The Block: WHAT CHANGED?
Before you run with it
Use a new situation to see what you can explain, support and revise.
Caseload 1 — Before you run with it
Essential question: How do you know enough to share, judge, or decide?
The field trip screenshot
New transfer scenario. Read the source set before answering. Do not assume that a familiar word such as “policy,” “law,” “ban,” “scholarship,” or “petition” tells you who has authority or what happened.
Source set
SOURCE A — Group-chat screenshot
NPW practice document. A cropped screenshot says: “Afternoon buses unavailable Friday …” A student adds, “museum trip is canceled.”
What it establishes: Shows that someone saw a line about unavailable buses and inferred cancellation.
What it cannot establish: Does not show the rest of the notice or whether another bus plan exists.
SOURCE B — Full transportation notice
NPW practice document, issued by the district transportation office. “Afternoon activity buses are unavailable Friday. Regular routes and pre-booked field-trip buses are not affected.”
What it establishes: Shows the affected service and explicitly says pre-booked field-trip buses are not affected.
What it cannot establish: Does not confirm whether this specific museum trip has a booked bus.
SOURCE C — Teacher message
NPW practice document, sent Thursday 4:05 p.m. “Museum trip remains scheduled. Meet in the gym at 8:10 a.m. Bus reservation 2481 is confirmed.”
What it establishes: Confirms this specific trip and gives a meeting time/location.
What it cannot establish: Does not explain why activity buses are unavailable.
Part A — Check
1. Which statement is best supported by Source A alone?
A. The museum trip is canceled.
B. A message says some afternoon buses are unavailable.
C. All district transportation is canceled.
D. The teacher changed the departure time.
2. Which source is closest to the original transportation rule/change?
A. Source A
B. Source B
C. Source C
D. All are equally direct.
3. What does Source C add that Source B cannot establish?
A. The meaning of “activity bus.”
B. Whether this specific museum trip remains scheduled.
C. Whether the district has buses.
D. Who wrote the screenshot.
4. “The trip is canceled” is best described as…
A. a fact established by all three sources
B. an inference made before the original was checked
C. a district regulation
D. a transportation contract
5. Which update is most accurate?
A. “Trip canceled. Do not come.”
B. “Ignore every screenshot. They are fake.”
C. “The museum trip is still scheduled. The district notice says pre-booked field-trip buses are not affected, and our teacher confirmed bus 2481.”
D. “Probably still on, I guess.”
Part B — Explain
In 4–6 sentences, explain why the screenshot was not enough to cancel plans. Use at least two sources and name one thing the documents still do not tell you.
Part C — Use it
Write a 60–90 word message for families who saw the screenshot. It must say what changed, what did not change, what source you checked, and what families should do next if they need arrival information.
Educator answer and scoring guidance
1. Correct answer: B. Source A only supports the narrower claim that a message mentions some unavailable afternoon buses.
2. Correct answer: B. Source B is issued by the office responsible for the transportation notice.
3. Correct answer: B. Source C is specific to the trip and confirms its reservation.
4. Correct answer: B. The screenshot led to an inference that the fuller sources contradict.
5. Correct answer: C. It states what the strongest sources establish and names them.
Strong constructed/performance response: Strong responses distinguish activity buses from pre-booked field-trip buses, use Source B for the general transportation change and Source C for the specific trip, and avoid calling the screenshot “fake.” Full-credit performance messages give the confirmed meeting time/location and a neutral contact/next-step option.
Score Part B and Part C with the master analytic rubric. Do not award or remove points for a learner’s political, institutional, or personal preference. Score the quality of source use, reasoning, authority/process understanding, scope, and communication.