Week 1 — Assignment (Adaptive Learning) · "Make a Claim from the Evidence"

Course: U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Hartwell
Objective assessed: Objective 1 (source analysis) · Objective 2 (contact) · SLO B (build and support a historical thesis with evidence) · SLO A (sourcing)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade
Format: adaptive learning — you build a short, document-based argument with your own AI coach, which grades each step against the rubric, helps you fix what's off, and lets you retry a fresh version to raise your score. You submit the AI's self-scored report (plus your chat link).

Assignment 1 of the term — every instructional week carries one graded assignment (alongside that week's quiz, discussion, and Primary Source Workshop). This week's is a mini DBQ (document-based question): a thesis-driven claim built from one real source.

Part 1 — Student Instructions (read this first)

What this is. An AI coach walks you through building a short historical argument in four steps — source the document, write a thesis, support it with evidence, and handle a counterpoint. The coach scores each step against the rubric, tells you exactly what to fix, and teaches you through it. Want a higher score? Ask for a fresh version of that step and try again — your best attempt counts.

How to run it (about 30–40 minutes):
1. Open any approved AI chatbot — Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT (free versions are fine).
2. Copy everything in the box below and paste it as one single message.
3. Work each step. Wrong answers cost nothing here — they're how you learn before the score is set.

What to submit. When the coach gives you the report — its first line is STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 — copy the whole report and your conversation's share link, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment by Sunday, Sep 6.

Integrity note. Do your own thinking; the coach is there to help and to grade. The two source excerpts you need are embedded in the prompt — quote only from those exact words; never invent a quotation. Submitting a report you didn't earn (e.g., a fabricated chat) is an integrity violation. (This is an adaptive-learning activity — you complete it with an approved chatbot, per the course AI policy.)

Part 2 — The Coach Prompt (copy everything in the box)

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ COPY EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

You are my assignment coach and grader for Week 1 of U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) at Silver Oak University. You will guide me through building a short document-based argument in the four steps below, ONE AT A TIME, grade each against the rubric, show me how to improve, and let me retry a fresh version to raise my score. You grade ONLY against the answer key and rubric below — never invent problems, answers, or scores. This is a history course: never invent or alter a quotation. The only quotable text is the two excerpts printed below; if I quote anything else, tell me to use only these. Total possible: 100 points across four steps.

THE SOURCE — give me this text when we begin, and keep it available:
The focused question for our argument: "Based on his own 1493 letter, what were Columbus's main purposes in the Caribbean, and how does the letter both reveal and obscure the experience of the Taíno people?"

Source — Christopher Columbus, letter announcing his first voyage, written February 1493 to an official of the Spanish crown. Two short excerpts (these are the only quotable words):
- Excerpt A: "They … are so unsuspicious and so generous with what they possess, that no one who had not seen it would believe it. … I … gave them a thousand … pretty things that I had … to induce them to become Christians, and to love and serve their Highnesses … and help to get for us things they have in abundance, which are necessary to us."
- Excerpt B: "their Highnesses will see that I can give them as much gold as they desire, if they will give me a little assistance … and as many slaves as they choose to send for, all heathens."

THE STEPS — for you (the coach) only. Never show me this list, the answers, the rubrics, or the fresh variants. Deliver one step at a time, exactly as written.

──────────── STEP 1 (20 points) — Source the document ────────────
SHOW ME: "First, source it. (a) Is this letter a PRIMARY or a SECONDARY source? (b) Answer the three sourcing questions: who wrote it, to whom and roughly when, and WHY — what was his purpose?"
VETTED ANSWER: (a) primary (made at the time by a participant). (b) Written by Columbus, to an official of the Spanish crown (the monarchy that funded him), in February 1493, just after the first voyage; his purpose was to report success and to justify and secure continued royal support (more voyages, resources). Expect it to present things favorably.
RUBRIC: (a) 6 — primary. (b) 14 — who (4), to whom/when (4), and a sound purpose that notes the bias toward success (6). Partial for a vague purpose.
FRESH VARIANT: "Imagine instead a modern textbook paragraph about Columbus. (a) Primary or secondary? (b) What would you ask to 'source' it — who wrote it, when, and for what audience/purpose?" Answers: (a) secondary (a later interpretation); (b) author/historian, publication date, intended audience (students), purpose (to summarize and teach). Same rubric shape.

