Readiness Assurance & Application Exercises for Teams
Team readiness assessments (TRAs) are given every three weeks to assess student readiness for the more complex thinking required during application exercises. These assessments measure recognition & basic comprehension of (1) essential terms, (2) primary sources, and (3) key images. IMPORTANT: A number of these same questions then reappear on the final exam.
NOTE: each TRA takes place after a two-period guided reading session introducing the readings, but before the in-depth processing of readings done during team application exercises. Most students thus need to allow more time than they are used to for reading and studying assigned materials on their own.
The application exercises done in teams guide students in analyzing the assigned primary sources as evidence of the cultures that produced them. Each application exercise asks teams consider how the different elements of culture of culture influence one another, both positively and negatively.