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Enter the Fortress of Solid Learning
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April 2009, Vol 8, Issue 8
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Demystifying the World of "Formative Assessment"
Greetings,
I recently met an educator who told me that Castle Learning Online "allows me to view student weaknesses, as well as trends of weakness for an entire class, allowing me to self-check my own effectiveness." In order to improve comprehension more teachers are using technology to provide themselves immediate feedback that can direct their lessons or adjust daily teaching strategies in order to improve student achievement.
What I've just described is an important element of formative assessment. It is not an 'event,' but a 'process' that is embedded in instruction to redirect teaching and learning in ways that help students master content related goals. (Attributes of Effective Formative Assessment, Washington, DC, 2008). Research proposes to define formative assessment as a shift in classroom teaching and student learning, using research-based instructional procedures to increase student academic performance.
The efforts of state and local educators to ensure that all students meet academic proficiency standards and all schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) has led to an increased focus on "formative assessment." Our Castle Learning Online team has produced an invaluable tool that directly addresses the formative assessment model. This tool provides a means to create content or standard related assessments that are current and allow a teacher to gain week-by-week evaluation of a student's progress. As a result, teachers are monitoring the success of the instruction students receive. If a child's performance is not meeting expectations, the teacher can adopt new or different ways of teaching or provide remedial instruction and assignments to assess whether sufficient progress is being made toward meeting the academic goal.
Teachers now have an educationally sound tool in Castle Learning that improves instruction, addresses student achievement, and meets the formative assessment definition by being "embedded into the instruction process." Let me know how you are using Castle Learning by going to www.CastleSoftware.com > "Teachers Are Talking." I look forward to hearing from you!
All the best to you and your students,
Professor Bill
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New Feature
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New Literature Unit: 'Literature: Fahrenheit 451'
Another new unit has been added to the English course, called "Literature: Fahrenheit 451," based on the futuristic Ray Bradbury novel published in 1953. This is the ninth set in a series of literature short answer questions. The unit contains 3 sections, corresponding to the three major divisions of the book. Questions focus on plot points, imagery, symbolism, irony, point of view, conflict and themes.
To add these questions into an assignment, go to the Add Question page, select the unit named "Literature: Fahrenheit 451", choose a section for the desired chapter, and then use the Browse and Select option to select the questions that you would like to include in your assignment. The order of the literature questions for a particular chapter parallels the sequence of events in the novel. Thus, the use of randomization is not recommended in assignments with literature questions.
Author Ray Bradbury (b. 1920) is best known for Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. The library in his hometown of Waukegan, Illinois, conducts the annual Ray Bradbury Contest each spring. Adults and high school students are invited to read Fahrenheit 451 and create a response through writing, visual arts or multimedia.
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IN THIS ISSUE
New Feature
Literature series
continues to grow!
Focus on
Geometry Proofs
It takes a lot of practice to master writing proofs.
April Mail Bag
New Feature for Foreign Language Teachers
How to See
What Students See
Online
Updates
Poetry, Math
and New Class Report:
Scores by Standards
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Focus on Geometry Proofs
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Geometry Proofs
One of the most difficult tasks for students studying geometry is learning to write proofs. Successful proof writing involves a number of high-level skills:
- a thorough grounding in the basic terminology and concepts of geometry
- the ability to interpret correctly the special notation of the text of the question and any accompanying diagrams
- the insight to identify and apply the relationships and theorems that are the heart of the proof
- the development of a strategy to bridge the gap between the "givens" and the statement to be proved
- understanding what constitutes a logical sequence of "statements" and "reasons" in constructing a proof
It takes lots of practice to master the art of writing proofs. Castle Learning Online's course in Geometry assists students in developing these skills by providing numerous examples of "proof" questions. In a series of fill-in questions, students are presented with the outline of a proof along with a numbered list of possible statements and reasons. Students fill in the gaps in the partial proof by entering the number of a statement or reason from the list. At the end, the student sees the fully written proof.
Look for these assisted proof-writing questions in the Geometry unit entitled Triangle Proofs. The first section introduces definitions of geometric terms. The second section focuses on congruence techniques. The third section focuses on proofs involving similarities and proportions. The fourth section deals with proofs involving inequalities as well as indirect proofs.
