chpt 9 reading reflection

                                                                                                                                              Stephanie Hill
CHPT 9
Reading Reflection 9
Making Assessment Meaningful

      In the beginning of this chapter, it focuses on the significance of students knowing what their teacher expects and know what "success" looks like.  Likewise, it is important for students to have prior knowledge before they begin any assignment or project.  Students need to understand what they are being graded on, how they are being graded and what the gain objective they will be learning.  When students understand all of these aspects to a project, they are better able to focus in on what is important and how to complete the assignments correctly.  It is also important that students have an idea of what the meanings of certain topics are before they begin a project or assignment because they will further their learning, rather then only learning the basics.
     Anchors are also important for having students succeed at any project or assignment.  Anchors help teachers see where students are when they start the project and at the end, see how much they have learned.  I think that having anchors is very important because if a student is more advanced in a certain area and you find this out before starting the project, it will allow you to alter the project for them so it is more challenging.
    There are many ways that you can assess what students learning during the project.  One example is to create an online grade book.  Online grade books allow students more opportunities to succeed by having categories instead of harsh markdowns.  It is also very convenient for parents because they can see their child's grade and get a better sense of why their child did well or not so well on a project.  Also, online grade books show what students need to improve upon by giving them feedback and comments on their work. Another way to assess your students is to show them a film that relates to the top, for example a book that was made into a film.  I like this idea because when you read a book, you visualize what characters look like.   So, by showing the film, it is fun to see the children react to how the film depicts the characters and how they are different from what the students pictured in their heads.
     This chapter relates to my project because it pinpoints the fact that I need to make sure that my students have prior knowledge before they just dive into the project.  Also, having different ways to assess the students besides the standard and boring test, I could show a film and ask for their feedback.