How to Read this Blog
To make it easier to access these materials for my project, I have organized the items in order. In other words, the usual order for blog posts would show the last item first. I have re-ordered the items in this blog to match the order in which you would see them in a binder.
Contents:
1. Individual Language Assessment for my Target Student
2. Report on Instructional Conversation with my Target Student
(in a Small Group with Other Students)
3. Justification for my Unit Plan (Cover Sheet)
4. Cognitive Challenge in my Unit Plan
5. Overall Unit Plan -- Writing Sentences
6. Lesson 1 Plan -- Writing Sentences
7. Lesson 2 Plan -- Writing Sentences
8. Lesson 3 Plan -- Writing Sentences
9. Lesson 4 Plan -- Writing Sentences
8. Rubric Used in this Unit
9. Individual Accommodation Plan
See attachments to go with these subjects at http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/FrontPage
To see the blog for the previous class, go to http://cavetell.blogspot.com/
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Individual Language Assessment
Individual Language Assessment
Context and Justification: My seventh grade English students (including my focus student, K.C.) are reading the nonfiction book Ice Story with my student teacher. I decided to use excerpts from this book for the Individual Language Assessment and for the Instructional Conversation because it is fresh in the student’s mind, assessing the student with this book can support his success in learning as well as check it, and these exercises can lead to a product usable for him and for his classmates (authentic tasks).
Step 2: Determine reading level of materials.
The lexile level for this book is 1130. (See below for readability level according to Microsoft Word.) Though the readability level of the text is high, the text is supported with pictures and maps, and the reading is supported with various activities, explanations, reading aloud by the teacher, and group work (including reading together as a class and in small mixed-ability groups).
Readability Statistics from Microsoft Word:
Words: 248
Sentences per paragraph 4.7
Words per sentence 17.1
Characters per word 4.7
Passive sentences 7%
Flesch Reading Ease 60.7
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 9.0
Excerpt from
Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody. Ice Story Shackleton's Lost Expedition. New York: Clarion Books, 1999.
From Chapter Fifteen: Across Uncharted Mountains
Shackleton and his small crew rested on the shore of King Haakon Bay for several days. If he could have immediately gone on, Shackleton undoubtedly would have done so. He knew, however, that even he needed to rest and recover for several days before he would be strong enough to begin the trek over the mountains to the Stromness whaling station. Sometime later, Shackleton confided to Worsley that he had felt one more day in the boat would have killed them, so weak was their condition.
Their cave was small but well suited to their needs. They arranged their sleeping bags in a tight circle around the fire and spent the next few days leisurely, leaving the cave only to hunt for food or to investigate their surroundings. A stream provided fresh drinking water, and a local colony of albatross, a large seafaring bird, provided a supply of food. All they lacked was blubber to fuel their fire and stove. After three months on the ice, camping on the harsh beach on Elephant Island, and two weeks of wet and frozen conditions on the Caird, the cave was like a palace. The Caird’s sails were draped over the entrance like curtains, keeping everything inside warm and dry. It was impossible to relax completely, however, knowing their companions back on Elephant Island were enjoying no such luxurious conditions. [end of excerpt]
Other books read as a class in seventh grade:
The Outsiders 750L
The Giver 760L
Words By Heart 750L
Stand Tall 620L
The Book of Three 720L
The Call of the Wild 780 – 1120L
Step 3: Conduct the
Individual Language Assessment -- Content Area Language/Literacy
Student: K.C. Date: 3-12-09
(The passage we used included the excerpt above, but was longer. The students had already read several chapters from the book.)
Background knowledge:
Question 1: What can you tell me about the story we are reading about Shackleton?
K.C.: It is an adventure book. A movie would be a documentary about real people.
Question 2: Can you give me some examples of problems this group had already had?
K.C.: Their ship was frozen in the ice -- a shortage of food -- the cold
Question 4: How do you know about this topic?
K.C.: I'd heard a little before we read the book.
Question 5: Why is this topic important?
K.C.: It could be to teach about survival skills, but it doesn't pinpoint those things.
[Teacher note: As well as practicing reading skills -- especially skills for reading nonfiction (including using external text features and internal text structures), we were learning about leadership and about exploration.]
Pre-Reading Strategies: I had him look quickly through the passage. He skimmed the text and looked at an illustration/photo.
Question 6: What is this text going to be about?
K.C.: Elephant Island. They need to get food -- elephant seals -- getting off the island.
Question 7: How can you tell?
K.C.: I'd read part of the book already. I looked at the picture.
Question 8: What do the headings or chapter title tell you about the topic?
K.C.: They're on a remote island. Mountains are a problem.
Question 9: What do subheadings tell you?
This question was skipped since there are none.
Questions 10: What do the graphics/pictures tell you?
K.C.: They need to get food. [Teacher prompts: How did that island get its name?}
K.C.: It's named after elephant seals.
Step 4: Text Retelling
The student read silently.
Step 5: Oral Retelling
Subject Matter: Unaided: They were in the cave, short of food. I can't remember the name -- ______ and the captain went to explore and hunt -- They needed to hunt.
Prompted: The crew was hungry, but to get food they had to walk to the other side of the bay. [Teacher comment: Actually they needed to get to the other side of the bay in their boat.]
Unaided: They killed an elephant seal and played a trick. They were happy for the meat and blubber. They were walking to the other side of the bay.
Prompted: [What was washed up on the beach? ] Part of boats that had sunk. [Actually, they had lost their rudder, and fortunately, it washed up right where they were.]
Unaided: They felt better and stronger, but weak, so they went to hunt.
Step 6: Writing Sample
I asked K.C. to write about what he learned or remembers from reading and retelling the text passage.
Content Area Language/Literacy
Step 1: Prepare 2 copies of a 100- to 300- word typed, double-spaced passage from our textbook or typical reading material containing a main concept or idea from our studies.Context and Justification: My seventh grade English students (including my focus student, K.C.) are reading the nonfiction book Ice Story with my student teacher. I decided to use excerpts from this book for the Individual Language Assessment and for the Instructional Conversation because it is fresh in the student’s mind, assessing the student with this book can support his success in learning as well as check it, and these exercises can lead to a product usable for him and for his classmates (authentic tasks).
Step 2: Determine reading level of materials.
The lexile level for this book is 1130. (See below for readability level according to Microsoft Word.) Though the readability level of the text is high, the text is supported with pictures and maps, and the reading is supported with various activities, explanations, reading aloud by the teacher, and group work (including reading together as a class and in small mixed-ability groups).
Readability Statistics from Microsoft Word:
Words: 248
Sentences per paragraph 4.7
Words per sentence 17.1
Characters per word 4.7
Passive sentences 7%
Flesch Reading Ease 60.7
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 9.0
Excerpt from
Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody. Ice Story Shackleton's Lost Expedition. New York: Clarion Books, 1999.
From Chapter Fifteen: Across Uncharted Mountains
Shackleton and his small crew rested on the shore of King Haakon Bay for several days. If he could have immediately gone on, Shackleton undoubtedly would have done so. He knew, however, that even he needed to rest and recover for several days before he would be strong enough to begin the trek over the mountains to the Stromness whaling station. Sometime later, Shackleton confided to Worsley that he had felt one more day in the boat would have killed them, so weak was their condition.
Their cave was small but well suited to their needs. They arranged their sleeping bags in a tight circle around the fire and spent the next few days leisurely, leaving the cave only to hunt for food or to investigate their surroundings. A stream provided fresh drinking water, and a local colony of albatross, a large seafaring bird, provided a supply of food. All they lacked was blubber to fuel their fire and stove. After three months on the ice, camping on the harsh beach on Elephant Island, and two weeks of wet and frozen conditions on the Caird, the cave was like a palace. The Caird’s sails were draped over the entrance like curtains, keeping everything inside warm and dry. It was impossible to relax completely, however, knowing their companions back on Elephant Island were enjoying no such luxurious conditions. [end of excerpt]
Other books read as a class in seventh grade:
The Outsiders 750L
The Giver 760L
Words By Heart 750L
Stand Tall 620L
The Book of Three 720L
The Call of the Wild 780 – 1120L
Step 3: Conduct the
Individual Language Assessment -- Content Area Language/Literacy
Student: K.C. Date: 3-12-09
(The passage we used included the excerpt above, but was longer. The students had already read several chapters from the book.)
Background knowledge:
Question 1: What can you tell me about the story we are reading about Shackleton?
K.C.: It is an adventure book. A movie would be a documentary about real people.
Question 2: Can you give me some examples of problems this group had already had?
K.C.: Their ship was frozen in the ice -- a shortage of food -- the cold
Question 4: How do you know about this topic?
K.C.: I'd heard a little before we read the book.
Question 5: Why is this topic important?
K.C.: It could be to teach about survival skills, but it doesn't pinpoint those things.
[Teacher note: As well as practicing reading skills -- especially skills for reading nonfiction (including using external text features and internal text structures), we were learning about leadership and about exploration.]
Pre-Reading Strategies: I had him look quickly through the passage. He skimmed the text and looked at an illustration/photo.
Question 6: What is this text going to be about?
K.C.: Elephant Island. They need to get food -- elephant seals -- getting off the island.
Question 7: How can you tell?
K.C.: I'd read part of the book already. I looked at the picture.
Question 8: What do the headings or chapter title tell you about the topic?
K.C.: They're on a remote island. Mountains are a problem.
Question 9: What do subheadings tell you?
This question was skipped since there are none.
Questions 10: What do the graphics/pictures tell you?
K.C.: They need to get food. [Teacher prompts: How did that island get its name?}
K.C.: It's named after elephant seals.
Step 4: Text Retelling
The student read silently.
Step 5: Oral Retelling
Subject Matter: Unaided: They were in the cave, short of food. I can't remember the name -- ______ and the captain went to explore and hunt -- They needed to hunt.
Prompted: The crew was hungry, but to get food they had to walk to the other side of the bay. [Teacher comment: Actually they needed to get to the other side of the bay in their boat.]
Unaided: They killed an elephant seal and played a trick. They were happy for the meat and blubber. They were walking to the other side of the bay.
Prompted: [What was washed up on the beach? ] Part of boats that had sunk. [Actually, they had lost their rudder, and fortunately, it washed up right where they were.]
Unaided: They felt better and stronger, but weak, so they went to hunt.
Step 6: Writing Sample
I asked K.C. to write about what he learned or remembers from reading and retelling the text passage.
Student Information
Student Information
Date: 2/13/09
Name of Student: K.C.
Teacher completing profile: C. Dorsey
Family contact: mother or father xxx-xxx-xxxx older brother xxx-xxx-xxxx
School: American Fork Junior High
Home Telephone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Bilingal Contact: older brother [We have two Spanish teachers at our school who help with parent calls.]
Telephone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Best times to contact: evenings
Person who can assist with homework: older brother, teachers during Cave Time, after-school help
Language Proficiency: as of 11/24/08 he was determined to be an Intermediate Language Learner, according to a report by our school diversity specialist. [Though I hadn't seen that determination, my recent assessment -- see below-- of his level corresponded closely with hers.]
Information from his ILDP from 11/08
UAIPA Prof: I CRT Test: 3 UAIPA Scors: 58 Poss: 69
Test Scores Report from March, 2009
ESL Proficiency: I Listening: 100% Reading: 94% Speaking: 69% Writing: 78% Comprehension: 96% Total: 87% Scaled Score: 343
In November, 2008, it was determined that K.C.'s learning needs would be better served outside of our sheltered ESL program. I (as his language arts and reading teacher) was asked to set goals for language development for K.C.
These are the goals I selected:
Listening: I'll communicate the objectives and encourage K.C. to use academic language in class.
Speaking: I'll help him expand his vocabulary by identifying synonyms.
Reading: I'll explain relationships created by Tier 2 Word (in Read180) and provide reading materials at his independent reading level. He tested at 200L, but he does read better than that.
Writing: I'll encourage him to use more complex sentences (combining), and allow him to revise and resubmit written work.
