Last week Gabbie, Candace, Professor Mace and I reviewed the assessments we had made two weeks ago and the revisions we made last week. This weeks assignment was to create our own rubric for our assessments so we had an idea on how we would grade them.
This was very interesting because, I did not realize how many different answers children can give to me bases on my questions. I tried to narrow down my questions to try to gain a better focus on what kind of and answer I wanted to receive.
My rubric was rated on a scale of 0-3 zero being no credit and three being the most credit you can obtain on that problem. I broke down what I thought each number would represent in my assessment for each question.
This was kind of eye opening for me because I didn't really know how many ways one child can answer a question. It was very difficult to try to narrow in the focus of what kind of answer I was looking for in my assessment.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Last week Professor Mace, Gabbie, Jen, and I worked through each other's assessments. We each attempted to solve and answer each of the questions on all of the assessments. We discussed how there can be multiple ways of answering just one question. It all depends on the wording of the question and how the students each interpret the questions. This week we decided to create our own rubric to be able to grade the assessments fairly and efficiently.
I was not really sure where to start with creating my own rubric. I knew I needed a grading scale so I chose the numbers 4-0 to categorize and predict the answers that the students would give for each question. I could have used words to describe each of the categories but I feel as though numbers were a better choice because I was able to describe what answers would be accepted under each number. I started with 4 and worked my way down to 0 for each of the four questions.
Category 4 and 0 were the easiest to write descriptions for because they are both the extreme ends of the spectrum. Category 4 is the highest score that the students can receive for each question. Category 0 is the lowest score students can receive for each question. The middle categories had to be the hardest to create. The descriptions had to be very specific and broken down so that students received points for answering certain aspects of the question correctly but lost points for other aspects of the questions that were answered incorrectly.
I had to be fair when determining if the student got the overall answer incorrect but all the mathematical work was shown correctly or the explanation showed that the student had the correct answer but wrote the final answer incorrectly. The students could have made a small mistake but with the work shown it would make it easier to be able to determine whether the students understood the concept or just made a small mistake. It also makes it easier to grade and allows me to give the student as many points as they earned based on their mathematical work and/or explanations.
I was not really sure where to start with creating my own rubric. I knew I needed a grading scale so I chose the numbers 4-0 to categorize and predict the answers that the students would give for each question. I could have used words to describe each of the categories but I feel as though numbers were a better choice because I was able to describe what answers would be accepted under each number. I started with 4 and worked my way down to 0 for each of the four questions.
Category 4 and 0 were the easiest to write descriptions for because they are both the extreme ends of the spectrum. Category 4 is the highest score that the students can receive for each question. Category 0 is the lowest score students can receive for each question. The middle categories had to be the hardest to create. The descriptions had to be very specific and broken down so that students received points for answering certain aspects of the question correctly but lost points for other aspects of the questions that were answered incorrectly.
I had to be fair when determining if the student got the overall answer incorrect but all the mathematical work was shown correctly or the explanation showed that the student had the correct answer but wrote the final answer incorrectly. The students could have made a small mistake but with the work shown it would make it easier to be able to determine whether the students understood the concept or just made a small mistake. It also makes it easier to grade and allows me to give the student as many points as they earned based on their mathematical work and/or explanations.
Creating An Assessment Rubric
Last week, the group and I worked through each others assessments to prepare ourselves to create a rubric. Seeing how other people would answer our revised assessments was particularly helpful because we were able to see how others may have interpreted the question and if the phrasing of the questions correlated to our objectives. This made creating a rubric much easier because I felt much more sure of what I would be looking for while grading. It also allowed me to see how two different people would answer/interpret the same question differently.
This activity prompted me to make some changes in my assessment to test the knowledge of my students. I added a clarifying aspect to the first question. "If there are seven pairs of cheese sticks in a bag, what is the total amount of cheese sticks in the bag? Draw a picture to support your answer or explain how you got your answer." In the third question, I added a second required answer and a clarifying aspect to the question. "Use repeated addition to create TWO number sentences that represents the amount of phones above. Mark the pictures above to show how you got your answer."
After making these changes, I created the rubric. Each question had three categories (beginning, developing, and proficient) of grades you could get. I didn't give them number grades because I feel as though they may interpret that as the unchangeable value of themselves and/or their knowledge rather than seeing it as areas they may need to improve upon in the future. I would also give my students an opportunity to take the test again if they didn't like the grade they were given. Depending on how my report card would be set up, this grading system (with a lack of numbers) may not work, but that is an issue for another day.
This activity prompted me to make some changes in my assessment to test the knowledge of my students. I added a clarifying aspect to the first question. "If there are seven pairs of cheese sticks in a bag, what is the total amount of cheese sticks in the bag? Draw a picture to support your answer or explain how you got your answer." In the third question, I added a second required answer and a clarifying aspect to the question. "Use repeated addition to create TWO number sentences that represents the amount of phones above. Mark the pictures above to show how you got your answer."
