danielle_Journal+2

Another type of assessment used in my cooperating teacher’s classroom is “Around the World.” “Around the World” is an activity that can be used in a variety of subject areas to cover many topics. However, in this instance my cooperating teacher had students play this game using sight words they have been learning throughout the year. The teacher had her students sit in a circle on their green, morning meeting rug and picked one student to begin the game. This student stood behind the classmate to the left of their body, as the teacher flipped an index card, so a new word appeared for them to say. The students’ goal while competing against another classmate was to identify and state the correct word on each card before their opponent. The student who read the word off the card faster than his/her opponent was able to move on to the next student in the circle. If a student was slower to recognize and read a particular word off a card, they had to sit or remain sitting until another student moves to that student’s spot. During the game, students were instructed to remain quiet until it was their turn to compete against another classmate. By having the rest of the class remain quiet, it would help those students who were competing to have their turn at stating the word(s) on the card(s), as well as help the other students to focus and learn these words as they are watching the cards. The words used in this game included: “they, here, she, was, not, have, I, as, go, and, no, in, like, been, do, my, yes, her, A, is, it, can, so, has, play, you, will, the, said, or, out, from, am, one, look, what, see, his, by, did, come, we, for, were, there, he, a, are, put, of, to,” and “who”. This assessment was informal and permitted the teacher to observe how well her students were learning and reading the words that they have been introduced to; and should be familiar with at this point in the year. In addition to having students race to recognize these words more quickly than their classmates, students who were not competing were told to look quietly at the words as they are being flashed. Asking students to pay attention to this activity benefits them if they decide to cooperate. Students can listen and read the words as they appear in the pile, and they will become more familiar with the words’ spelling, appearance, and pronunciation. During the game I noticed that some of the students received short turns; only competing against one or two of their classmates. These students were either slow to read the word or slow to say the word even though they knew which word it was. What is tricky about this game is that the word on the cards are at random and unless you know the word very well or you are able to recite the word(s) faster than another student, because your brain can identify and transmits messages more quickly; your chances of beating your opponent is slim. Although many students had short turns, they were able to review these words in their heads as other students competed. By viewing and listening to the words as the game is played, students become faster at recognizing them, which can improve their reading and writing abilities. Within the game there were only three winners. According to the teacher, a student is a winner if they are able to go through the entire pile against a single classmate during their turn; rather than a series of classmates. Another way this game could be played is if a student is able to travel all the way around the circle in one turn, they are the winner. The three winners during this game of “Around the World” received a sticker from the treasure box for their efforts. I believe that this form of assessment provides the teacher with feedback about her students abilities to identify words quickly and correctly, however many students may not have developed the skill to quickly recognize words, or may but are unable to say the words as quickly as another student. These students face a time limit and are pressured to read these words as quickly as possible, which may not be necessary for students when they are reading. Another problem with this assessment is that this game may discourage students if they do not have a long turn, yet they know the words written on the cards. Despite these setbacks, I believe that my cooperating teacher is trying to make reading fun for students by using “Around the World” as a way for them to become more familiar with words they should know. This informal assessment will provide students with feedback for whether or not they need to learn how these words are pronounced and spelled. Students may come to a work that does not sound familiar or words they are unable to read. In addition, the teacher will receive instant feedback if she sees certain students not attempting, or struggling to pronounce words. Also, she can observe whether students know these words, yet they may be slower in saying them than other students whom they are competing with; which is not a bad thing. This exercise may also imply that the teacher needs to spend more time on teaching certain words with students or if she needs to modify how she is currently teaching phonics and sight words to her students.
 * Assessment Journal #2**

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