School History
Pre-K/Head Start -- IEP CA LA UNIFIED language development excellent
Kindergarten American Fork -- Shelley Elementary Parent/teacher Concerns: LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DELAYS IN RECEPTIVE/EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE
RETAINING INFORMATION
Third Grade -- American Fork -- Shelley Elementary A's and B's He did better in math than in reading and writing -- Language NNNN comp and reading
Fourth Grade -- American Fork -- Shelley Elementary A's and B's
-- fine in self-help, fine motor skills
4th grade CRT's
math 4
science 4
la 3
oral 50
decode and spell new 63
Reading comp 88
writing 67
Fifth Grade -- American Fork -- Shelley Elementary
LA 2
80 Oral language development
70 phonics and spelling,
87 Vocabulary,
63 Comprension of narrative and informational
45 Writing (especially problems with elaborating and clarifying)
Math 2
Science 3
Sixth Grade Language Arts Scores: C, B, A.
Seventh Grade -- American Fork Junior High -- Term Grades
08-09 S1 7 ADVISORY 7TH 0.00 A A A
08-09 S2 7 ART 7 0.00 . . F
08-09 S1 7 CTE INTRO 0.50 C F D
08-09 S1 7 ENGLISH 7 0.25 D- F C
08-09 S1 7 FITNESS 7 M 0.50 B+ C+ .
08-09 S1 7 INT SCI 7TH 0.00 D- F .
08-09 S1 7 JR.CHOR M 0.50 D A .
08-09 S2 7 KEYBOARDIN 1 0.25 . . B-
08-09 S1 7 PRE-A ENRICH 0.00 A- B A
08-09 S1 7 PRE-ALGEBRA 0.25 F F C+
08-09 S1 7 READING SKIL 0.75 D- C D-
08-09 S2 7 UTAH HISTORY 0.25 . . D+
Seventh Grade SRI Testing:
Begin year: 215 L
Mid Year : 346L
March: 583L
Mother Spanish Spanish
Father Spanish Spanish
Sisters and Brothers Spanish/English Spanish/English
(He has one brother with whom he speaks English in the home. With the rest he speaks Spanish in the home.
Grandparents Spanish Spanish
Friends in the neighborhood Spanish/English Spanish/English
Friends at school Spanish/English Spanish/English
Spanish: He is more comfortable reading and writing in English.
When asked to compare his reading and writing abilities in Spanish with those in English, he said the if he had an assignment he'd get an A on in English, he'd get a C if he had to do it in Spanish.
English: He speaks quite fluently. His vocabulary is very developed in English, but he has problems writing. Most of his writing indicates a lack of understanding of sentence boundaries, but on a recent written assignment in language arts class for which he was required to spend a considerable amount of time revising, he did much better at creating complete, fairly correct setences.
Second Language Proficiency Descriptors: [Teacher]
Listening: K.C. falls between Intermediate -High and Advanced
Data comes from multiple interactions -- conversational, pre-reading strategies, oral retelling.
Speaking: Advanced -- problems with some grammatical structures
Data comes from multiple interactions -- conversational, pre-reading strategies, oral retelling.
Reading: K.C. falls between Intermediate -High and Advanced
Data comes from text reading, oral retelling, written summaries, other reading skills data
Writing: K.C. falls between Intermediate-Low and Intermediate-High
He produces moderately comprehensible text, and with much support and effort can produce more highly comprehensible text.
His command of vocabulary is high, but he has a very limited control of sentence boundaries, spelling, and mechanics which interferes greatly with meaning.
Data comes from several writing samples.
Date: 2/13/09
Name of Student: K.C.
Teacher completing profile: C. Dorsey
Family contact: mother or father xxx-xxx-xxxx older brother xxx-xxx-xxxx
School: American Fork Junior High
Home Telephone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Bilingal Contact: older brother [We have two Spanish teachers at our school who help with parent calls.]
Telephone: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Best times to contact: evenings
Person who can assist with homework: older brother, teachers during Cave Time, after-school help
Language Proficiency: as of 11/24/08 he was determined to be an Intermediate Language Learner, according to a report by our school diversity specialist. [Though I hadn't seen that determination, my recent assessment -- see below-- of his level corresponded closely with hers.]
Information from his ILDP from 11/08
UAIPA Prof: I CRT Test: 3 UAIPA Scors: 58 Poss: 69
Test Scores Report from March, 2009
ESL Proficiency: I Listening: 100% Reading: 94% Speaking: 69% Writing: 78% Comprehension: 96% Total: 87% Scaled Score: 343
In November, 2008, it was determined that K.C.'s learning needs would be better served outside of our sheltered ESL program. I (as his language arts and reading teacher) was asked to set goals for language development for K.C.
These are the goals I selected:
Listening: I'll communicate the objectives and encourage K.C. to use academic language in class.
Speaking: I'll help him expand his vocabulary by identifying synonyms.
Reading: I'll explain relationships created by Tier 2 Word (in Read180) and provide reading materials at his independent reading level. He tested at 200L, but he does read better than that.
Writing: I'll encourage him to use more complex sentences (combining), and allow him to revise and resubmit written work.
School History
Pre-K/Head Start -- IEP CA LA UNIFIED language development excellent
Kindergarten American Fork -- Shelley Elementary Parent/teacher Concerns: LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DELAYS IN RECEPTIVE/EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE
RETAINING INFORMATION
Third Grade -- American Fork -- Shelley Elementary A's and B's He did better in math than in reading and writing -- Language NNNN comp and reading
Fourth Grade -- American Fork -- Shelley Elementary A's and B's
-- fine in self-help, fine motor skills
4th grade CRT's
math 4
science 4
la 3
oral 50
decode and spell new 63
Reading comp 88
writing 67
Fifth Grade -- American Fork -- Shelley Elementary
LA 2
80 Oral language development
70 phonics and spelling,
87 Vocabulary,
63 Comprension of narrative and informational
45 Writing (especially problems with elaborating and clarifying)
Math 2
Science 3
Sixth Grade Language Arts Scores: C, B, A.
Seventh Grade -- American Fork Junior High -- Term Grades
08-09 S2 7 ART 7 0.00 . . F
08-09 S1 7 CTE INTRO 0.50 C F D
08-09 S1 7 ENGLISH 7 0.25 D- F C
08-09 S1 7 FITNESS 7 M 0.50 B+ C+ .
08-09 S1 7 INT SCI 7TH 0.00 D- F .
08-09 S1 7 JR.CHOR M 0.50 D A .
08-09 S2 7 KEYBOARDIN 1 0.25 . . B-
08-09 S1 7 PRE-A ENRICH 0.00 A- B A
08-09 S1 7 PRE-ALGEBRA 0.25 F F C+
08-09 S1 7 READING SKIL 0.75 D- C D-
08-09 S2 7 UTAH HISTORY 0.25 . . D+
| Cumulative GPA (Weighted) | 1.2238 |
| Cumulative GPA (Simple) | 1.5750 |
| Cumulative % GPA (Weighted) | 58.5238 |
| Cumulative % GPA (Simple) | 62.4583 |
| Cumulative Class Rank | 540 of 578 |
| Cumulative Credit Hours | 3.25 |
| Q1 GPA | 1.0143 |
| Q2 GPA | 1.2000 |
| Q3 GPA | 1.4571 |
Seventh Grade SRI Testing:
Begin year: 215 L
Mid Year : 346L
March: 583L
Language Use Patterns
Language student uses with them Language they use with studentMother Spanish Spanish
Father Spanish Spanish
Sisters and Brothers Spanish/English Spanish/English
(He has one brother with whom he speaks English in the home. With the rest he speaks Spanish in the home.
Grandparents Spanish Spanish
Friends in the neighborhood Spanish/English Spanish/English
Friends at school Spanish/English Spanish/English
Reading/Writing Patterns and Abilities
Spanish: He is more comfortable reading and writing in English.
When asked to compare his reading and writing abilities in Spanish with those in English, he said the if he had an assignment he'd get an A on in English, he'd get a C if he had to do it in Spanish.
English: He speaks quite fluently. His vocabulary is very developed in English, but he has problems writing. Most of his writing indicates a lack of understanding of sentence boundaries, but on a recent written assignment in language arts class for which he was required to spend a considerable amount of time revising, he did much better at creating complete, fairly correct setences.
Second Language Proficiency Descriptors: [Teacher]
Listening: K.C. falls between Intermediate -High and Advanced
Data comes from multiple interactions -- conversational, pre-reading strategies, oral retelling.
Speaking: Advanced -- problems with some grammatical structures
Data comes from multiple interactions -- conversational, pre-reading strategies, oral retelling.
Reading: K.C. falls between Intermediate -High and Advanced
Data comes from text reading, oral retelling, written summaries, other reading skills data
Writing: K.C. falls between Intermediate-Low and Intermediate-High
He produces moderately comprehensible text, and with much support and effort can produce more highly comprehensible text.
His command of vocabulary is high, but he has a very limited control of sentence boundaries, spelling, and mechanics which interferes greatly with meaning.
Data comes from several writing samples.
Report on an Instructional Conversation
Report on Instructional Conversation
I selected my focus student and two other students from his class to be on a "committee" to prepare materials for preparing the class to read a chapter in our current class book – Ice Story: Shackleton’s Lost Expedition. I don’t always know which words and concepts will disrupt understanding for my seventh grade students, so having a small group of students help me prepare for the chapter is very helpful. Also, those students will be experts on that chapter.
Lexile Levels for my target student and for the book:
K.C. tests at lexile level 583 (about 3rd grade) as of March 2009.
Ice Story: Shackleton’s Lost Expedition: The text is 1130L which is about mid tenth grade, but it is heavily supported with pictures and maps, and is being scaffolded by the teacher.
K.C.'s reading level was determined using the Scholastic Reading Inventory, and I looked up the lexile level of the text at lexile.com.
During class, while the students were reading earlier chapters in small groups and preparing timelines of what had happened so far, we went to the computer lab, which wasn’t being used.
Learning Activity
Students and teacher will prepare a list of vocabulary and other things students need to know for reading chapter 14 of Ice Story: Shackleton’s Lost Expedition. We started out looking for vocabulary that might get in the way of students’ understanding. We discussed how you can figure out a word that’s unfamiliar.
Goals
• Prepare actual information for any teacher who would be teaching chapter 14 of Ice Story.
• Assess student awareness of vocabulary and awareness of strategies to figure out what unfamiliar words mean.
• As needed, teach students about strategies to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words in a text.
Materials Needed
-- Copies of the book Ice Story: Shackleton’s Lost Expedition
-- A pencil or pen for each student
-- A handout-chart for each student, and one for the teacher, on which to record unfamiliar words and concepts, meanings, and how we knew or found out what the real meanings were
-- Dictionaries or access to an online dictionary
-- Tape recorder and blank tape if desired to record the conversation
What I Learned about K.C.’s Understanding
K.C. knows a lot of vocabulary. He had heard a couple of the unfamiliar words before, and was able to figure out meaning from the way he’d heard them used. He also understands how to look at the parts of a word to try to figure out its meaning. He was able to look up words from an online dictionary. He was willing to share in the small group what he knew and thought.
The students took turns reading aloud as we looked for unfamiliar words, so I was able to notice also how he read aloud. He doesn’t know how to pronounce “island” or “even,” and stumbled over the pronunciation of many words.
K.C. already knew some strategies for finding the meaning of unfamiliar words, and he was the one who at the end of our conversation volunteered a summary of strategies we’d used during the conversation.
What I Learned About Using Instructional Conversation
I learned how hard it is to keep myself from monopolizing the conversation – to instead find ways to draw out the students. The conversation was very valuable because of what I found out about the students, and because I felt the instruction I gave was more effective in a small group than it would have been whole-class. One student in the group has a higher reading level than the other two, so she knew more, but gave the others chances to talk. There were words that she also didn't know. I was able to ask some questions that got the students to think, to look at the words and the text to figure out meanings.
We used a chart titled "Vocabulary for Ice Story -- Chapter 14"
with three columns labeled --
Word and Page, Meaning, How you knew
Here is how these three students summarized --
What do the students need to know to read chapter 14?
