sami_journal1

2/9/09 Type of Assessment: Weekly spelling test My cooperating teacher gives a weekly spelling test on Fridays. The whole class receives the same spelling list on Mondays. Throughout the week they do three times each exercises, write the words in sentences, and complete worksheets that require them to finish sentences using fill in the blank methods, small crosswords, or word searches. Homework is given each night of practicing the spelling of their word list or other activities like putting the words ABC order. On Fridays, students take all take the test at the same time. They move their desks, scattered throughout the classroom, so that they are not near any of their peers. The teacher reads the word in which the students are suppose to spell and then reads it again in the context of a sentence. From week to week students, who receive the highest grades and do well, tend to be the same. Likely, those students who tend to do “poorly” are also the same from week to week. I know this because when my teacher was picking out a “good and bad” example for me to use in this assignment she wasn’t looking at individual word lists as she rummaged through the pile of tests. She was looking at names on the tops of tests. This really shows that she knows, most likely, how each of her students will do on their test before they have even taken it. Spelling tests are typical tests; they require correct responses only, students are not allowed to justify their answers in any way. They measure the recognition of known answers or skills and are one shot opportunities; at least the way my cooperating teacher conducts the tests. A student could spell their words correctly from memorization without truly understanding the rule or concept that the letter patterns in that word consists of. Though this situation is not ideal, it is partially beneficial. The student has learned the proper spelling of the word and will most likely be able to replicate that spelling in a different context, as long as the word lasts in their memory. However, it is not beneficial because that student may not be able to transfer that concept to similar words or words that use the same letter pairings. If a student solely learns every word in his or her vocabulary through memorization and never recognizes the rules of the English language, their entire vocabulary will be restricted to only as many words as that student views and studies. One aspect of these spelling tests that is authentic is when the teacher asks students to write a sentence at the end of the test that uses the concept they were suppose to have learned for the week. This provides a more real life opportunity for students to use their spelling knowledge, though spelling without some form of word-processing unit is not as common of a task today, as it once was. In the student work I provide the concept was the long |o| sounds. The idea behind having students write a sentence with words that they have not directly studied is to see if they have actually mastered the concept rather than just memorizing their spelling list. You can tell that Carlos is still struggling with the difference between the |oa| |ow| sounds, while Ashley has mastered this concept in both her word list and final sentence. One way to make this spelling test more authentic may be to ask students the question what letter patterns make the long |o| sound. While this question could still be answered my memorization or by sheer luck, it is a slight improvement to the traditional spelling test. Another fault I find in the assessment: spelling test that my cooperating teacher conducts is that the whole class has the same word list. I find this to be alarming because it is very clear that this 2nd grade class has a huge variety in reading levels. There are students that can read at a 4th grade level, therefore can understand more difficult words, and there are those who are still reading at a 1st grade level. As I have found that spelling tests are not the most authentic way of testing, if you are going to give them to your students, I think individuals’ spelling lists such more accurately reflect their vocabulary level. This way their work through out the week will at least be more meaningful, so that students performing at higher levels are not simply doing busy work on concepts they have already mastered.

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