portfolio

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Portfolio Assignment

EPSE 448

3/7/2012

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Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2

Article #1 – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam ................................................................................................ 2

Article #2 – “Assessment as Learning”.......................................................................................................... 5

Article #3 – “Giving up the Grade” ................................................................................................................ 7

Article #4 – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide ......................................................................................... 9

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 10

Appendix A – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam ........................................................................................... 11

Appendix B – Assessment as Learning Mind MapAppendix C – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide ...... 16

Appendix C – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide .................................................................................... 17

Appendix D - Data Collection from Bloom’s Taxonomy Analysis ................................................................ 23

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 24

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Introduction

My portfolio contains four articles that examine different aspects of assessment,

including exam creation, assessment as learning, ungraded classrooms and Bloom’s taxonomy.

Although focusing on different topics, the articles are interrelated because they represent my

overall understanding of assessment. As I worked on this assignment I found that reflecting on

one article would raise an idea or issue that would directly relate to one of my other articles. This

was both a useful and troublesome discovery. It was useful because I found myself engaging

more with theory and continuously drawing connections to my internship. At the same time, this

was troublesome because I kept reworking my reflections to include new information and I

ended up running out of time. Nonetheless, it was a process that I enjoyed going through.

Article #1 – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam

Summary

During my internship I was in an English Language Arts classroom. In my ELA 20 class

I planned and implemented a novel study on To Kill a Mockingbird. One thing my co-operating

teacher really wanted me to do was create an exam to finish off the unit. After looking through

exams that she used for other novel studies, I developed the attached exam. It is divided into four

sections. The first section requires students to match a character from the novel with their

corresponding description. The second section has nineteen multiple choice questions that relate

to the novel’s plot and various themes. Next, there are eight short answer questions and the exam

ends with an essay question. Prior to writing this exam the students were told the layout of the

exam as well as an outline that reflected key concepts that were to be tested. The students were

also given two days in class to work through the exam outline in small groups and ask any

questions they may have had in order to maximize the chances for success.

Reflection

After giving the exam to my students, there were definitely things that I wanted to

change. The students had a lot of questions regarding the wording of several multiple choice

questions and nearly all of the students wrote the same essay. This last part suggests to me that

overall student understanding of the novel was not as comprehensive as I had thought. Our

textbook, Classroom Assessment, has several sections that look at general guidelines for creating

an exam, as well as guidelines more specific to creating short answer, multiple choice and essay

questions. After comparing my exam with these guidelines, I have discovered several things that

can be changed in order to make it a more effective exam. As I went through my test, I made a

series of comments that will be taken into consideration if I choose to re-use this exam.

One thing that is problematic with this exam is the lack of written directions. At the

beginning of the exam I verbally explained each of the sections; however it is likely that some

students tuned me out so that they could finish the exam as quick as possible. The addition of

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written instructions would make this exam more clear for the students who jump right in. Written

instructions would have also benefitted our EAL student. After giving this exam, I noticed that

she did better when the instructions were written down because she found it easier than relying

solely on auditory processes.

When I sat down to put this exam together, it was my intention to arrange the questions

by level of difficulty. That is why matching is the first section and the essay is the final section. I

thought it was interesting that McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger (2011) report that “arranging

items by level of difficulty has little effect on the results” (p. 178). Looking back on my own test

taking experience, I can see this being an accurate statement. If I did not know the answer, I

would just skip the question and come back to it later. It did not matter where in the test that

question was, as my process was still the same. The authors also suggest organizing test sections

so that quickly answered questions are near the beginning. I would suggest that this overall test

organization is ordering the sections, not necessarily the individual questions, from easiest to

more difficult. This is possibly because I usually find binary-choice and multiple choice easier

than short or long answer questions. However, this is not necessarily true for my students.

