (Text 01). Lisan al-Din Ib al-Khatib, a muslim
doctor made a claim of why the plague spread so easily. He said that it is contagious, so healthy people caught this from
infected people, and then they were infected too. A big claim that people have made is that constellations formed vapor that
originated in India and then spread across oceans, contaminating the water and killing fish, and eventually reaching land after
land affecting everything in it’s way. The Black Death plague made the world so corrupt that some people thought that evil
people were the cause of this deathly plague and some blamed jews for this whole event (Text 04). There were many public
health measures made in a lot of cities that were already or preparing to be infected. The Black Death plague was a tragic
spread of a very vicious disease.
The 19th century plague was one of the biggest in history that began in 1894 and lasted all the way through 1950. It was so
strong that it reached every continent in the whole world, in a short amount of time. It is called the Bubonic plague and in
started in south China before reaching the port of Hong Kong and it eventually reached everywhere before long. In India, China,
and Indonesia the plague ended 15 million premature lives. Europe’s estimated death toll was 70,000, Central and South
America’s was about 30,000. In the United States the plague started mild outbreaks in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New
Orleans, Arizona, and New Mexico, taking about 500 lives (Text 01). During this plague Medical Science made huge
improvement and taking big steps into learning more about disease and plagues. Some of the 19th century plague’s health
measures were large. Some cities trade with other cities and killings of rats were encouraged to prevent the plagues (Text 09).
The Bubonic plague was huge and lasted for a while and happened to reach globally.
As you can tell, plagues or disease can result in many terrifying situations, one being death. It must have been a frightening,
nerve racking time for the people who lived through this. Plagues have not been active lately fortunately due to the advances of
medicine and technology. Even though these horrible events have taken place is history, they somewhat helped humans to
develop and innovate through these times to survive. In the future, humans may be able to figure a new innovative way to stop
plagues or disease as soon as they star and maybe have a complete cure if someone does catch a disease.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 1
Investigation 8
School: Garfield High School
Teacher: Jim Smith
Phillips, Jacqueline
Grader Comments
Good job forming a well-articulated claim/thesis! You mention a counterclaim at the end of your paper, however you need to
develop it further and make sure you refute it. I loved how you included strong topic sentences for each one of your body
paragraphs! The main idea of your paper seems to be about technological advancement rather than collective learning (the
only time you ever bring up collective learning is in your thesis statement). Try to rephrase your thesis/claim by including
technology, and make sure you develop the topic of collective learning throughout your essay. You did a great job breaking up
your summary with evidence and analysis. Please do not forget to cite your sources correctly (name of author or producer),
even when you are paraphrasing (it looks like you only cited two sources throughout your whole essay). Finally, well done on
word choice and style! Keep up the good work!
Competency Scores
CONSTRUCTING
AN ARGUMENT
USING TEXT
AS EVIDENCE
APPLYING
BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING
MECHANICS
5 - Exceptional
4 - Skilled
3 - Proficient
2 - Developing
1 - Inadequate
Investigation #
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
2
6
8
Writing Rubic Definitions
CONSTRUCTING THE ARGUMENT
USING TEXT AS EVIDENCE
The text focuses on a topic to inform a reader with ideas, concepts, and
information. The author anticipates the audience’s background knowledge
of the topic.
The text presents relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,
and examples. The conclusion ties to and supports the information/
explanation.
APPLYING BHP CONCEPTS
WRITING MECHANICS
The text uses appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections
of the Big History project text, creates cohesion, and clarifies the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
The text presents a formal, objective tone and uses precise language and
topic-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. The text
also demonstrates Standard English conventions.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT – INVESTIGATION 8
PAGE 2
Original Essay
How and Why Have Our Reaction and Our Response to Disease Changed?
Disease has been a bane of the human race for generations. These terrible outbreaks of sickness have been prominent
opportunities for humans' knowledge of treatment options and methods of prevention to increase. Through collective learning
and years of experience, we have seen an increase in population due to the more effective medicines and treatments for the
plague and other sicknesses.
In the fourteenth century, the human race had limited knowledge of disease and sickness due to the minimal amount of
technology. A common belief at the time stated that plague arose in the form of water vapor from the ocean and spread
throughout the air, and another claimed that evil people and minority groups artificially infected air which they could then place
in a glass bottle and release it into a strong wind. Both of these show the mistaken belief that plague was spread and dispersed
through thin air. This contributes to fourteenth century methods of dealing with plague, whether they were avoiding it or trying
to treat it. Methods of protection from this hideous disease ranged from burning Wormwood and chamomile to avoiding any
type of water, from morning dew to rain. To prevent catching the plague from patients, doctors wore thick clothing that
covered the entire body, including masks which were stuffed with spices, herbs, and vinegar. These methods were widely
accepted until medical science grew dramatically within the next few centuries.
Technological advancements in the nineteenth century allowed scientists to identity the organism that caused and spread the
plague. Myron Echenberg, an associate professor at McGill University, narrates this discovery. "In June 1884, two researchers
- Shibasaburo Kitasato from Japan and Alexandre Yersin from Switzerland - using microscopes to study the blood from
infected rats and people almost simultaneously identified the bacteria that cause plague" (Text 07). As it is witnessed in this
quote, modern technology gave researchers the tools to disprove the outdated idea that plague was spread by infected air or
contaminated water vapor. However, Big History states that Yersin, who is credited with discovering the bacteria, falsely
claimed that the disease was carried by rats. Although this is partially true, further advances in the medical field would soon
prove him wrong.
The French physician and biologist Paul-Louis Simond challenged Yersin's claim and conducted an experiment in which he
discovered that fleas were carriers of the plague. This new knowledge allowed for more efficient and effective treatment
options. In the nineteenth century, however, the measures taken to prevent the disease were drastic. Big History states the
"many cities launched a full-scale assault on rats that lasted for many years" (Text 09). Citizens were encouraged and
sometimes paid to turn in dead rats.
Further advances in technology have produced treatment options for plague and other diseases that are unmatched in
effectiveness. Some may argue that the knowledge of disease has not grown significantly within the past centuries, and that
modern treatments are not impressive when compared to those of the past. It is plain to see, however, the modern technology
has allowed researchers and doctors alike to make great leap in the fields of medicine and science. This can be witnessed
through the information that is able to be extracted from innovations such
as the microscope, and many more inventions that are even more complex. Hopefully, in the near future, methods of protection
and treatment will produce results that are capable of saving thousands of lives. Medicine may one day grow affordable enough
so that those who are less privileged may have access to it as well.