Assessment Analysis
While I feel like the pre-assessment and our first discussion of poetry helped me measure the learners' prior knowledge and skills, I feel like I could have had more measurement of how the students progressed throughout the unit. I should have done a quick quiz in the third or fourth lesson where the students had to match the poetic device with its definition and answer short questions of theme, author's purpose, mood, speaker, and point of view. This would have made the students feel as though they were accountable for the information and would have given me a better idea of which students would need the most help or which ideas needed more instruction in order to master our objectives.
My questions of poetry analysis had different levels of understanding - some were straight out of the poem, while others included inferences and analysis. Some questions were multiple choice, while others required lengthier responses.
I first intended to have a post-assessment test, but then decided that the district has a post-assessment test that the students will be given right before Christmas break, so I didn't want to make them do another one. I also feel like the tests do not account for the diversity of students. I decided that ending with an analysis and portfolio would allow the students to use their resources to show what they've learned, as it's more important to me that they can apply the knowledge than that they have it memorized. This would allow me to see which students had really conquered the objectives and which still needed help. It would also involve independent work time, which would allow students who needed further help an opportunity to ask for one-on-one instruction.
My questions of poetry analysis had different levels of understanding - some were straight out of the poem, while others included inferences and analysis. Some questions were multiple choice, while others required lengthier responses.
I first intended to have a post-assessment test, but then decided that the district has a post-assessment test that the students will be given right before Christmas break, so I didn't want to make them do another one. I also feel like the tests do not account for the diversity of students. I decided that ending with an analysis and portfolio would allow the students to use their resources to show what they've learned, as it's more important to me that they can apply the knowledge than that they have it memorized. This would allow me to see which students had really conquered the objectives and which still needed help. It would also involve independent work time, which would allow students who needed further help an opportunity to ask for one-on-one instruction.