Differentiated Instruction Based on Pre-Assessment Results

During the Journalism Unit for 9th graders, learning can be broken down into 3 levels:

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Understanding Journalism	Facts - kinds of journalism - publication sources - historical influencers - elements of style	Concepts - Why journalists choose one story over another? - How journalists balance demands of publishers and needs of the public?	Debatable - Can journalism be objective?
Process toward a deeper level of understanding	Learn the facts: Identify Describe Define Classify List Terms	Think about the facts:  Explain why Differentiate Compare Organize Examine Interpret	Make conclusions: Argue Hypothesize Defend Create Select  Predict
Practicing journalism	Primary questions: Who, What, When, Where?	Secondary questions: How, Why, What’s the relationship?	Deeper questions: Now what? If...then… (So what?) What’s best?

It's useful to look at it this way not only in terms of ticking all the learning boxes, but checking the development and deepening of students' thinking.

During the pre-assessment quiz of students, we set out to learn

• How much experience with journalism have these students had and what are those experiences?

• How familiar are students with a diversity of journalistic sources?

• What language do students have already to describe the various facets of journalism?

• Are students able to analyze news stories and think critically about them?

• Are students able to come to their own conclusions about the news?

The results show 5 students in need of extension work, 12 familiar with some of the information but needing reinforcement and further exploration, and 5 seemingly having very little exposure to the subject. They’ll be grouped as Questioning, Exploring and Discovering to provide a more respectful, less hierarchical delineation that represents the work they’re actually going to do.

Questioning: Those needing extension work are sent to a The New York Times: The Learning Network to do an activity - reading an article, answering questions, and writing responses. This should inspire them to consider how their own writing in the summative could have an impact at school. They should finish the task wondering what impact they want to have on their own school and how they might effectively do that.

Exploring: These students will be exposed to more types of journalism, working in pairs. They’ll compare and contrast styles and the corresponding advantages or weaknesses. And they’ll consider what makes a news story particularly effective in reaching its audience. This reinforces their knowledge of journalism while allowing them to think more critically and find new news sources and styles.

Discovery: These students will review the specific vocabulary around journalism. The students can make digital flashcards for review, along with visual examples of the concepts. Through direct instruction, study guides and discussion, we’ll review the styles and elements of journalism. I’ll have the students quiz each other. And I’ll preview structural elements, as well, so that they have a grasp on the new material to be covered the following week in preparation of students writing their own articles. For the ELL students, there will be more emphasis on vocabulary. SNS will receive guidance to support their taking the lead in the initial analysis of photojournalism and videos. For both, we’ll be looking at shorter written articles.

Assessment

Questioning: Choose one of the NYT writing prompts and write in your journal.

Exploring: Use your journal to make a bullet point list of the strengths and weaknesses of the  different news story styles.

Discovery: Through listening to the student quiz each other and our group discussion, I can check for comprehension and vocabulary usage.

9th Grade Journalism Project Summative Assessment

We're in the middle of a 2-part unit on journalism. We've covered the elements of journalism and analyzing news, marking that with a first summative test. Now students will work toward a second summative by producing an original piece of journalism.

The Task

The essential question for this project is how can I best communicate a news item of interest to HIS students? To do this job, students will need to: 

• organize their thinking logically, using common structural elements appropriate to their chosen medium (radio/podcasts, photojournalism, text-based news articles, or videos)
• make choices in their report (word choices, use of literary devices, use of visual elements) that are designed with the target audience in mind. 
• communicate non-verbally by being purposeful about the use of images, sound, and layout

They should consider the following when planning, researching/interviewing, drafting, and revising: 

• topics/ideas/events that are of interest to HIS students 
• typical structural elements of the chosen medium
• how to attract an audience of HIS students 
• non-verbal communication techniques

The Rubric

(based on the IB rubric with slight adjustments)

	0	1-2	3-4	5-6	7-8
Criterion B:  Organizing ii. - organize opinions and ideas in a sustained, coherent and logical manner	The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.	The student organizes opinions and ideas with a minimal degree of coherence and logic	The student organizes opinions and ideas with some degree of coherence and logic	The student organizes opinions and ideas in a coherent and logical manner with ideas building on each other	The student effectively organizes opinions and ideas in a sustained, coherent and logical manner with ideas building on each other in a sophisticated way
Criterion C:  Producing Text ii. - make stylistic choices in terms of linguistic, literary and visual devices, demonstrating awareness of impact on an audience	The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.	The student makes minimal stylistic choices in terms of linguistic, literary and visual devices, demonstrating limited awareness of impact on an audience	The student makes some stylistic choices in terms of linguistic, literary and visual devices, demonstrating adequate awareness of impact on an audience	The student makes thoughtful stylistic choices in terms of linguistic, literary and visual devices, demonstrating good awareness of impact on an audience	The student makes perceptive stylistic choices in terms of linguistic, literary and visual devices, demonstrating good awareness of impact on an audience
Criterion D:  Using Language v. - use appropriate non-verbal communication techniques.	The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.	The student makes limited and/or inappropriate use of non-verbal communication techniques.	The student makes some use of appropriate non-verbal communication techniques.	The student makes sufficient use of appropriate non-verbal communication techniques.	The student makes effective use of appropriate non-verbal communication techniques.