After making these changes, I created the rubric. Each question had three categories (beginning, developing, and proficient) of grades you could get. I didn't give them number grades because I feel as though they may interpret that as the unchangeable value of themselves and/or their knowledge rather than seeing it as areas they may need to improve upon in the future. I would also give my students an opportunity to take the test again if they didn't like the grade they were given. Depending on how my report card would be set up, this grading system (with a lack of numbers) may not work, but that is an issue for another day.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
adjusting assessments
Last week Gabbie, Candace, Professor Mace and I reviewed the assessments we have created. We discussed how it is had to stick to one standard when making the assessment. Then we gave each other tips on how to make each assessment better and more clear to understand.
For example, on my assessment my first question was "What characters do you need to create the number 324?" ( see last post for code) I decided to change it to... "Using all three characters how many of each character do I need to create the number 324?" Followed by the follow up question of "Is there other ways? Explain yes or no." By doing this I hope to give my students a clearer idea of the answer I am looking for.
Overall, I think it was very helpful to look back on each others work and trying to improve it. It definitely makes us think about the standards and how to use them in other content areas.
The standard I decided to add was CC.1.2.2.K Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing from a range of strategies and tools. I believe this standard fits my assessment by clarifying what numbers would go with what character which would be the "unknown".
I would be able to incorporate a science standard in to my assessment by changing the character to the life cycle of a butterfly into a caterpillar. The caterpillar would be 1, the cocoon would be 10, and the butterfly would be 100. This would cover the standard...3.1.4.C. Illustrate patterns that regularly occur and reoccur in nature.
For example, on my assessment my first question was "What characters do you need to create the number 324?" ( see last post for code) I decided to change it to... "Using all three characters how many of each character do I need to create the number 324?" Followed by the follow up question of "Is there other ways? Explain yes or no." By doing this I hope to give my students a clearer idea of the answer I am looking for.
Overall, I think it was very helpful to look back on each others work and trying to improve it. It definitely makes us think about the standards and how to use them in other content areas.
The standard I decided to add was CC.1.2.2.K Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing from a range of strategies and tools. I believe this standard fits my assessment by clarifying what numbers would go with what character which would be the "unknown".
I would be able to incorporate a science standard in to my assessment by changing the character to the life cycle of a butterfly into a caterpillar. The caterpillar would be 1, the cocoon would be 10, and the butterfly would be 100. This would cover the standard...3.1.4.C. Illustrate patterns that regularly occur and reoccur in nature.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Doubling Up On Standards
The last time we met, Candace, Jen, and Professor Mace, and I browsed throughout each other's assessments from our last blog. While browsing through our assessments, we made a few revisions to our assessments. We are also going to try our hand at applying other standards to our lesson.
In regards to revisions, I have only made two changes to my assessment. I changed my first question, "1. How many circles are below? How do you know?" to "1. If there are seven pairs of cheese sticks in a bag, what is the total amount of cheese sticks in the bag?" My reasoning for this change is that the phrasing of the question and its accompanying graphics allows students to just count each circle one by one. The new question provides them with a visual of a bag of cheese sticks, but it does not show how many cheese sticks are in the bag nor can you count how many cheese sticks are in the bag. This encourages them to use the concept of pairs and count by twos. The other revision I made was simply moving the correct answer in number two to letter b that way it was less obvious.
The standard I chose to apply to my assessment is CC.1.2.2.G, "Explain how graphic representations contribute to and clarify a text." I could apply this to any of my questions by asking the students if the graphics helped them answer the questions and why or why not.
I also chose a science standard to apply to my assessment. The standard I chose is: Standard - 3.1.2.A5: Explain how different parts of a plant work together to make the organism function. To do this, I could have each part of the plant represent different factors of a number; the plant would represent the product of those factors. The question would be as follows: the roots = 2, the stem = 16, the leaves = 5, and the flower = 6. Using the number representations of each part of the plant, choose one part to create the number 30 which represents the whole plant. How many times did you have to use that one part of the plant to create 30? Do this with a different part of a plant.
In regards to revisions, I have only made two changes to my assessment. I changed my first question, "1. How many circles are below? How do you know?" to "1. If there are seven pairs of cheese sticks in a bag, what is the total amount of cheese sticks in the bag?" My reasoning for this change is that the phrasing of the question and its accompanying graphics allows students to just count each circle one by one. The new question provides them with a visual of a bag of cheese sticks, but it does not show how many cheese sticks are in the bag nor can you count how many cheese sticks are in the bag. This encourages them to use the concept of pairs and count by twos. The other revision I made was simply moving the correct answer in number two to letter b that way it was less obvious.
The standard I chose to apply to my assessment is CC.1.2.2.G, "Explain how graphic representations contribute to and clarify a text." I could apply this to any of my questions by asking the students if the graphics helped them answer the questions and why or why not.
I also chose a science standard to apply to my assessment. The standard I chose is: Standard - 3.1.2.A5: Explain how different parts of a plant work together to make the organism function. To do this, I could have each part of the plant represent different factors of a number; the plant would represent the product of those factors. The question would be as follows: the roots = 2, the stem = 16, the leaves = 5, and the flower = 6. Using the number representations of each part of the plant, choose one part to create the number 30 which represents the whole plant. How many times did you have to use that one part of the plant to create 30? Do this with a different part of a plant.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Adjusting Assessments
Last week, Prof. Mace, Gabbie, Jen, and I reviewed each of the assessments that we created. We were able to discuss each part of our assessments and give feedback when necessary. This week we decided to search through common core standards to see if our assessment could be adjusted to fit other standards in other subject areas.
I particularly looked at English/language arts common core standards for second grade first. The standard I found that could possibly work with my assessment after some slight adjustments is CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.2.1; Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. My original assessment has very little text above the bar graph. For my assessment to fit this standard, I would have to add more text at the top of the paper to allow the students to ask more questions about the text and bar graph before answering the assessment questions. They could discuss in groups or with their partner what they are thinking when just looking at the graph. It would also allow the students to answer the questions that they are being assessed on that relate to the graph. After talking to their classmates and asking questions, they might have even answered the assessment questions without even realizing it!
For my assessment to relate to a science standard I would have to change the topic of my bar graph to how tall plants grow with different amounts of water and sunlight. The standard that I could fit my assessment into if I changed the content would be standard 2-LS2-1; plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. This experiment would be very hands on for the students and they would be able to see the difference in plant height each day at school for the span of a week. The students would be able to water the plants that receive water and put plants around the room exposing some to sunlight and others to darkness. The students could even record their findings and the teacher would create the results into a bar graph with 2-3 questions to assess the students. The bar graph could show the results of how tall or short the plants grew after receiving different amounts of water and sunlight. The students would not even realize they are being assessed on the results because they were involved in the process.
I particularly looked at English/language arts common core standards for second grade first. The standard I found that could possibly work with my assessment after some slight adjustments is CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.2.1; Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. My original assessment has very little text above the bar graph. For my assessment to fit this standard, I would have to add more text at the top of the paper to allow the students to ask more questions about the text and bar graph before answering the assessment questions. They could discuss in groups or with their partner what they are thinking when just looking at the graph. It would also allow the students to answer the questions that they are being assessed on that relate to the graph. After talking to their classmates and asking questions, they might have even answered the assessment questions without even realizing it!
For my assessment to relate to a science standard I would have to change the topic of my bar graph to how tall plants grow with different amounts of water and sunlight. The standard that I could fit my assessment into if I changed the content would be standard 2-LS2-1; plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. This experiment would be very hands on for the students and they would be able to see the difference in plant height each day at school for the span of a week. The students would be able to water the plants that receive water and put plants around the room exposing some to sunlight and others to darkness. The students could even record their findings and the teacher would create the results into a bar graph with 2-3 questions to assess the students. The bar graph could show the results of how tall or short the plants grew after receiving different amounts of water and sunlight. The students would not even realize they are being assessed on the results because they were involved in the process.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Making an Assessment
Last week Gabbie, Candace, Professor Mace and I reviewed assessments and discussed how we can pull in other standards beside our own. My standard is CC.2.1.2.B.1, using place-value concepts to represent amounts of tens and ones and to compare three digit numbers.
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place.
The assessment I made was based around Disney characters.
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place.
The assessment I made was based around Disney characters.
What
characters do you need to create the number 324?
What
characters would I have to take away or add if I have the number 845 and I want
the number 671?
Where it says "Text box were pictures of each character. I thought making this assessment was fun and made me think past my standard. It required me to get creative with my thinking. This assessment brought in adding and subtracting along with relating numbers to pictures. Overall I think it was a fun experience.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Creating an Assessment
Last week, Prof. Mace, Gabbie, Jen, and I discussed whether
the assessments we chose could fit into standards other than the standard we
originally chose to focus on. This week we decided to try and create an
assessment that fits our standard and possibly other standards under our domain
as well. The assessment could also fall under other standards in other domains
too. The standard I have been working with is CC.2.4.2. A.4 which states;
represent and interpret data using line plots, picture graphs, and bar graphs.
This standard is under the domain measurement, data, and probability.
The assessment I created is called favorite color. I based
this assessment off of a previous assessment I reviewed called We Scream for
Ice Cream. Favorite Color discusses how all of the students in Miss Smith's
second grade class voted for their favorite color. The results are displayed
into a chart with three questions to follow for the students to answer
thoroughly. The questions are worded to make the students think. They are not
just yes or no questions. The questions are written to make the students have
to explain their reasoning. The students can also talk with their group members
to discuss their reasoning to the questions they answered. The students can
work together and come to a final answer for each question.
I created the Favorite Color assessment on Microsoft Word. I
used Microsoft Excel to make the bar graph and then typed three questions below
the graph that would help the students interpret the graph. I had used Excel to
make a bar graph for another class so that was not difficult at all.
Assessments are typically thought of as tests but that is not always true.
Assessments can be fun and engaging for the students but also give the teacher
a well-rounded idea of how each student is progressing in the concept that is
being assessed. For my assessment, the teacher is able to walk around the
classroom and observe the students approach to the problem. The teacher is able
to see how the student interacts with others and what questions they are asking
about the assessment. The students can clarify with their peers if they are
stuck on a certain question. Creating this assessment was not as complex as I
thought. I did base my assessment off of another assessment on the Balanced
Assessment Project website but came up with my own scenario. I hope that with
more experience and time I will be able to create my very own assessments to
assess my students.
Monday, November 14, 2016
My Shot at Creating an Assessment
Today has been a day for sailing on uncharted waters. For the very first time, I have created my very own assessment which (hopefully) covers my entire standard (CC.2.2.2A.2: Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication) and possibly other standards. I unfortunately cannot attach my assessment to this post, but I will give a brief overview of it.
In my assessment, I posed my questions in such a way to veer my students towards using certain strategies for each question.
1. How many circles are below? How do you know?
a. 4+4+4+4=16
b. 5+5+5+5=16
c. 4+4+2+2=16
d. 8+8+7+1=16
In my assessment, I posed my questions in such a way to veer my students towards using certain strategies for each question.
1. How many circles are below? How do you know?
This question is accompanied by three groups of three circles. My objective with this question was to get the students to recognize the equal groups and use that strategy to skip count by threes instead of counting each circle one by one.
Answer: 9 circles
2. Choose the number sentence that represents the number of cats:
b. 5+5+5+5=16
c. 4+4+2+2=16
d. 8+8+7+1=16
I presented them with four rows of cats which all contained four cats. My objective with this question was to get the students more acquainted with the idea of using equal groups and be able to see equal groups represented in number form.
Answer: a. 4+4+4+4=16
3.Use repeated addition to create a number sentence that represents the amount of phones above.
The students are shown three rows of phones with five phones in each row. Since they had already been introduced to the idea of created a number sentence based on equal groups, I decided to test their knowledge with an open ended question. This allows them to practice this strategy entirely on their own, so they may make the connection between the physical groups and numbers.
Answer (may vary): 5+5+5=15
4. Kieren wants to get a cake for his class of 32 students. One cake has 8 slices. If two students share one slice of cake, how many cakes would Kieren have to buy? Explain how you got this answer.
This is a very complex question for children at this age level; I do not expect them to do division to solve this problem. A simpler way to solve this problem would be to use the graphic of the cake I provided to skip count around the circle and track how many times they must go around the circle until they reach 32.
Answer: 2 cakes
To my surprise, the process of creating my own personal assessment was not as difficult as I though it would be. Breaking down the standard, reviewing other assessments and lessons, and discussing it with the group certainly helped quite a bit. If I were to create a lesson and teach it before creating this assessment, I think creating this assessment would have helped even more. By that point, I would be so familiar with the standard that it would be secondhand knowledge. With time and practice, I could most definitely start creating assessments with no problem at all.
Friday, November 11, 2016
assessment review
This week we were given the task to go on the balanced assessment program webpage and find another assessment that fits our standard. My standard is CC.2.1.2.B.1, using place-value concepts to represent amounts of tens and ones and to compare three digit numbers.
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place.
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place.
Unfortunately, I could not find any other assessment that fit my standard in grade two. I went on to review the grade three assessments. Fermi four is the assignment I decided to review.
One of the questions on this assessment was "If your parents tell you to be good for 1 million seconds does that mean you have to be good for 12 hours, 12 days, or 12 weeks." This question meets many standards in second grade including B.1. B.3. and B.2 under numbers and operations. I also can touch on the algebraic concepts.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Assessment Review
Last week, Professor Mace, Gabbie, and I talked over an assessment we each chose that fit our standard. We discussed how the assessment content filled the standard. We then looked to see if the assessment fit into any of the other standards in our domain or if the assessment fit into standards in the other domains. This week I chose another assessment that relates to the standard I have been working with which is standard CC.2.4.2.A.4 which states; represent and interpret data using line plots, picture graphs, and bar graphs. This standard is under the domain measurement, data, and probability. The assessment I chose to work with this week is called Beach Day.
Beach Day
Beach Day talked about the Smith family who wanted to go to the beach but wanted to choose the nicest day. The students are given a 7 day forecast of the weather for the week that the Smith family wants to go to the beach and are asked to interpret it. The first question wants the students to pick which day would be the best for the Smith family to go to the beach and explain why they chose that day including a description of the weather in their answer. By answering this question, the students are interpreting the weather forecast by choosing which day has the best beach weather based on their observations from the 7 day forecast. The second question asks students to explain why they did not choose the other days in the week for the Smith family to go to the beach. This allows the students to interpret the weather day by day because they can only choose one beach day for the family. They have to be able to describe why all the other six days cannot be beach days.
There are no other standards that this assessment would fit under. There are numbers included in the forecast but they represent the temperature each day of the week and do not follow a specific pattern. Weather and temperatures are unpredictable and random.
There are no other assessments besides We Scream for Ice Cream and Beach Day that relate to my specific standard. Yet, there is another assessment that relates to another standard in my domain. The assessment is called Measure for Measure which asks students questions about measuring different items with M&M's. This is not a standard form of measurement but still allows the students to gain a basic understanding of measurement and why we measure objects the way we do. The standard that this assessment could fall under is CC.2.4.2.A.1; measure and estimate lengths in standard units using appropriate tools. The students are asked to measure their thumb and their partner's thumb using M&M's. They are trying to determine how many M&M's it takes to measure their thumb and their partner's. M&M's are not typically used to measure the length of objects but it gets the basic concept of measurement across to young learners. It is also a hands on activity because the students are using something tangible to measure with and it is a lot more fun for the students to measure their thumbs using M&M's than them just using rulers.
