Dusty Neibauer
Pre-Assessment -
The
Pre-Assessment I’ve used is similar in structure, content, and style to
the final product: A “Synthesis” essay. Synthesis, according to the AP
Language board, basically means writing formally, answering a prompt,
citing multiple sources of literary merit (be it poetry, essay, literary
nonfiction, fiction, etc.) to help answer / prove the students’ point
of view regarding the prompt. Their first two essays in this style are
the pre-assessment, and what I’m judging them on is:
-
organization, of both paragraphs (attention-getters, support,
concluding statement / transition) and the essay as a whole (paragraph
arrangement, order, introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph)
-
Thesis statement - it should be the last 1 or 2 sentences of the
introductory paragraph, and include an opinionated statement of position
(if it can’t be argued, it’s not a strong thesis - thesis statements
have opinions!), as well as why that statement matters or how it is
accomplished. The first essays are usually geared more toward “How
authors accomplish _____,” as the first units are focused on tone, using
diction, syntax, etc. A more advanced option is to write about why the
literature matters, how it’s innovative or convincing, writing about it
using lenses of literary criticism, etc.
-
Quotation usage - Students must be able to cite evidence accurately and
convincingly (which requires skills in analyzing literature) as well as
being technically proficient with it (punctuating it correctly, citing
it correctly, etc.).
-
Grammatical conventions - I want to know what they can do, what I must
teach, etc. Areas of specific concern are the use of: parallel
structure; appositive phrases; avoidance of comma splices; using
multiple symbols (;:,-), etc.
These
first essays are not required to be a certain length, and that’s part
of the assessment; I do, however, mention this: that when AP graders are
reading their essays, they aren’t SUPPOSED to be biased by length;
however, studies show that students who make it onto the 3rd page of
their handwritten AP test essays usually score, on average, at least a
point higher than their counterparts who don’t make it to the 3rd page.
So, when assigning these essays, I generally go by the same “informal
rule” - that students should aim to make it to the 3rd page of the
essay. I won’t necessarily penalize them for not making it, but most
essays require a certain amount of space to completely convey their
point of view, convincingly, to the audience of informed readers.
Attached
are the first two packets for 9th grade that I’ve used in the past; the
essay prompts can be found on the back pages. Students have been able
to choose between either of the essay options (or in the case that there
are three, all three). The second two attachments will act as the
assessment essays for 10th grade Pre-AP English class; I’ve yet to
decide whether I’ll do one or two pre-assessments for 10th grade, as
this will be the first year I’ve taught it, and I will have had most of
the incoming students in Pre-AP English 9A/B the previous year.
Ch. 7 - Context, Occasion, and Setting (grade 10)
Formative Assessments
The main formative assessments for this unit are in the form of, again,
the synthesis essays, but this time they are for points in their
“Essays” grade scale category, which makes up 40% of their overall
grade. In the pre-assessments, students were given a “sample AP score”
that indicated which grade they’d have earned if this had been for
points. I generally give these more points to sort of “raise the stakes”
as well, so that they continue to value the assignment and take it
seriously.
When working toward writing these essays, we, as a class, as well as
through “think-pair-share” and small group work, analyze and work with
the literature in order to understand its themes, motifs, use of
specific grammar / language in the creation of tone, etc. Then, students
are given a period of 45 minutes to write their essays (which, in the
eyes of AP graders, are considered to be “rough drafts,” but must still
demonstrate a level of sophistication of language and understanding of
the material).
My current plan is to do two of these essays in a row throughout 1
week; then, I will grade their essays as a pair, which will hopefully
provide more pointed feedback that will be more valuable to them, as
they’ll be able to see consistencies and inconsistencies regarding their
writing more easily.
Ch. 3 - Persona and Appeal to Ethos (9th grade)
Ch. 4 - Diction (9th grade)
Ch. 5 - Syntax (9th grade)
Also
included are an assortment of both informal formative assessments and
formative assessments used throughout the unit (as well as others) to
check understanding, conduct online discussions, and foster general
understanding of the materials, as well as differentiate for different
types / styles of learners.
1.
The "swimming turtle" vs. "Landshark" - Whichever one is positive and
which is negative is fine, but one means they feel confident about their
knowledge of the subject and the other is less so
2.
Schoology Quizzes - daily, regarding what they've read / learned for
the day regarding the reading materials, grammatical concepts, etc.
3.
Schoology group discussion - they must both post and respond to a
question regarding the material in an organic (yet online!) way.
4.
Shooting baskets - if one gets 90% on daily work (self-corrected) they
can shoot a basket on my nerfhoop, and if they make it, they get a
lifesaver.
5.
Journaling - measured through informal writing types through differing
styles, this form of writing boosts student confidence and creativity.
6. Submitting to turnitin.com - checks plagiarism, gives grammatical feedback, and peer review is incorporated into this.
Summative Assessments
This
is an AP-style essay in that it combines multiple resources and
critical essays (literary theories of multiple varieties) to take a
position on and issue in The Grapes of Wrath.
It synthesizes them into a cohesive whole, and is the largest of the
AP-style synthesis essays they write (as well as the most valuable).
This essay is worth 50 points in the Major Essays / Tests category
(compared to 20 each for each of the 2 sample essays, and 25 each for
the 3 formative essays) Here is the assignment containing the prompts:
https://docs.google.com/a/isd110.org/file/d/0BzChdz6CxM6oamprYnFoRUtxWFU/edit?usp=sharing
Clearly stated objectives that are tied to standards.
I provide an AP-style checklist that lists the qualities of an essay that corresponds with the number that essay would get.
https://docs.google.com/a/isd110.org/file/d/0BzChdz6CxM6oME4yMXVBcFBhQjA/edit?usp=sharing
A product/performance should be created during this process.
The essay is written during the summative performance; they have done multiple other examples throughout
Cumulative evidence of proficiency throughout the process.
The
multiple AP-style essays as both diagnostic (x2) (20 points each in
Major Essays / Tests category) and formative (x3) (25 points each in
Major Essays / Tests category) , serve as progress trackers, with
teacher feedback on each according to common elements of literary
analysis (knowledge of theme, motif, symbol, etc.) as well as the
grammatical mini-lesson attached to the essay (using appositive phrases,
subordinate clauses, etc.). The links to the example lessons and the
prompts for which the essays are used are here:
Strategies for Differentiation
While
the final summative assessment, as well as the essay portions of the
formative assessments, are not really adaptable in their forms (and
can’t be, since students are writing according to the tropes of a
specific genre and reader in the AP board), the methods I use to promote
understanding leading up to the essay can vary in style and
presentation. I use online discussions to allow students voice in their
learning, as well as the opportunity to “teach” other students according
to the level of their understanding; I also use Socratic discussions to
do the same thing in a live setting; I use live play-acting to foster
understanding of plays; students create multimedia presentations through
various means (video, photography, drafting / building small models,
google earth roadtrip pins, etc.); etc.
I also use a lot of low-stakes writing assignments to help students
push their creativity, feel and build confidence, and have success
multiple times before moving on to a more high-stakes essay.
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