Part I: Philosophy of Assessment Assessment is not a punishment or a trick or even a test. Assessment helps students.

In its Latin root, it means to sit beside. Assessment is our time to pause in our bustling 27-student classroom to pause and sit beside an individual see how theyre doing, where theyve grown, what support they might need from us. It should be measurable, creative, authentic, and accurate. It should encourage risk-taking and the development of meta-cognitive skills. It should never be scary or stress-inducing. The focus should be feedback and communication for the student and teacher. Above all else, it should be aligned with the teachers instruction and objectives. Assessment is not just one thing it can be diagnostic, in which case we see where students stand in relation to our learning goals before we begin a unit; formative, in which we check how students are doing as we teach them like taking your temperature several times a day so you can track the course of your disease; or summative, which typically occurs at the end of a unit and gives the students a chance to further synthesize their understandings and present them to us in a neatly wrapped package. The form of assessment should consider students and the classroom context. Like all aspects of the differentiated classroom, assessment must be flexible. All assessments can take many forms but from scribbled exit slips to carefully wrought and revised multi-modal ensembles, they all serve the purpose of showing teachers how their students are doing. I believe that grading is an evil that isnt even really necessary. Paul Dressel defines a grade as an inadequate report of an imprecise judgment of a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion on an indefinite amount of materials. This definition is rooted in the argument that our current educational system uses grades in unfair ways, to judge students on unclear things. I tend to agree with this assessment. I believe our educational system primarily uses grades to label children like steaks Grade A Prime students can go to college and white collar careers and Select (read: Standard) students can go to frozen pot pie dinners and microwave burritos wherever, no one really cares. One of my number one goals of grading is to promote the creation of a growth mindset. But how is this possible, since Grading = Labeling and Labeling Growth Mindset The key here is to dissociate grading from labeling and install as many growth-minded grading measures as possible. To do this, I will use a three-part grading system with equally weighted Progress, Process, and Performance. Performance is the closest to traditional grading, and relies on the summative assessment to help students and teachers measure the students achievement on clearly delineated goals. Process grades students on their habits of mind and work and can be evaluated through teacher observation during independent and group working time in class, as well as other behaviors, such as turning assignments in on time. Progress is best mapped through growth in formative assessments. In this three-part system, students who are farther behind in relation to a certain learning goal might get a low grade in performance, but higher grades in process and progress. Inversely, students who started the unit with mastery of the learning goals would not be disproportionately rewarded for laziness and stagnation. Part II: Critical Learning and Specific Learning Objectives

Cognitive 1. The student will understand that surprise is rooted in the unexpected a. The student will explore the relationship between context and surprise (Lessons 4, 6, 9) Non-Cognitive 2. The student will cultivate a level of comfort with uncertainty a. The student will be able to rely on himself or other students for answers, instead of asking the teacher immediately. (Lessons 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12) b. The student will seek challenge continually (Lessons 6, 7, 12) Performative 3. The student will be able to use a variety of prewriting strategies a. The student will use graphic organizers to generate and organize ideas (Lessons 7, 8) 4. The student will be able to analyze and evaluate cause and effect relationships and their impact on surprise a. The student will explore surprise in their own life and lives of people they know (Lessons 4, 5) b. The student will know the definitions of cause and effect and surprise (Lessons 5, 6, 7, 8) c. The student will analyze how texts set up unexpected moments (Lessons 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) d. The student will be able to create cause-and-effect chains to depict the connection between events. (Lessons 5, 7) 5. The student will be able to write a memoir incorporating cause and effect and surprise a. The student will be able to establish a central idea and organization (Lessons 9, 10, 11) 6. The student will be able to read, analyze, and discuss a variety of texts a. The student will be able to make, confirm, and revise predictions (Lessons 4, 5) b. The student will be able to define and identify essential traits of a memoir (Lessons 6, 7) SOLs 6.4 The student will read and learn the meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases within authentic texts. (Lesson 5) c) Use context and sentence structure to determine meanings and differentiate among multiple meanings of words. (Lesson 5) e) Use word-reference materials. (Lesson 5) 6.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry. b) Make, confirm, and revise predictions. (Lessons 4, 5) d) Describe cause and effect relationships and their impact on plot. (Lesson 5) 6.7 The student will write narration, description, exposition, and persuasion. b) Use a variety of prewriting strategies including graphic organizers to generate and organize ideas. (Lesson 8)

