I’ve been planning an assessment this week. It’s a strange process, kind of like writing anything else, but this has a deadline, revisions, edits and will be read by 5+ teachers, 88 students, and all their parents… potentially.
People are forced to read my assessments, unlike this blog. This is the second one I’ve written this year, and I thought the first was a good one. They had to decide who the head of school should bring as a guest teacher: a soccer player, a musician or a children’s author. Each fictitious person had 3 attributes listed on the assessment page and the students were expected to use that information to think of supporting details to argue who would be the best guest teacher. The assessment was written in letter format, addressed to the head of the school. I would deem it successful because the students didn’t freeze on the letter and enjoyed doing the assessment.
This time, we’re writing a biography piece. Initially, I was really stumped but through discussion with colleagues and superiors, we’ve reinvented the assessment process. It’s solid template that I can see myself using for the rest of my teaching career. It’s basically asking the kids to read, plan, and write a biography about one person with notes and a graphic organiser. From a practical perspective, and knowing my kiddos, they will be forced to use this because they have slacker-moments. During university, I can think of many friends and peers who didn’t start an essay or project until the night before. This is where that skill comes in handy: read, organise info, and write upwards of 5 pages as quickly as you can. There’s no time like the present to get these skills down.
Now some of you are saying, that’s incredibly stressful for a kid in primary school. And it is. Thankfully though this assessment is a product of BACKWARDS PLANNING! This is something I really like to have in a unit. Backwards planning is exactly what it sounds like, developing an assessment before the beginning of the unit. Some might say it is teaching to the test. You could also argue it is preparing students for the test along with many assignments later in their lives. This assessment encompasses synthesising information, determining importance, and making connections within a text. That is three metacognitive skills in one assessment!
Another thing we’re being encouraged to do is create study packs, because success is the main goal here and practice does perfect skills, especially in writing pieces such as this one because it is so formulaic. Looking forward, we’re are going to be kicking a dead horse. The unit will be three things: reading, sorting information with a graphic organiser and writing biographies using the organiser. By the end of the unit, the kids will be kicking it too. Not only do I have some slackers in my class I have a bunch of complainers. “No, not work,” they say in unison. I always remind them, you don’t like something at school because it’s either too easy or it’s incomprehensible. I just hope they complain because of the former.
The Leafs
As it stands, with Zaitsev, on my roster The leafs are 1-2 (I'll watch the Ottawa game when I get back from work). I think beating the Islanders 7-1 is a big accomplishment, but the team didn't carry any momentum over to Columbus. Curtis did get a start in net though, maybe that will happen more often, and it's won't be against one of the better teams in the league.It's exciting thinking back a year ago to how terrible the Leafs were and now looking where we are in the standings this year is quite nice because before Babcock they just said the next year will be better and finally after eons it feels like it finally is better. I was listening to Bob McKenzie's Bobcast and Bob was talking about the Expansion draft and who will get picked... that worries me a little thinking about our roster-- I just don't want anybody to go, except Ben Smith.
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