PLE #4: Ch 14: Assessment

In the 4th grade class I am observing in Elementary Education 351, the students are learning about using context clues in stories to figure out the meaning of an unknown word. They are also learning about comparing and contrasting.
I would begin the lesson by perhaps giving a pretest involving context clues to see if students know how to use them. I would also have them list similarities and differences of two animals, such as a cow and a horse. This way I know where to begin with my lesson.

Throughout the unit, I would use informal assessments, such as observations of who is participating and who seems distracted. I would randomly call on students so I can see if they are understanding how to use context clues and similarities/differences. This is a simple way to evaluate who needs help and who understands.

I believe working in small groups is very effective. I would assign the students to read certain passages together and to come up with definitions of certain unfamiliar words. I can go to each group for a few minutes and have discussions about the passage and see how they are doing. Afterwards, we can come back as a class and discuss the meanings of the unknown words and how we used clues to figure them out.

Creating visuals was always important to me when I was in school, so I will try to implement this in my classroom. I would have each student create a Venn diagram to compare two objects. In the 4th grade classroom I visited today, they were learning about creatures that live in tide pools. So for this example, I would have students compare and contrast two creatures that are found in tide pools.This way they can see how they are related and how they are different. I can use these visuals to assess who understands how to make Venn diagrams.

An end of the unit test is important so I can see who has mastered the lesson. I would create a test that does not require rote memorization, but rather requires my students to use the knowledge they have gained in the lesson and apply it. This end of the unit test will allow me to see who is ready to move on and who still needs to work on the material.

This is a link to a website called Teacher Vision. It contains sources and links to other websites that have tips for students on study skills and how to prepare for a test. This would be a good idea to look at and create a tip sheet for your students (kind of like what Sarah and Colbi did in class on Tuesday.)