Unit 6 Writing
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Performance Assessment
Student G. Student
Department of Education, Belhaven University
EDU 612: Curriculum Planning and Organization
Ms. Alice Rainwater
October 3, 2020
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EDU 612 Curriculum Planning and Organization
Performance Assessment Template
Grade Level and Content Area: 4th Grade Writing/ELA
Standard(s):
L.4.1f – Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate
fragments and run-ons.
L.4.2c – Use correct capitalization.
W.4.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas
and information clearly.
W.4.4 – Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Concepts: Need to know about (Nouns)
- Students will need to know what constitutes a complete sentence.
- Students will have to know what words should be capitalized
- Students will need to know the meaning of these words and phrases:
o Clear and coherent writing
o An author’s topic, task, purpose, and audience
o Writing development and writing organization
o Informative and explanatory texts, convey
o Subject, predicate, fragment, run-on, independent clause, recognize, correct, nouns,
and verbs.
Skills: Be able to do (Verbs)
- Students will need to understand what constitutes, recognize, and how to categorize groups
of words into sentences, fragments, and run-ons.
- Students will need to identify when a fragment is missing a subject, predicate, or both in
order to correct by adding the missing part(s).
- Students will need to correct run-ons by adding a comma and coordinating conjunction.
- Students will need to write a letter, following a template including the date, greeting, body,
closing, and signature lines.
- Students will need to create an infographic or how to poster explaining the steps to correct
sentence fragments and run-ons.
Identifying Big Ideas from Unwrapped Standards:
1. Produce complete sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation.
2. Recognize fragments and run-on sentences
3. Correct fragments by adding a subject, predicate, or both to a group of words.
4. Correct run-ons by adding a comma and a coordinating conjunction between two
independent clauses.
Essential Questions from Big Ideas to Guide Instruction and Assessment:
1. Why is writing important?
2. How do we determine if a group of words is a sentence?
3. How do we correct sentence fragments and run-ons?
4. What makes writing clear and coherent?
5. What is the author’s purpose for writing?
6. What is the relationship between the author’s topic, purpose, audience, and task?
7. What tasks can writers create to inform their audience?
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Assessment Title: HELP WANTED: Student editors for school newspaper.
Overview of Performance Assessment: The school is looking for student editors to help review student submissions for the school
newspaper. The teacher assigned to hire students for the paper is noticing an increasing number
of submissions containing fragments and run-ons. Students will complete different tasks to
address this problem.
1. Students will edit a writing sample for a school newspaper. Students will highlight
fragments and run-ons. Students will then rewrite the sample correcting the fragments by
adding a subject, predicate, or both. Students will correct run-ons by rewriting the run on
as two complete sentences, and by adding a comma and coordinating conjunction.
2. Students will create an infographic detailing the steps to correct fragments and run-ons.
Students will work together in small groups to design and to format the graphic. Students
must define fragments and run-ons, as well as write clearly and coherently. Steps must
be clearly numbered or labeled. The use of the four types of sentences must be apparent.
3. Students will work together in small groups to write a letter to students submitting their
work to the school newspaper. The letter must follow the template, explain why writing
is important, and include the importance of producing complete sentences and correcting
fragments and run-ons. The use of the four types of sentences must be apparent.
“Engaging Scenario” Planning
Include elements of an effective Engaging Scenario:
Presents students with a challenge
Students are given the task to edit a school newspaper and craft a solution to help
the newspaper writers to produce clear and coherent writing by recognizing and
correcting fragments and run-ons.
Connects learning to real life – “Why do we need to learn this?”
Students need to be able to think critically about their own writing and the writing
of others. Learning to recognize and correct fragments and run-ons teaches
students to edit their writing and the writing of others. Students ability to produce
clear and coherent writing will enable them to become better writers, ensuring
their purposes for their writing is being conveyed to the audiences through the
various writing tasks they choose to produce.
Conveys importance – “What does this mean to the student personally?”
The student will become confident in their ability to know when and how to edit
their writing and the writing of others.
Producing clear and coherent sentences are the skeleton to writing anything.
When students can produce clear sentences and correct inappropriate groups of
words, their attention can be placed on more advanced level of writing which is
organization of a task and the actual message being conveyed.
Acknowledges audience – “Can the student present the completed task to others?
One goal of the assessment is to create an infographic for others detailing the
steps it takes to produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting
inappropriate fragments, and run-ons. The second goal is to write a letter to
student writers about the importance of producing complete sentences and
correcting fragments and run-ons. The nature of these tasks requires students to
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write with others in mind, instructing them in a set of steps to correct
inappropriate writing as well as informing students why producing clear and
coherent writing is important.