d) Establish a central idea and organization. (Lessons 10, 11) i) Revise sentences for clarity of content including specific vocabulary and information. (Lessons 6, 10, 11) j) Use computer technology to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writing. (Lessons 10, 11) CCS CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. (Lesson 11) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.A Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. (Lesson 11) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.D Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events. (Lessons 6, 10, 11) Part III: Overview of Methods of Assessment Formative Assessments This unit will use a variety of formative assessments to track students progress towards the objectives. - We be using both whole class and base group discussion to assess various objectives throughout the unit. For example, I will begin the unit by having students discuss surprises in their lives in order to assess their background knowledge and experiences. I will also use discussion to guide students through mini-lessons and analyzing readings. The following objectives will be formatively assessed through base group or whole class discussion: 1, 1a, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 6, 6a, 6b, 6.7.i, W.6.3.D Reflective writing will be another main component of this units formative assessments. Students will write reflectively in almost all lessons. Many of the reflections will ask the same questions and ask students to build on their previous answers with their new knowledge and understandings. For example, students will be thinking and writing about the concept of surprise in lessons 5, 6, and 12. The following objectives will be formatively assessed through reflective writing: 4a, 4b, 4c, 6b, 6.5.d Because sixth graders tend to require more scaffolding than older students, this lesson also incorporates worksheets and organizers to guide and assess students. For example, students will be using a Reading Guide to read Eleven in lesson 5. They will also be using an organizer to narrow topics to write on in lesson 7. The following objectives will be formatively assessed through worksheets and organizers: 1, 2 , 2a, 3, 3a, 6, 6a, 6b, 6.4, 6.4.c, 6.4.3, 6.5.b Though the written memoir story will be a main summative assessment for this unit, the writing of the memoir story and six word memoir will serve as formative assessments for the following objectives: 5, 6.7.i, W.6.3.d

Peer review will be used as a formative assessment in lesson 9 to help students focus on the So What? of their memoir story and to assess objectives 1, 1a, 4, and 4c. Finally, student-teacher conferencing will be used once, in lesson 10, to ensure that students are structuring their memoir stories effectively. This will address objectives 5, 5a, and 6.7.d

Summative Assessments This unit will also use three tools to summatively assess students progress towards the learning goals. These rubrics will track students process, progress, and performance and can be found in Appendices A, B, and C, respectively. Part IV: Unit Grade Formula Progress: 33 points Performance: 34 points Process: 33 points

Part V: Appendix of Assessment Tools and Rubrics Appendix A: Progress Rubric Advancing (8 points) Memoir Statement demonstrates significant growth; you continually challenge yourself Surprise Statement demonstrates significant growth; you continually challenge yourself Surprise in Texts Statement demonstrates significant growth; you continually challenge yourself Practicing (6 points) Developing (4 points) Beginning (2 points)

Appendix B: Performance Rubric Memoir Story Basic Requirements: 2 3 pages in length (double-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman) Incorporate an unexpected moment Rubric: Advancing (8 points) Cause and Effect: you must incorporate believable but interesting cause and effect, such as those in the stories we have been tracking through cause and effect chains. Timing: use cause-and-effect to enhance the revelation of the unexpected moment So What?: The reader should be invested in the story and should be able to explain why the story matters. Impactful Language: The words chosen should be descriptive and vivid. 2 free points. In my class, there will be no failure. If your story does not meet or exceed these standards, you will be revising it until it does. Appendix C: Process Rubric Advancing (8 Practicing (6 Developing (4 Beginning (2 Practicing (6 points) Developing (4 points) Beginning (2 points)

points) Revising Drafts change significantly as you incorporate peer and instructor feedback Working You use in-class work time productively and stay focused on the assigned task Contributing You share your insights in class and group discussions and give your partner thoughtful feedback during peer review sessions Self-reliance The student will be able to rely on himself or other students for answers, instead of asking the teacher immediately.

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