Beach Day
Beach Day talked about the Smith family who wanted to go to the beach but wanted to choose the nicest day. The students are given a 7 day forecast of the weather for the week that the Smith family wants to go to the beach and are asked to interpret it. The first question wants the students to pick which day would be the best for the Smith family to go to the beach and explain why they chose that day including a description of the weather in their answer. By answering this question, the students are interpreting the weather forecast by choosing which day has the best beach weather based on their observations from the 7 day forecast. The second question asks students to explain why they did not choose the other days in the week for the Smith family to go to the beach. This allows the students to interpret the weather day by day because they can only choose one beach day for the family. They have to be able to describe why all the other six days cannot be beach days.
There are no other standards that this assessment would fit under. There are numbers included in the forecast but they represent the temperature each day of the week and do not follow a specific pattern. Weather and temperatures are unpredictable and random.
There are no other assessments besides We Scream for Ice Cream and Beach Day that relate to my specific standard. Yet, there is another assessment that relates to another standard in my domain. The assessment is called Measure for Measure which asks students questions about measuring different items with M&M's. This is not a standard form of measurement but still allows the students to gain a basic understanding of measurement and why we measure objects the way we do. The standard that this assessment could fall under is CC.2.4.2.A.1; measure and estimate lengths in standard units using appropriate tools. The students are asked to measure their thumb and their partner's thumb using M&M's. They are trying to determine how many M&M's it takes to measure their thumb and their partner's. M&M's are not typically used to measure the length of objects but it gets the basic concept of measurement across to young learners. It is also a hands on activity because the students are using something tangible to measure with and it is a lot more fun for the students to measure their thumbs using M&M's than them just using rulers.
Balanced Assessment Project Review
Last week, the group and I reviewed lessons from the balanced assessment project that met our respective standards in our domains. After breaking down the assessments more thoroughly, I realized how applicable these assessments were to a number of our standards. They don't seem to be very complex problems when you initially look at them, but a lot of these problems use a variety of skills from a variety of domains in the standards. For that reason, I will be reviewing a few more assessments that meet the standard in my domain and determining what other standards in other domains (as well as mine) apply to this assessment as well.
As a reminder, my standard is: CC.2.2.2A.2: Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
Birthday Cupcakes
The prompt for this assessment is: Mr. Ramon wants to buy cupcakes for his son Jaime's birthday party at school. The cupcakes are sold in boxes each box has either 6 chocolate cupcakes or 6 vanilla cupcakes. There are 27 students in Jaime's class.
Throughout this assessment, the questions prompt the students to do some form of multiplication whether that be skip counting or using equal groups along with some addition. Due to the way the prompt and questions were written, the students are almost forced to use equal groups to determine the answer for two of the questions. For that reason, this assessment met my standard: work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
As for the other standards, there were a few that this assessment met. One question required the students to subtract a two-digit number from another two-digit number. This problem could be solved mentally or on paper, so it could fulfill standards CC.2.1.2.B.3: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract within 1000, CC.2.2.2.A.1: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 100, and CC.2.2.2.A.2: Use mental strategies to add and subtract within 20. It did not however fit into the domains of geometry and measurement, data, and probability.
Postal Puzzles
The prompt for this assessment is: In the imaginary country of Philalia, the only kinds of stamps are ones that cost 3 tekos and ones that cost exactly 4 stamps on it.
In the questions that follow, the students must use multiplication strategies to answer. These problems in particular encourage students to use equal group and try a combination as well which allows them to work on their addition and possibly multiplication skills. For that reason, this assessment fulfills my standard: work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
In this assessment, the only standards being fulfilled are the standards in the domain, Algebraic Concepts. This assessment doesn't focus on place value concept at all, so it cannot fulfill any of the standards in Numbers and Operations, nor does it cover any standards in the Geometry domain or Measurement, Data, and Probability. Although the problem does encourage students to use a currency, the questions do not require the students to make change, so it cannot fulfill the standard: Solve problems and make change using coins and paper currency with appropriate symbols. As for Algebraic Concepts, it does fulfill the standards: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 100 and CC.2.2.2.A.2: Use mental strategies to add and subtract within 20.
As a reminder, my standard is: CC.2.2.2A.2: Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
Birthday Cupcakes
The prompt for this assessment is: Mr. Ramon wants to buy cupcakes for his son Jaime's birthday party at school. The cupcakes are sold in boxes each box has either 6 chocolate cupcakes or 6 vanilla cupcakes. There are 27 students in Jaime's class.
Throughout this assessment, the questions prompt the students to do some form of multiplication whether that be skip counting or using equal groups along with some addition. Due to the way the prompt and questions were written, the students are almost forced to use equal groups to determine the answer for two of the questions. For that reason, this assessment met my standard: work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
As for the other standards, there were a few that this assessment met. One question required the students to subtract a two-digit number from another two-digit number. This problem could be solved mentally or on paper, so it could fulfill standards CC.2.1.2.B.3: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract within 1000, CC.2.2.2.A.1: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 100, and CC.2.2.2.A.2: Use mental strategies to add and subtract within 20. It did not however fit into the domains of geometry and measurement, data, and probability.
