After reading more about feedback, I’ve further developed the use of this formative assessment from a few posts ago. Here is what I came up with:
Introduction
In my eighth-grade Literature class, we write two large essays. And yes, I said we, because I write them too, to model the structure for the students. Before we start the essay, I give the students the rubric, which they refer back to constantly throughout the unit. While that is beneficial, I think increasing the amount of formative assessment within the unit would allow for more feedback, more self-reflection, and more information on what to reteach. Here is the assessment:
Purpose and the Bigger Picture
This assessment will correspond well with the Common Core State Standards that I teach. It aligns with standard 8.1.A., which is all about introducing a claim and reasons logically. This quick formative assessment gives me data to see which students I may need to target for reteaching during our remediation time. This assessment also allows students to analyze if they are on the right track and if they are understanding the concept. While this assessment may lend itself to feedback on the specific task, there may be times when I need to comment on the process of achieving the task as well. Since this is one of the first assessments of the writing unit, students will begin to understand that if they don’t meet this crucial goal, they cannot move on to the next step.
Description
When writing these essays, I spend a day or two on each component. One of the most challenging concepts for my students is the thesis, or in terms of their argumentative essay, the claim statement. It is important to note that the students are allowed the freedom to choose their topic and stance for their argumentative essay, so all of their claim statements are different. A basic, but well-structured claim would be written like: "Smoking cigarettes should be made illegal as it is unhealthy, expensive, and hazardous to others." This claim is strong and also provides the reader with the main points of the argument and the supporting evidence that will be provided throughout the essay.
Pre-Assessment
As I mentioned above, this assessment would serve as the first formative check, to make sure the students and I understand that the task has been grasped before we continue. Before this assessment, I have distributed the overall rubric for the summative assessment and informed the students of the individual goals that we will be trying to meet. We will have also discussed why essay writing is an important skill and compared our goals or learning targets to the rubric for high school writing. The first step in our essay writing process is brainstorming, so students typically have figured out their topic and have some basic logic to support their reasoning before writing their claim. Right before this assessment is given, I have modeled and drafted several examples of a proper claim statement, including getting rid of “I think” or “In my opinion,” as well as being sure to include the reasons that a student might have for their claim. My modeling is very dramatic and repetitive to make sure that students understand exactly how to write their claims.
Instructions and Use
As we wrap up the day’s lesson, I will ask students to get their assigned Chromebook from the cart. I will then verbally and visually (on the projector) inform them to go to their Google Classroom, where I have sent them this form to fill out. I will make sure to tell them to take it seriously. They can use their notebooks to copy their statements and may put their computers away once they have submitted the survey. I will then walk around the room answering any questions and monitoring computer use. Upon receiving their answers, I can quickly flip through and see who has met the task, who may be struggling to come up with reasoning, who may need sentence structure help, and possibly even who may need help with spelling and grammar.
Post-Assessment
The issue then becomes how to give students individualized feedback. I cannot comment back on the information they have provided me, which makes me want to rethink the use of Google Forms. I’ve looked into it and it seems the only way to give feedback on Google Forms is by making the form a quiz, where students get right and wrong answers. I can’t really use that in this instance, as there is no right or wrong answer with every student doing something different. However, then what tool does my assessment get proctored on? A Google Doc, so that I can comment on it? I’ve also questioned whether this would be easier to do on paper, which I do currently. Students write their names and claim statements on a notecard and I write on their cards immediate feedback on if they grasped the concept or not. I believe the assessment is important as a checkpoint in the summative process and achieving one of the first steps, but the tool to proctor this assessment is the piece I am still struggling with. Once I have provided feedback and have collected data on who may need reteaching or assistance, I ask those students to come in my room for our remediation time, which currently occurs three times a week. I sometimes work with students one on one or reteach and model to the entire group. I start brainstorming and discussing with small groups on how they can assist each other. By then hopefully, they have met the target and are ready to continue. In class, we move along to creating an introduction using our claim statement, developing body paragraph structure, citing evidence properly, and drafting a solid conclusion. All of these elements deserve a similar formative assessment, as only in this way will students be able to self-assess and receive feedback. At the end of the unit, students will have revised and submitted their final essay as a summative assessment of their work.
Future Plans
I would love to find a tool where students can fill out a form like this one. I like the questions I am asking and the data that I will hopefully acquire. Once submitted, I would like to be able to quickly read it (not in a spreadsheet) and type a comment back to them that they will then receive electronically. I’d love to leave comments that not only affirm to students that they have crafted the sentence correctly, but also give them feedback on how to develop that topic or evidence even further. By typing a comment somewhere, the students' feedback is private to them and I can request for certain students to see me during remediation. Does that tool exist? I’ve tried researching even just a Google extension for Forms, but there doesn’t seem to be one available to do the task I would like. Is there other software that I’m not aware of?
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Jennifer StirlingThis is my #MAET journey! Thanks for reading! Archives
August 2020
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