EDU 645 Week 6 Learner Performance

 

Assessing Learner Performance

            The purpose of the assessment plan is to have students be able to take the book The Lord of the Flies and write a five page essay paper (excluding title and reference pages) that compares it to a situation in today’s society. During this essay the students will be able to use their critical thinking skills to compare a news story or regime in today’s world with the theme of the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

            The main learning objective is that the students will be able to find the theme and symbolism of the story and be able to compare it to a real world situation that is happening now or in the recent past of the last 25 years. By using literature, the students will be able to study in depth how fictional literature shadows real life dramas and that even today has relevance for us as a society.

            Since this is a four week program the final assessment paper will be due on the Monday following the completion of study on the book Lord of the Flies. No papers will be accepted after this time unless discussed beforehand on the Friday the lesson block is finished. Papers will still receive a 10% deduction in grade for any extension that is granted.  Since this paper will be the first to use in text citations and a reference page, students are expected to make a valid attempt in using citations and reference page. Total points available for this paper is 20 points or 20% of the lesson block grade.

 

 

Rubric

Points	4	3	2	1
Student must be able to write paper on how the book compares to a real world event or regime in the present or recent past of no more than 25 years	Paper compares Lord of the Flies to real world event or regime of past 25 years	Paper compares Lord of the Flies to real world event or regime more than 25 years ago	Paper compares Lord of the Flies to something other than an real world event or regime	Paper does not compare Lord of the Flies to relevant subject matter of any kind
Student must have a cohesive paper with at least 4 comparisons	Paper has at least 4 cohesive comparisons	Paper has at least 3 cohesive comparisons	Paper has at least 2 cohesive comparisons	Paper has at least 1 cohesive comparison
Student paper should be free from misspelling and most grammatical errors	Paper is free of misspelling and most grammatical errors	Paper has very few misspellings or grammatical errors	Paper has many misspellings  or grammatical errors	No attempt at proper spelling or grammar was used
Student should have a five page paper excluding title page and reference page	Paper is 5 pages excluding title and reference page	Paper is 4 pages excluding title and reference page	Paper is 3 pages excluding title and reference page	Paper is 2 pages excluding title and reference page
Student should attempt valid in text citation and reference paper	Valid attempt at in text citation and reference page are made	Valid attempt at reference page but not in text citation	Valid attempt at in text citation but not a reference page	No attempt was made for in text citation and reference page

 

EDU 645 Week 3 Assignment

July 1, 2013

Blog Post

            When I was thinking about my test items I let the objectives guide my way. For example objectives two, five and six lend themselves to essay questions because I am asking my students to explain in detail or put into their own words the book. I am also asking them to compare the story as a whole to an event in the past or present. With these particular objectives I can only tell if the student has learned what I am looking for by having them give me an extensive answer that cannot possibly be covered by multiple choices or true/false.  I am asking the student use higher thinking skills and to use their problem solving skills with these objectives. I am not looking for them to relay information that is memorized or that can be taken from the text word for word (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013). I am looking for the students insights in the book, not the authors.

            For objectives one, three, and four I am looking for the students’ knowledge or objective items. So, with these three objectives I will use fill in the blank, true/false, matching, and even some multiple choice. Because I am looking for a test or tests that are easy to score, but that will show me that the students have read the book, these tests will be able to evaluate this knowledge for me (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013).  In This way I can cover the book more fully with the students, and make sure they understand what they have read and understand the book itself (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013). I can score them quickly and tell if the students are keeping up with their reading and understanding, or if we need to slow down or use different tactics (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013). These tests are not looking for opinions, or higher thinking, or problem solving, just what the student has read and the facts of what they have read (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013).

Reference:

Kubiszyn, T. & Borich, G. (2013). Educational testing & measurement: Classroom application and practice (10th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.



EDU 645 Week 2 Assignment EDU 645 Week 3 Assignment

 

 High school English Students-Freshman Year.

Read the Book Lord of the Flies by William Golding

 

Learning Outcomes

 

1. The students will be able to identify a story's theme and symbolism in it's simplistic form.

 

Test Item: Matching-put the letter of the definition in front of the word it fits.

            _____  1. Theme                                 a. the main character of a story.         

            _____  2. Symbolism                          b. a unifying idea or image,

                                                                               throughout a work

                                                                        c. giving meanings or significance to  

                                                                                   objects, events, or relationships.

 

2. The students will be able to identify the theme in Lord of the Flies

 

Test Item: Essay question- In Lord of the Flies what is the theme of the story? Explain the theme and your reasons for choosing this theme. Essay should not exceed more than one page.

 

3. The students will be able to identify the main characters of Lord of the Flies

 

 

Test item: True/False- Write True or False after each sentence.

                        1. Ralph is the most physically strong on the island

                        2. Jack is a follower when the boys are stranded on the island

                        3. Piggy is very athletic

 (Litcharts, 2013).

4. The students will be able to find at least three examples of symbolism in the book Lord of the Flies

 

 

Test Item:  Fill in the blank- students will fill in the blank from the list of words below.

            Paradise           Civilization      Science            Destruction     Man

            1. Piggy’s glasses symbolize_______________.

            2. ___________ is the symbolism portrayed by the island.

            3. The conch shell represents the rule of law and ______________.

(Litcharts, 2013).

5. The students will be able to write a two page synopsis in their own words of the story.

 

Test item: Essay – Write a two page paper, in your own words on what The Lord of the Flies is trying to say. Use passages from the book as necessary and cite properly.

 

6. The students will be able to compare Lord of the Flies to a contemporary novel or non fiction event.

Test item: Essay-Choose a real life scenario from the headlines past or present and compare or contrast it to the book Lord of the Flies. Paper should be no more than 3 pages long.

This novel will be started after a review of story theme and symbolism.

This particular novel will be studied for four weeks in our class. Students will be reading three to four chapters a week, followed by small quizzes once a week and discussions on what has been read so far.

These outcomes will help the students find themes and symbolism they believe the author used in writing his story. Students will also learn how to compare this particular story to contemporary works of fiction and even current events.

References:

Litcharts, (2013). Lord of the flies: Characters. Retrieved on June 30, 2013 from    http://litcharts.com/lit/lord-of-the-flies/characters

Litcharts, (2013). Lord of the flies: Symbols. Retrieved on June 30, 2013 from        http://litcharts.com/lit/lord-of-the-flies/symbols