Assessment.
In my English IV classroom I try to use a wide variety of formal and informal assessments, which is something that I really like about my class. It is important to use standard tests and quizzes on certain topics, but I also incorporate projects and essays as formal assessments for various concepts as well. When I was in school, all I remember was taking quizzes and tests, and I knew that I wanted to change that in my own classroom because I was not a good test taker, and I know some of my students are like me in this regard. This change was really important to me so that I could reach all of my students, not just my good test-takers.
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For example, on the unit that we did on Beowulf, I chose not to do a standard “big test” at the end of the unit but instead to do a series of smaller quizzes throughout the reading and then a project based on the character Grendel. The students were assigned to create their own image of Grendel based upon the information found in the poem. They were allowed to draw, paint, collage, model, mold or really use any type of medium to create their own image of the monster as long as they found three quotes from the text as evidence for why their image of Grendel looked the way they created it. Now, of course, because this was done outside of class, I had a whole lot of Grendels that wound up looking keenly similar, and I had a whole lot of the same quotes being used. But what I liked about it was the root of the project: searching through the poem to find textual evidence to create their own idea of what the villain looks like, and then getting to use their own creativity to present their idea. After all, isn't this like the whole point of ELA? And, the majority of the students really enjoyed the project, and I was amazed at some of the effort put into the images (think ugly -- yet delicious -- Grendel cakes)!
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Similarly, as our final project for "Hamlet," I got my students to design Facebook or Twitter pages on posterboard for "Hamlet" characters: characters that they had gotten to know and grew to understand over the weeks that it took us to read, act out, and watch the play. I reveled in my students' understandings of the complexities of King Claudius (a.k.a. "Uncle Daddy"), King Hamlet (a.k.a. "Ghost Daddy"), and Queen Gertrude (a.k.a. "Queen T.H.O.T." [That Hoe Over There, their analysis, not mine]) as I listened to their preparations for the Facebook profiles. They carefully (okay maybe that is going a little far) planned Facebook posts from other "Hamlet" characters, status updates, selfies, hashtags and Instagram/Twitter handles as well as designing profile pictures for their posters. We spent several days in class creating the posters to look like the Facebook profiles, and by the end of the project, we had some truly amazing works of art that were accurate and hilarious and perfect (see right). We still had tests on "Hamlet" (see below), but you can have assessments that are more varied and still truly test understanding of the standards.
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"@Hambam, @Lilhamboy" "This nap about to be SWEET!"
"Laertes -- Feeling Sad: Why did our Father have to go so soon? #RIPDad"
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On my more standard assessments, such as quizzes and tests, I try to incorporate a variety of DOK levels (some matching, some multiple choice, and some short answer and essay questions). In my opinion, however, sometimes a “test” isn’t the best way of “testing” your students’ knowledge of the standard or the material presented. I find that some of the best information I receive is informal assessment in the classroom. I can tell pretty quickly during cold calling who understands and who doesn’t, and if even my brightest students aren’t getting it, I know that I need to back up and try approaching the material differently. During group work when I am walking around informally assessing group answers to questions on a topic, it is easy to see when a concept isn’t clear or when I need to address the class as a whole. Overall, I would say one of the best assessments is just observation. Watching the students’ reactions to questions and answers during class (such as during Kahoot) or reading through a quick exit ticket can help me stay on track with the level of mastery of my classroom. See below for examples of above work.
Towards the end of the play, continuous Exit Tickets and Wrap-Up Exercises helped me to know if my kids were lost (or just not paying attention) with "Hamlet."
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The angels sang on the day Kahoot was made. It is such an easy way to informally assess, and it truly tricks the kids into learning while they play a game -- #blessed.
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