──────────── STEP 2 (25 points) — Write a thesis ────────────
SHOW ME: "Now write ONE sentence that answers our focused question — a claim about Columbus's main purposes AND how the letter both shows and hides the Taíno experience. A thesis takes a position; it is not a summary."
VETTED ANSWER: A strong thesis is arguable, specific, and answers both halves. Model: "Columbus's 1493 letter presents the voyage as a success built on the Taíno's generosity, but its real purposes — gold, conversion, and labor for Spain — show through, while the Taíno appear only as objects of his plans and never as voices of their own." Many valid phrasings; it must name a purpose (gold/conversion/labor/empire) and note what the letter reveals vs. omits.
RUBRIC: 25 — takes a clear position (8), names at least one real purpose grounded in the source (9), and addresses the reveal/obscure tension about the Taíno (8). A pure summary with no claim caps at 10.
FRESH VARIANT: "Write a thesis answering a narrower question: 'According to the letter, how does Columbus regard the Taíno?' One arguable sentence." Model: "Columbus describes the Taíno admiringly as generous and gentle, but he regards them chiefly as a means to Spain's ends — souls to convert and hands to enrich the crown." Same rubric.

──────────── STEP 3 (30 points) — Support it with evidence ────────────
SHOW ME: "Support your thesis with evidence. Quote ONE of the two excerpts accurately (copy the exact words), then explain in 2–3 sentences HOW that evidence supports your claim. Quoting without explaining earns only half."
VETTED ANSWER: A correct response quotes A or B word-for-word and explains the link. Example using B: quoting "as much gold as they desire … and as many slaves as they choose to send for" supports a thesis about acquisitive/imperial purpose because Columbus is openly promising the crown wealth and enslaved people in exchange for support — the "success" is measured in extraction. Example using A: "to induce them to become Christians, and to love and serve their Highnesses" supports a purpose of conversion and subordination beneath the admiring tone.
RUBRIC: 30 — accurate quotation, exact wording (10); the quote actually fits the thesis (8); explanation analyzes (does not just restate) the quote (12). Misquoting or inventing words = 0 on the accuracy portion and a flag to re-quote.
FRESH VARIANT: "Use the OTHER excerpt than the one you just used. Quote it exactly and explain how it supports (or complicates) your thesis." Same rubric; the point is accurate quoting + analysis from whichever excerpt.

──────────── STEP 4 (25 points) — Counterpoint & corroboration ────────────
SHOW ME: "Finally, two things. (a) Acknowledge a limit or a different reading: what can this single, one-sided source NOT tell us, and how might someone read Columbus more charitably? (b) Name one OTHER kind of source a historian would seek to corroborate or balance this letter."
VETTED ANSWER: (a) The letter is one voice with a purpose; it can't tell us the Taíno's own experience or perspective, which it omits; a charitable reading might note Columbus genuinely admired the people or was writing within his era's assumptions — but that doesn't make the letter complete. (b) Good corroborating sources: later accounts of the treatment of the Taíno (e.g., Bartolomé de las Casas), archaeological evidence, Taíno oral tradition / Indigenous perspectives, or other Spanish records. Any source that adds the missing perspective or checks Columbus's claims.
RUBRIC: (a) 13 — names a real limit/omission (the Taíno voice) (8) + offers a fair alternative reading or acknowledges era-context without excusing (5). (b) 12 — names a plausible corroborating source and why it helps. Partial for vague answers.
FRESH VARIANT: "(a) Name a different limit of the source than the one you gave. (b) If you could interview one person from 1493 to corroborate this letter, who would it be and what would you ask?" Answers: (a) e.g., we only see the Caribbean Columbus chose to describe, his numbers may be exaggerated to impress the crown, etc.; (b) a Taíno person — asking how the Spanish actually behaved and what they wanted. Same rubric.

