What am I Assessing?
Examples
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Level: Intermediate (second or third year in high school)
THEME: My Favorite Year
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When do memories make you smile?
Interpersonal Task: Put students in groups of
four or five. Give each group an envelope with the word “FAVORITES”
written on it. In the envelope are cards with categories for “favorites”
such as: favorite vacation, favorite year in school, favorite movie,
favorite summer, favorite birthday, favorite story. Each student
takes a card from the envelope and states what happened during his/her
favorite summer, movie, etc. The other members in the group must
each ask a follow-up question to learn more about the topic. After hearing about the “favorites”, each group creates a list of characteristics of the shared memories that help respond to the question: When do memories make you smile?
Presentational Task: Students will give a 2-3 minute
presentation on the topic “My favorite year.” For the
presentation, the students must state why they chose the year, what
event or events made it special. They must include visual aids to
help other students understand their presentation (pictures, souvenirs,
objects). The presentations can be given in front of the whole class,
in small groups, or video-taped.
Interpretive Task: Students listen to someone from the target culture talk about his/her favorite year. If a native speaker is not available, ask an advanced level language student to share his/her favorite year. The class listens to the presentation and lists what event(s) happened and why the year was selected as the person’s favorite year. This task could be done as a model for the presentational task explained above. In that case, for the interpretive task, students could take notes on several classmates’ presentations, listing the event(s) and why the year was selected as their favorite year.
Integration of the 4Cs
Integration of the 4Cs enriches the learning experience for the students:
- Cultures: Students learn about native speakers' favorite memories by connecting with peers via Skype or exchanging memories via email.
- Comparisons: Students can compare the memories of native speakers to their own.
- Connections: Students can use skills learned in English Language Arts or a Speech class to give an oral presentation.
- Communities: Students can share their memories with their peers in a sister school.
See more examples of complete standards-based integrated performance assessment units.
