Assessing_Students

Assessing Students Learning Discipline: Ninth Grade Literature Course: English Writing Objectives: Students will develop a better understanding of characteristics. Students will write a five-paragraph expository essay including introduction, thesis statement, supporting evidence, and conclusion. Students will explain and describe three characteristics of a hero with 85% accuracy at the completion of the unit. Essential questions: • What are the three characteristics of a hero' • What details support the three characteristics of a hero' • What information is included in writing an expository essay' • How do you apply the five-step writing process for expository writing' Background In society, students communicate effectively in writing and conversation to express their thoughts, to demonstrate knowledge of a subject, to defend their position, to obtain, and maintain employment (Tyler, 1949). Throughout education, classrooms establish models of communication designed to maintain order, educate, and promote success. During the first five weeks of school, freshmen review technical writing and media presentation as part of the writing communication scope and sequence (Georgia Department, 2011). “The Hero” lesson plan tackles an important aspect of technical writing, the five-step writing process. The first stage is Brainstorm/Prewriting using graphic organizers to collect and organize thoughts (Peha, 2002). Next is the First Draft, write paragraphs explaining information (Peha, 2002). Third Revise paper by improving paragraphs by adding details and changing/deleting words (Peha, 2002). Fourth, Edit the essay for punctuation, grammar, and clarity. Finally, the Publishing Stage, students write the final draft of essay to share (Peha, 2002). Through their completion of “The Hero” essay, students will demonstrate their ability to effectively communicate and explain three characteristics of a hero by completing a well-crafted basic five-paragraph essay. Assessments Strategies Formative The teacher and students will discuss and define characteristics of people through direct instruction and PowerPoint presentations. Within the formative assessments, the teacher will conduct oral questionings, observations, and think-alouds to assist in steering the conversations (McTighe & O’Connor, 2005). Students will collaborate with others using concept maps or their own form of brainstorming webs to collect and organize their thoughts and conversations on paper. During group discussions, the teacher will walk around the classroom listening to discussions, correcting wrong information, providing assistance when needed, and checking for understanding of assignment. Next, students will individually write the rough draft of the hero essay, edit their own paper, and exchange with a classmate to peer edit. Summative To determine if students have learned the desired objective, students will participate in the five-step writing process (McTighe & O’Connor, 2005). As students complete each step, the teacher will monitor and conduct informal conferences to discuss rough drafts (McTighe & O’Connor, 2005). After the completion of the five-step writing process, the students will submit an essay consisting of an introductory of the subject; three paragraphs defining and explaining the traits a person must have to be considered a hero, and a concluding paragraph summarizing the hero essay. Students will submit a published copy written in black or blue ink or typed on a computer at the end of the unit for assessment. Instructional Adjustments Formative The formative assessments conducted by the teacher demonstrated that several students struggled with meeting the demands and expectations of the objective and requirements. For students who are not following the instructions, the teacher will re-teach the five-step writing process step-by-step by providing a rubric, several examples of different essays, PowerPoint presentations, and peer support. Giving a rubric to students before completing the assignment gives students an idea of expectations, outlines the criteria, and gives meaning to why students need to complete the task (Hunt, Wiseman, & Touzel, 2009). Offering examples of different forms of acceptable and unacceptable essays will also clarify expectations (Friedman, Harwell, & Schnepel, 2006). McTighe and O’Connor (2005) explain that examples and rubrics allow students to more accurately self-assess and improve their work before submitting the work for a grade. During and at the end of each step, the teacher will assist the students with evaluating their own work by asking questions, guiding students to use self and peer revision techniques, and implementing the rubric to revise essay. Subsequent Instruction Before students reach the final stage of the writing process, the teacher realized that more than half of the students did not master the concept of how to write a five-paragraph essay. The majority of the students wrote the body of the essay, but they had trouble writing the introductory and the concluding section of the hero essay. Along with the teacher, the students will revisit the components of introductory and concluding paragraphs during two separate periods (Friedman, Harwell, & Schnepel, 2006). During period one, students will build the introductory paragraph using interactive PowerPoint presentation (song and lesson) and an outline worksheet to fill-in the correct sentences (Naidoo & Searle, 1997; Grancie48, 2009). Students will peer edit and rewrite the introductory paragraph. During period two, students will continue with the interactive activities and reconstruct a concluding paragraph for the hero essay by revisiting the introductory paragraph, the body paragraphs, and the thesis statement. The teacher will explain, clarify, and demonstrate that the concluding paragraph synthesizes and synopsis the information presented in the body of the essay (Friedman, Harwell, & Shnepel, 2006; Tyler, 1949). Thereafter, students will work with a partner to reword the thesis statement, create a clincher sentence that convey supporting details, and construct a new concluding paragraph (Wiles & Bondi, 2007). Incorporating research-based strategies gives teachers the tools and tactics to deliver the most effective instruction to meet the learning needs of students. Providing students with the proper tools and adequate practice to correct mistakes, receive appropriate feedback, and demonstrate mastery of the skill(s) taught. Teachers continue to evaluate instructional techniques that use various research-based evidence to strengthen their abilities and increase student participation. By engaging students in activities, holding students accountable for their learning, and completing reflections will build self-efficacy and increase the possibility that the knowledge and skill(s) will transfer into other opportunities or situations. References Education World, Inc. (2011). Let it slip! -- Daily exit slips help teachers know what students really learned. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com Friedman, M., Harwell, D. H., & Schnepel, K. C. (2006). Effective instruction: A handbook of evidence-based strategies. Columbia, SC: The Institute for Evidence-Based Decision- Making in Education. Grancie48 (2009) Paragraph Song and lesson- Intro to writing paragraphs‬- YouTube Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch' v=ivAvsXeJAqM Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. NY: Basic Books. Georgia Department of Education (2011). 9th Literature/Composition. Retrieved from www.georgiastandards.org Hunt, G. H., Wiseman, D., & Touzel, T.J. (2009). Effective teaching: Preparation and implementation. (4thed). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Ltd. Hye Young, J., & Reifel, S. (2011). Promoting children’s communication: A kindergarten teacher’s conception and practice of effective mathematics instruction. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 25(2), 194-210. doi:10.1080/02568543 Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E. (2004). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall. McEwan, E. K. (2003). Seven steps to effective instructional leadership (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. McTighe, J. & O’Connor, K. (2005). Seven practices for effective learning. Educational Leadership Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 10-17 Naidoo, K., & Searle, R. (1997). Alternative teaching strategies. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 72(11), 13-21 Peha, S. (2002). The writing process notebook. Teaching that Makes Sense, Inc. Retrieved from www.ttms.org Perkins, D. N., & Salomon, G. (1992). Transfer of learning. Contribution to the International Encyclopedia of Education, (2nded.). Oxford, England: Pergamon Press. Sandholtz, J. (2011). Preservice teachers’ conceptions of effective and ineffective teaching practices. Teacher Education Quarterly, 38(3), 27-47. Tyler, R. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press. Viola, H. J. (2006). United States history: Early years. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company Wiles, J., & Bondi, J. (2007). Curriculum development: A guide to practice, (7th ed.). Upper