Looking specifically at the matching section, there are a few changes that can be made to

improve this exam. I should have alphabetized the character names instead of putting them in a

random order. That way there are no subtle hints that lead to the correct answer. McMillan,

Hellsten and Klinger (2011) suggest that eight is the maximum number of premises and I have

eleven. There are definitely a couple of less important characters that I can remove from the list,

like Mr. Gilmer and Mr. Underwood. The ideas that these characters represent are much more

important than the characters themselves.

My set of multiple choice questions could definitely use some work. One of the first areas

of improvement that I noticed was the layout of each question. McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger

(2011) suggest to list items vertically below the stem, which makes a lot of sense. As I reread the

questions I found that my eyes were getting lost trying to locate the correct answer. In addition to

organization, many of the questions are really vague. Not all of the stems are clear, resulting in

some questions having more than one correct answer. One error that was consistent throughout

this section had to do with the location of a blank in a completion item. I often put the blanks in

the centre of a stem; however the authors suggest that the blank is placed at the end of the stem. I

agree that the placement of a blank makes the question clearer, allowing students to move on to

the next question more quickly. The final note I made in this section had to do with the

distribution of correct responses throughout the options. When I made the exam I randomly

selected the order of each answer. At university I have found that the correct answer is always C

and I wanted to randomly order the answers to reflect a more even distribution. Apparently, I

need to readjust the items to achieve this more even distribution.

There are several improvements that I would like to make to the short answer and essay

question sections. Some of the questions are excessively wordy, making them unclear. My word

choice may have also made it difficult for some students to know what knowledge I was seeking.

I found this to be the case when I was correcting the exam written by my EAL student. She did

well on the previous two sections; however her answers in these sections indicate that she did not

fully understand what I was asking. In the process of making the items more succinct and clear, I

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can also ensure that each question has only one answer that is not too complex. In the directions I

indicated that the students could respond to the short answer questions in point form, but some of

the questions required complex and detailed answers. The essay questions have similar issues,

meaning that some are excessively wordy and possibly unclear. McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger

(2011) recommend having only one choice for an essay question but I am not sure that I agree. I

do not see a problem with allowing students to choose the question that they know the most

about. The curricular outcomes and indicators do not specifically say that ‘students must be able

to explain why Boo Radley symbolizes a mockingbird,’ rather they focus upon skill sets. If our

goal is to develop these skill sets, then I see no problem with letting students choose their own

content.

After reading through the guidelines for developing exams, I am grateful to have a copy

of this textbook as a reference point for developing future exams. There are a lot of

improvements that I can make to this unit exam to clarify the content for my students. However,

the more I think about the purpose of assessment, the more I wonder how it can be done without

having students regurgitate information on exams. When I have my own classroom it is likely

that I will give this exam a couple of more times, at least until I am more familiar and

comfortable with alternative forms of assessment.

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Article #2 – “Assessment as Learning” Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (2006). Rethinking Classroom Assessment with

Purpose in Mind. Accessed online on February 16, 2012 at:

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/rethinking_assess_mb.pdf

Summary

This article is a chapter from a textbook created by Manitoba Education that focuses on

assessment. The chapter focuses on assessment as learning. To set the purpose of the chapter it

starts off with a quote that I really liked: “We must constantly remind ourselves that the ultimate

purpose of evaluation is to enable students to evaluate themselves” (Manitoba Education 2006, p.

41). From here, the text launches into a definition of assessment as learning and briefly compares

it with assessment for and of learning. Basically, assessment as learning involves teaching

students to be aware of and challenge their own thinking patterns and own learning so that they

can operate more independently. Once the terminology is established, the text examines the role

of a teacher in a classroom that regularly makes use of assessment as learning. In this

environment the teacher is responsible for creating a safe space for students to play with new

ideas, model metacognitive strategies and provide exemplars of quality work. The teacher is also

responsible for creating opportunities for students to self-assess and to provide descriptive

feedback that is useful and relevant to each student. The text then walks through one teacher’s

thought process when using assessment as learning. They start by establishing a purpose of

assessment and identifying as assessment tool. This hypothetical teacher then examines how she

can ensure that the assessment will be reliable and valid. She ends with a list of ways students

could use this assessment to better understand their own style of learning. In addition to this

hypothetical scenario, the text includes several specific, real-world examples that felt more

useful. The examples came from a range of age groups that encompass grades 2 – 12 and from a

variety of subject areas. This chapter ends with a chart that compares assessment as learning with

assessment for learning. The chart compares the purposes of assessment, the skill sets being

assessed, possible methods, ways to ensure quality and the uses of information gathered during

assessment.

Reflection

I decided to include an article on assessment as learning because I was unsure of how it

differs from assessment for learning. Several of the workshops given by my peers have

mentioned that assessment for learning is better than assessment of learning, but I do not recall

any workshop mentioning assessment as learning. I have had a couple other professors mention

assessment as learning but it was more in passing. Our textbook has a rather small section to

highlight the key points of assessment as learning but I wanted more information.

I really liked the quote that started off this article because it set the tone for the entire

article. Often, when teachers sit around and talk about assessment, I feel that their purpose of

assessment varies. The power of assessment and evaluation can get to some teachers and make


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them thrive off of controlling students. I like the idea of teaching students how to have this sort

of power over themselves and allowing them to practice self-assessment in my classroom. I

remember struggling when I first got into the College of Education because I was not used to

reflecting and evaluating my own ideas in a classroom setting. I wanted the professors to tell me

what to learn so that I could move on to the next class. However, I now find these tools to be

important and useful in the classes I am currently taking. I have been applying reflection and

self-evaluation to my open elective, a 400 level History class, and am finding that I have learned

more information as a result. I guess what I am trying to say is that being aware of my

metacognitive strategies has been beneficial to me; therefore I want my students to have the

same opportunity to develop self-evaluation skills.

There were two parts of this article that I will most likely refer to in the future. The first is

the chart at the very end of the article that examines the differences between assessment for

learning and assessment as learning. Classroom Assessment has a chart that adds in a column to

outline assessment of learning; however I found this chart to be rather vague. Sometimes I need

more than one word to understand the message an author is trying to convey and several of the

columns contained the same information. Overall I felt that McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger

focus a lot on assessment for learning, instead of explaining all three. What I like about the chart

in this article is that it is clearer. I am able to look at the provided chart and understand how the

purpose, content and methods of assessment are different.

The other part of the article that I found useful was the section on the role of a teacher in

facilitating assessment as learning. This role is greatly different than in a classroom where other

forms of assessment dominate. In this role, the teacher surrenders some of their power in order to

empower students and guides students through learning instead of telling student what to learn. I

think it would be difficult, at least initially, for me to occupy this facilitative role because of how

alien it is to me. However, it is a role I would like to acquire. I have included a mind map that I

created when thinking about how I could occupy the roles suggested by this article. It is

reflecting on how to occupy this role on a hypothetical assignment - a project based upon a novel

study.

As I created my mind map, I had one of those “a ha” moments. It clicked in my brain that

teachers will always take on many roles and that it is okay to combine assessment as learning

with assessment for learning. I still wonder which form of assessment students would benefit the

most from. I think there are positives to both assessment as and for learning, but personally

would like to move towards a pedagogy that approaches education from the assessment as

learning mind frame.

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Article #3 – “Giving up the Grade” Noble, David F. (2007). Giving Up the Grade. Our Schools, Our Selves, 16 (3), 29 – 31.

Summary

To continue with the theme of more progressive ways of marking, my next article is

about getting rid of grade altogether within a classroom setting. This article is written from the

perspective a university professor, David F. Noble, who spent thirty years avoiding the

distribution of traditional grades. Noble suggests that many of his colleagues do not agree with

traditional grading models, yet they make use of them due to a fear of administrative reprisal and

as way to focus on student inadequacies. In addition to these reasons, Noble (2007) suggests that

grades exist to function as “publically-subsidized pre-employment screening” (p. 29).