1. What happened before – in the book –
2. What to do if they run into a word they don’t know –
a. look back
b. look ahead
c. look it up
d. talk about it
e. break it into parts
f. think about similar words or similar sounds
g. think about if and how you’ve heard it before
Justification for my Unit Plan (Cover Sheet)
Justification for my Unit Plan (Cover Sheet)
We're doing this unit in the first place because I've observed so many problems with sentences in student writing.
Because grammar studies can be so dry and (as students would put it), "boring," I wanted to use activities and assessments that would allow the students to work together, and would even be playful at times.
The Physical Self-Assessment (creating a continuum) gave me a chance to find out how the students perceive their own understanding of sentences and to listen for misconceptions as they discussed what they knew. It also gave me an opportunity to match up students who felt (and sounded) confident in their knowledge about sentences with those who lacked confidence. (Of course, I also applied what I already knew about the students' writing.) It caused students to think about what they knew, accessing background knowledge they already had, and recognizing some gaps in that knowledge. I would also like my students to realize that they can be part of a conversation about how we speak and write, and about how we can better communicate with each other.
The Slap Game provides students and teachers with another opportunity to assess what students know. Both the physical response and the slap game involve all students.
The first quiz we took again allowed students to respond concerning their own learning, what they had learned and still didn't understand, and to ask questions.
The second quiz, open-notes and after several activities, let us see who was getting the concepts of subjects and predicates and of dependent and independent clauses. The sentences used were designed for struggling readers, so shouldn't have caused any understanding problems. Because students were able to retake the quiz, it provided an opportunity for further learning. Extra practices were available in the class and on our class blog, and during CaveTime students could get extra help from the teacher.
Many of the activities provided me, as a teacher, with opportunities to both teach and assess. The "final" assessment (though not really final because we will spend more time learning about sentences) measured whether students were applying what they learned to writing an essay. It allowed choice and use of topics the students wanted to write about. It was practical because it "killed two birds with one stone" by piggybacking on a district writing test the students already had to take. Another assessment I could have the students do would involve writing a letter for a practical purpose, such as encouraging a needed change in our school or community or expressing thanks, or some other real-world reason.
I also continue to respond to other pieces of writing the students do, helping them create complete, effective sentences. One great place to do this is on our class wiki where students are creating their own wiki pages about the books they are reading. I am able to highlight errors in the student writing right on the page, and explain in comments what needs to be fixed, or ask questions to help the students revise their sentences.
We're doing this unit in the first place because I've observed so many problems with sentences in student writing.
Because grammar studies can be so dry and (as students would put it), "boring," I wanted to use activities and assessments that would allow the students to work together, and would even be playful at times.
The Physical Self-Assessment (creating a continuum) gave me a chance to find out how the students perceive their own understanding of sentences and to listen for misconceptions as they discussed what they knew. It also gave me an opportunity to match up students who felt (and sounded) confident in their knowledge about sentences with those who lacked confidence. (Of course, I also applied what I already knew about the students' writing.) It caused students to think about what they knew, accessing background knowledge they already had, and recognizing some gaps in that knowledge. I would also like my students to realize that they can be part of a conversation about how we speak and write, and about how we can better communicate with each other.
The Slap Game provides students and teachers with another opportunity to assess what students know. Both the physical response and the slap game involve all students.
The first quiz we took again allowed students to respond concerning their own learning, what they had learned and still didn't understand, and to ask questions.
The second quiz, open-notes and after several activities, let us see who was getting the concepts of subjects and predicates and of dependent and independent clauses. The sentences used were designed for struggling readers, so shouldn't have caused any understanding problems. Because students were able to retake the quiz, it provided an opportunity for further learning. Extra practices were available in the class and on our class blog, and during CaveTime students could get extra help from the teacher.
Many of the activities provided me, as a teacher, with opportunities to both teach and assess. The "final" assessment (though not really final because we will spend more time learning about sentences) measured whether students were applying what they learned to writing an essay. It allowed choice and use of topics the students wanted to write about. It was practical because it "killed two birds with one stone" by piggybacking on a district writing test the students already had to take. Another assessment I could have the students do would involve writing a letter for a practical purpose, such as encouraging a needed change in our school or community or expressing thanks, or some other real-world reason.
I also continue to respond to other pieces of writing the students do, helping them create complete, effective sentences. One great place to do this is on our class wiki where students are creating their own wiki pages about the books they are reading. I am able to highlight errors in the student writing right on the page, and explain in comments what needs to be fixed, or ask questions to help the students revise their sentences.
Cognitive Challenge in my Unit Plan
Cognitive Challenge in my Unit Plan
"They need to explore concepts, not just memorize them, engage in interesting and meaningful activities, not just drill-and-kill exercises." -- Annela Teemant
"If our students are going to understand, we have to slow down and uncover the curriculum." -- Jay McTighe
I am trying to frame activities that will cause my students to really think about how we put sentences together to communicate with each other. In this unit, students are presented background knowledge through interactive lecture/PowerPoint presentations. While listening and watching, they are asked to fill in the words and phrases left out of preprinted notes. They are also asked to respond and contribute, and complete brief practice exercises during this "lecture" portion of the classes.
Understanding is reinforced and assessed with various activities, quizzes, and games. They have opportunities to self-assess, and students have opportunities to teach other students.
The unit is couched in a spirit of playfulness. The students are being "sentenced" to work on sentences. They are assigned to "rehabilitate" problem "sentences" into complete, correct sentences that can then serve as upstanding citizens of the community of sentences.
"They need to explore concepts, not just memorize them, engage in interesting and meaningful activities, not just drill-and-kill exercises." -- Annela Teemant
"If our students are going to understand, we have to slow down and uncover the curriculum." -- Jay McTighe
I am trying to frame activities that will cause my students to really think about how we put sentences together to communicate with each other. In this unit, students are presented background knowledge through interactive lecture/PowerPoint presentations. While listening and watching, they are asked to fill in the words and phrases left out of preprinted notes. They are also asked to respond and contribute, and complete brief practice exercises during this "lecture" portion of the classes.
Understanding is reinforced and assessed with various activities, quizzes, and games. They have opportunities to self-assess, and students have opportunities to teach other students.
The unit is couched in a spirit of playfulness. The students are being "sentenced" to work on sentences. They are assigned to "rehabilitate" problem "sentences" into complete, correct sentences that can then serve as upstanding citizens of the community of sentences.
Instructional Planning Guide -- Overall Unit Plan
Instructional Planning Guide -- Overall Unit Plan
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
1) Students will be able to identify and create complete sentences with a subject and a predicate.
2) Students will identify and use phrases, and dependent and independent clauses.
3) Students will identify and begin to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
4) Students will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
2) Students will be better able to communicate because they will better understand sentence structures as they write and read (and listen).
Quizzes to check understanding. Application of concepts and skills to their own written work.
Social/Affective: Social -- Informal observation and checking of partner and group work to determine effectiveness of partnerships and small groups. Affective -- Are students showing that they care about this work? Informal observation of student engagement, comments, and judgment of quality of work.
Linguistic: Participation in class activities, discussions, games. Application of concepts and skills to their own written work.
Students will complete activities and games, view PowerPoints and fill in notes, participate in class discussions, take quizzes, and complete a final written assessement -- applying what they have learned to a writing a personal essay. (Note: I will not announce the writing assignment as an assessment of what they have learned about sentences, though I will encourage them to use what they know as they write. This way I will be able to see if they are truly incorporating what they learn about sentences into their writing.)
Teacher Work
The teacher will prepares lessons on
Part 1
What makes a complete sentence
What verbs and subjects do
The jobs of verbs and nouns
Recognizing nouns and their replacers
Part 2
Review of previous
Clauses and phrases
Dependent and independent clauses
Complex sentences
Part 3
Review of previous
Why sentences are important
Non-sentences
phrases, fragments, run-ons, comma-splices
Part 4
Review of previous
Ways to reform/correct sentences:
simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goals
Cognitive:1) Students will be able to identify and create complete sentences with a subject and a predicate.
2) Students will identify and use phrases, and dependent and independent clauses.
3) Students will identify and begin to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
4) Students will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
2) Students will be better able to communicate because they will better understand sentence structures as they write and read (and listen).
Assessment
Cognitive: Participation in class activities, discussions, games.Quizzes to check understanding. Application of concepts and skills to their own written work.
Social/Affective: Social -- Informal observation and checking of partner and group work to determine effectiveness of partnerships and small groups. Affective -- Are students showing that they care about this work? Informal observation of student engagement, comments, and judgment of quality of work.
Linguistic: Participation in class activities, discussions, games. Application of concepts and skills to their own written work.
Sequence of Tasks
Student WorkStudents will complete activities and games, view PowerPoints and fill in notes, participate in class discussions, take quizzes, and complete a final written assessement -- applying what they have learned to a writing a personal essay. (Note: I will not announce the writing assignment as an assessment of what they have learned about sentences, though I will encourage them to use what they know as they write. This way I will be able to see if they are truly incorporating what they learn about sentences into their writing.)
Teacher Work
The teacher will prepares lessons on
Part 1
What makes a complete sentence
What verbs and subjects do
The jobs of verbs and nouns
Recognizing nouns and their replacers
Part 2
Review of previous
Clauses and phrases
Dependent and independent clauses
Complex sentences
Part 3
Review of previous
Why sentences are important
Non-sentences
phrases, fragments, run-ons, comma-splices
Part 4
Review of previous
Ways to reform/correct sentences:
simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence
Materials
Video clip from "O, Brother, Where Art Thou?"
TV and VCR Player
Computer, Projector, Teacher-Prepared PowerPoint Presentations
Prepared notes with blanks for PowerPoint Presentations
Black Robe for teacher and gavel
(I was looking for a striped "prison suit" for a student to wear, but they're hard to come by now.)
Prepared and copied quizzes and other worksheets/handouts
Overheads prepared to use with games
Overhead projector
Video clip from "O, Brother, Where Art Thou?"
TV and VCR Player
Computer, Projector, Teacher-Prepared PowerPoint Presentations
Prepared notes with blanks for PowerPoint Presentations
Black Robe for teacher and gavel
(I was looking for a striped "prison suit" for a student to wear, but they're hard to come by now.)
Prepared and copied quizzes and other worksheets/handouts
Overheads prepared to use with games
Overhead projector
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 1
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 1
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
1) Students will be able to identify and create complete sentences with a subject and a predicate.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Cognitive: Students will self-report/assess on their individual understanding of what a sentence is and how to use it. Physical Response -- moving to area descriptive of the student's amount of knowledge.
Students will participate in a game to show their understanding of subjects and verbs: Slap game.
A quiz will be given at the beginning of the next class period on subjects and predicates, to see if students understood and retained what we discussed today.
Social/Affective: While and after lining up according to self-perceived understanding of sentences, students will discuss their understanding of sentences, and more knowledgeable students will teach those who feel they understand less. Students will participate as teams in the Slap Game.
Linguistic: Students will view a PowerPoint presentation about sentences and fill in blanks on prepared notes.
Students self-assess their knowledge about sentences.
Students share what they know about sentences with other students.
Students watch and listen to a PowerPoint presentation by the teacher, watching for the needed words and filling in the blanks on prepared notes.
Students participate as members of a team trying to identify subjects and verbs in sentences.
Teacher Work
1) To establish the metaphor/silliness of a "chain gang," the teacher prepares and presents a brief excerpt from the video O, Brother, Where Art Thou. (The clip I used was from the very beginning of the movie up until the George Clooney character is pulled from the freight car when the companions he's chained to fail to jump on. Stop the video quickly then, since a swear word is used after he had fallen. )
2) The teacher dresses up in a judge's robe (borrowed black graduation robe) and uses a gavel to call the class to order. She then "sentences" the students to work on a "chain gang," chaining words together properly to form correct sentences.
3) Teacher has students rise and swears them in to "Tell the truth, ,the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to yourself about sentences."
4) The teacher then directs the students to go out into the hall where she has posted four signs spaced down the hall that read as follows:
-- I could teach this class about sentences!
-- I pretty well understand sentences.
-- I make some mistakes when I write sentence.
-- What's a sentence?
5) After student have lined up down the hall, the line is "folded" so the students who understand the most are facing those who understand the least. The students are directed to tell each other what they think a teacher wants them to know about sentences, and/or their best hints for working with sentences.
