As we went mini-lesson by mini-lesson, we began creating a checklist of what a good personal narrative looks like. I used this instead of a rubric to assess their pieces. I also had them, after the fact, go back and assess themselves using the same checklist. I realizes that many of them weren't using the chart paper checklist as a guide, and missed some parts, but after looking it over with their own checklist in hand, they were able to provide a more honest picture of their writing. Unfortunately, I did this after they had submitted their final copy... I really should have allowed them to go back and fix mistakes then and there, but as life sometimes goes, we were in a hurry and part way into their next assignment. I should have slowed down, but I didn't.
So, the next writing unit came along: book and movie reviews. Again we looked at some mentor texts, had mini-lessons, and created another great checklist. THIS time, I got a little smarter. I printed the checklist twice on a piece of paper and asked them to assess themselves on the top checklist before they submitted their piece to the blog. This allowed them to catch things they'd left out and go back and fix it before my eyes landed there for the "final" assessment. Much better this time! Still, I had some friends who were in a hurry themselves, realized they didn't have everything, and didn't take the time to fix it. (You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink....) Hopefully next time I can help those friends see the benefits to doing that.
Below you can gaze at the checklist for the reviews.
Maybe this will work with your classroom! Enjoy!
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___________________________________’s Book/Movie Review
My Self-Assessment
I included:
o information
about the author/director and the audience
o a
catchy title
o an
introduction that hints at my opinion
o a
quality summary
o at
least two strengths or weaknesses with details and examples to support them
o a
satisfying conclusion
o my
voice – it sounds like I wrote this
I checked for:
o capital
letters
o correct
spelling
o conjunctions
with a comma before them to make compound sentences
I think I did well with:
Mrs. Goerend’s Turn:
You included:
o information
about the author/director and the audience
o a
catchy title
o an
introduction that hints at your opinion
o a
quality summary
o at
least two strengths or weaknesses with details and examples to support them
o a
satisfying conclusion
o your
voice – it sounds like you wrote this
I also noticed:
o capital
letters
o correct
spelling
o conjunctions
with a comma before them to make compound sentences
Comments:
Mrs. Georend,
ReplyDeleteI am Cheyanne Wilson, a student at South Alabama. I really enjoyed this post. I think having student assess their own work not only helps them catch careless mistakes, but also allows them to learn from those mistakes. Whenever I become a teacher, I will most definitely take a check-list into consideration. I hope to incorporate this idea into other subjects instead of just writing.
Thanks for sharing!
Cheyanne Wilson
Mrs. Georend,
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I notice is the checklist versus a rubric and I think this is a great idea because students will understand a checklist better than a rubric in most cases. I think the checklist is a great idea! It can keep teachers and students focused and help you look for mistakes that we may normally pass by. Thanks for the helpful resource!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey Mrs. Georend,
ReplyDeleteI'am Melissa Canterbury, a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really like the idea of using a checklist rather than a rubric, especially with younger students, it's easier for them to understand. Also, giving students the resources to check themselves and know exactly what you're looking for when grading is great for practice. I always hate turning in an assignment and not knowing what the professor is looking for.
Thanks for sharing your experience, I hope to keep this technique in mind when I get into my classroom.
Melissa Canterbury
Good day, my name is Sherri Hudson and I attend the University of South Alabama taking EDM310. Your checklist is a wonderful idea because it lets the students control the improvement/ quality of their work. I like to write books so this is a good checklist for my personal writing. I will keep this list in mind for my students too! They'll appreciate it. Here's a link to my blog Sherri Hudson's EDM310 Blog .
ReplyDeleteMrs. Georend,
ReplyDeleteIt's always good when we can come up with an idea that will help to keep the students engaged and excited about learning. Rubrics can sometimes be overwhelming and the ease of the checklist helps to eliminate any confusion.
I love the idea of a checklist. Children definitely need something that will get them more engaged and interested in what is being taught. Rubrics are great and a wonderful tool to use, but your idea of the checklist is a lot easier for the children. I love that it will help the children understand better what they are learning. I wish I had the use of a checklist when I was in school. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete