Assessment Photo Album

1. Betty Ukera Reading Comprehension, 3rd Grade Walden University EDUC 6731: Assessment for Student Learning Spring 2011 Assessment Photo Album

2. Why do Authors Write? (PIE) To persuade To inform To entertain

3. About the Unit • The enduring understanding in this unit is to explore the concept of purpose in communication and apply that knowledge in reading, speaking and writing. • Students will have various opportunities to explore different genres to determine the authors purpose. Students will also apply this knowledge to communicate with different audiences.

4. Texas State Content Standards Addressed • TAKS/TEKS Objectives: 110.5 English Language Arts and Reading, Reading/variety of texts. The student reads widely for different purposes in varied sources. The student is expected to: • (A)  Read classic and contemporary works (2-8); • (B)  Read from a variety of genres for pleasure and to acquire information from both print and electronic sources (2-3); and • (C)  Read to accomplish various purposes both assigned and self-selected (2-3).

5. Performance ObjectivesStudents will… • Knowledge:identify and explain in their words the different purposes for which authors write i.e. if the purpose of an author is to entertain, what makes a text entertaining? • Skill/Application- apply their knowledge of literary elements when writing for different purposes. • Product Students will write personal narrations to reflect different purposes for different audiences. • Reasoning/Evaluation- Students will evaluate the events and characters in the story and give their opinion about the author’s point of view and their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the author’s work.

6. Assessment Considerations • Diagnostic assessments: Students will use advance organizers to brainstorm and share possible reasons they think authors write. Students will also preview texts and make predictions about what the author’s could be. • Formative assessments: I will use checklists during informal observations and conferencing to assess students ability to use context clues, text features, think aloud and questioning strategies to guide their understanding about what the big idea is. Students will also use checklists to monitor and adjust understanding of author’s purpose. • Summative assessments: Students will complete a worksheet that contains selected and constructed response items to establish their general knowledge of purpose in communication and write a persuasive essay.

7. Diagnostic Assessment(Gauging prior knowledge)Task # 1: Think-Pair-Share Think • Think about all the stories you have read and listened to, why do you think people write? Do you think all authors write for the same reasons? Explain why in the space below: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Pair • Pair up with a partner. Start a discussion with your partner by asking him/her why they think authors write. Ask your partner to explain in detail how they arrived at their conclusion. Combine your ideas and summarize your discussion below: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Share • Share with the whole class the most important points from your "Paired" discussion. To prepare for sharing, list below the two most important points you would like to share with the entire class: _______________________________________________________

8. Formative Assessment: Task # 1Students’ checklist for determining Author’s Purpose (self-monitoring tool)

9. Formative AssessmentAdvance organizers( Venn diagram) • Name: __________ _________ Date:_____________ Instructions: Use the graphic organizer below to compare the two short texts you have just read. Think about the following questions while making the comparison: • Why do you think these texts were written? • Did both authors organize their information the same way? Provide evidence. • How did the authors help you navigate the text? • How does the author’s presentation help the reader understand the message? Finally, in few sentences, what do you think about the authors? • Do you think the authors communicated their ideas well to the readers? • Do you think the authors are knowledgeable about this topic? Provide evidence.

10. Venn Diagram __________

11. Teacher’s Formative Assessment ChecklistStudents’ knowledge of author’s purpose

12. Summative Assessment: Task # 1 (product) Performance Task Scenario • Goal: We have been learning that people communicate in various formats to inform, persuade, entertain and describe a process to their audience. Our school has just decided to abandon a uniform dress code for the students. Write a persuasive essay to the principal to reconsider and repeal this new policy stating reasons why it may be socially detrimental to some students. Be sure to cite examples of schools that tried following this new policy but had to abandon it because of its negative impact on so many students. Refer to the rubric we discussed in class as you prepare your essay. • Role: persuasive author (“No uniform required” policy will be socially and emotionally detrimental to a lot of students.) • Audience: school administration • Situation: You empathize with the struggles that the economically disadvantaged students in your school will experience if they have to wear their personal clothes to school every day. • Product, Performance, and Purpose: Essay writing. Apply knowledge of author’s purpose to write a persuasive a essay to convince the principal to repeal a new policy.

13. Standards and Criteria for Success Persuasive Essay Rubric

14. Standards and Criteria for Success Persuasive Essay Rubric (Contd.)

15. Summative Assessment: Task # 2Paper-pencil test (selected response) Instructions: Circle True or False 1.There are 3 main purposes for which author’s write; namely to persuade, to inform and to entertain. Answer:True/False. 2. Non-fictional texts like biographies are mostly written to entertain. Answer:True/False. 3. Fantasies and other fictional stories are mainly written to inform readers about real life issues. Answer:True/False.

16. Summative Assessment: Task # 2 Contd.Paper-pencil test (selected response) Instructions: Choose from the options below to complete the blank space. 4. Informational texts can easily be distinguished from other genres because they contain a table of contents and ------------------------. a) A glossary of key vocabulary b) A personal thank you note from the author c) The name of the author and the illustrator. 5. Persuasive texts are identified easily because----------------------. a) They are written to convince readers about a cause or point of view b) They contain a lot of humor to captivate the reader’s interest C) They contain catchy illustrations to stimulate the reader’s imagination.

17. Summative Assessment: Task # 3 Contd.Paper-pencil test (constructed response) 6. Write a short essay to describe three ways in which persuasive texts are similar or different from informative texts.

18. Modification for Students with Special Needs: • As specified in their IEPs and • Extended time to complete tasks • Short clear instructions • Scaffolding in identifying the literary characteristics of the different genres and their purposes.

19. End of Unit Exit Ticket Name_______________________ Date ____________________ Instructions: Please fill blank spaces with the appropriate words or phrases. • In this unit, I learned that authors write for __________ __________. Sometimes they write to __________ but at other times they could write to__________. • Answer: Today I learned that write for different purposes. Sometimes they write to inform but at other times they could write to entertain.

20. Teacher Reflection “Enduring understanding” of learning entails students’ ability to know, understand, synthesize and apply new knowledge to make decisions, complete authentic tasks and solve real life problems. Understanding the different purposes for which authors communicate with their audiences is a relevant skill that students will use beyond the classroom. The assessment tasks I designed for this unit were meant to create ample opportunity for my students to demonstrate that they understand the purpose in communication and can synthesize that new knowledge and apply it in authentic ways. The essential questions I sought to answer through this unit were: 1) do my students understand how to identify an author’s purpose? 2) Can they apply that knowledge to write or speak in various formats to various audiences?Designing this photo album was a rewarding learning experience. I am looking forward to even learning more as I receive feedback.