Final Project Description

The following assessment ideas have been designed for a unit of literature circles during which English 3 Regents (primarily eleventh grade) students will study different pieces of American literature within small cooperative groups of 4-6 students. The pieces include The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I have decided to focus on this unit throughout the semester because it is the one my students are working on currently and it is one of my very favorites because it provides the opportunity to continue building upon the skills we’ve practiced in previous literature units while, I hope, offering students the chance to get more creative with their final projects while dealing with interpersonal skills and individual habits of mind that have real world applications.

Corroborated by Nitko and Brookhart, I have found that a combination of group and individual projects has been an effective approach to our third major literature unit of the year. It holds students accountable to one another by requiring them to “work together to create a high quality product” (248) but individual students must “have the ability to prepare final reports, interpret results on their own, and so on” (249). As such, I have created both group and individual learning targets along with different scoring rubrics and checklists. By and large, the various components of the unit best qualify as performance assessments, which is appropriate during the second semester after more traditional major assessments were completed during the first.

As individuals, students will be required to produce a log of their personal annotations of the text in a “reader’s journal,” which is collected and graded using a checklist. Also, each will be graded on participation by me and his/her own group mates using an analytic rubric provided in advance. These strictly individual assessments account for 150 points toward the unit grade. Notably, those students not participating at a satisfactory level may be removed from groups and held accountable to additional individual paper-and-pencil assessments.

In their groups, students will be required to submit a portfolio which will include various works, each of which addresses some specific aspect of comprehension or analysis of the text. The selections to be included, the criteria, and point values of each “mini project,” as I call them, are clearly delineated in a grading checklist that is distributed at the start of the unit. Knowing what is expected, student groups will also be responsible for writing a proposal that indicates thoughtful and cooperative planning of individual roles and time management throughout the unit, graded according to a checklist. Finally, group presentations of the various literature circles texts will be shared with the class and graded according to a checklist once again. These group assessments combine to account for 300 points of the final unit grade.

Ticket-Out-the-Door Attempt #2

1. Students effectively manage individual roles and limited class time to prepare a final group product.

This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction because students will need to

· engage in conversations and discussions on academic, technical, and community subjects, anticipating listeners’ needs and skillfully addressing them

· express their thoughts and views clearly with attention to the perspectives and voiced concerns of the others in the conversation

2. Students annotate literature books to aid comprehension and analysis of a primary text.

This learning target ideally relates to all four NYS Standards: Language for Information and Understanding, Literary Response and Expression, Critical Analysis and Evaluation, and Social Interaction. Annotation is a process that can be applied variously by individual students and can provide, thusly, great opportunities for differentiation but, when endeavored by a proficient or masterful reader, it should span all four standards. Accordingly, students will do all of the following with some degree of variation by individual:

· use a combination of techniques (e.g., previewing, use of advance organizers, structural cues) to extract salient information from texts

· make distinctions about the relative value and significance of specific data, facts, and ideas

· make perceptive and well developed connections to prior knowledge

· evaluate writing strategies and presentational features that affect interpretation of the information

· use a wide range of organizational patterns such as chronological, logical (both deductive and inductive), cause and effect, and omparison/contrast

· support interpretations and decisions about relative significance of information with explicit statement, evidence, and appropriate argument

(^ Standard 1)

· read and view independently and fluently across many genres of literature from many cultures and historical periods

· identify the distinguishing features of different literary genres, periods and traditions and use those features to interpret the work

· recognize and understand the significance of a wide range of literary elements and techniques, (including figurative language, imagery, allegory, irony, blank verse, symbolism, stream-of-consciousness) and use those elements to interpret the work

· understand how multiple levels of meaning are conveyed in a text

· evaluate literary merit based on an understanding of the genre, the literary elements, and the literary period and tradition

· present responses to and interpretations of works of recognized literary merit with references to the principal features of the genre, the period, and literary tradition, and drawing on their personal experiences and knowledge

(^ Standard 2)

· make precise determinations about the perspective of a particular writer or speaker by recognizing the relative weight they place on particular arguments and criteria

· present orally and in writing well-developed analyses of issues, ideas, and texts, explaining the rationale for their positions and analyzing their positions from a variety of perspectives in such forms as formal speeches, debates, thesis/support papers, literary critiques, and issues analyses

· make effective use of details, evidence, and arguments and of presentational strategies to influence an audience to adopt their position

(^ Standard 3)

· engage in conversations and discussions on academic, technical, and community subjects, anticipating listeners’ needs and skillfully addressing them

· express their thoughts and views clearly with attention to the perspectives and voiced concerns of the others in the conversation

(^ Standard 4)

3. Students summarize the main events, ideas and themes of a primary text.

This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression because students will need to

· read and view independently and fluently across many genres of literature from many cultures and historical periods

