Unit Plan Assessment Plan

    In order to assess students’ ability to incorporate outside sources into their writing before embarking on the research essay, I will collect the persuasive essays that they wrote in the previous unit. Although the focus of these essays was on how to share opinions and state a position, all students were required to use a source from the internet that supported their stance. By analyzing these essays, I will have a better understanding of where my students are at in their ability to incorporate research into their writing. Although students will not complete an additional pre-assessment, I believe that looking at the persuasive essays- in which students could go through the writing/research process extensively- will allow me to have the best understanding of my students as we begin their research paper. 

    In order for students to facilitate their own learning and improve their writing as they progress (formative as learning), they will complete a series of I-Charts. The students have used these charts before as a way to organize information, and will thus be familiar with the structure. Students will focus on a portion of their question or topic in each chart and fill it out with the information they find through research. Because these charts are divided into sections (question/topic, information found, new questions, source), students are able to monitor their progress through assessing their work. It becomes apparent immediately if they need more information, as a portion of the paper will not be filled out. This allows students to become more independent as they form and defend their positions and information. 

    In order for myself and Mrs. S to monitor students progress, students will be transferring the information from their I-Charts onto paper outline sheets. These sheets will provide students with the structure in which they should organize the information from their I-Charts and allow them to add more narrative writing around their research. Through this transfer process, students will not only be able to practice synthesizing, logical thinking, and writing, but Mrs. S and I will be able to see the depth of student research. At this point, it will become clear if a particular student is struggling or perhaps does not have enough/good research. This will allow for intervention before completing the project and will provide an entry point to support students in their learning. 

    At the end of the unit, students will turn in a completed research paper accompanied by a title page and a works cited page. These will be typed and edited for grading and will provide the main summative assessment for the unit. The extensive writing skills combined with integrating research will provide a strong foundation for students who are moving into middle school and towards the end of their elementary education. Additionally, completing an essay of this rigor encourages students to grow in their critical thinking and long-term goal setting, both of which will help them throughout the rest of their lives. Students will be provided with a packet at the beginning of the unit that outlines the requirements for the finished paper and the writing process (see below).

    Finally, students will be asked to share what they’ve learned about their topic/figure with the rest of the class. They will do this through giving a verbal presentations to the rest of the class. This will allow students who learn better through auditory input to learn more about the topic as well as allow students who are more comfortable with speaking (as opposed to writing) to share what they have learned. In addition, it provides an opportunity for students to cultivate their public speaking skills and their ability to summarize information. Students will be given a rubric that will be used to evaluate their presentation/listening skills on which to base their presentation (see below). 

For other checklists, rubrics, and assessment materials, please see Assessment section.