NikBrink+Journal+2

Assessment Journal 2 This week in the fifth grade class I observe, the students were assessed on vocabulary from the book //Number the Stars// which they are currently reading. The students were given ten words and were asked to write a sentence for each word that showed their understanding of the word as well as how to use the word in a sentence. For example, one of the words was sabotage and a student demonstrated their understanding by writing the sentence “In my bike race this week I will __sabotage__ the competitions chance of winning by putting a hole in their tires.” Students did not receive credit for word if their sentence did not show their understanding or if they did not follow directions and just wrote out the definitions. I think that this is a good way to assess students understanding of vocabulary because it shows their ability use the word. Because they are able to use the word in a sentence and apply it they are more likely to remember the word and its meaning. The students were given a list of the words on a Monday and the page that they were on in the book. They then had several days week to find the definitions of the words, on that Thursday the teacher went over the words with the students to make sure that they all had the right idea of what the words meant. They were given the test on Friday and then received the next set of words for their next test. It is important for the students to enhance their vocabulary from words they read in books and I think that having them apply the word in a sentence is a good way to assess their understanding.