6) The teacher has prepared and presents a PowerPoint teaching about the basics of subject and predicate (verb). The teacher has also prepared notes on the PowerPoint that have words and phrases left out for the students to fill in. Students keep their notes in their binders or in a basket provided in the classroom, and are told they may use them on some of the quizzes they will take.
7) The teacher has prepared a set of sentences to be projected on the white board. She has also provided two (unused for their original purpose) fly-swatters. She divides the students into two teams. Each team sends a scorekeeper to the back of the room, and a "player" to the front to a seat positioned near the seat for the other team representative. The representatives prepare themselves to slap the sentence part specified by the teacher when the sentence is projected on the white board. The first one to slap the correct word earns a point for his or her team. The "players" then switch with others from their teams until everyone has a chance to play. Even the scorekeepers trade off and have a turn. This is an opportunity for the teacher to observe informally who understands subjects and verbs (predicates), and who doesn't.
Ongoing: Teacher observes and takes notes on who is "getting it," and who isn't.
Response to activities and observations: The teacher rearranges student seating to pair students who understand with those who don't.
Materials
video clip from "O Brother, Where Art Thou
video player and TV
black robe for teacher
gavel or toy gavel
signs for degrees of understanding about sentences (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/
Game/Activity Materials, Files, Sentences Corners.)
Computer, projector, and screen
Teacher-prepared PowerPoint (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ PowerPoints, Files.)
Teacher-prepared notes on the PowerPoint with blanks for the students to fill in. PowerPoint, Part 1
overhead projector (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ Notes on PowerPoints, Files.)
overhead with sentences
two fly swatters
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goals
Cognitive:1) Students will be able to identify and create complete sentences with a subject and a predicate.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Assessment
Cognitive: Students will self-report/assess on their individual understanding of what a sentence is and how to use it. Physical Response -- moving to area descriptive of the student's amount of knowledge.
Students will participate in a game to show their understanding of subjects and verbs: Slap game.
A quiz will be given at the beginning of the next class period on subjects and predicates, to see if students understood and retained what we discussed today.
Social/Affective: While and after lining up according to self-perceived understanding of sentences, students will discuss their understanding of sentences, and more knowledgeable students will teach those who feel they understand less. Students will participate as teams in the Slap Game.
Linguistic: Students will view a PowerPoint presentation about sentences and fill in blanks on prepared notes.
Sequence of Tasks
Student WorkStudents self-assess their knowledge about sentences.
Students share what they know about sentences with other students.
Students watch and listen to a PowerPoint presentation by the teacher, watching for the needed words and filling in the blanks on prepared notes.
Students participate as members of a team trying to identify subjects and verbs in sentences.
Teacher Work
1) To establish the metaphor/silliness of a "chain gang," the teacher prepares and presents a brief excerpt from the video O, Brother, Where Art Thou. (The clip I used was from the very beginning of the movie up until the George Clooney character is pulled from the freight car when the companions he's chained to fail to jump on. Stop the video quickly then, since a swear word is used after he had fallen. )
2) The teacher dresses up in a judge's robe (borrowed black graduation robe) and uses a gavel to call the class to order. She then "sentences" the students to work on a "chain gang," chaining words together properly to form correct sentences.
3) Teacher has students rise and swears them in to "Tell the truth, ,the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to yourself about sentences."
4) The teacher then directs the students to go out into the hall where she has posted four signs spaced down the hall that read as follows:
-- I could teach this class about sentences!
-- I pretty well understand sentences.
-- I make some mistakes when I write sentence.
-- What's a sentence?
5) After student have lined up down the hall, the line is "folded" so the students who understand the most are facing those who understand the least. The students are directed to tell each other what they think a teacher wants them to know about sentences, and/or their best hints for working with sentences.
6) The teacher has prepared and presents a PowerPoint teaching about the basics of subject and predicate (verb). The teacher has also prepared notes on the PowerPoint that have words and phrases left out for the students to fill in. Students keep their notes in their binders or in a basket provided in the classroom, and are told they may use them on some of the quizzes they will take.
7) The teacher has prepared a set of sentences to be projected on the white board. She has also provided two (unused for their original purpose) fly-swatters. She divides the students into two teams. Each team sends a scorekeeper to the back of the room, and a "player" to the front to a seat positioned near the seat for the other team representative. The representatives prepare themselves to slap the sentence part specified by the teacher when the sentence is projected on the white board. The first one to slap the correct word earns a point for his or her team. The "players" then switch with others from their teams until everyone has a chance to play. Even the scorekeepers trade off and have a turn. This is an opportunity for the teacher to observe informally who understands subjects and verbs (predicates), and who doesn't.
Ongoing: Teacher observes and takes notes on who is "getting it," and who isn't.
Response to activities and observations: The teacher rearranges student seating to pair students who understand with those who don't.
Materials
video clip from "O Brother, Where Art Thou
video player and TV
black robe for teacher
gavel or toy gavel
signs for degrees of understanding about sentences (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/
Game/Activity Materials, Files, Sentences Corners.)
Computer, projector, and screen
Teacher-prepared PowerPoint (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ PowerPoints, Files.)
Teacher-prepared notes on the PowerPoint with blanks for the students to fill in. PowerPoint, Part 1
overhead projector (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ Notes on PowerPoints, Files.)
overhead with sentences
two fly swatters
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 2
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 2
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
2) Students will identify and use phrases, and dependent and independent clauses.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Social/Affective: Students help each other make sure they have their notes filled in from last time and this time. (The social/affective element is addressed as photos of the students themselves are used and example sentences use people and places they know as topics.)
Linguistic: Students will fill in the missing blanks on prepared notes as they watch a PowerPoint. They will take a quiz on what they have learned so far, using their notes.
Students view another PowerPoint and fill in blanks on the prepared notes.
Students individually take a quiz on which they may use their notes.
Teacher Work
1) The teacher again dons the black robe (everytime we talk about sentences).
2) The teacher has prepared and presents more PowerPoint presentation about sentences.
(Before showing the second segment, the teacher scrolls quickly through the slides from the first-- yesterday's -- presentation.)
3) The teacher has also prepared notes with blanks for the students to fill in.
(Important: The teacher has made sure that any students who were absent last time have the notes and have been able to fill them in with the help of students who already have the notes. )
4) The teacher has prepared a quiz on the first two lessons (PowerPoint Presentations) about sentences. Students may use their notes while taking the quiz.
5) The teacher reads through the quizzes to see who is and isn't understanding.
Materials
Computer, projector, and screen
Teacher-prepared PowerPoint (See PowerPoint and Notes at http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/
Teacher-prepared notes on the PowerPoint -- PowerPoint, Part 2
Teacher-prepared quiz on the first two sections of the PowerPoint. (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ Quizzes, Tests, Practices for Sentenced, files, Quiz on Sent. 1 & 2)
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goals
Cognitive:2) Students will identify and use phrases, and dependent and independent clauses.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Assessment
Cognitive: Students will fill in the missing blanks on prepared notes as they watch a PowerPoint. They will take a quiz on what they have learned so far, using their notes.Social/Affective: Students help each other make sure they have their notes filled in from last time and this time. (The social/affective element is addressed as photos of the students themselves are used and example sentences use people and places they know as topics.)
Linguistic: Students will fill in the missing blanks on prepared notes as they watch a PowerPoint. They will take a quiz on what they have learned so far, using their notes.
Sequence of Tasks
Student WorkStudents view another PowerPoint and fill in blanks on the prepared notes.
Students individually take a quiz on which they may use their notes.
Teacher Work
1) The teacher again dons the black robe (everytime we talk about sentences).
2) The teacher has prepared and presents more PowerPoint presentation about sentences.
(Before showing the second segment, the teacher scrolls quickly through the slides from the first-- yesterday's -- presentation.)
3) The teacher has also prepared notes with blanks for the students to fill in.
(Important: The teacher has made sure that any students who were absent last time have the notes and have been able to fill them in with the help of students who already have the notes. )
4) The teacher has prepared a quiz on the first two lessons (PowerPoint Presentations) about sentences. Students may use their notes while taking the quiz.
5) The teacher reads through the quizzes to see who is and isn't understanding.
Materials
Computer, projector, and screen
Teacher-prepared PowerPoint (See PowerPoint and Notes at http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/
Teacher-prepared notes on the PowerPoint -- PowerPoint, Part 2
Teacher-prepared quiz on the first two sections of the PowerPoint. (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ Quizzes, Tests, Practices for Sentenced, files, Quiz on Sent. 1 & 2)
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 3
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 3
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
For lesson #3) Students will identify and begin to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Individual students will take a quiz on subjects and predicates, and dependent and independent clauses.
Social/Affective: Students will again help their partners and others around them to make sure they all have the notes pages filled in.
Linguistic: Teacher will informally assess as students join in discussion and answer questions during the PowerPoint presentation.
Individual students will take a quiz on subjects and predicates, and dependent and independent clauses. They will be able to use their notes.
Students will view and participate in discussion and answer questions about a PowerPoint prepared by the teacher.
For part of the PowerPoint, a student volunteer becomes the class scribe to edit the PowerPoint, adding a class-generated list of reasons why correct, clear sentences are important.
Students will also fill in the blanks on prepared notes.
Teacher Work
1) The teacher will use a prepared quiz from READ180 materials to check student understanding of subjects and verbs, dependent and independent clauses. I combined and shortened two quizzes from the READ180 materials for struggling readers and writers. *
2) The teacher will prepare and present a PowerPoint focusing on common problems with sentences.
3) The teacher has prepared notes with blanks for the students to fill in.
*NOTE: The students will be able to retake this quiz.
Materials
Quiz -- (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com Folder: Quizzes, Tests, Practices for Sentenced, Files, 2 Subjects and Predicates, and depend and indepent. )
Teacher-Prepared PowerPoint and notes -- PowerPoint, Part 3
Computer, projector, and screen
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goals
Cognitive:For lesson #3) Students will identify and begin to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Assessment
Cognitive: Teacher will informally assess as students join in discussion and answer questions during the PowerPoint presentation.Individual students will take a quiz on subjects and predicates, and dependent and independent clauses.
Social/Affective: Students will again help their partners and others around them to make sure they all have the notes pages filled in.
Linguistic: Teacher will informally assess as students join in discussion and answer questions during the PowerPoint presentation.
Sequence of Tasks
Student Work Individual students will take a quiz on subjects and predicates, and dependent and independent clauses. They will be able to use their notes.
Students will view and participate in discussion and answer questions about a PowerPoint prepared by the teacher.
For part of the PowerPoint, a student volunteer becomes the class scribe to edit the PowerPoint, adding a class-generated list of reasons why correct, clear sentences are important.
Students will also fill in the blanks on prepared notes.
Teacher Work
1) The teacher will use a prepared quiz from READ180 materials to check student understanding of subjects and verbs, dependent and independent clauses. I combined and shortened two quizzes from the READ180 materials for struggling readers and writers. *
2) The teacher will prepare and present a PowerPoint focusing on common problems with sentences.
3) The teacher has prepared notes with blanks for the students to fill in.
*NOTE: The students will be able to retake this quiz.
Materials
Quiz -- (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com Folder: Quizzes, Tests, Practices for Sentenced, Files, 2 Subjects and Predicates, and depend and indepent. )
Teacher-Prepared PowerPoint and notes -- PowerPoint, Part 3
Computer, projector, and screen
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 4
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 4
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goal of Lesson 4) Students will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Students work with parters to "rehabilitate" fragments, comma-splices, and run-ons into complete, correct sentences.
Social/Affective: The teacher observes how students work with their partners in a competitive activity for the whole class.
Linguistic: Students will discuss and ask and answer questions about problems with sentences.
Students work with partners on a test-practice to recognize (in a multiple choice format) sentence problems.
Students work with partners to rehabilitate (correct) illegal (problem) sentences.
Teacher Work
1) The teacher prepares copies of a core test practice worksheet focusing on editing sentence-level errors. (I copied one from our writing textbook materials.)
2) The teacher prepares and presents (with discussion and questions to and from students) a PowerPoint about ways to fix illegal sentences, with notes with blanks.
3) The teacher also prepares problem sentences for the students to correct. Students are to work in pairs.
