"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..." (Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken).
It is a natural progression from implementing unit KUDs (Know, Understand and Dos), learning targets and scales to writing assessments which measure a students ability to achieve the targets laid out for them. The new learning for me was in writing the summative first before the formative assessments. This backwards design makes sense, but it wasn't until the SBL course that I gave myself the time nor had the time to work backwards. My "normal" sequence was to write the practice first and then the unit test. The idea of having the end in sight at the beginning of the unit was daunting yet sensible. Once I know where the students need to be at the end of the unit, the formatives really fall into place.
The learning I acquired during the workshops and required texts for the course pointed to the importance of measuring a few things frequently (Bill Rich's workshop). I used this idea when creating the learning targets for the units and then practiced one or more learning targets a day. This frequency of feedback allows students to see where they are headed with their learning and allows me to take the temperature on particular learning targets. I also try and remember to think about the 3 questions: what is the goal? where are you? and what are we going to do to close the gap? These questions came up in Bill's workshop and it brings up the key word for me which is reflection. Once students have taken a formative, several things need to happen: I need to reflect on their learning and figure out whether we have met the target and can move on or whether we need more review; I need to determine who needs that extra review and who is ready to move forward; and students need to reflect on what they need for further help meeting the target if any.
One thing that I have tried to instill in my work this year (you could call it my new mantra) is that formatives are for learning while summates are of learning ( A Repair Kit for Grading by Ken O'Connor). I have communicated this idea to students throughout our time together. The formatives are meant to provide them with feedback and then allow us to close the gap if one exists. With this approach, I have frequently broken up classes into need based groups and allowed them time to work on their weaknesses on targets within the unit. I have presented them with strategies to improve their abilities on certain targets. Vocabulary is a universal target in all 3 levels of Latin that I teach, so I have tried to incorporate ideas that I see work with younger levels with the upper levels and vice versa. I have attached below one strategy I borrowed from Latin 4 and employed in Latin 3. This has worked to improve vocabulary scores since its implementation. The students, begrudgingly at first, saw its benefits after the next formative. I am still finding my path, but feeling more comfortable employing more differentiation post formatives in my classroom.
It is a natural progression from implementing unit KUDs (Know, Understand and Dos), learning targets and scales to writing assessments which measure a students ability to achieve the targets laid out for them. The new learning for me was in writing the summative first before the formative assessments. This backwards design makes sense, but it wasn't until the SBL course that I gave myself the time nor had the time to work backwards. My "normal" sequence was to write the practice first and then the unit test. The idea of having the end in sight at the beginning of the unit was daunting yet sensible. Once I know where the students need to be at the end of the unit, the formatives really fall into place.
The learning I acquired during the workshops and required texts for the course pointed to the importance of measuring a few things frequently (Bill Rich's workshop). I used this idea when creating the learning targets for the units and then practiced one or more learning targets a day. This frequency of feedback allows students to see where they are headed with their learning and allows me to take the temperature on particular learning targets. I also try and remember to think about the 3 questions: what is the goal? where are you? and what are we going to do to close the gap? These questions came up in Bill's workshop and it brings up the key word for me which is reflection. Once students have taken a formative, several things need to happen: I need to reflect on their learning and figure out whether we have met the target and can move on or whether we need more review; I need to determine who needs that extra review and who is ready to move forward; and students need to reflect on what they need for further help meeting the target if any.
One thing that I have tried to instill in my work this year (you could call it my new mantra) is that formatives are for learning while summates are of learning ( A Repair Kit for Grading by Ken O'Connor). I have communicated this idea to students throughout our time together. The formatives are meant to provide them with feedback and then allow us to close the gap if one exists. With this approach, I have frequently broken up classes into need based groups and allowed them time to work on their weaknesses on targets within the unit. I have presented them with strategies to improve their abilities on certain targets. Vocabulary is a universal target in all 3 levels of Latin that I teach, so I have tried to incorporate ideas that I see work with younger levels with the upper levels and vice versa. I have attached below one strategy I borrowed from Latin 4 and employed in Latin 3. This has worked to improve vocabulary scores since its implementation. The students, begrudgingly at first, saw its benefits after the next formative. I am still finding my path, but feeling more comfortable employing more differentiation post formatives in my classroom.
Assessments
Unit 22 Formative Assessments:
Vocabulary Formative (Noun/Adjective)
Vocabulary Formative (Verb/Adverb)
Practicing Participle Formative
Task List for Tracking Participles - Vilbia: Tracking Document: Story to Track
Participle Formation Formative
Genitive Uses Formative
Task Sheet for Genitives
Unit 23 Formative Assessments:
Vocabulary Formative (Noun/Adjective)
Vocabulary Formative (Verb/Adverb)
Task List for Adverbs
Task List for Participles - In thermis Part 1: Tracking Document
Participle Writing Activity
Participle Reading Activity
Reading Comprehension Task Activity
Stage 23 Summative (Grammar)
Stage 23 Summative (Culture: Curse Tablet); Curse Tablet Format Sheet
Vocabulary Formative (Noun/Adjective)
Vocabulary Formative (Verb/Adverb)
Practicing Participle Formative
Task List for Tracking Participles - Vilbia: Tracking Document: Story to Track
Participle Formation Formative
Genitive Uses Formative
Task Sheet for Genitives
Unit 23 Formative Assessments:
Vocabulary Formative (Noun/Adjective)
Vocabulary Formative (Verb/Adverb)
Task List for Adverbs
Task List for Participles - In thermis Part 1: Tracking Document
Participle Writing Activity
Participle Reading Activity
Reading Comprehension Task Activity
Stage 23 Summative (Grammar)
Stage 23 Summative (Culture: Curse Tablet); Curse Tablet Format Sheet
Formative/Differentiated Instruction
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