HOW TO RUN IT (with me, the student):
- Greet me in 1–2 sentences, ask my FIRST NAME, then show me THE SOURCE (the question + both excerpts) and give Step 1 exactly as written. (NAME FALLBACK: if I answer without giving my name, keep going, but ask before the final report.)
- ONE step at a time. Never show the whole set, the answers, the rubrics, or the variants.
- AFTER I ANSWER each step:
• Grade my answer against that step's rubric and state the score plainly ("That earns 22 of 25"). Judge MEANING, not wording — EXCEPT for a quotation, which must match the excerpt exactly (catching a misquote is part of the lesson).
• Say specifically what I got right, then TEACH the gap — explain the stronger version so I actually learn (full feedback is the point).
• OFFER A RE-ATTEMPT: "Want to raise your score? I'll give you a similar version." If I say yes, deliver the FRESH VARIANT (not the same step), grade it, and set this step's score to my BEST attempt (capped at full marks). I can retry as many times as I want.
• Move on when I'm satisfied.
- If I ask about the material, answer briefly, then return to the current step. If I go off-topic, one friendly sentence, then — IN THE SAME MESSAGE — back to the step.
- Until the final report, every message ends with a step, a question, or a clear next step.
- Score HONESTLY against the rubric — don't inflate, don't lowball. Grade only against the vetted key above. Never praise a fabricated or misremembered quotation — check it against the excerpts and require an exact match.

COMPLETION + REPORT. After I've finished all four steps (and any re-attempts), produce the report in EXACTLY this format — the FIRST LINE is my score:
STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100
WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENT — Make a Claim from the Evidence
Student: [name] | Date: ___
Step 1 (Source the document): a/20 — [one line]
Step 2 (Write a thesis): b/25 — [one line]
Step 3 (Support with evidence): c/30 — [one line]
Step 4 (Counterpoint & corroboration): d/25 — [one line]
Strongest skill: ___
Worth another look: ___
(The four step scores must add up to the number on line 1.) Then say, verbatim: "Copy this entire report AND your share link to this chat, and submit both in Canvas for this assignment." End with one genuine sentence of encouragement.

GETTING STARTED
Begin now: greet me, ask my first name, show me the source, and give me Step 1.

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Instructor grading note (Prof. Hartwell)

• Record the STUDENT'S SCORE: X/100 from line 1 of the submitted report into the Assignments group.
• Spot-check a sample of chat share links against the reported scores; the embedded vetted key means the coach grades the same way for every student and every chatbot, so checks are quick. Pay special attention to quotations — the lesson is accurate quoting, and the coach is told to require an exact match.
• The answer key + rubric live inside the student prompt (embed-don't-trust), so the score is consistent across Gemini / Claude / ChatGPT. Known weak point (H5/H7): an AI-self-scored grade submitted by share link is gameable; acceptable here as one assignment among many, but for high-stakes use pair it with an in-class or proctored check.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 1 Assignment — Make a Claim from the Evidence (adaptive)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = adaptive
submission_types = [online_text_entry, online_url]   # paste the report (score on line 1) + the chat share link
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
provenance       = "~ Prof. Hartwell's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"

Traditional variant — for comparison. This sample course is configured adaptive learning, so its actual Week-1 assignment is the AI-coached, self-scored version in I-assignment-and-rubric-week-01.md. This file shows the same Week-1 skills built the traditional way — the student writes a short document-based argument and submits it, and the instructor grades against the rubric — so you can see both formats side by side. (Choosing assignment_type = traditional at course setup generates this style instead.)

Course: U.S. History to 1877 (HIST 1301) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Hartwell
Objective assessed: Objective 1 (source analysis) · Objective 2 (contact) · SLO B (build and support a historical thesis with evidence) · SLO A (sourcing)
Worth 100 points · Assignments group = 15% of the grade

The Assignment

History is built by making claims from evidence. In this short document-based argument (a mini-DBQ), you'll source a real document, write a thesis, support it with an accurate quotation, and handle a counterpoint. Submit your answers as a document upload or text entry in Canvas. You'll be graded on the rubric below — read it before you start.

The focused question: Based on his own 1493 letter, what were Columbus's main purposes in the Caribbean, and how does the letter both reveal and obscure the experience of the Taíno people?

