Civil War Exploration

Vocabulary Activity

1. define
2. establish
3. identify
4. create
5. benefit

The students will conduct their activities in groups based on abilities mostly by personality traits and multiple intelligence.  The study is on the Civil War exploring it from a variety of issues and events in history.  The following will be given to the students to choose which one to complete.  The students will understand the vocabulary words because we would go over the meaning of each with a search on the internet and/or dictionary.  Each activity will assist the students to explore the underground railroad, the people who participated in the event, their position on the slavery issue in a speech stating that position and why, and the students will also be able to define the problem with the everyday life during the era and to create a plan to solve that problem.  They can draw, construct, write a speech, or design the plan for the class.  The students will have the appropriate materials to assist in their search for whatever activity they will choose.  The students will show the benefits of their position on the issues, and show why.  They will establish, define, identify, create, and benefit from the Civil War era.  The classroom will decorated with pictures, documents, and other displays from the Civil War for inspiration, and I would assist in anyway I could.

Performance Assessment

In the continuation of my blog on assessment, I will develop a performance assessment for my second graders on the unit on synonyms and antonyms.  A performance assessment a purpose, a learning outcome, a task or situation of the assessment context, a holistic rubric which scores the assessment with numerical points then providing a letter grade for the whole project or performance, and what limitations or constraints on the project or performance; such as, time, any materials used, whether assistance or outside help are allowed, what prior knowledge is needed to complete the assessment, and of course the scoring criteria used to evaluate the assessment.

Purpose:  The performance assessment is for the students to take the basic knowledge from the lessons prior to the paper assessment on synonyms and antonyms to develop a written story that can be acted in charades or other performance activity.

Learning Outcome:  Students will develop their basic knowledge of synonyms and antonyms in a performance assessment with a written story and a team effort of performing the story out in a play or charades by using the paper assessment to assist them.

Assessment Context:  The performance assessment will involve a written story using synonyms and antonyms from the paper test taken before or some of their own from the team conferences, and a performance activity using the story in a charades activity or a verbal play.

Holistic Rubric:

The story on synonyms and antonyms will be scored on a 1-5 numeric value using the following rubric.

Using 3 sets of synonyms or antonyms from the test correctly:

3 pts. for all 3 correct
2 pts. for 2 correct
1 pt. for 1 correct
0 pts. for 0 correct

Story making sense with or without errors:

5 pts. for story makes sense
4 pts. for story somewhat makes sense
3 pts. for story making little sense with some errors
2 pts. for story making no sense with many errors
1 pt. for attempting story with many errors
0 pts for no participation or story

Performance Activity:

3 pts. for all participation with understandable speech or gestures
2 pts. for all participation with some problems understanding
1 pt for participation if not understood
0 pts. for no participation

*If a member of a team is absent or doesn't participate then the others will be evaluated and the nonparticipant receives no points.

Constraints:

Time:  Class time used to complete story in teams that the teacher will choose.
The story will be completed in 1 hour in 1 to 2 days with assembled teams.
The performance will be completed in 1 hour in 1 to 2 days depending on the number of teams.
The performance will be completed in about 10 minutes, but less than 15 minutes if four teams or less are needed, less time if more than four teams, and then adjusted if needed for any other unforeseen developments.

Reference Material:  A copy of the paper test on synonyms and antonyms available to provide suggestions.  A list of words may be provided by the teacher or class developed list.

Assistance or help:  The teacher will assist only if the teams compiled have unresolved difficulties.  The teacher at their discretion will open to whole class if a team is having terrible difficulty to help everyone learn about the lesson, teamwork, and how to help a fellow classmate(s).

Prior Knowledge:  Lesson/Instruction, Paper Test, Story Development with team, and assistance from team and classmates.

Scoring Criteria:  Developed in holistic scoring rubric.

I hope that this development assists some of my blog readers.  Please make any comments or suggestions to assist in revising this blog in any way in order to learn from mistakes and what I have developed correctly or something you find interesting.

Test Items Explanation

Developing an test item for my language arts' blog on Synonyms and Antonyms was a little challenging because of wanting to try to accommodate my learning outcomes.  I made one test item for each outcome using the text examples as a guide as well as the lecture from Professor Orlando.  I wanted to be sure that the students had a basic understanding of what Synonyms and Antonyms are and be able to recognize and list examples.  The most challenging was the multiple choice and matching because I had to make sure that there were no mistakes in the understanding of the test item.  I could see how Professor Orlando and the text  meant on how advantageous and challenging putting a test together.  I wanted to make sure that the test items were at grade level so that the students could see their strengths and weaknesses, and where improvement could be made for the learning process and the instruction on my part giving respect of how my students' learning ability.  I know that I need as much practice compiling test items as much as the students need to instructed and guided in an orderly and specific fashion.  I am motivated by my learning from seeing my students experience the instruction and information provided to them, and how they acknowledge the objectives or outcomes that I want them to grasp.

Synonyms and Antonyms

In the preparation of this blog, I had many topics in mind that I find important for elementary children.  I thought that I would make the most benefit for the readers of this blog to focus on language arts, and how it can make a difference in many students of the grade level that I have chosen.  My academic background is at the elementary level of education which ranges from K-3rd graders as a student teacher, a volunteer, an internship, and as a substitute teacher.  I would love to learn more about other grade levels as well as the new technology that is out there to assist the teachers and their students to learn the necessary skills as well as the topics of interest to reach for their goals of acquiring knowledge for their future.  I would like to acquire a portfolio that includes experience and education for special diverse learners.

In this first post, I would like to introduce a hypothetical unit on Synonyms and Antonyms for a second grade class of students who need to learn the basics on this language arts' topic.  I will provide a few objectives that I would have regarding this issue at the end of the introduction of this unit.  In the following weeks, I will continue to develop this learning opportunity for these second graders.

1.  Students will be able to define Synonyms and Antonyms, and know the difference between them.
2.  Students will be able to list at least 3 examples of Synonyms and Antonyms.
3.  Students will compare Synonyms to Antonyms, and list 3 examples.

This is a starting point of what I would like to achieve within this unit of study.  I look forward to my future posts, and welcome any comments, opinions, and advice on this blog so that every reader including myself learn and grow as an educator, student, and lifelong learner.

During the learning process, there needs to be an evaluation of what the students actually learn from my unit of Synonyms and Antonyms.  I have to form an assessment to test my students' knowledge, and measure what they need to know before the next lesson or if reteaching is needed.  The second graders will find similar test items to the ones below.

1. True or False:  Synonyms are words that have the same definition.  Antonyms are words that are defined as opposites.
2.  In the following list, circle which are Synonyms?

     truth, lie
     good, bad
     approve, deny
     light, dark
     sunny, cloudy

3.  Match the words in list A to the words in list B by drawing a line to each other's Antonym.

     List A                                                    List B

1.  Sun                                                        Pass
2.  Boy                                                        Truth
3.  Fail                                                         Moon
4.  Adult                                                       Girl
5.  Work                                                      Child
6.   Lie                                                          Play

Students should also be able to form sentences or answer open ended statements or questions.  The following test item will be in essay form.

Define the words Synonym and Antonym.  Then list at least three examples of each.