They will find the errors, show the sentences correctly written, and after fixing a certain number of sentences will bring their work up to the teacher to be checked. (Fortunately, I had a student teacher present to help correct. When there is not another adult present, I give corrected pages to one or two of the students who already understand this concept, and have them help correct.
They then move on to another set of "sentences" that are fragments, comma-spices, or run-ons. They also have a final challenge of combining a series of parts into a complete, correct sentence.
There are small candy prizes for the first few teams to finish, having done a quality job.
Materials
Core Test Practice: any test practice on fragments, comma-splices, and run-ons
PowerPoint, Part 4 - and notes with blanks
Rehabilitation Race (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com Game, Activity Materials: Rehabilitation Race )
small candies for prizes
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goals
Cognitive:Goal of Lesson 4) Students will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
Assessment
Cognitive: Student pairs participate in a Core Test Preparation exercise that also provides practice for recognizing sentence problems.Students work with parters to "rehabilitate" fragments, comma-splices, and run-ons into complete, correct sentences.
Social/Affective: The teacher observes how students work with their partners in a competitive activity for the whole class.
Linguistic: Students will discuss and ask and answer questions about problems with sentences.
Sequence of Tasks
Student WorkStudents work with partners on a test-practice to recognize (in a multiple choice format) sentence problems.
Students work with partners to rehabilitate (correct) illegal (problem) sentences.
Teacher Work
1) The teacher prepares copies of a core test practice worksheet focusing on editing sentence-level errors. (I copied one from our writing textbook materials.)
2) The teacher prepares and presents (with discussion and questions to and from students) a PowerPoint about ways to fix illegal sentences, with notes with blanks.
3) The teacher also prepares problem sentences for the students to correct. Students are to work in pairs.
They will find the errors, show the sentences correctly written, and after fixing a certain number of sentences will bring their work up to the teacher to be checked. (Fortunately, I had a student teacher present to help correct. When there is not another adult present, I give corrected pages to one or two of the students who already understand this concept, and have them help correct.
They then move on to another set of "sentences" that are fragments, comma-spices, or run-ons. They also have a final challenge of combining a series of parts into a complete, correct sentence.
There are small candy prizes for the first few teams to finish, having done a quality job.
Materials
Core Test Practice: any test practice on fragments, comma-splices, and run-ons
PowerPoint, Part 4 - and notes with blanks
Rehabilitation Race (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com Game, Activity Materials: Rehabilitation Race )
small candies for prizes
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 5
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 5
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goal of Lesson 5 ) Students will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices, and will be aware of sentence problems and possible corrections as they write an essay for a district writing test on MYAccess.
This period is intended as assessment of overall writing, and of sentence awareness and self-corrections.
Social/Affective:
1) Students spend the period taking an individual test. Writing the essay links to their interests because they get to select a topic from their own experiences.
Linguistic:
1) Students have an opportunity to show what they know about writing a personal essay.
Social/Affective: Students are writing about self-selected topics from their own lives.
Linguistic: The teacher will check student essays for correctness or self-correction of sentences.
Students are writing an essay (on MYAccess) about an incident in their own lives. They are to do their own planning, writing, revising, and editing within the hourl
Concerning students for whom time for testing is required to be (or should be ) extended, I talked with them individually, proving extra time for them to complete the work.
Teacher Work
The prompt is already posted on MYAccess by the district. I prepare a copy of the prompt for each student, with a reminder of log-in information, and other suggestions, with space for notes or planning.
After students take the test, I will check them (especially those of students who struggle with creating correct sentences) watching for improvement.
Materials
computer student lab with access to the internet
handout with a copy of the prompt, other information and reminders, and room for notes and planning
Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade
Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.
Goals
Cognitive:Goal of Lesson 5 ) Students will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices, and will be aware of sentence problems and possible corrections as they write an essay for a district writing test on MYAccess.
This period is intended as assessment of overall writing, and of sentence awareness and self-corrections.
Social/Affective:
1) Students spend the period taking an individual test. Writing the essay links to their interests because they get to select a topic from their own experiences.
Linguistic:
1) Students have an opportunity to show what they know about writing a personal essay.
Assessment
Cognitive: The teacher will check student essays for correctness or self-correction of sentences.Social/Affective: Students are writing about self-selected topics from their own lives.
Linguistic: The teacher will check student essays for correctness or self-correction of sentences.
Sequence of Tasks
Student WorkStudents are writing an essay (on MYAccess) about an incident in their own lives. They are to do their own planning, writing, revising, and editing within the hourl
Concerning students for whom time for testing is required to be (or should be ) extended, I talked with them individually, proving extra time for them to complete the work.
Teacher Work
The prompt is already posted on MYAccess by the district. I prepare a copy of the prompt for each student, with a reminder of log-in information, and other suggestions, with space for notes or planning.
After students take the test, I will check them (especially those of students who struggle with creating correct sentences) watching for improvement.
Materials
computer student lab with access to the internet
handout with a copy of the prompt, other information and reminders, and room for notes and planning
Instructional Planning Guide -Lesson 6 and On
Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 6 and On
Future work will include sentence imitating (based on Killgallon's program) and finding correct sentences and sentence "problems" in the class novel. We will use Grammar Punk (a game of creating sentences) for further practice.
Students will soon go back to the computer writing lab to write another essay -- this time about what a hero is: what qualities make a hero? They will be considering characters in novels they have read as well as real-life people. They will again be applying what they have learned about sentences to this work.
Future work will include sentence imitating (based on Killgallon's program) and finding correct sentences and sentence "problems" in the class novel. We will use Grammar Punk (a game of creating sentences) for further practice.
Students will soon go back to the computer writing lab to write another essay -- this time about what a hero is: what qualities make a hero? They will be considering characters in novels they have read as well as real-life people. They will again be applying what they have learned about sentences to this work.
Creating a Rubric
I designed a rubric that could be used (after we study sentences) to help students look at pieces they've written-- essays, stories, letters, etc. This term we're using it to look at personal narratives students wrote as a district writing prompt.
Find the rubric at http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ Navigator folders, Rubrics, files, Rubric for Sentences.
My focus student hasn't completed the essay test as of this date.
Find the rubric at http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ Navigator folders, Rubrics, files, Rubric for Sentences.
My focus student hasn't completed the essay test as of this date.
Individual Accommodation Plan
Teacher: Claudia Dorsey
Student: K.C.
Unit Title: Sentenced: Creating Complete, Correct Sentences
Grade Level: 7th
Term 4, 2009
Individual Student Position: K.C. is one of the main reasons I'm doing the unit with the students. He has great ideas and has a poetic bent to his writing, but has not had a sense of sentence boundaries, and didn't know how to create effective sentences. He has a good command of speaking English, and has a large vocabulary with an unusually strong interest in words, but struggles with expressing his thoughts clearly in writing.
K.C. can meet all of the objects for the unit, with help. This term especially, his attitude toward school has deteriorated because he's trying to please certain friends who are anti-school. He has been open with me about this decision he's making, so I'm hoping we can continue to work together so he can succeed.
1) K.C will be able to identify and create complete sentences with a subject and a predicate.
2) K.C. will begin to identify and use phrases, and dependent and independent clauses.
3) K.C. will identify and begin to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
4) K.C. will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) K.C. will work with partners, small groups, and his class to learn about sentences.
2) K.C. will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for K.C. , including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
2) K.C will be better able to communicate because he will better understand sentence structures as he writes and reads and listens.
Assessment:
K.C. will participate in the same assessments as the other students.
Working with a partner who has a stronger understanding of sentence structure will, I hope, help him. K.C. brings tot he partnership strength in vocabulary.
All of the students have until a week before the end of the term to complete and revise most of the work. I am giving K.C. and a few other students extra time on the writing test which for most of the students allows only one hour.
Cognitive: K.C. will be able to discuss and show in quizzes that he understand concepts and rules behind creating correct sentences. He will also use these concepts and rules in his written work for class.
Social/Affective: K.C. will work cooperatively (and sometimes competitively) with other students in his class, and with the teacher.
Linguistic: K.C. will be able to discuss and show in quizzes that he understand concepts and rules behind creating correct sentences. He will also use these concepts and rules in his written work for class.
Student Work:
K.C. will complete the same work as the other students in English class. This work will be reinforced in READ180 class, and K.C. is specifically invited to participate in our CaveTime interventions up to four days a week.
Teacher Work:
For the most part, this will be the same as for the rest of the students.
I am paying particular attention to K.C. and a few other students who have similar problems with sentences.
I am looking extra closely at their work and taking time to discuss with those students their writing.
I am available to K.C. and other students during CaveTime.
Student: K.C.
Unit Title: Sentenced: Creating Complete, Correct Sentences
Grade Level: 7th
Term 4, 2009
Individual Student Position: K.C. is one of the main reasons I'm doing the unit with the students. He has great ideas and has a poetic bent to his writing, but has not had a sense of sentence boundaries, and didn't know how to create effective sentences. He has a good command of speaking English, and has a large vocabulary with an unusually strong interest in words, but struggles with expressing his thoughts clearly in writing.
K.C. can meet all of the objects for the unit, with help. This term especially, his attitude toward school has deteriorated because he's trying to please certain friends who are anti-school. He has been open with me about this decision he's making, so I'm hoping we can continue to work together so he can succeed.
Goals
Cognitive:1) K.C will be able to identify and create complete sentences with a subject and a predicate.
2) K.C. will begin to identify and use phrases, and dependent and independent clauses.
3) K.C. will identify and begin to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
4) K.C. will know and use several ways to correct sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma-splices.
Social/Affective:
1) K.C. will work with partners, small groups, and his class to learn about sentences.
2) K.C. will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.
Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for K.C. , including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.
2) K.C will be better able to communicate because he will better understand sentence structures as he writes and reads and listens.
Assessment:
K.C. will participate in the same assessments as the other students.
Working with a partner who has a stronger understanding of sentence structure will, I hope, help him. K.C. brings tot he partnership strength in vocabulary.
All of the students have until a week before the end of the term to complete and revise most of the work. I am giving K.C. and a few other students extra time on the writing test which for most of the students allows only one hour.
Cognitive: K.C. will be able to discuss and show in quizzes that he understand concepts and rules behind creating correct sentences. He will also use these concepts and rules in his written work for class.
Social/Affective: K.C. will work cooperatively (and sometimes competitively) with other students in his class, and with the teacher.
Linguistic: K.C. will be able to discuss and show in quizzes that he understand concepts and rules behind creating correct sentences. He will also use these concepts and rules in his written work for class.
Student Work:
K.C. will complete the same work as the other students in English class. This work will be reinforced in READ180 class, and K.C. is specifically invited to participate in our CaveTime interventions up to four days a week.
Teacher Work:
For the most part, this will be the same as for the rest of the students.
I am paying particular attention to K.C. and a few other students who have similar problems with sentences.
I am looking extra closely at their work and taking time to discuss with those students their writing.
I am available to K.C. and other students during CaveTime.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A Variety of Assessments -- Brief Notes
A Variety of Assessments -- from Assessment for Linguistically Diverse Students: Instructional Guide (BEEDE), pages 4:9 -- 4:33
1. Minute Paper – sometimes used as exit slips
2. Categorizing Grid -- Do Word Sorts fit into this category?
3. Misconception/Preconception Check -- (Example of questions for my sentence unit: How do I know when I have a complete sentence/How do I recognize a complete sentence? How do I know when and how to capitalize and end punctuate a sentence? How do I know when to put a comma in a sentence?)
4. Student-Generated Test Questions --
Provide information on
a. what students consider the most important or memorable,
b. what they understand as fair and useful questions,
c. how well they can answer the questions they have posed.
5. RSQC2 -- This could be used after reading a selection, or to review what was done in a previous class. Allow about 8 to 12 minutes for this assessment activity.
R = recall
S = summarize -- in one sentence
Q = write down one or two unanswered questions
C = connect -- what was learned in the previous class to overall goals of the course
C = comment -- evaluate with a statement such as "I enjoyed the most. . . or . . . the least."
