Holly DeFranco 14.1

14.1        Think of a lesson plan from your licensure area.  Knowing that assessment is an integral part of teaching, explain at least four informal and formal assessments that you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.

In considering this question, I have to admit I’m getting stuck on the idea of a specific lesson plan and assessments pertaining to it.  Although, I have been in a 5^th grade placement for the past three weeks now, I haven’t been able to see the big picture so it’s a bit difficult for me to come up with a complete scenario.  I look forward to next year’s placement when I can witness assessment from the beginning and end of a unit, as well as throughout the year. 

Therefore, as I tried to consider a specific lesson, I decided upon the standard of living and non-living things taught in 1^st or 2^nd grades.  In becoming a teacher, and as a planner by nature, it’s a little difficult to consider planning “informal” assessments if they are to be “spontaneous, unplanned, day to day observations.”  Rather than planning them, I think my responsibility is to continuously be aware of the goings on in my classroom.  In introducing the concept of living and non-living things to the whole group, although I may plan out and have formal questions to ask the students, I need to be aware of my student’s reactions to the questions.  What are their answers to the questions?  Are they correct?  Is there a common misunderstanding evident?  Which students are involved in the discussion?  Are there students who seem to shy away?  These assessments have to be continuous throughout my teaching of the material.  After I have presented the materials and had repeated lessons/ discussions, are all the students engaged and understanding?  As I observe, are there still students that are unresponsive or avoiding the discussion?  I may then plan for a small group discussion or activity and as I walk around the classroom take mental notes of who is involved and contributing.  Be on the lookout for body language and facial expressions that may demonstrate confusion or understanding/ confidence.  All of these types of informal observations are critical in assessing your students.

In thinking of formal assessments, and again if I were teaching the concept of  living and non- living things to 1^st or 2^nd graders, I would plan to engage the students in more formative evaluations throughout the lesson to gauge their understanding and prior knowledge.  Initially, I may have the students work in small groups sorting pictures of living and non-living things.  As they do this, I would walk around the classroom making informal observations but also in checking the students work, I would make a more formal assessment of the planned activity.  As I continue to broaden the lesson on another day, I may have each student create a graphic organizer to be turned in and evaluated allowing for more individual formal assessment.  As a summative evaluation at the end of the lesson, I might instruct the students as they go out to recess to look for something on the playground that is living or non-living and then write a journal entry about what they chose when they return back from recess.

That said, obviously assessment is crucial to our role as a teacher.  We need to be able to know where our classroom and individual students are coming from as far as what their level of knowledge is on a particular subject.  We also need to have goals as to where we want them to be, what we want them to have mastered and how we will get them to that point.  In having these goals, we have to be able to assess them along the way in order the achieve success and mastery when we conclude our lessons.