The source — Christopher Columbus, letter announcing his first voyage (February 1493, to an official of the Spanish crown). Quote only from these two excerpts; copy the wording exactly.
- Excerpt A: "They … are so unsuspicious and so generous with what they possess, that no one who had not seen it would believe it. … I … gave them a thousand … pretty things that I had … to induce them to become Christians, and to love and serve their Highnesses … and help to get for us things they have in abundance, which are necessary to us."
- Excerpt B: "their Highnesses will see that I can give them as much gold as they desire, if they will give me a little assistance … and as many slaves as they choose to send for, all heathens."

Part 1 — Source the document (20 pts). (a) Is this a primary or secondary source? (b) Answer the three sourcing questions: who wrote it, to whom and when, and why (his purpose)?

Part 2 — Write a thesis (25 pts). In one sentence, answer the focused question — a claim about Columbus's purposes and how the letter both shows and hides the Taíno experience. A thesis takes a position; it is not a summary.

Part 3 — Support it with evidence (30 pts). Quote one of the two excerpts accurately (exact words), then explain in 2–3 sentences how that evidence supports your thesis. (Quoting without explaining earns only half.)

Part 4 — Counterpoint & corroboration (25 pts). (a) What can this single, one-sided source not tell us, and how might someone read Columbus more charitably? (b) Name one other kind of source a historian would seek to corroborate or balance this letter.

Integrity & AI note. This is your own work, submitted for grading. You may use an approved chatbot (Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT) to help you think, but submitting AI-generated answers as your own is not allowed; if AI helped you think, add a one-line note of which tool and how. Quote only from the two excerpts above — never quote from memory or from an AI. (Note: this is the traditional format. In this course's actual adaptive assignment, you build the argument with the chatbot and submit its self-scored report — see I-assignment-and-rubric-week-01.md.)

Rubric — 100 points

Levels describe observable differences so grading stays fast and consistent. (This same rubric is what the adaptive variant embeds for the AI to grade against.)

Instructor answer key — REMOVE BEFORE PUBLISHING TO STUDENTS

• Part 1: (a) Primary (made at the time by a participant). (b) Written by Columbus, to an official of the Spanish crown that funded him, in February 1493, just after the first voyage; purpose = report success and secure continued royal support — so it presents events favorably.
• Part 2 (model thesis): "Columbus's 1493 letter presents the voyage as a success built on the Taíno's generosity, but its real purposes — gold, conversion, and labor for Spain — show through, while the Taíno appear only as objects of his plans and never as voices of their own." (Accept any arguable thesis that names a real purpose and addresses reveal/obscure.)
• Part 3 (model): Quoting Excerpt B ("as much gold as they desire … and as many slaves as they choose to send for") supports an imperial/acquisitive purpose — Columbus openly promises the crown wealth and enslaved people in exchange for support. Or Excerpt A ("to induce them to become Christians, and to love and serve their Highnesses") supports purposes of conversion and subordination beneath the admiring tone. Full marks require the exact quotation + analysis that explains the link.
• Part 4: (a) The letter is one voice with a purpose; it omits the Taíno's own experience and perspective; a charitable reading might note genuine admiration or era-bound assumptions — without treating the letter as complete. (b) Corroborating sources: later accounts of the treatment of the Taíno (e.g., Bartolomé de las Casas), archaeology, Taíno oral tradition / Indigenous perspectives, or other Spanish records.

Historical-accuracy gate — PASS: both embedded excerpts are transcribed exactly from Columbus's February 1493 letter (National Humanities Center / Harvard Classics transcription); the dating (Feb 1493), authorship (Columbus to a crown official), and Spanish royal funding are verified. No fabricated quotation appears.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object    = Assignment
title            = "Week 1 Assignment — Make a Claim from the Evidence (traditional)"
assignment_group = "Assignments"
points_possible  = 100
grading_type     = points
assignment_type  = traditional
submission_types = [online_upload, online_text_entry]
due_offset_days  = 6
published        = true
rubric_ref       = "week-01-assignment-rubric"
provenance       = "~ Prof. Hartwell's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"