Postal Puzzles
The prompt for this assessment is: In the imaginary country of Philalia, the only kinds of stamps are ones that cost 3 tekos and ones that cost exactly 4 stamps on it.
In the questions that follow, the students must use multiplication strategies to answer. These problems in particular encourage students to use equal group and try a combination as well which allows them to work on their addition and possibly multiplication skills. For that reason, this assessment fulfills my standard: work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
In this assessment, the only standards being fulfilled are the standards in the domain, Algebraic Concepts. This assessment doesn't focus on place value concept at all, so it cannot fulfill any of the standards in Numbers and Operations, nor does it cover any standards in the Geometry domain or Measurement, Data, and Probability. Although the problem does encourage students to use a currency, the questions do not require the students to make change, so it cannot fulfill the standard: Solve problems and make change using coins and paper currency with appropriate symbols. As for Algebraic Concepts, it does fulfill the standards: Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 100 and CC.2.2.2.A.2: Use mental strategies to add and subtract within 20.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Beach Day!
This week we were given the task to go on the balanced assessment program webpage and find a assessment that fits our standard. My standard is CC.2.1.2.B.1, using place-value concepts to represent amounts of tens and ones and to compare three digit numbers.
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place. The assessment that I found that was closest to my standard was Beach Day. Although, it did not compare three digit numbers, it requires children to understand place value in the tens and ones place.
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place. The assessment that I found that was closest to my standard was Beach Day. Although, it did not compare three digit numbers, it requires children to understand place value in the tens and ones place.
The assessment had various temperatures and asked what day would be the best day to go to the beach. The child would then have to depict the hottest day by knowing what value each number held. The child would them have to explain why the other days were not ideal to go to the beach.
I think this is a good lesson but not completely for my standard. With this assessment we are pulling science and math together which I think is a great idea however, I would change a few things to have it better fit my standard. One thing I would change is that I would have them subtract two temperatures to get one days temperature. For example, Fridays temperature would be 130F-46F=84F. 84F would be the temperature for Friday. I would do that so three digit numbers would be reviewed along with subtraction.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
We Scream for Ice Cream
We have been breaking down different standards these past few weeks and each of us chose a specific standard to focus on. The standard I have been working with is standard CC.2.4.2.A.4 which states; represent and interpret data using line plots, picture graphs, and bar graphs. This standard is under the domain measurement, data, and probability. This week I will be reviewing an assessment from the Balanced Assessment Project that follows my standard. The Balanced Assessment Project provides teachers with various assessments that they can use to assess their students in the different areas of mathematics. The assessment that I chose to review is called We Scream for Ice Cream which follows the standard CC.2.4.2.A.4.
We Scream for Ice Cream had the students vote on their favorite flavor of ice cream and then record the data onto a chart to visually represent the data that was collected. The students were then asked a few questions that would guide them to interpret the data on the chart. To help students describe the trends in the data, I could provide questions that would help guide them to the trends I want them to see such as which ice cream flavors have the most cones. This would allow me to assess what students understand the concept and what students need more guidance. A question from this activity states, If the class can only buy two different flavors for the ice cream party, which two should they buy? Why? This gets the children thinking about which two flavors were most popular or which two flavors had the most votes. They are able to refer to the chart and count which two flavors had the most ice cream cones or just look at the chart and see which two flavors have the most cones. The data shows that orange sherbet and vanilla were the two most popular flavors and would be the two flavors bought for the ice cream party. Then to continue, the next question could be, How many students will not get their favorite flavor? How do you know? This will guide them to look at the other flavors that did not have as many votes as the top two flavors and why that is the reason that those flavors did not get picked.
To be able to determine whether the students are grasping the concept or not, I would give the students another scenario such as what is their favorite color. I would have all students put their favorite color on the board. I would then give them three different types of data displays to choose from and organize the data on the board with the students help so they would not be confused and were able to be involved in the organization of the data as well. Then I would let them create their own type of data display using the data they collected and the knowledge they have with displaying data in various ways.
We Scream for Ice Cream had the students vote on their favorite flavor of ice cream and then record the data onto a chart to visually represent the data that was collected. The students were then asked a few questions that would guide them to interpret the data on the chart. To help students describe the trends in the data, I could provide questions that would help guide them to the trends I want them to see such as which ice cream flavors have the most cones. This would allow me to assess what students understand the concept and what students need more guidance. A question from this activity states, If the class can only buy two different flavors for the ice cream party, which two should they buy? Why? This gets the children thinking about which two flavors were most popular or which two flavors had the most votes. They are able to refer to the chart and count which two flavors had the most ice cream cones or just look at the chart and see which two flavors have the most cones. The data shows that orange sherbet and vanilla were the two most popular flavors and would be the two flavors bought for the ice cream party. Then to continue, the next question could be, How many students will not get their favorite flavor? How do you know? This will guide them to look at the other flavors that did not have as many votes as the top two flavors and why that is the reason that those flavors did not get picked.