Engaging Scenario (Full description):
HELP WANTED! The school is looking to hire student editors to review student
submissions for our school’s newspaper. The newspaper serves as a way for student voices to be
heard, and provides a space for students to share their ideas with the school community. In recent
weeks, the school has noticed an increase of submissions containing sentence fragments and run-
ons. It is apparent the students who send the work to be included in the paper are having trouble
producing complete sentences. We are looking to hire students who can edit the submissions of
the student work for clarity, as well as create a helpful infographic teaching students how to
produce complete sentences by correcting fragments and run-ons. The new student editors will
also write a letter to students submitting work explaining the importance of creating complete
sentences and correcting fragments and run-ons. The student editors will craft a portfolio
containing the edited sample, the infographic, and the letter. This portfolio will be reviewed by
the newspaper staff to hire the new student editors. We need your help! The future of the
student newspaper depends on it!
Task Planning Guide (“SQUARE”)
Which STANDARD(s) and indicators will this task target?
L.4.1f – Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate
fragments and run-ons.
L.4.2c – Use correct capitalization.
W.4.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas
and information clearly.
W.4.4 – Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Which Essential QUESTIONS will this task address?
1. Why is writing important?
2. How do we determine if a group of words is a sentence?
3. How do we correct sentence fragments and run-ons?
4. What makes writing clear and coherent?
5. What tasks can writers create to inform their audience?
Which UNWRAPPED content knowledge and skills will this task develop?
Recognizing and correcting fragments and run-ons
Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and conveying ideas and
information clearly
Identifying author’s purpose, audience, and task.
Understanding and demonstrating the connection between the author’s purpose
and audience, and how this connection influences the tasks a writer produces.
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What APPLICATION of learning will this task require? (What will the students actually do or
produce in this task?)
Students will edit a writing sample by
o Highlighting fragments and run-ons.
o Correcting the fragments and run-ons.
o Rewriting the sample with corrections.
Students will create an infographic detailing the steps to produce complete
sentences by correcting fragments and run-ons.
Students will draft a letter to the student writers about the importance of
producing complete sentences, and why fragments and run-ons should be
corrected.
What instruction, information, and RESOURCES (including technology connections and related
URLs) will students need first?
Instruction on capitalization, what constitutes a complete sentence, and forming
the four types of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and
exclamatory).
Provide students with ample practice recognizing and categorizing sentences,
fragments, and run-ons.
Instruction correcting fragments by identifying and adding the subject, predicate,
or both parts that may be missing.
Instruction on correcting run on sentences by rewriting the clauses as two separate
sentences. Much emphasis will be placed on correcting the run-on using a comma
and one of three conjunctions (and, but, or).
Information about developing newspapers and the different roles of the staff to
create a paper; much emphasis on the editor.
Instruction on recognizing the author’s purpose, audience, and task; and
understanding the connection between these three elements.
Provide students with practice identifying how the purpose and audience
determines the tasks a writer can create.
Provide students with opportunities creating different tasks with different
purposes and audiences.
Provide students with a letter template to follow and practice writing letters with
different purposes and audiences.
Use anchor charts, videos, and other media to illustrate concepts about
capitalization, fragments and run-ons, four types of sentences, author’s purpose,
writers task and audience.
Teacher will print infographics as posters for students meeting the deadline, or
will laminate handmade posters.
What individual EVIDENCE of learning will this task provide? (How will you know by the
work students produce what they have learned relative to this task?)
Students will be able to recognize and correct sentence fragments and run-ons.
Students will understand what constitutes a complete sentence.
Students will be able to explain the importance of producing clear and coherent
writing.
Students will be able to explain the steps, and instruct others, of how to produce
complete sentences by correcting fragments and run-ons.
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Students will be able to write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic
and convey ideas and information clearly.
Task Complete Description
In this task, students will be charged with creating a solution for a problem. The school
newspaper is looking for editors to correct student submissions. These submissions contain
fragments and run-ons. Students will complete three tasks to address this problem. The first task
students will edit a student submission to the newspaper containing fragments and run-ons. The
students will highlight the fragments and run-ons needing correction. Next, students will correct
the fragments and run-ons as taught from previous lessons in class. After, students will re-write
the submission with the corrected fragments and run-ons. The teacher will assist students along
the process by directing students to various resources in the class to aid in correcting fragments
and run-ons. The corrected submission will be used as a sample of the editor’s work to be
reviewed by the teacher assigned over the newspaper. This sample will be added to the student’s
portfolio of work to be considered during the hiring process.