This frontispiece of the oldest surviving Latin translation of the Euclid's Elements was designed in the 12th century. Said to be the most successful textbook in history, Euclid's Elements was written by the Greek mathematician around 300 BC at the University at Alexandria. The Father of Geometry's classic work was used as the basic text on geometry throughout the Western world for
2,000 years.
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April Mail Bag
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FOR TEACHERS: SPANISH AND FRENCH
Question:
Castle Learning Online courses in Spanish and French contain grammar questions, but the name of a grammar section doesn't tell me what it covers. How can I find the questions that I need?
Answer:
Grammar charts are now available to make it easier for Spanish and French teachers to find questions on the specific points of grammar that they are teaching. Units in these courses focus on topics such as Food, Travel, or The Arts. The vocabulary, grammar, listening and reading questions in a given unit all relate to this topic. Section names are limited in length and do not permit a complete description of the content. The grammar charts provide more details of the specific points of grammar covered at each level (basic, intermediate, and advanced) in the grammar section for a unit.
To view the grammar charts, click the Documents link on the Teacher or Administrator Home page, and then click Spanish and French Grammar Charts under Information for Teachers. You can also find this link at the bottom of the Teacher Edit Assignment page when creating an assignment in Spanish or French. The chart displays as a PDF file.
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FOR TEACHERS
Question:
How can I tell what an assignment will look like to my students?
Answer:
Creating great assignments is an art. Teacher "self-assignment" gives you the chance to preview the assignment and see it just the way that your students will see it. Then, before assigning it to your students, you can go back and add or delete content, vary the order of the questions, or even include a note for your students. Used in this way, "self-assignment" provides a way to proofread an assignment before you give it to your students.
To "self-assign" an assignment, locate the assignment on the teacher Assignments page and click its Assign/Monitor Students icon. On the Assignment Details page, click the Self-Assign (pink) tab, and then click Assign to myself. As a shortcut when editing an assignment, click Assign to Students at the bottom of the Edit Assignment page; this takes you to the Assignment Details page.
To preview the assignment as a student, click the HOME button and thenStudent Home Page. On the Student Home page, you will notice that you have an incomplete assignment for "your" class. Click the class name, locate the course in the Incomplete Assignments table, and click Short Answer. On the student Assignments page for the course, click the date or name of the assignment. Now you can work through the assignment and answer questions just like a student!
To return to the teacher pages, click the HOME button and then Teacher Home Page. Locate the assignment and make any desired changes. To clear out your previous work on the "self-assigned" session, locate the assignment on the teacher Assignments page and click its Assign/Monitor Students icon. On the Assignment Details page, click the Self-Assign (pink) tab, and then click Reassign to myself. This will clear your answers. You can continue to switch back and forth between the teacher and student pages until the assignment is just the way you want it to be. Your self-assigned session results will not affect class cumulative or other reports.
Another great use of self-assignment is in demonstrating assignments to your class with a projector or smart board. As a teacher, you can work along with your students right in the classroom. Just remember to "reassign" the assignment to yourself at the end of the class period to start clean for the next class period.
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Updates
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English Update: Poetry
The English course has been updated with 16 new reading sets, all of which are based on poetry selections. Questions focus on analyzing the structure of poems and interpreting the language of poetry. Special attention is paid to the use of figurative language, metaphor and simile, imagery, symbolism, mood and tone.
Geometry Update
A new section has been added to the Constructions unit in Geometry, called Triangle Centers. It includes both definition, analytical and and computational questions on triangle orthocenters, centroids, incenters and circumcenters and their relationships to altitudes, medians, and inscribed and circumscribed circles. The units on Angles, Triangle, and other Polygons and Three-dimensional Figures have also been updated with several new questions in various sections. New York State teachers will also be happy to know that questions from the "Fall 2008 Sampler Exam in Geometry" are now also available.
Assignment Class Report
The Assignment Class Report (with the blue and red bars for a specific assignment) has been modified to include scoring broken down by state standards. Clicking on the standard link displays the standard in a pop-up window.
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See you
Soon |
The Castle Learning Online team will be at these conferences. Hope to see you there.
APRIL
WSWHE BOCES Conference
SAANYS Regional Meeting - Plattsburgh
Drop by our conference booth. We look foward to meeting you!
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Contact Information
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Castle Software, Inc., 626 Layport Dr., Ste. 100, Sebastian, FL 32958
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