To be able to determine whether the students are grasping the concept or not, I would give the students another scenario such as what is their favorite color. I would have all students put their favorite color on the board. I would then give them three different types of data displays to choose from and organize the data on the board with the students help so they would not be confused and were able to be involved in the organization of the data as well. Then I would let them create their own type of data display using the data they collected and the knowledge they have with displaying data in various ways.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Balanced Assessment in Mathematics Review
To recap the last couple of weeks,
the group and I have been working on breaking down standards and reviewing
lesson plans. This week, I will be reviewing an assessment from the Balanced
Assessment Project which is a project to provide a collection of assessments
that provide teachers with an understanding of a student's knowledge of
mathematics. The assessment I will be reviewing is called Dot-to-Dot which
applies to the standard, CC.2.2.2A.2: Work with equal groups of objects to gain
foundations for multiplication.
The
Dot-to-Dot assessment asks the student to do a connect the dot activity by
connecting the even numbers in a picture and connecting multiples of three in
another picture. This activity allows students to work with repeated addition
and practice working with equal groups in a fun, interactive fashion.
Unfortunately, there is no way for us, as teachers, to tell if a student is
simply counting each number one by one unless the student is totally off and
did not create the picture they were supposed to create. It is more of a
self-assessment activity for the students.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Lesson
Last Class Gabbie, Candace, Professor Mace and I explored the PDESAS website to gain an in sight on the standards we unpacked the week before. The standard I unpacked was CC.2.1.2.B.1 using place-value concepts to represent amounts of tens and ones and to compare three digit numbers.
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place.
The lesson I chose is 2nd grade number sense and place value. The objectives for this lesson are students will understand place value--the value of a digit depends upon its place or position in a number, and Students should recognize the numbers 0 to 999. They will gain an understanding of the place values for ones, tens, and hundreds.
The lesson starts by giving a prompt. "Today we are going to strengthen our understanding of place value. To do this, we will represent or show numbers in several different ways. Let’s begin with our NUMBER OF THE DAY place values and start with the number 137. First, I will write the number in standard form. Standard form is the usual way that we write a number. Now I will use the base-ten blocks to represent the number. I first look at the hundreds place. I see that there is 1 hundred so I will use one flat. Next, I look at the tens place and see that my number has 3 tens. I will use 3 ten-sticks (longs) to show my number. Finally, I will look at the ones place. My number has 7 ones. I will use7one-cubes. Now I have shown the number 137 with my base-ten blocks. Ask the student to fill in the number and tell whether it is even or odd. Ask students how they determined whether it was even or odd."
I believe this is a good way to teach students place value with three digit numbers. However, I would change this lesson to have it more children based. I would have the children do the steps with me instead of the teacher just modeling it at the front board.
http://www.pdesas.org/ContentWeb/Content/Content/27965/Lesson%20Plan
Which means children must be able to understand place values in three digit numbers. They also must know how to represent tens place, ones place, and hundreds place.
The lesson I chose is 2nd grade number sense and place value. The objectives for this lesson are students will understand place value--the value of a digit depends upon its place or position in a number, and Students should recognize the numbers 0 to 999. They will gain an understanding of the place values for ones, tens, and hundreds.
The lesson starts by giving a prompt. "Today we are going to strengthen our understanding of place value. To do this, we will represent or show numbers in several different ways. Let’s begin with our NUMBER OF THE DAY place values and start with the number 137. First, I will write the number in standard form. Standard form is the usual way that we write a number. Now I will use the base-ten blocks to represent the number. I first look at the hundreds place. I see that there is 1 hundred so I will use one flat. Next, I look at the tens place and see that my number has 3 tens. I will use 3 ten-sticks (longs) to show my number. Finally, I will look at the ones place. My number has 7 ones. I will use7one-cubes. Now I have shown the number 137 with my base-ten blocks. Ask the student to fill in the number and tell whether it is even or odd. Ask students how they determined whether it was even or odd."
I believe this is a good way to teach students place value with three digit numbers. However, I would change this lesson to have it more children based. I would have the children do the steps with me instead of the teacher just modeling it at the front board.
http://www.pdesas.org/ContentWeb/Content/Content/27965/Lesson%20Plan
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Last week, Professor Mace, Gabbie, Jen, and I explored the PDESAS website and searched for lessons that related to the standard we unpacked the week before. The standard that I am working with this week is CC.2.4.2.A.4 which states; represent and interpret data using line plots, picture graphs, and bar graphs. This standard is under the domain measurement, data, and probability.
The lesson I found that follows this standard is called How Big is a Foot? This lesson is based off of a book called How Big is a Foot? By: Rolf Muller. The essential questions for the students' to keep in mind while completing this activity are why the bed was a different size when measured by someone else's foot other than the king's and whether everyone's feet are the same size and how they can prove whether that is true or not. The students are instructed to get into groups, trace each other's feet, and cut them out. They will predict how big they think their feet are and then measure their cut out feet with their actual feet to see the length. The students will then record the predictions of how big they think their feet are and then the measurements of their feet onto a chart. The teacher shows the students' all of their feet measurements and explains how they are all different and because they are all different, they need standard measurement tools instead of actual human feet to be able to measure accurately.
