December 6, 2013 Formative Assessment Strategy: Dress up as a character from a book/novel Ms. Russ second and third hour English classes PURPOSE: Historical fiction: connections between past conflicts and today s; discussing racial identities (multicultural) I can analyze a character in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird,and dress up to emulate that character during a Maycomb citizens mock tea party. Formative Assessment Strategy: Instead of the traditional book report, this strategy allows the students to dress up as a character from the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This strategy might look as follows: Formative Assessment Strategy continued on next page... 1
Formative Assessment Strategy continued... Food and supply sign-up sheet example Tea Party Character sign-up sheet example Character analysis Character analysis continued 2
This strategy ties nicely into the following floors of our School House model: 1st Floor Instructional Framework K-12 Aligned Standards Quality Skills 2nd Floor Formative Assessments Progress Monitoring Uncle Jack, Atticus, Dill Harris, Aunt Alexandra, Scout, and Mr. Underwood Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, and Heck Tate Aunt Alexandra and Atticus 3
What Ms. Russ students are saying about Tea with Ms. Russ... Getting in depth and getting to know your character was fun. Getting to dress up like them and play the part made you think in the mindset of the character which made me understand the book that much more. - Kayla I liked the food a lot. -Jhett I enjoyed the food and the fun that everyone had at the tea party. It was an awesome activity to do. - Anthony I enjoyed being in character the most. - Jordan I enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up, bringing food and having fun with the assignment. My favorite part though was I enjoyed talking to younger kids about the story and eating the great food! - Tyler I enjoyed the dressing up the most. Its not often you can dress up and be someone else. I also loved the food. - Nicole Being able to dress up as your character and truly going into depth, is what I enjoyed. - Riley I liked that we all had our own person. Nobody else in our class had that person so we got to explain more about the people we were. - Sierra getting to see the middle school students come in and ask questions. It was nice to see everyone involved. - Peyton I enjoyed the creativity and freedom we were allowed. It was a fun nice way to learn. - Nick I enjoyed the role-playing; the dressing up and getting in character. I also enjoyed the food. - Michael I enjoyed that we were able to actually be in character and interact with the younger kids where they were able to ask us questions about our character. - Keanna I liked the actual tea party, dressing up and eating was my favorite part. - Monica Atticus, Scout, Miss Caroline and Miss Maudie Ms. Russ and class at Tea Party A special thank you to Ashley Russ and her second and third hour English classes along with all the teachers in the Rainier School District. Dolphus Raymond, Aunt Alexandra, and Rev. Sykes 4
Never has the need for personal philosophies of this kind been so urgent. Edward R Murrow, host of original This I Believe broadcast To stay true to NPR s This I Believe series, you will be expected to follow the NPR guidelines*: Tell a story: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events of your life. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work, and family, and tell of the things you know that no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching it can even be funny but it should be real. Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs. Be brief: Your statement should be between 350 and 500 words. That s about three minutes when read aloud at your natural pace. Name your belief: If you can t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief, because three minutes is a very short time. Be positive: Please avoid preaching or editorializing. Tell us what you do believe, not what you don t believe. Avoid speaking in the editorial we. Make your essay about you; speak in the first person. Be personal: Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak. For this class, your essay will be expected to include: Walking a mile in my shoes as your theme. Remember, this is your interpretation of the theme. 350 to 500 words typed in New Times Roman, font size 12 double-spaced These essays will be assessed using the six-point writing rubric. * "This I Believe Essay-Writing Guidelines This I Believe." This I Believe A Public Dialogue about Belief One Essay at a Time. NPR. Web. 20 Aug. 2010. <http://thisibelieve.org/guidelines/>. 5
Walking a mile in my shoes... Miss Russ Period Two and Three English 6