6. Rotating Trio Exchange -- Using questions with no right or wrong answers.
Put students in threes, assign each a number. Students discuss a question. Numbers rotate. Students again discuss in new sets of three, etc.
7. Total Physical Response -- Elementary (or truly novice language learners)
8. Physical Self-Assessment -- (Can also be used a a "physical continuum" or as "corners") --
Students self-assess, and physically move to show their attitude or level of understanding.
9. Reciprocal Teaching: Reading Strategies at Work --
Teacher prepares reading passages -- unfamiliar but interesting to the students -- overheads and individual copies for students --
Student purposes for reading:
a) summarize
b) ask questions to clarify
c) predict
= Teacher models
= Student volunteers model
= Practice
= Students work in small groups, reading and using the three strategies
10. Stop/Draw/Retell -- elementary
= Students fold a piece of paper to divide it into eight sections.
= After each section of a pre-divided story, the students draw a picture (visualizing the story) on one section of the pre-divided page.
= Students use their drawings to retell the story.
11. Self-Assessment: Keeping a Language Learning Log --
= Discuss the meaning of self-assessment.
= Explain what a learning log is.
= All write during the specified time.
= At the end of the week, students evaluate their progress of the week.
You can give three types of feedback -- Cheerleading (celebrate success), Instructional (suggest strategies or materials), and Reality-Check (setting realistic expectations)
12. How Many Words Is a Picture Really Worth? (to assess lexical strengths and weaknesses) -- like Pictionary
= Students draw "study" words from a hat or box.
= A designated "drawer" tries to get the other students on his or her team to guess the word by drawing on the board for no more than one minute.(May not use numbers, letters, or vocal clues.) Another student writes all answers on the board.
= Discuss the options and categorize them.
13. Pair Work Face-to-Face
(Students can show ability to use descriptive adjectives and phrases.)
-- Have students number off and break into pairs of odd and even numbers.
-- Odd desks set up so backs are to blackboard. Even face partners.
-- Teacher writes a word on the board -- Even students must describe the word to their partner without using gestures. (You could also limit words they can use.)
-- Students switch seats after several words.
14. Instant Assessment --
-- Each student recieves a set of responder cards -- letters A, B, C, D for multiple choice, T or F for true/false questions, or numerical ratings 1-5 [or you could have the students write answers on paper or small whiteboads].
-- Teacher prepares statements to which students can respond.
-- Can ask a few students to share reasons for their choices.
15. Numbered Heads Together -
l Students are divided into groups of four.
l Students number off 1-4.
l The teacher asks a question, and students discuss within teacher set time limit.
l Group makes sure every member knows the answer.
l Teacher calls a number. For whatever number she calls, the students of that number give the answer.
l Teacher could ask another number group to elaborate on the answer.
16. Team Quiz –
Select a topic that can be presented in three segments.
Divide students into three teams.
Explain procedure.
Presentation, Part 1 -- (Limit presentation to 10 minutes or less.)
For 5 minutes have team A prepare a short answer quiz.
Teams B and C should use this time to review their notes.
Team A quizzes Team B. If Team B can’t get the answer, Team C gets a shot. Next question goes to Team C.
Presentation, Part 2 -- (Limit presentation to 10 minutes or less.)
Team B becomes quizmaster.
Presentation, Part 3 -- (Limit presentation to 10 minutes or less.)
Team C becomes quizmaster.
17. Rally Toss – quick review of simple factual material –
students divide into pairs or small groups
each pair or group has a ball
sit facing each other
first tosses ball and asks question – second answers as catches ball
second tosses and asks – continues on
(must generate questions and answers on the spot) (could use for antonyms, synonyms, prefixes, suffixes, homophones, etc.)
18. Carousel Brainstorming –
-- Divide class into numbered teams (up to four)
-- Give each a different colored marker.
-- large sheets of paper posted around the room – number to correspond with the number of groups
-- Groups start with their corresponding number – answer the question on the paper
-- Each group has students with these duties: reader, recorder, checker, reporter
-- Allow three to four minutes to respond
-- Move through activity until each group has had an opportunity to respond.
__ When have responded to the last paper – stop, let reporter present ideas from paper to the entire class.
-- (allow words or pictures)
19. Background Knowledge Probe --
short, simple questionnaires
used at the beginning of class, or a unit, etc.
teacher identifies something they already know about the subject – lead into less familiar areas where they might have misconceptions or knowledge-gaps
Open-ended questions on blackboard or hand out short questionnaire --
20. Focused Listing – single important term, name, or concept (The teacher can do this first, then decide if the term or concept is important enough to have the students do the same activity for it.)
1. At the top of a page, write the word or phrase for an important term or concept.
2. Set a time limit, or a limit on the number of items you will write, or both.
3. Adhering to the limit or limits, make a list of important words or phrases that are related to or part of the heading.
4. Look over the list quickly, adding any words or phrases you've left out.
21. Empty Outlines --
Teacher work:
1) Create an outline of a lecture, presentation, discussion, or reading.
2) Decide if you want students to supply main topics, main subtopics, or supporting details.
3) The students are to complete the form from memory. (No more than ten items.)
4) Tell the students how much time they have and what kinds of responses are required:
words, short phrases, or brief sentences.
5) Announce the purpose of the assessment, and the time when students will receive feedback on their responses.
22. One-Sentence Summary --
Teacher work:
1) Select an important topic or work that students have recently studied.
2) For that topic or work, answer the questions:
"Who did/does what to whom? When? Where? How? Why?"
3) Turn your answers into a grammatical sentence that follows the WDWWWWHW pattern. Note how long this second step takes.
4) Allow your student up to twice as much time as it took you to carry out the task, and give them clear directions on the One-Sentence Summary technique before you announce the topic to be summarized.
23. Word Journal -- [The directions for this given in the BEEDE materials need to be revised.]
1) Select a short text students will be assigned to read.
2) Decide which aspect of the text you want students to focus on: main theme, central conflict or problem, or core metaphor.
3) Summarize the short text in a single word. Then write a paragraph or two explaining why you chose that particular word to summarize the text.
4) Prepare directions for the students, and try following your own directions.
5) If you find the process thought-provoking, prepare the assignment for your class.
6) Tell the students that the choice of a specific word is less important than the quality of the explanation for that choice. Give them some ideas about what their explanations should contain, and inform them that the words they select must be connected to their interpretations of the text.
24. Assessment Collage --
1) Gather magazines, scissors, marking pens, and glue or tape.
2) Ask students to create a collage that communicates their understanding relative to a recently completed unit or chapter.
3) Instruct students to write an explanation on the back of their collage that clearly describes the various elements of the collage and how they relate to course content.
4) Have students give short individual presentations to their classmates explaining their collage and how it represents their learning. Or you could create a gallery of the collages for the students to tour.
-- Or you could have students create team collages.
25. Learning Tournament --
1) Divide students into equal-sized teams of 2-8 members.
2) Provide teams with material to study together.
3) Develop easy-to score questions (Multiple choice, true-false, etc) that test comprehension and/or recall of the materials.
4) "Round One": Give a portion of the questions to the students. Each student must answer the questions individually.
5) Provide answers to the round one questions and ask students to count number answered correctly. Have them pool their scores to obtain a team score. Announce team scores.
6) Teams study again for the second round. Ask more questions as "Round Two." Teams again pool scores and add to round one score.
7) Have as many rounds as you wish with a team study session between each. (Time needed: twenty minutes or more.)
-- You could penalize wrong answers by assigning -2 or -3.
-- The tournament could also be based on the performance of skills.
1. Minute Paper – sometimes used as exit slips
2. Categorizing Grid -- Do Word Sorts fit into this category?
3. Misconception/Preconception Check -- (Example of questions for my sentence unit: How do I know when I have a complete sentence/How do I recognize a complete sentence? How do I know when and how to capitalize and end punctuate a sentence? How do I know when to put a comma in a sentence?)
4. Student-Generated Test Questions --
Provide information on
a. what students consider the most important or memorable,
b. what they understand as fair and useful questions,
c. how well they can answer the questions they have posed.
5. RSQC2 -- This could be used after reading a selection, or to review what was done in a previous class. Allow about 8 to 12 minutes for this assessment activity.
R = recall
S = summarize -- in one sentence
Q = write down one or two unanswered questions
C = connect -- what was learned in the previous class to overall goals of the course
C = comment -- evaluate with a statement such as "I enjoyed the most. . . or . . . the least."
6. Rotating Trio Exchange -- Using questions with no right or wrong answers.
Put students in threes, assign each a number. Students discuss a question. Numbers rotate. Students again discuss in new sets of three, etc.
7. Total Physical Response -- Elementary (or truly novice language learners)
8. Physical Self-Assessment -- (Can also be used a a "physical continuum" or as "corners") --
Students self-assess, and physically move to show their attitude or level of understanding.
9. Reciprocal Teaching: Reading Strategies at Work --
Teacher prepares reading passages -- unfamiliar but interesting to the students -- overheads and individual copies for students --
Student purposes for reading:
a) summarize
b) ask questions to clarify
c) predict
= Teacher models
= Student volunteers model
= Practice
= Students work in small groups, reading and using the three strategies
10. Stop/Draw/Retell -- elementary
= Students fold a piece of paper to divide it into eight sections.
= After each section of a pre-divided story, the students draw a picture (visualizing the story) on one section of the pre-divided page.
= Students use their drawings to retell the story.
11. Self-Assessment: Keeping a Language Learning Log --
= Discuss the meaning of self-assessment.
= Explain what a learning log is.
= All write during the specified time.
= At the end of the week, students evaluate their progress of the week.
You can give three types of feedback -- Cheerleading (celebrate success), Instructional (suggest strategies or materials), and Reality-Check (setting realistic expectations)
12. How Many Words Is a Picture Really Worth? (to assess lexical strengths and weaknesses) -- like Pictionary
= Students draw "study" words from a hat or box.
= A designated "drawer" tries to get the other students on his or her team to guess the word by drawing on the board for no more than one minute.(May not use numbers, letters, or vocal clues.) Another student writes all answers on the board.
= Discuss the options and categorize them.
13. Pair Work Face-to-Face
(Students can show ability to use descriptive adjectives and phrases.)
-- Have students number off and break into pairs of odd and even numbers.
-- Odd desks set up so backs are to blackboard. Even face partners.
-- Teacher writes a word on the board -- Even students must describe the word to their partner without using gestures. (You could also limit words they can use.)
-- Students switch seats after several words.
14. Instant Assessment --
-- Each student recieves a set of responder cards -- letters A, B, C, D for multiple choice, T or F for true/false questions, or numerical ratings 1-5 [or you could have the students write answers on paper or small whiteboads].
-- Teacher prepares statements to which students can respond.
-- Can ask a few students to share reasons for their choices.
15. Numbered Heads Together -
l Students are divided into groups of four.
l Students number off 1-4.
l The teacher asks a question, and students discuss within teacher set time limit.
l Group makes sure every member knows the answer.
l Teacher calls a number. For whatever number she calls, the students of that number give the answer.
l Teacher could ask another number group to elaborate on the answer.
16. Team Quiz –
Select a topic that can be presented in three segments.
Divide students into three teams.
Explain procedure.
Presentation, Part 1 -- (Limit presentation to 10 minutes or less.)
For 5 minutes have team A prepare a short answer quiz.
Teams B and C should use this time to review their notes.
Team A quizzes Team B. If Team B can’t get the answer, Team C gets a shot. Next question goes to Team C.
Presentation, Part 2 -- (Limit presentation to 10 minutes or less.)
Team B becomes quizmaster.
Presentation, Part 3 -- (Limit presentation to 10 minutes or less.)
Team C becomes quizmaster.
17. Rally Toss – quick review of simple factual material –
students divide into pairs or small groups
each pair or group has a ball
sit facing each other
first tosses ball and asks question – second answers as catches ball
second tosses and asks – continues on
(must generate questions and answers on the spot) (could use for antonyms, synonyms, prefixes, suffixes, homophones, etc.)
18. Carousel Brainstorming –
-- Divide class into numbered teams (up to four)
-- Give each a different colored marker.
