On May 24, 2020 I created a summative assessment for my Grade 12 English class who is reading “1984” by George Orwell. The quiz is based on content in the first chapter of the novel which questions students on events in the chapter and relevant literary devices employed. The summative assessment is a Google Form that is meant to be administered to students via google classroom and submitted to the teacher to grade. The assessment will be administered after students finish reading Chapter 1 and any class discussion on the Chapter.
When creating the assessment, the California Common Core State Standard was CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10 which says that “At the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.” Another standard I had in mind was CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9 “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.” By reading 1984 and asking specific questions about the text, students are being tested on deciphering events, characters, and literary devices that are used in complex books and novels. In my quiz, I asked to recall events that happened in the chapter and then explain literary devices employed in the novel.
The assignment that I created is intended as a summative assessment based upon reading and discussing Chapter 1 of 1984. A summative assessment is any assessment that is used after instruction has happened in order to gauge student understanding and comprehension. A summative assessment could be an exit ticket or an end of chapter/unit lesson (Gordon and Byrd, 2018, pg. 289). This assessment will be administered after assigning reading for homework and discussing the chapter in class. I would also give students a reading comprehension guide in order to frame student understanding and point key events and motifs as the novel develops.
In order to provide scaffolding and support to SPED learners, ELs, and students with Social-Emotional issues, I chose a Google form to administer my summative assessment in order to have students type in answers and grade them online without using a paper-based assessment. In order to prepare students for the quiz, I would give them a reading comprehension packet in order to direct student attention to key points and developments in the novel. I would also introduce vocabulary and literary devices in order to help students think about a chapter. I would also discuss the chapter and make connections explicitly so students with Autism who have problems with making complex associations clear. For ELs to make events clear as they unfold is also helpful and to scaffold using vocabulary to build new vocab is essential. Students with social-emotional difficulties will have the reading comprehension guide to study in order to reduce anxiety about questions asked on the quiz regarding plot and storyline.
I will use the assessment to gauge student comprehension of the material. I will use it to adjust my instruction for the next chapters if necessary.
Link to assessment here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNDLytqwW_Oiosbmcn16d-UXg-j29WjlBXoeJpwmtErCWa_w/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1
Alex Milledge Teacher Blog 