This lesson follows the standard CC.2.4.2.A.4 because the students represented their feet measurements onto a chart and compared those measurements after to show that human feet are not a reliable form of standard measurement. This lesson states that it follows the standard CC.2.4.2.A.1 which states measure and estimate lengths in standard units using appropriate tools. The students were never instructed to measure their cut out feet with an actual standard form of measurement such as a ruler. The students only measured their cut out feet with their actual feet and compared that data instead of measuring their cut out feet with rulers and comparing those to the foot measuring technique.
For the students to fully grasp the concept of measuring with standard measurement tools, they need to be able to measure their cut out feet with 12 inch rulers. A ruler is a standard measuring tool used in the US. Using the 12 inch ruler would ensure that all of their feet could be measured. They could also measure their actual feet with the rulers to see how long their feet are and whether they have different size feet or not and compare their cut out feet measurements to their actual feet measurements.
The lesson I found that follows this standard is called How Big is a Foot? This lesson is based off of a book called How Big is a Foot? By: Rolf Muller. The essential questions for the students' to keep in mind while completing this activity are why the bed was a different size when measured by someone else's foot other than the king's and whether everyone's feet are the same size and how they can prove whether that is true or not. The students are instructed to get into groups, trace each other's feet, and cut them out. They will predict how big they think their feet are and then measure their cut out feet with their actual feet to see the length. The students will then record the predictions of how big they think their feet are and then the measurements of their feet onto a chart. The teacher shows the students' all of their feet measurements and explains how they are all different and because they are all different, they need standard measurement tools instead of actual human feet to be able to measure accurately.
This lesson follows the standard CC.2.4.2.A.4 because the students represented their feet measurements onto a chart and compared those measurements after to show that human feet are not a reliable form of standard measurement. This lesson states that it follows the standard CC.2.4.2.A.1 which states measure and estimate lengths in standard units using appropriate tools. The students were never instructed to measure their cut out feet with an actual standard form of measurement such as a ruler. The students only measured their cut out feet with their actual feet and compared that data instead of measuring their cut out feet with rulers and comparing those to the foot measuring technique.
For the students to fully grasp the concept of measuring with standard measurement tools, they need to be able to measure their cut out feet with 12 inch rulers. A ruler is a standard measuring tool used in the US. Using the 12 inch ruler would ensure that all of their feet could be measured. They could also measure their actual feet with the rulers to see how long their feet are and whether they have different size feet or not and compare their cut out feet measurements to their actual feet measurements.
Lesson Review
Last week, I unpacked the standard: CC.2.2.2A.2: Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication. It was a bit challenging because it required a bit of research to be able to understand the standard enough to accurately describe it let alone create a lesson for it. To gain a better understanding of how a standard can be applied to a lesson, I will be reviewing a lesson based on the standard I unpacked last week.
The lesson I chose is called "Skipping" which refers to skip counting equal groups. Luckily, the lesson provides a few materials that can be used in teaching this lesson: dot cards, a number line, a self-check sheet, and a script. To go about teaching this lesson, I would start by flashing a set of chips arranged in equal groups and asking my students how many chips were there. They will automatically have to start noticing patterns and developing strategies to count in new ways. I would then use the dot cards and the number line to get the students to see how the numbers move and equal number of times across the number line. After the students get the hang of that, I would pair the students up in groups of two to practice working with equal pairs on their own. They would start working with the cards faced up and determine how many dots there are and explain how they determined their answer. Then, they will turn the cards over so the dots can't be seen, and they will try to determine how many dots there are total knowing only how many dots there are on a card and how many cards there are total. After they have both become comfortable with this, they will fill out the self-check sheet.
This lesson is a good introduction to multiplication because it provides a concrete strategy that is essential in understanding multiplication, so it clearly fulfills the standard. I wouldn't change anything about this lesson. I found this to be a solid lesson.
The lesson I chose is called "Skipping" which refers to skip counting equal groups. Luckily, the lesson provides a few materials that can be used in teaching this lesson: dot cards, a number line, a self-check sheet, and a script. To go about teaching this lesson, I would start by flashing a set of chips arranged in equal groups and asking my students how many chips were there. They will automatically have to start noticing patterns and developing strategies to count in new ways. I would then use the dot cards and the number line to get the students to see how the numbers move and equal number of times across the number line. After the students get the hang of that, I would pair the students up in groups of two to practice working with equal pairs on their own. They would start working with the cards faced up and determine how many dots there are and explain how they determined their answer. Then, they will turn the cards over so the dots can't be seen, and they will try to determine how many dots there are total knowing only how many dots there are on a card and how many cards there are total. After they have both become comfortable with this, they will fill out the self-check sheet.
This lesson is a good introduction to multiplication because it provides a concrete strategy that is essential in understanding multiplication, so it clearly fulfills the standard. I wouldn't change anything about this lesson. I found this to be a solid lesson.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)