Writing Assignment 5 CA

Performance Assessment- Students demonstrate their abilities in a multitude of ways. Some will demonstrate mastery on written assessments while others will shine during projects, presentations, or artistic expression. How can students prove their mastery of your chosen standard in an alternative form? Create a performance assessment for your students. This will consist of three (3) parts: teacher copy (GRASPS and planning), interesting student copy (should grab students’ attention and make them excited to complete the assignment), and a rubric (used for scoring and explaining various levels of completion). As you begin to plan, remember that not all students are the same. Work to incorporate choice into the assignment. This will also help the student create ownership of the assignment. In Appendix B, see “Teacher Planning: Performance Task Template” and “Example of Teacher GRASPS” for part 1, “Extra NEWS Paper” for part 2, and “Rubric Template Example” for part 3.

Example of Teacher GRASPS

Are Fruits and Vegetables Really Made of Cells?

Goal: To demonstrate that a given food is cellular and be able to clearly communicate this fact

Role: You are a scientist competing for a spot on the next space flight. In order to win your spot

on the team, you must prove to the selection committee that you are the best scientist for the job.

To do this, you must design an experiment that will demonstrate whether or not newly

discovered planetoid organisms are cellular or non-cellular.

Audience: NASA space flight selection committee

Situation: The purpose of this new expedition is to explore a recently found planetoid that is

capable of supporting human life. Initial surveys indicate that this planetoid is filled with plantlike

organisms, many of which appear to bear edible fruit-like growths. Once scientists arrive,

they will need to determine if these growths are edible by humans. Your task is to select a food

common on earth – apple, pear, potato, celery, banana, squash, tomato, turnip, radish, cucumber

– and design and carry out an experiment that will demonstrate that the food is or is not

composed of cells (the first step in determining edibility). You are restricted to the use of only

these materials: compound microscope, slides and cover slips, iodine and methylene blue stains,

plant dissection equipment, cotton swabs, beakers, paper towels, and toothpicks. You must

convince the selection committee that your process accurately shows the presence or absence of

cells.

Product: Once you have determined that the food that you chose is or is not cellular you will

demonstrate this fact to the committee by visually showing them your evidence and by drawing

an accurately labeled diagram of the food showing the presence or absence of cells. A written

summary of your findings is included.

Standards: See attached rubric.

Lesson Plan Format

Teacher’s Name:

Content Area:

Title:

Dates of Unit:

Key State Standards

List appropriate competencies here. Remember – EACH listed competency needs to be

unwrapped and EACH competency is to be taught to mastery level within this unit.

Common Core Standards Addressed

List appropriate competencies here. Remember – EACH listed competency needs to be

unwrapped and EACH competency is to be taught to mastery level within this unit.

Instructional Plan

Day 1 – State Learning Target for the day

Present: Describe how you will introduce the day’s learning targets and expectations of

students (Day 1 does not include diagnostic testing – it is presumed that was done before

the unit started).

Apply: Describe what the students will be doing to apply the information presented; include

any appropriate formative assessments to be used. Include appropriate differentiation,

enrichment, and/or remediation strategies.

Review: Describe how you will close out your lesson.

Day 2 – State Learning Target for the day

Present:

Apply:

Review:

Day 3 – State Learning Target for the day

Present:

Apply:

Review:

Day 4 – State Learning Target for the day

Present:

Apply:

Review:

Day 5 – State Learning Target for the day

Present:

Apply:

Review:

Continue: Lesson Plan Format

Assessments

Diagnostic Assessment: Type a brief description here. Include a discussion of what key skills

you are assessing and how you will use your analysis of results to guide your instruction.

Formative Assessments: Type a brief description here. Include a discussion of where in the

unit you plan on using each assessment, how or if each will be scored, and how you will

change your instruction based on the results.

Summative Assessments: Type a brief description here. Include a discussion of how you plan

on scoring the assessment and which concept skills will need to be retaught and which

process skills will need to be incorporated into a subsequent unit, based on assessment

results.

NOTE: Actual copies of your assessments will be uploaded separately and do not need to be

attached to this document.