The second task will require students to create an infographic detailing the steps to
correct fragments and run-ons. The infographic will include the definitions and examples of both
groups of words. The steps to correct the fragments and run-ons will be labeled, and the
directions will be written primarily in imperative sentences. Students will demonstrate the use of
the four types of sentences, correct capitalization and punctuation. The teacher will give
feedback during the development of the infographic, helping students to revise and edit their
products.
In the third task students will assume the role as editor. Students will write a letter to
students submitting their work to the school newspaper. Students will follow a letter template
and analyze the audience and purpose behind their letter. Students will write to inform the
writers of the importance of submitting work that is clear and coherent. Work that is void of
fragments and run-ons. Students will also demonstrate the use of the four types of sentences.
The teacher will assist students by answering questions, providing feedback, and offering support
where needed.
The performance assessment will take approximately eight days to complete.
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Teacher Language
Task Scoring Guide
Exemplary
10
Proficient
8
Progressing
6
Not Yet
4
Writing
Sample
All proficient criteria
PLUS:
Final corrected copy
demonstrates the use
of the four types of
sentences.
The final copy is
typed, Times New
Roman, size 12 font.
All fragments and run-ons are
highlighted in the original
sample. The list of fragments
and run-ons are written out and
corrected. A corrected sample
is submitted in the portfolio,
rewritten with correct
capitalization and punctuation.
Not all fragments and
run-ons are highlighted in
the original sample. A
corrected sample is
rewritten with 1-2
capitalization and
punctuation errors.
Not all fragments and
run-ons are highlighted
in the original sample. A
corrected sample is
rewritten with 2 or more
capitalization and
punctuation errors.
Infographic All proficient criteria PLUS:
Final corrected copy
demonstrates the use
of the four types of
sentences.
The final copy is
presented as printed
or laminated poster..
The task details how to correct
fragments and run-ons (which
are defined). The title and steps
are clearly labeled, and
instructions are written clear and
coherently. The graphic uses
imperative sentences primarily
to explain the process. No
grammatical, spelling,
capitalization, or punctuation
errors.
The task details how to
correct fragments and
run-ons (which are
defined). The title and
steps are clearly labeled,
and instructions lack
some clarity. The graphic
uses imperative sentences
primarily to explain the
process. 1-2 grammar
and mechanic errors.
The task details
inaccurately how to
correct fragments and
run-ons (terms not
defined). The title and/or
steps are not labeled, and
instructions lack clarity.
Directions are not
written as imperatives. 2
or more grammar and
mechanic errors.
Letter to
Student
Writers
All proficient criteria
PLUS:
Final corrected copy
demonstrates the use
of the four types of
sentences. The final
copy is typed, Times
New Roman, size 12
font.
The letter follows the template.
The importance of avoiding
fragments and run-ons is
explained. The importance of
producing work that is clear and
coherent is explained. No
grammatical, spelling,
capitalization, or punctuation
errors.
The letter follows the
template. The importance
of avoiding fragments and
run-ons is explained. The
importance of producing
work that is shallow. 1-2
grammatical, spelling,
capitalization, or
punctuation errors.
The letter ignores the
template. The
importance of avoiding
fragments and run-ons is
shallow. The importance
of producing work that is
clear and coherent is
missing. 2 or more
grammatical, spelling,
capitalization, or
punctuation errors.
Portfolio
Organization
All proficient criteria
PLUS:
A cover letter to the
newspaper staff with
the name of the
student and the
position they are
seeking to fill:
student editor.
The portfolio is organized
according to performance tasks:
(letter to student writers, a
picture or copy of infographic,
original submission sample with
highlights and corrections,
followed by the rewritten
sample.)
The portfolio is organized
but is missing 1
performance task: (letter
to student writers, a
picture or copy of
infographic, original
submission sample with
highlights and
corrections, followed by
the rewritten sample.)
The portfolio is
unorganized and is
missing 2 or more
performance tasks:
(letter to student writers,
a picture or copy of
infographic, original
submission sample with
highlights and
corrections, followed by
the rewritten sample.)
TOTAL:______/40
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Reference
Mississippi Department of Education: MS College- and Career Readiness Standards for English
Language Arts (2016). Retrieved from
https://districtaccess.mde.k12.ms.us/curriculumandInstruction/MississippiCurriculumFra
meworks/ELA/2016-MS-CCRS-ELA.pdf