The Monitoring Plan

This is a 4-week (12 hours in class) project that will be broken into stages with corresponding supportive formative assessments. Deadlines for the completion of each stage is flexible, to a point, depending on student need. In the first week, students will be responsible for selecting a topic and a medium, as well as setting their own work plan schedule, deadlines and reminders. This is not a breakdown by class or week - research, writing, recording, and editing will require the most time.

Stage Objective	Instruction / Modeling / Analysis	Formative Assessment
Review of project timeline, objectives and standards	task sheet and rubric voice ethics	Bump in the Road is there anything I don’t understand? is there anything I expect to be challenging for me?
Choose a topic	types of stories elements in different types audience	Think-Pair-Share Think - Consider your audience. List 10 news subjects that you think students at HIS would be interested in. Narrow that down to the top 3 that especially interest you, too.  Pair - Discuss your top 3 ideas with your peer. Get feedback, and pick one. Share - Share your ideas (one per person) with the class. Exit Ticket your news story idea anticipated challenges in covering this story
Choose a medium	elements of different media considerations in choosing  strategies to reach your audience	Questionnaire - know yourself as a consumer of media and as a communicator to pick the best medium for your project.
Research / Interviews	planning for “field work”:  desk research interviews photos / video capture	Project Planning Graphic Organizer with objective, time, resources needed (technologies, transport, people, etc.) Research Questions + sources Reflection on data collection
Critical Thinking	analizing your own thinking multiple perspectives	Outline  Reflection - Has you research challenged your initial assumptions? Have you learned anything surprising? If there are questions you’d still like to get answered, where will you look?
First draft review	review of key elements nonverbal communication setting a tone getting the audience’s attention	Google Docs - Peer & teacher feedback on first draft of article, images with captions, or script for video or podcast; this includes a comparison of progress to rubric
Final Product	tightening up communication fine-tuning language	1:1 conference with teacher for feedback Book Creator Presentation - Student News Week at HIS, rolling out the stories in all forms in a Book Creator link that is put in the school newsletter for parents, and shared at assembly with students

Final Rubric Review and Reflection -
- In the first week of the project, students reviewed the rubric. When their first draft was reviewed, the rubric was revisited for feedback on meeting expectations. In the final week, reflecting on their final story will include revisiting the rubric.
- The whole class will discuss "lessons learned" from the unit project.
- Students will identify examples of excellent work choices of their peers to recognize together.
- Students will write a reflection on their own work.

Student collaboration happens at every stage of the project when students share, reflect on, and provide feedback to each other on their progress; however, students who choose the medium of film or podcasting may get additional support from peers for recording. Every student is responsible for a different news story upon which their grade is dependent. Their work will be shared with the school and parents, so the real world impact stakes are high. Students will be internally motivated in story choice, research and quality of presentation, knowing that the whole school should be captivated!

Formative Assessments for a High School English Class

As an aspiring teacher who is making a midlife career change, I can get a bit confused by all the hoopla about formative assessments. Aren’t we just talking about homework, quizzes and class discussions of so many past generations? What’s so different about formative assessments, and why are they now perceived as critical to teaching approaches around the world?  

In simple terms, while there are some changes in what teachers are doing, it’s more about a shift in perspective about how & why teachers use these assessments. 

When we think of assessments of the past, they’re usually “summative” in that quizzes and homework were graded and ensured students kept up with the material. In class, teachers asked students questions, checking for understanding, and while this is formative to a point, current formative assessment practices are now used regularly, interwoven into and influencing daily instruction, and arguably even more important than the final grade. 

It’s all about the process.

Key Points to Understanding Formative Assessments

1. Focus on Process: Data Collection, Analysis and the Adjusting of Instruction 

Collecting data frequently with stress-free, quick assessment tools (surveys, thumbs up, colored cups, 1:1 conferences, etc.) provides me with immediate feedback on whether the instruction has landed. By examining results, I can respond with variations on teaching approaches with the whole class or in targeted support to individual or small groups of students. There is value in the data, and if there’s one change in my teaching, it will be in the collection and analysis of data - to ensure that in addition to the talking and listening, I also use the quick surveys/quizzes to get a more accurate picture of where my students are. Integrating formative assessment into every lesson will be a goal for me.

2. Clarifying Learning Targets and Monitoring Progress toward Learning Goals

By articulating learning goals to students from the start, I (and students) can check student progress toward reaching those goals by breaking it down into smaller targets. Data collection through formative assessments can work like a checklist whereby every student is assessed on every component of the lesson and supported when they fall behind or struggle with any component. The point is to progress. As I develop unit plans and lesson plans, I’ll design assessments that match each piece as we go.

3. Student-Centered: Individualized Learning Plans, Differentiation & Self-Improvement

Sometimes the key to motivating students is finding what works for them. Regularly checking in provides more opportunities to support them before it’s too late. Students with specific learning needs will benefit from formative assessments that identify their gaps, as well as their strengths and styles, as these can contribute to their ILPs. Through formative assessments all students will know where they are, where they need to go, and what they need to do to reach their goal. This empowers them to take control of the process, linked to growth mindset - to honestly take stock of one’s performance and take action. This article is especially helpful in planning students tracking their performance.