Directions:

1. Print or download the following materials:

2. Using rows A-J on the Informative/Explanatory rubric and the sample response below, provide students with a final score by dividing the total number of earned criteria by the number of criteria (earned points/13 points = final score).

For each row, calculate student points using the scoring guide below:

Beginning	1 point
Developing	2 points
Proficient	3 points
Advanced	4 points

Sample Proficient Response (scorepoint 3):

Most people would probably admit that their friends and family influence what they do and how they feel. But would they think that this influence is like an epidemic? The comparison might seem strange. However, researchers have been thinking about this for some time. They have recognized that just like epidemics, social behaviors can be tracked to a common source. They have also used ideas from epidemics to understand how ideas or emotions can spread from person to person. It’s fair to say that the study of social behavior has been informed by ideas from epidemiology.

The first idea from epidemiology that has informed the study of social behaviors is that epidemics can often be traced back to a common source. Epidemic researchers know that it only takes a few people to start a disease outbreak. Social scientists also look for the source of a fad or a craze. The authors of “Are Social Epidemics Real?” write about the sudden spread of Hush Puppies across America. No one understood why these old-fashioned shoes became suddenly popular again. Then researchers looked at the source. It turns out that “a small group of young adults” in New York started wearing them (EL Education). Soon, everyone was copying them. How could something so big start so

small? That’s why people who write about social epidemics call this the “Law of the Few.” Another example of the Law of the Few comes from Milgram’s sidewalk experiment. A scientist named Stanley Milgram showed that only five people looking up at a window caused strangers to look up as well (EL Education). Tracing a behavior back to a common source can help social scientists understand human behavior better.

Epidemiology has also helped researchers think about exactly how people might “catch” behaviors. Epidemiologists know that diseases spread through microbes like germs, which affect the body in a certain way. Likewise, social scientists look for the way ideas or behaviors might “infect” us. The authors of “Are Social Epidemics Real?” offer some ideas about why some behaviors seem “contagious.” They write that we have a “mirror neuron system.” This system allows us to practice others’ behaviors just by watching them. We imitate people when we look at them. So it makes sense that we might also “catch” their behaviors. But just as germs might mutate over time, behaviors and emotions can also change as they spread. In a study reported by Jamil Zaki in Scientific American, researchers looked at what happened when people watched others donate money and then wrote a letter to a “pen pal.” The result? If people saw more generous behavior, their notes were “more supportive” (Zaki). This could mean that seeing someone’s behavior can affect a behavior that isn’t even related. Just like germs, these emotions seem to “spread” to others and behaviors sometimes changed as they spread. Using a theory of contagion, just like epidemiologists, helped Zaki understand human behavior.

The spread of ideas, behaviors, and emotions has long fascinated humans. Recently, it has become more popular to compare their spread to epidemics. The study of epidemics is helpful in understanding human behavior. However, it is important to keep in mind that the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are not exactly like epidemics. The writer of the article “Conflicting Ideas” cautions that “it might not be wise” to compare behaviors to diseases. They are right that it is easier to understand how a germ spreads from person to person than how a thought or emotion spreads. Still, there are a lot of examples of how studying epidemics has helped us better understand social behavior. It seems clear that these studies will continue to help us make sense of behavior and emotions in the future.

Sources:

EL Education. “Are Social Epidemics Real?” EL Education, 5 Feb. 2019.

T.C. “Conflicting Ideas.” The Economist, 3 Apr. 2012. Web.

Zaki, Jamil. “Kindness Contagion.” Scientific American, 26 July 2016. Web

Precise language and domain-specific vocabulary well chosen for task, purpose, and audience. Introduction incorporates topic.
Effectively communicated and strongly maintained focus. Focus statement explains essay topic.
Clear, logical progression of ideas with strong connections between and among ideas. Paragraph links to first part of focus statement.
Appropriate transitions create cohesion and clarify relationships among ideas and concepts. Likewise makes connection between ideas in previous and following sentences.
Effective use of various elaborative techniques; evidence is integrated, relevant, and specific. Provides evidence from informational text is integrated, relevant, and specific.
Conclusion follows from and supports explanation and offers ideas about impact on reader.
Establishes and maintains formal style and objective tone. No contractions or slang; mostly compound and complex sentences.
Well-chosen formatting, graphics, or multimedia enhance comprehension. Essay is formatted following Painted Essay® structure; predictable structure enhances comprehension.

End of Unit 2 Assessment: Part I: Write an Informative Essay: Social and Medical Epidemics Scoring Values & Guidance