-- large sheets of paper posted around the room – number to correspond with the number of groups
-- Groups start with their corresponding number – answer the question on the paper
-- Each group has students with these duties: reader, recorder, checker, reporter
-- Allow three to four minutes to respond
-- Move through activity until each group has had an opportunity to respond.
__ When have responded to the last paper – stop, let reporter present ideas from paper to the entire class.
-- (allow words or pictures)
19. Background Knowledge Probe --
short, simple questionnaires
used at the beginning of class, or a unit, etc.
teacher identifies something they already know about the subject – lead into less familiar areas where they might have misconceptions or knowledge-gaps
Open-ended questions on blackboard or hand out short questionnaire --
20. Focused Listing – single important term, name, or concept (The teacher can do this first, then decide if the term or concept is important enough to have the students do the same activity for it.)
1. At the top of a page, write the word or phrase for an important term or concept.
2. Set a time limit, or a limit on the number of items you will write, or both.
3. Adhering to the limit or limits, make a list of important words or phrases that are related to or part of the heading.
4. Look over the list quickly, adding any words or phrases you've left out.
21. Empty Outlines --
Teacher work:
1) Create an outline of a lecture, presentation, discussion, or reading.
2) Decide if you want students to supply main topics, main subtopics, or supporting details.
3) The students are to complete the form from memory. (No more than ten items.)
4) Tell the students how much time they have and what kinds of responses are required:
words, short phrases, or brief sentences.
5) Announce the purpose of the assessment, and the time when students will receive feedback on their responses.
22. One-Sentence Summary --
Teacher work:
1) Select an important topic or work that students have recently studied.
2) For that topic or work, answer the questions:
"Who did/does what to whom? When? Where? How? Why?"
3) Turn your answers into a grammatical sentence that follows the WDWWWWHW pattern. Note how long this second step takes.
4) Allow your student up to twice as much time as it took you to carry out the task, and give them clear directions on the One-Sentence Summary technique before you announce the topic to be summarized.
23. Word Journal -- [The directions for this given in the BEEDE materials need to be revised.]
1) Select a short text students will be assigned to read.
2) Decide which aspect of the text you want students to focus on: main theme, central conflict or problem, or core metaphor.
3) Summarize the short text in a single word. Then write a paragraph or two explaining why you chose that particular word to summarize the text.
4) Prepare directions for the students, and try following your own directions.
5) If you find the process thought-provoking, prepare the assignment for your class.
6) Tell the students that the choice of a specific word is less important than the quality of the explanation for that choice. Give them some ideas about what their explanations should contain, and inform them that the words they select must be connected to their interpretations of the text.
24. Assessment Collage --
1) Gather magazines, scissors, marking pens, and glue or tape.
2) Ask students to create a collage that communicates their understanding relative to a recently completed unit or chapter.
3) Instruct students to write an explanation on the back of their collage that clearly describes the various elements of the collage and how they relate to course content.
4) Have students give short individual presentations to their classmates explaining their collage and how it represents their learning. Or you could create a gallery of the collages for the students to tour.
-- Or you could have students create team collages.
25. Learning Tournament --
1) Divide students into equal-sized teams of 2-8 members.
2) Provide teams with material to study together.
3) Develop easy-to score questions (Multiple choice, true-false, etc) that test comprehension and/or recall of the materials.
4) "Round One": Give a portion of the questions to the students. Each student must answer the questions individually.
5) Provide answers to the round one questions and ask students to count number answered correctly. Have them pool their scores to obtain a team score. Announce team scores.
6) Teams study again for the second round. Ask more questions as "Round Two." Teams again pool scores and add to round one score.
7) Have as many rounds as you wish with a team study session between each. (Time needed: twenty minutes or more.)
-- You could penalize wrong answers by assigning -2 or -3.
-- The tournament could also be based on the performance of skills.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Rubrics
I'm reading the beginning of a book titled Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment and written by Maja Wilson. The forward, the part I'm reading right now, is by Alfie Kohn. Here's an interesting quote: ". . . students whose attention is relentlessly focused on how well they're doing often become less engaged with what they're doing."
Kohn is decidedly anti-rubric. I wonder. . . .
Kohn is decidedly anti-rubric. I wonder. . . .
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Information about an Instructional Conversation
Instructional Conversation
I'm trying to figure out exactly what is meant by this. As usual, I spent too much time trying again to find where in the T.E.L.L. materials it was explained. (B.Y.U. people, an index in these materials would be helpful. And could there be a page numbering system that would be less confusing? This is my third course, and I still haven't figured out how to navigate through the course materials. )
Anyway, I did find some explanation and an example on pages 3:29 - 3:33, and the assignment is on page 3:42 and 3:43, with the scoring guide on page 3:45.
My Plan for an Instructional Conversation
I'm planning to conduct an Instructional Conversation with my target student, K.C., and a couple of other students. My student teacher is reading Ice Story with the students
. This is a new book for our department, so I've never taught it before. We've noticed that there are quite a few vocabulary words that can get in the students' way as they read. So, I've decided on an instructional conversation that will have a useful outcome, as well as, I hope, added value for the students who participate.
I'm selecting a chapter the students haven't yet read in Ice Story. The conversation will be designed to bring out from these representative students which words in the chapter will be troublesome for the rest of the kids. (Often I'm surprised by the words my seventh graders don't understand, so this will be a true learning experience for me!) I believe I will need to give these students some instruction on finding context clues and other clues for what a word means. They will identify words, we'll talk about how to figure out what they mean, and for some of the words that aren't easily understood by using context and other clues they will look them up -- either (there choice) in the hard copy dictionary or online.
Clues to word meaning can be context clues (what ideas, definitions, etc. do you find in the text around the word?), syntactic clues, (How is the word used in the sentence?), or semantic or structural clues (finding meaning in the parts of the word). (Am I remembering this correctly?)
Notes on Instructional Conversation from the course materials (T.E.L.L./BEEDE)
From Annela Teemant --
--the most basic took for classroom assessment.
-- according to Roland Tharp, also the most effective tool
-- allows teachers to determine what students can do on their own and where they need assistance (identifying the zone of proximal development)
From Roland Tharp --
-- grounded in dialog (dia = two, log = discourse, word, speech)
-- must structurally alter the classroom to accommodate instructional conversation
-- conversation is interactive, informal, for enjoyment
-- [It really is a combination of instruction and conversation.]
Goal = Thematic Focus
Assessment = prior knowledge and evidence for arguments
Assistance = direct teaching and language development
-- must have a clear goal
-- brings out what the students already know
-- students are asked for evidence for the arguments they present
-- teacher assists through direct teaching and helping students use more complex language
On page 3:31 is an example of Instructional Conversation.
Goal
Assessment
Assistance
Instructional
Characteristics of Instructional Conversation
Inclusive
-- non-threatening atmosphere (but challenging)
-- questions with unknown answers (open-ended questions)
-- everybody gets a chance to talk
Responsive
-- Student conversations (bounce ideas off each other, those ideas direct flow of conversation)
-- connected discourse (connects to past discussions)
Balanced
-- general participation (students take turns voluntarily)
With classroom assessment learning activities and assessment activities feel the same to the students.
I'm trying to figure out exactly what is meant by this. As usual, I spent too much time trying again to find where in the T.E.L.L. materials it was explained. (B.Y.U. people, an index in these materials would be helpful. And could there be a page numbering system that would be less confusing? This is my third course, and I still haven't figured out how to navigate through the course materials. )
Anyway, I did find some explanation and an example on pages 3:29 - 3:33, and the assignment is on page 3:42 and 3:43, with the scoring guide on page 3:45.
My Plan for an Instructional Conversation
I'm planning to conduct an Instructional Conversation with my target student, K.C., and a couple of other students. My student teacher is reading Ice Story with the students
. This is a new book for our department, so I've never taught it before. We've noticed that there are quite a few vocabulary words that can get in the students' way as they read. So, I've decided on an instructional conversation that will have a useful outcome, as well as, I hope, added value for the students who participate.I'm selecting a chapter the students haven't yet read in Ice Story. The conversation will be designed to bring out from these representative students which words in the chapter will be troublesome for the rest of the kids. (Often I'm surprised by the words my seventh graders don't understand, so this will be a true learning experience for me!) I believe I will need to give these students some instruction on finding context clues and other clues for what a word means. They will identify words, we'll talk about how to figure out what they mean, and for some of the words that aren't easily understood by using context and other clues they will look them up -- either (there choice) in the hard copy dictionary or online.
Clues to word meaning can be context clues (what ideas, definitions, etc. do you find in the text around the word?), syntactic clues, (How is the word used in the sentence?), or semantic or structural clues (finding meaning in the parts of the word). (Am I remembering this correctly?)
Notes on Instructional Conversation from the course materials (T.E.L.L./BEEDE)
From Annela Teemant --
--the most basic took for classroom assessment.
-- according to Roland Tharp, also the most effective tool
-- allows teachers to determine what students can do on their own and where they need assistance (identifying the zone of proximal development)
From Roland Tharp --
-- grounded in dialog (dia = two, log = discourse, word, speech)
-- must structurally alter the classroom to accommodate instructional conversation
-- conversation is interactive, informal, for enjoyment
-- [It really is a combination of instruction and conversation.]
Goal = Thematic Focus
Assessment = prior knowledge and evidence for arguments
Assistance = direct teaching and language development
-- must have a clear goal
-- brings out what the students already know
-- students are asked for evidence for the arguments they present
-- teacher assists through direct teaching and helping students use more complex language
On page 3:31 is an example of Instructional Conversation.
Goal
Assessment
Assistance
Instructional
Characteristics of Instructional Conversation
Inclusive
-- non-threatening atmosphere (but challenging)
-- questions with unknown answers (open-ended questions)
-- everybody gets a chance to talk
Responsive
-- Student conversations (bounce ideas off each other, those ideas direct flow of conversation)
-- connected discourse (connects to past discussions)
Balanced
-- general participation (students take turns voluntarily)
With classroom assessment learning activities and assessment activities feel the same to the students.
Monday, March 2, 2009
"Expert" on Writing Assessment
Becoming an "Expert" on Writing Assessment
by studying Chapter 6 from Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners: Practical Approaches for Teachers by J. Michael O'Malley and Lorraine Valdez Pierce. pages 135-161
Focus: The Authentic Assessment of Writing -- [What does it mean when assessment is authentic?]
Chapter Overview:
- overview of the nature of writing in school
[My thoughts: We ask them to do many kinds of writing. Most seems to be written to the teacher, though there is a trend to having students write for other audiences as well. Writing is done to prove learning, as well as to obtain learning/understanding. Many teachers expect conventions to be handled correctly on almost any assignment. Teachers are also trying to let students have more choice in selecting topics for their writing. Because of heavy student loads, teachers may not have much time to respond to student writing.]
- the nature of the writing task [My thoughts: There are similarities between the task of a native speaker and the task of a language learner, though there may be vast differences in degree of effort required. All are looking for the right words in the right order to express the right ideas. The English language learners, however, are more often looking entirely away from their own background knowledge for those words, and for the order in which they should be presented.]
- types of authentic assessment in writing
- scoring rubrics
- self and peer assessment
- instructional uses of assessment results
- interactions between instruction and writing assessment
On the Nature of Writing in School
Teacher judgment is important.
Writing is judged on
-- substantive information contained in the message
-- clarity of the message
-- mechanics of writing
Teacher centered approach:
-- Teacher defines topic.
-- Teacher establishes criteria.
-- Teacher grades the writing.
-- Students write in isolation from reading and other literacy activities.
-- Teachers tend to overemphasize mechanics and grammar.
New Views on Writing (1996)
THE WRITER
Writing = a personal act -- writers take ideas or prompts -- transform them into "self-initiated" topics -- draws on background knowledge, mental processes -- leading to new insights.
The writer needs to combine PURPOSE or PROMPT with his or her own UNIQUE APPROACH TO WRITING.
Kinds of Knowledge Needed for Writing based on a a shared experience:
1. Knowledge of the content
--- accessing memory of prior knowledge, experiences, and generating ideas
2. Procedural knowledge to organize the content
--- grouping and sequencing ideas to match the purpose of the writing
--- creating goals or a plan for organization
3. Knowledge of discourse structures, syntactic forms, and conventions
For example, is the student writing a persuasive piece, a description, or a explanation?
