3.+Outline+of+Performance+Assessment

3. Outline of Performance Assessment Incorporating the GRASPS concept as presented by McTighe & Wiggins (2004), the “Goal, Role, Audience, Situation, Product, performance, and purpose, and Standards and criteria for Success” are included below. __**Goal:**__ Your task is to write a 3 to 5 sentence paragraph about the similarities and differences between Benjamin Franklin’s life and yours. **__Role:__** Your job is to listen while the teacher is talking, and sit quietly in your seat while you work on your paragraph. **__Audience:__** The target audience is a group of your peers that do not know about Benjamin Franklin’s life. __**Situation:**__ The challenge involves dealing with organizing your thoughts, writing about one topic, and working quietly at your seat. __**Product, performance and purpose:**__ You will create a paragraph in order to teach your peers about the similarities and differences between Benjamin Franklin’s life and yours. __**Standards and criteria for success:**__ A successful result will have between 3 and 5 sentences, focus on one topic, and have a drawing that relates to your writing.

Utilizing an interdisciplinary unit focusing on Benjamin Franklin and writing skills, there are several performance tasks throughout the unit. One formative assessment included in the unit is writing one paragraph comparing and/or contrasting the daily life of a historical figure and the students’ lives. This assessment focus on Georgia Performance Standards, “ELA1W2 The student produces informational writing that: b. Stays on one topic and begins to maintain a focus,” and **SS1H1 The student will read about and describe the life of historical figures in American history.** b. Describe how everyday life of these historical figures is similar to and different from everyday life in the present (food, clothing, homes, transportation, communication, recreation). (State of Georgia, 2008)

The essential questions for this unit are “What are Benjamin Franklin’s contributions” and “What are the similarities and differences between his life and mine?” Students should walk away with the enduring understanding of writing with focus, and a grasp of comparing and contrasting as a way to relate to other people. These understandings will be demonstrated through future use, demonstrating focused writing in future assignments, as well as applying comparing and contrasting to characters in stories they read or other people they read about.

The performance assessments in this unit require students to write a 3 to 5 sentence paragraph about Benjamin Franklin’s contributions (1st formative assessment) and about the similarities and differences between things in his life and things in theirs (2nd formative assessment). After completing their paragraphs students will meet with me to brainstorm adding one detail sentence to their paragraph.

In order to accommodate the different readiness levels within my room, students will have the opportunity to share their paragraphs verbally which is often vital to students that do not write competently. At this level students’ sentences are often a mish-mash of letters, unreadable and confusing, but when they “read” their paragraph to you, it can be translated to show if they have maintained focus and retained the information. The second option students have is to tell a story with pictures. The students are expected to attempt writing sentences, but if this is simply too challenging students can convey understanding by drawing pictures to tell the story. Students will draw 2-5 pictures and orally present their meaning to the teacher. This option also accommodates literacy levels, but more importantly it allows students to utilize their preferred learning styles.

Students will self-assess throughout the writing process. They will examine their work before they bring it to consult with the teacher. They will decide if they want to change anything, add a picture, or if they feel it is perfect the way it is. This self-assessment allows them to take a moment and reflect on the information they have shared. Also, when meeting with the teacher, students will be asked questions regarding what they feel uncertain about or what they would like to review. Prompting self-assessment is essential at this level, but students are capable of recognizing what they know and what they are unsure of.

Being able to do all of these things provides the students with 21st century skills. Writing effectively, maintaining focus, self-assessment, and oral presentation are all skills that students will need throughout their educational careers and also when facing the real-world. These skills, while they may not incorporate technology, do prepare students for a successful future in the 21st century, where written communications are prevalent.