Today we continued working on the assessment of student writing.  Here’s what happened:

Four Box Synectics

As a means of processing our thoughts and experiences with the writing assessment process to this point, we engaged in a four box synectics activity.  The four common household objects we brainstormed to compare with Writing Assessment were:

• Fridge
• Garbage can
• Laundry detergent
• Blender [Thanks to Shab for reminding me of this one.]

Four Box Synectics is a great strategy that, as the linked strategy description explains, “promotes fluid and creative thinking by ‘making what is familiar strange,’or comparing two things that would not ordinarily be compared.”

Here’s the handout we used in class – Assessing Writing Four Box Synectics – and a PDF of the purpose, description, and procedure of the strategy – Four Box Synectics Instructional Strategy.

Assessing Student Writing Samples Using the Performance Standards

After some discussion on the complexities of assigning letter grades to student writing and planning instruction based on needs identified during assessment, we took a good chunk of time to assess the student writing samples you’d brought to class.  Here’s the process we used:

The In-Class Writing Sample Assessment is due on Thursday, 4 February 2010.  Here’s a copy of the task sheet:

LLED 320 In-Class Writing Sample Assessment Task

Please hand in the following 5 items as a part of this assignment:

1. Part 1: Anaysis

2. Part 2: Reflection

3. Generic Rubric for the Writing Performance Standard Quick Scale used to assess the writing pieces

4. Actual Writing Performance Standard Quick Scale used to assess the writing pieces

5. The two Student Writing Samples Analyzed in Part 1: Analysis

Here’s a sample task from last year to show you how each piece of the puzzle fits together:

EXAMPLE of an In-Class Writing Sample Assessment Task

Introduction to the Unit Plan Task

I handed out the assignment sheet for the Integrated Unit Plan. Here it is if you need a copy:

Integrated Unit Plan Assignment

and here’s a suggested UBD template for use in designing your unit plan:

LLED 320 UBD Unit Plan Template with WHERETO

I mentioned that two aspects of this assignment are different from the planning process we’ve already engaged in as per our EDUC 310/316 classes:

• Resource Evaluation

You are to evaluate five resources that you would consider using as a part of your unit.  The criteria sheet is included in the assignment handout.  Here’s a set of resource evaluation sheets from last year to give you an idea of how to approach the task of evaluating resources:

Integrated Unit Plan Resource Evaluation Sheets SAMPLE

• WHERETO

This is an acronym that summarizes the key elements to consider when designing an effective and engaging learning plan.  We will explore this acronym in a future LLED class.

Group Presentation Work Time

Seeing as the first set of Group Presentations are on the horizon, we took some class time to get them sorted.

That’s all for now.

– Lawrence

Introduction to the Group Presentation Assignment

After I modeled the Building From Clues strategy and showed a sample handout, we took time to:

• Go over the task
• Find groups
• Choose a strategy as a topic
• Choose presentation dates

Here’s the task sheet: LLED 320 Group Presentation Task, the assignment rubric: LLED 320 Group Presentation Rubric, and the Building From Clues handout I showed: Building From Clues Handout Sample.  It’s from the Prereading Strategies text referenced on the task sheet.

Finally, here’s the topic and presenter schedule: LLED 320 Group Presentation Schedule.

Student Writing Assessment Task

The goal of this task and the work around it is to improve your assessment skills and to develop strategies for using assessment to inform instruction.

After looking at the task itself – here’s the handout: LLED 320 Student Writing Assessment Task – we did the following:

• Read and discussed the Introduction to the Writing Performance Standard using the 3-Minute Pause strategy.
• Cross-marked a piece of writing by an Eighth Grader using the Grade 8 Quick Scale for Communicating Ideas and Information.
• Used partner talk and whole class conversation to discuss the assessment of the piece

We’ll follow up this class by looking at the connection between the Performance Standard Quick Scales and letter grades and by having you assess samples of the student writing you gathered on practicum.

We’re looking at how rubrics can be useful tools that help guide our assessment.  Here’s a short video that raises some interesting questions about the role of rubrics in writing assessment:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH3PSjh2G20[/youtube]

For LLED class on Tuesday, 26 Janurary 2010, please bring:

• 6 to 8 student writing samples
• A fully charged laptop

See you on then.

– Lawrence

Welcome to LLED 320.  With the K.I.S.S. principle firmly in mind, I’ll be posting updates for this class on this blog so you have a one stop shop for all the classes you see me for.  Here goes:

Seinfeld’s History Class

As a hook we watched an SNL skit involving Seinfeld teaching a history lesson.  While the teacher clearly had a fine relationship with his students, his instruction was weak.  My point in showing this was to highlight the idea that every teacher is a teacher of literacy and that literacy strategies can be utilized across the curriculum to engage students more fully in their learning.

The clip is not on YouTube but you can find it at this link:

http://www.wejew.com/media/977/Seinfeld_History_Lesson/

If you can’t tear yourself away from this post but need a Seinfeld fix, check out this video of 100 Seinfeld quotes:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKsUlf20DF0&feature=related[/youtube]

(NOTE: Bonus points to anyone who can seamlessly work the word “Moops” or the phrase “tall lanky doofus” into next lesson.  Points will be deducted if the doofus being referenced in your comment is your instructor!).

Lesson Objectives

Here are my goals for today’s lesson:

• Preview the course
• Access your prior knowledge related to the teaching of literacy
• Consider the learners in your class and their learning needs

Course Text and Outline

The only required text for this course is Student Diversity by Brownlie, Feniak, and Schnellert.  It is available at the UBC Bookstore.  Here’s what it looks like:

Here’s an e-copy of the course outline: LLED 320.401 Course Outline,  It includes:

• Course Description
• Required Texts
• Course Objectives
• Course Evaluation
• Assignments
• Attendance and Participation

Literacy-Related People Search

In an effort to explore what literacy-related activities you engaged in during your 2-week practicum we did a People Search.  Here’s a How To Create a People Search sheet and a blank People Search template:

People Search Teacher Instructions

People Search Blank Template

In addition, here’s the PS we did in class:

LLED 320 Post-Prac People Search

What The Students Bring to Class?

You’re no longer planning in a vacuum!   You now understand the complexity of the classrooms in which you teach and the creativity it will take to meet the needs of the learners in them.  In an effort to better understand the needs of your students, I asked you to think of a student you taught that made a strong impression on you.  Then, as best as you could, I asked you to create a poster that highlighted their:

• Personality
• Background (interests, SES, etc.)
• Strengths as a learner
• Challenges as a learner

and included:

• a slogan that they’d likely have on their t-shirt
• an alias for the student

If need be – in the fine tradition of Dr. Frankenstein and Oliver Stone’s JFK – I noted that you could create a composite student, a “student” cobbled together from parts of several class members.

When the posters were complete, we took some time to introduce a few “students” to the class.  As the course goes on, please keep these students in mind and consider how the content we’re playing with in any one lesson might help you to connect with and meet the needs of these learners.

See you on Thursday.

– Lawrence