· identify the distinguishing features of different literary genres, periods and traditions and use those features to interpret the work

· present responses to and interpretations of works of recognized literary merit with references to the principal features of the genre, the period, and literary tradition, and drawing on their personal experiences and knowledge

· produce literary interpretations that explicate the multiple layers of meaning

4. Students use textual information to support analysis of major characters.

This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation because students will need to

· present orally and in writing well-developed analyses of issues, ideas, and texts, explaining the rationale for their positions and analyzing their positions from a variety of perspectives in such forms as formal speeches, debates, thesis/support papers, literary critiques, and issues analyses

· make effective use of details, evidence, and arguments and of presentational strategies to influence an audience to adopt their position

5. Students evaluate the author’s use of specific literary devices to convey the theme of the work.

This learning target best relates to NYS Standards 2 and 3: Language for Literary Response and Expression as well as Critical Analysis and Evaluation because students will need to

· read and view independently and fluently across many genres of literature from many cultures and historical periods

· identify the distinguishing features of different literary genres, periods and traditions and use those features to interpret the work

· present responses to and interpretations of works of recognized literary merit with references to the principal features of the genre, the period, and literary tradition, and drawing on their personal experiences and knowledge

· produce literary interpretations that explicate the multiple layers of meaning

(^ Standard 2)

· present orally and in writing well-developed analyses of issues, ideas, and texts, explaining the rationale for their positions and analyzing their positions from a variety of perspectives in such forms as formal speeches, debates, thesis/support papers, literary critiques, and issues analyses

· make effective use of details, evidence, and arguments and of presentational strategies to influence an audience to adopt their position

(^ Standard 3)

6. Students work cooperatively with peers to prepare a final group product.

This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction because students will need to

· engage in conversations and discussions on academic, technical, and community subjects, anticipating listeners’ needs and skillfully addressing them

· express their thoughts and views clearly with attention to the perspectives and voiced concerns of the others in the conversation

7. Students clearly and effectively present a critical review of their literary works to their peers without relying upon summary.

This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction because students will need to

· engage in conversations and discussions on academic,technical, and community subjects, anticipating listeners’ needs and skillfully addressing them

· express their thoughts and views clearly with attention to the perspectives and voiced concerns of the others in the conversation

· use appropriately the language conventions for a wide variety of social situations, such as informal conversations, first meetings with peers or adults, and more formal situations such as job interviews or customer service.

· use a variety of print and electronic forms for social communication with peers and adults

· make effective use of language and style to connect the message with the audience and context

Learning Targets Final Draft

Based on the feedback offered in class and the comments posted by my professor and peers, I have revised the following learning targets to be more flexible with regard to assessment so that they can be met by various means and tasks.

1. Students effectively manage individual roles and limited class time to prepare a final group product.

• Developmental learning target
• Alter, ask, choose, complete, comply, contribute, follow, help, influence, lead, order, organize, plan, work, revise, solve (Krathwohl)

2. Students annotate literature books to aid comprehension and analysis of a primary text.

• Developmental learning target
• Criticize, define, identify, infer, predict (Bloom)
• Defend, discuss, respond, question (Krathwohl)

3. Students summarize the main events, ideas and themes of a primary text.

• Mastery learning target
• Compile, describe, explain, give examples, paraphrase, recall, summarize (Bloom)

4. Students use textual information to support analysis of major characters.

• Mastery learning target
• Describe, discriminate, categorize, compare/contrast, criticize, identify, infer, justify, relate, select, support (Bloom)

5. Students evaluate the author’s use of specific literary devices to convey the theme of the work.

• Developmental learning target
• Define, give examples, identify, predict (Bloom)
• Defend, discuss, question (Krathwohl)

6. Students work cooperatively with peers to prepare a final group product.

• Developmental learning target
• Answer, ask, assist, complete, comply, discuss, invite, prepare, present, respect, share (Krathwohl)

7. Students clearly and effectively present a critical review of their literary works to their peers without relying upon summary.

• Developmental learning target
• Criticize, describe, explain, give examples, influence, justify, perform, prepare, select (Bloom)
• Answer, discuss, give, help, present, recognize, relate, share (Krathwohl)

My Favorite Alternative Assessment

I have had a really hard time getting started with this favorite alternative assessment post because I've realized there are several phenomenal ideas to consider, many of which I have incorporated or used as inspiration in some way for my own curriculum development. In the meantime, I have begun this post three times, first about a Spanish news broadcast I did in high school, next about my sixth grade science fair project, and now describing a different project we did that same year, which was interdisciplinary.

