Ninawit+Journal1

Nina Witel EDC 452: Dr. Pete Adamy Assessment Journal #1 02/04/09

In this first grade classroom consisting of nineteen students, a daily journal entry is assigned for morning work. Every student is given a green stapled packet filled with lined paper. Their assignment is to write a few sentences of their choice that include newly and previously learned word wall words. They are also allowed to use their spelling dictionaries which help them use different words and help them with spelling. The students are given a time span of ten to fifteen minutes to complete this assignment, and when finished are able to share their sentences with the class. The journal entries are graded on a scale of 1 through 5, 5 being the highest score a student can receive. They have to fully meet the four requirements listed on the rubric placed on the wall in the classroom in order to achieve a high grade. The requirements are, did I use capitals at the beginning of the sentence, did I use punctuation after every sentence, did I use my spelling dictionary to spell __most__ of my words correctly, and lastly, did I write more than two sentences. This type of assessment is known as performance assessment. In order for the students to be able to perform their assigned task, they need to be able to write neatly and correctly on the lined paper, think about a situation or time to write about, and they also need to make sure they remember the rules about writing. Performance assessment is judged by students following the instructions correctly to their highest ability. Since this assignment is given daily, by the end of the school year, the entire class will be able to correctly write a journal by following the four guidelines on the rubric. When students receive a number below a 5, this lets both the teacher know what areas this student needs help in as well as it notifies the student that he/she needs to improve their work. The teacher corrects all journals with a marker, and returns it to them the following morning. A large amount of improvement can be seen throughout the school year in the students’ journals. I strongly feel that this assignment not only begins the day on a positive note, but it also immediately opens the students’ minds to creativity, memories and learning. I feel that by having a rubric of requirements listed on a poster in the classroom will always remind the students to do their best and to always remember the rules about writing.

Section 3