4. Procedural knowledge for integrating all the other types of knowledge.
"Students need extensive opportunities for writing in which all the types of knowledge are combined as they compose a message for a purpose with a particular audience." p. 137
Implications for Writing Assessment with ELL Students:
1. Writing assessment should evaluate more than just mechanics and grammar. [Amen!]
2. Writing assessment should capture some of the processes and complexity involved in writing so that teachers can know in which aspects of the writing process students are having difficulty. p. 137
3. Writing assessment should look at the context in which the writing occurs.
PURPOSES AND TYPES OF WRITING
Purpose determines the nature of the writing.
purpose and genre --
We need to help students gain control over various genres.
PURPOSE
Three purposes in writing:
1) informative
2) expressive/narrative
3) persuasive
-- Student writing ability may vary depending on the purpose.
-- Student writing ability may vary among pieces with the same purpose, depending on prior knowledge or interest.
Key point: ASSESS ACROSS A WIDE VARIETY OF PURPOSES AND PROMPTS.Genres/Types of Writing include biographies, essays, stories, journal entries, newspapers, advertisements, and so on.
Writing Instruction
Research has shown the weakness of a traditional approach to writing instruction. What students learn about vocabulary, spelling, mechanics, and grammar don't transfer well to new writings when students have learned each in relative isolation.
Process Writing
-- personal interest
-- writing shared with peers, who ask questions, comment, encourage
-- student-teacher conferences
-- editing and revision is done after receiving feedback
-- interactive learning
-- emphasis on process
-- focus on meaning (making meaning?)
-- teachers model
3 stages in the process:
1) prewriting
2) writing [We call it drafting.] [This text includes revision and editing in the writing stage.]
3) postwriting [We call it revision, editing, and publishing.]
-- Conferencing is important in which the teacher meets with the student and they discuss. reflect on the process they have followed. [metacognition] Assessment can take place during conferencing.
Writing Across the Curriculum
"Student who write about topics tend to understand them better." p. 139
"Student write to learn rather than learn to write."
Students use writing to
-- manipulate information
-- consolidate prior learning
-- prepare for future learnign
-- extend or reformulate prior learning
Authentic Assessment of Writing
Two important components in the authentic assessment of writing are
-- the nature of the task
-- the scoring criteria
Overview of this section--
-- guidelines for constructing writing tasks
-- examples of types of scoring criteria
-- ways to review students' developmental level of writing and the processes they use
-- getting students to rate their own interest in and awareness of writing
-- getting students to rate the quality of their own writing [Teaching them 6-Traits Assessment?]
-- suggestions for peer assessment of writing
The PROMPT includes
-- the question or statement students will address
-- the conditions under which they will write
-- amount of time -- resources available -- how much of the "process" will be used -- platform to be used
Make sure your prompts reflect classroom instruction.Provide ample time for students to complete the writing task.
May specify purpose and audience.
-- Give students a say in whether you will offer them a single prompt or multiple prompts from which they may choose.
-- Let them help generate prompts.
-- Choice among prompts can be helpful, but students may spend too much time trying to decide among prompts
Provide students with practice for the types of prompts they will meet on tests [including state tests] and in other classrooms.
[Your prompts should be designed to get the students started, giving them enough to get them going, but not giving them so much as to restrict their unique voices. ]An effective prompt will do the following:
-- invite the desired type of writing or genre
-- engage the thinking, problem-solving composing, and text-making processes central to the type of writing
-- be challenging for many students and accessible to all [a fine balancing act!]
-- provide equitable opportunities for all students to respond
-- produce interesting, not just proficient writing
-- be liked by many students
-- tell the students what will be valued in their writing (criteria for grading)
[The prompts on GoMyAccess are set up this way, with a list of criteria at the end of each prompt.]
Integrated Language Assessment
-- includes reading, speaking, and writing
[I've used prompts such as these while teaching at the junior high, high school, and college level. Another step that could be included is having the students help create the rubric. This also fits with the trend toward using many short pieces of text in teaching rather than fewer longer texts.]
Day Activity Description
1 Reading -- Students read background materials on topic/take notes.
2 Discussion -- Students discuss readings in small groups/modify notes.
optional -- [Collaborate to Create Rubric] [Teacher and students collaborate to create or to revise the rubric to be used for grading .]
3 Draft 1 -- Students write first draft.
4 Review Rubric and/or Receive Feedback -- Students are given the rubric and discuss its applications. [Time for peer review and teacher conferences]
5 Edit and Revise -- Students edit and revise to produce the final product.
Types of Scoring
-- scoring should be defined before the rest of the assignment is developed.
HOLISTIC SCORING
uses a variety of criteria to produce a single score
Rationale: the total quality of the written text is more than the sum of its components.
[This is described as six-traits scoring.]
See also the "Holistic Scoring Rubric for Writing Assessment with ELL Students" page 143.
This one looks at different developmental levels . Actually, 6-Traits Writing also looks at student development along a continuum.
Find information on Six-Traits Scoring at http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/scoring.php?d=9
PRIMARY TRAIT SCORING
This variation of holistic scoring focuses on one or a couple of traits in an assignment, rather than looking at all traits. Or the scoring could focus on some aspect of content. Other features are ignored in the scoring.
ANALYTIC SCORING
Each component is scored separately. Different aspects of the writing may be given varied weight in the scoring. The total score is a sum of the weighted component scores. Measures degree of control over each aspect of writing. See page 145.
Stages of Writing Development
See pages 146 through 147.
The level of writing shown by a student will depend in part on the prompt. This may depend on the familiarity of the topic or the level of interest in the topic.Monitoring Student Progress in Process Writing
-- direct observation of writing
-- conferencing
Strategies for Process Writing
See the Process Writing Checklist 6.4.
[Note to myself: Keep a portfolio of writing samples and assessment for ELL students.]
Writing Conferences
Questions depend on
-- the writer
-- the purpose of the writing
-- the instructional focus for the student or assignment
Issues: time, ways to keep records, what to do with the other students
See page 150 for sample questions.
Written Summaries
Summarizing includes
-- deleting minor details and redundant information
-- combining similar details
-- selecting or composing main idea sentences (Casazza 19920
Students can practice with T-Lists or graphic organizers.
Students can write summariies in dialogue journals and learning logs.
See figure 6.5. for a scoring guide for summarizing.
Self-Assessment in Writing
-- Thinking , reflection, metacognition --
Dialogue Journals
- student writes on his or her choice of topics TO the teacher
- teacher reads and responds -- not to correct student language, but modeling correct language use
-- could be done in a notebook or on the computer
-- five to ten minutes at the end of class, or at another convenient time
-- teacher could keep anecdotal records concerning topic initiation, elaboration, variety, use of different genres, expression of interests and attitudes, awareness of the process of writing.
Learning Logs [We've done something like this called "exit slips."]
Students make entries during the last 5 minutes of learning, answering such questions as
-- What did I learn today?
-- What strategies or approaches worked best for me in learning?
-- What was hard to understand?
-- What do I do to understand better?
Questions to assess learning logs:
-- Does the student define or use new vocabulary?
-- Does the student use content vocabulary appropriately?
-- Does the student identify a range of strategies that worked in learning?
-- Does the student have reasonable plans for improving his or her learning?
Surveys of Interest and Awareness
Students are asked to indicate their attitudes toward writing and to gauge their improvement as writers. See figure 6.6 on page 154.
See the post "Computer Lab Pre-Assessment." I have used this assignment as a beginning year "survey of interest and awareness" for my regular English classes. The assignment was designed to find out about students' interests and awareness, as well as their ability to use the computers for writing.
Writing Strategies
See Figure 6.7 o
n page 155 for a "Self-Assessment of Writing Strategies" for ELL.Strategies in the Writing Process:
Before Writing--
-- topic choice and review, organization [gathering ideas, information]
During Writing --
-- advance the writing toward meeting the original purpose
-- used to overcome obstacles or enhance communication through examples, clarification, and drawings.
After Writing --
-- reread, edit, revise to ensure it meets the original purpose
Over a number of written products with varying purposes and genres, students should use many of these strategies.
Writing Checklist -- SELF-ASSESSMENT
Students need to understand --
1) the activity and what proficiency it requires
2) the steps needed to attain proficiency
3) how they are progressing
Students need to check their own writing using rubrics, with descriptors put into their own words.
See figure 5.8 on page 157.
Peer Assessment in Writing
Student writing conferences
Suggestions:
Make each student responsible for finding out how his or her paper can be improved.
Have students pair up and read their papers to each other. [I like to do this in three's.)
Answer these three questions:
-- What did you like about the paper?
-- What facts or ideas could be added to the paper?
-- What changes could be made to improve the paper?
Students could use a scoring rubric to rate each other's papers.
Vary the procedure.
See Figure 6.9 on page 158.
Using Writing Assessment in Instruction
"Writing assessment can be used most effectively with instruction when the criteria for scoring written projects are clear to the students and when the students see an obvious relationship between what they have written and the scores they received." "Students see the connection between their writing and the scores more clearly with analytic scoring rubrics than with holistic scoring." -- Analytic scoring provides specific feedback.Students should be familiar with the scoring rubric.
** Students who benefited most from being familiarized with scoring rubrics were ELL and learning disabled students.
Anchor papers (papers representing each of the six points on a scoring rubric -- or as in the 6-traits training I've had, at least papers represent point 1, 3, and 6) can be shown to students It is particularly useful to show a student the next highest level on the rubric, then allow them to revise their papers to match what they see in the anchor paper. (GoMYAccess does this for students, with anchor papers available online.)
Best Practices -- to Maximize the Interaction between Writing Assessment and Instruction:
1. Select prompts that are appropriate for the students.
-- invite the desired type of writing
-- engage the type of thinking and problem solving you want to access
-- are both challenging and accessible to all students
-- are sensitive to cultural backgrounds of students
-- produce interesting writing
-- are enjoyed by the students
(Discuss with the students whether they would prefer to select the topic for the prompt from a list of options or to suggest prompts themselves.)
2. Select rubrics students can use.
-- keep the rubric uncomplicated [I have a great 6-traits rubric for middle school/junior high kids.]
-- try out holistic, analytic, and primary traits scoring
3. Share the Rubrics with students.
-- let them use the rubric on their own writing and to use it to evaluate the writing of their peers. -- let it become a natural part of their editing process as they review their own work. [Though they said you should use various types of rubrics, this sounds as if you should have a basic rubric that is used most of the time.]
4. Identify benchmark papers.
-- These are papers you have rated high on the components of your scoring rubric.
[By the way, if you have not taught writing, look for 6-Traits materials such as Vicki Spandel's book Creating Writers or Ruth Culham's 6 + 1 Traits of Writing. Both books provide rubrics and benchmark papers, as well as what you need to know to teach 6-Traits writing.]
-- Use models from both ELL students and native English speakers, if possible.
[I am wondering if there are six traits materials -- rubrics, benchmark papers -- already adapted to ELL students. I just e-mailed Great Source asking about this.]
5. Review how students write not just what they write.
-- Use checklists that focus on Process Writing and students' writing strategies.
-- Don't, however, ignore essential elements of good writing.
6. Provide time and instructional support for self-assessment and peer assessment.
-- Make time and provide guidance on self- and peer assessment.
-- The teacher doesn't have to rate every paper himself.
7. Introduce self-assessment gradually.
-- Students may(?) need scaffolded support in learning to edit and revise their own work.
-- Model the editing process [and revising process].
-- Or introduce one part of the rubric at a time.
-- Help students generate criteria for good writing.
-- Display charts of writing criteria.
8. Use conferencing to discuss writing with students.
-- Ask students key questions about their writing processes.
-- Provide students with personalized feedback.
-- Inquire about the effectiveness of instructional materials or approaches you have tried.
Hint: You could give students rubrics first in their native language.
WRITING IS PRESENTED AS A PROCESS THAT MUST BE UNDERSTOOD AND APPLIED RATHER THAN SIMPLY A PRODUCT TO BE EVALUATED. p. 160
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Writing process image found at http://writingportfolio.net/res/siwp.jpg
Image of girl writing found at
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