Our middle school model lent itself easily to interdisciplinary projects because our teachers taught in teams. I fondly recall one project my team teachers designed that started in Language Arts and branched into all of our other subjects soon after. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t remember what it was called but, first, we read a story about children running a society of their own. We then wrote short descriptive essays about countries of our own, which were meant not only to reflect our likes and dislikes but also to address the themes of personal responsibility, government and society that had been conveyed in the literature. We built upon these essays in our social studies class where particular vocabulary pertaining to systems of government and cultural values were added to our next drafts. We also discussed emblems and studied the flags of the world before designing, drawing and explaining in paragraph form our own flags. We also applied prior geographical knowledge to mapping our countries. We were able to work on the artistic aspects of those project components in our art classes, too. Even in Spanish, we were able to continue working toward the creation of our countries. We had been studying some of the major festivals of Spanish and Latin American cultures, and for weeks we focused our frases (Spanish sentences) on planning and describing a festival or cultural celebration for our original nations. Though I have forgotten a lot of the details, I remember vividly some of the products I created for this project, including a flag checked with black and white hexagons like a soccer ball and pretty fantastic salt dough map. My cultural celebration was called “La Festividad de Diversion,” or “Festival of Fun,” and mainly consisted of parades, piñatas, and all-day soccer tournaments. I remember, too, that there was a project rubric broken down by subject area learning targets because I thought it was cool how each of my teachers wrote different comments and grade totals on the same page.

I think that the Create-Your-Own-Country project (I don’t remember if that is what it was called or not) is a great example of a long-term, individual performance assessment comprised of many smaller tasks, all of which were scored by rubrics that fit together into a coherent assessment framework. The creativity, self-discipline and initiative required of students during this process, among other important qualities and life skills, lent to the authenticity of the assessment as well. While after almost 15 years, I have forgotten a lot about this alternative assessment, that which has stuck with me has also become a major part of what I teach today. My senior curriculum is anchored to the concept of Utopia that was first introduced to me during this time. My approach to literature circles, both for these students who read works of Dystopian fiction including 1984 as well as my juniors whose literature selections are not thematically related, is one area of my teaching where some of my assessment ideas are similar to the project I did as a child.

Ticket-Out-The-Door

Mapping Learning Targets to State Standards

A complete list and explanation of the New York State standards for English Language Arts is available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/pub/elalearn.pdf. Broadly stated as “language” for various purposes, the ELA standards all begin with the stem, “students will read, write, listen and speak for…” and continue into more specific titles. Please understand that in the following map of my learning targets to the state standards, I will use only “language” rather than the full stem ad nauseum.

1. Students effectively manage individual roles and limited class time to prepare a final portfolio and presentation on the unit.

• This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction because they will need to discuss and relate to one another prior to composing a project proposal, at which point the application of prior knowledge will be necessary for completion of the written work.

2. Students annotate literature books to aid comprehension and analysis of a primary text.

• This learning target ideally relates to all four NYS Standards: Language for Information and Understanding, Literary Response and Expression, Critical Analysis and Evaluation, and Social Interaction. Annotation is a process that can be applied variously by individual students and can provide, thusly, great opportunities for differentiation but, when endeavored by a proficient or masterful reader, it should span all four standards.

3. Students summarize the main events, ideas and themes of their respective works.

• This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding because the knowledge is generated primarily from the text.

4. Students analyze major characters using a table to organize supporting details from the text.

• This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation because it builds upon information generated by the text and requires students to respond analytically using an established criterion.

5. Students explain how specific literary devices are used by the author to convey the theme of the work.

• This learning target best relates to NYS Standards 2 and 3: Language for Literary Response and Expression as well as Critical Analysis and Evaluation because, again, the information is generated primarily from the text but the student response is what’s targeted.

6. Students work cooperatively with peers to plan and submit a final portfolio that showcases their knowledge and skills.

• This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction because the emphasis is on the process and not the result. While the portfolio and presentation will be built from aspects of the other three standards, the productive interaction between peers is what’s subject to observation and assessment in this case.

7. Students clearly and effectively present a critical review of their literary works to their peers without relying upon summary.

• This learning target best relates to NYS Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction because, again, while the content of the presentation will rely heavily upon the address of other standard areas, the target here is successful presentation.

Learning Targets Draft

Literature Circles Unit

The following learning targets have been defined for a unit of literature circles during which English 3 Regents (primarily eleventh grade) students will study different pieces of American literature within small cooperative groups of 4-6 students. The pieces include The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I have decided to focus on this unit throughout the semester because it is the one my students are working on currently and it is one of my very favorites because it provides the opportunity to continue building upon the skills we’ve practiced in previous literature units while, I hope, offering students the chance to get more creative with their final projects while dealing with interpersonal skills and individual habits of mind that have real world applications.

1. Students effectively manage individual roles and limited class time to prepare a final portfolio and presentation on the unit.

• Developmental learning target
• Alter, ask, choose, complete, comply, contribute, follow, help, influence, lead, order, organize, plan, work, revise, solve (Krathwohl)
  

2. Students annotate literature books to aid comprehension and analysis of a primary text.

• Developmental learning target
• Criticize, define, identify, infer, predict (Bloom)
  
• Defend, discuss, respond, question (Krathwohl)

3. Students can summarize the main events, ideas and themes of their respective works.

• Mastery learning target
• Compile, describe, explain, give examples, paraphrase, recall, summarize (Bloom)
  

4. Students can use a table to organize textual information that supports analysis of major characters.

• Mastery learning target
• Describe, discriminate, categorize, compare/contrast, criticize, identify, infer, justify, relate, select, support (Bloom)
  

5. Students can identify literary devices and explain how they are used by the author to convey the theme of the work.

• Mastery (Identification)/ Developmental (Explanation) learning target
• Define, give examples, identify, predict (Bloom)
• Defend, discuss, question (Krathwohl)
  

6. Students work cooperatively with peers to plan and submit a final portfolio that showcases their knowledge and skills.

• Developmental learning target
• Answer, ask, assist, complete, comply, discuss, invite, prepare, present, respect, share (Krathwohl)
  

7. Students clearly and effectively present a critical review of their literary works to their peers without relying upon summary.

• Developmental learning target
• Criticize, describe, explain, give examples, influence, justify, perform, prepare, select (Bloom)
• Answer, discuss, give, help, present, recognize, relate, share (Krathwohl)
  

"Who I am is a question for the ages..."

I am born to be wild…and to wear strange outfits handed down by two older sisters and, apparently, Star Trek characters. You might say that I am shamelessly willing to make a fool of myself but I think that it is a quality that has served me well in life and made me good at my job.

I am the daughter of a former professional boxer, which explains this picture...

…and this one, as well as my impressive knowledge of all things “Rocky I-V." Yes, even I can admit that "Rocky Balboa" was one sequel too many. I think it’d be fair to gather from this evidence that I’ve been hard on the men in my life, too. I’m pretty proud of that though.

I am a very creative person and likely the only one you’ll ever meet who had an imaginary friend named Godfrey, a native of the Bahamas. The “friend” pictured above was not fortunate enough to have been so memorably named. I rarely make hula-hoop/marker people anymore but those who visit my classroom immediately recognize my colorful and elaborate, usually interactive, bulletin boards, which have become an outlet for my marginal artistic talent and not-so-marginal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

I am a 2001 graduate of Brockport High School, where I excelled academically, sang in the choir and various all-county/all-state ensembles, and played Varsity soccer and volleyball. I must have made some pretty good impressions on my teachers and coaches because they invited me back!

I did my undergrad work at Boston University, where I graduated cum laude in January 2005 and managed to finish early despite changing my major from journalism to secondary English education as a sophomore. During my tenure there, I found my calling while tutoring with a literacy program in a Roxbury project-neighborhood school. I did my student teaching at the prestigious Boston Latin School, which was the first public school in America. And YES…

I became a RED SOX FAN! If my husband can forgive me, so can you. We’re going to the Yanks/Sox game in New York on August 9^th and I fully plan to wear all my Boston “merch” whether he likes it or not!

Speaking of the devil, I do have a new, wonderful husband as of July 26, 2008. The wedding was the best day of my life and I’m pretty sure everyone else had a good time, too. There are MANY more pictures of this event on our wedding website if anyone’s interested: www.vinceanddawn.com. Vince and I are both pretty active individuals who continue to play league sports throughout the year and spend the occasional night out with our friends but, after four years together, we honestly prefer one another’s company over pretty much any other activity or crowd. We’ve become the poster couple for Netflix for better or worse and can make one another laugh instantly with a well-timed movie line or impression—his Christopher Walken can’t be beat. We also do great voices for our dog and cat, Samurai and Geisha, which we know that no one else can appreciate and most would likely mock mercilessly. It’s cool.

Indeed, the past four years have been the best of my life for many other reasons as well. Since September 2005, I have been lucky enough to work at the BEST school district around, my own alma mater, Brockport High School. I teach junior and senior English and have already had many successes to celebrate. I was awarded tenure at the beginning of this school year. This week I got a HANDWRITTEN letter from a former student who wrote a college essay about how I inspired her to become a teacher!

Also at Brockport High School, I have coached girls’ volleyball for the past three years (JV for 2 and Varsity this past season) and participated in many extra-curricular events that help to showcase, unite, recognize and entertain our wonderful students. This March, I’ll be humiliating myself for their amusement in the faculty skit for our annual talent show, Class Acts. If you’d like to attend, please let me know so that I can give you the wrong information!

***

While teaching and coaching and taking grad classes and starting my family, not to mention fronting my very own RockBand TM, "Camarosmith," have all kept me extraordinarily busy and the stress can sometimes cloud my vision of its near-perfection, my life is pretty amazing and I tend to be a very happy person because of it. I look forward to getting to know and working alongside everyone this semester!