Essentially, grades are one way for prospective employers to determine your ability to complete

a specific task. By eliminating grades all together, this invisible third party disappears from the

classroom and students are able to focus more on truly learning something. Students in this

environment spend less time worrying about being evaluated and more time being engaged in the

content and in the classroom community. Instead of evaluation, Noble suggests that teachers

provide students with encouragement and descriptive feedback. By doing this, “students no long

depend on others for a sense of their own worth,” (Noble 2007, p. 30) and an intellectual

environment replaces an atmosphere of anxiety. Overall, Noble suggests that a system with no

grades allows for increased student learning, engagement and development. The article ends with

a brief description of Noble’s no-grade university classes and a statement encouraging his

colleagues to try out this method.

Reflection

One thing that immediately stood out in this article is that it was written within the

context of post-secondary education. As a future high school teacher, I found myself wondering

how I could apply this information within my classroom. I like the idea of letting students learn

for the sake of learning and the idea of removing the anxiety often associated with receiving a

grade. However, there are external parties that require students to receive grades. Students who

want to continue on to post-secondary education need to have certain grades in order qualify for

some university programs and they are definitely required when applying for scholarships.

I definitely think that assessment as learning and an ungraded classroom would work well

together. Since the grade that matters most is the end-grade, I could set up my classroom so that

students self-assess throughout the entire semester and choose their own grade at the end of the

semester. At the beginning of the term we would could define the goals of our class and post

them somewhere visible. Students would have to complete a certain number of projects in order

to cover the curricular outcomes. Perhaps they could compile their work into a portfolio. At the

beginning of the term, when defining our goals, we could also create some sort of self-

assessment tool for the students to use throughout the semester and at the very end. As a result, I

think that students really would learn how to learn instead of learning how to get good grades.

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After reading this article, I was reluctant to think an ungraded classroom would work.

However the more I have thought about what this sort of classroom would look like, the more the

idea is growing on me. In order to have a completely ungraded classroom I would definitely need

the support of my school board and of my students. I thought it was interesting that Noble

mentions never having a student beg him for a grade. Thinking back to my own high school

experience, I think I would have really benefitted from this sort of program. The most important

thing I learned in high school was telling teachers the information that they were looking for. As

a result, I did really well in my first couple years of university because professors loved it when

students accurately regurgitated content. It was not until I found myself in the College of

Education that I stopped caring about grades and focused on my own learning.

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Article #4 – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide Summary

In a conversation with my internship facilitator, my co-op remarked that she was

impressed with my use of Bloom’s taxonomy within the classroom and especially within the To

Kill a Mockingbird Unit. At the time I had a very vague idea of what Bloom’s taxonomy was,

however I was unsure of how I was using it in the classroom. For this article, I have taken a

reading guide created for the novel and compared it with Bloom’s taxonomy to see which levels

of thinking I elicited most often.

The guide I have chosen to look at is for chapters 9 – 18 of To Kill a Mockingbird. Each

student was given a copy of this reading guide and was given the opportunity to complete it in

small groups during class time. This guide is divided into six different parts to help students

understand the main characters, plot and theme. This basic understanding of the novel was used

by the students to prepare for the unit exam. The first section of this reading guide asks students

to write a short sentence to describe several of the characters introduced in these chapters. The

next section has students identify examples of themes that we had discussed earlier in class.

Many of my students struggled to find examples of these larger ideas. As a result, this section

was completed as a class. The next section asks the students to visually represent their

knowledge of the novel’s setting by drawing a map of Maycomb County. The next three sections

were included because my co-operating teacher wanted to have me grade more traditional

assignments. This includes comprehension questions, a journal entry and a set of definitions. I

encouraged students to keep up with the questions as we read the novel because the entire

assessment package was due three days after we finished reading chapter 18.

Reflection

I used the chart handed out by the workshop group to classify my questions. The list of

verbs was incredibly useful and overall the chart was straight forward. I found that the textbook

kept redefining Bloom’s taxonomy and I was getting lost. I do plan to read further into the

various ‘new’ structure of Bloom’s taxonomy, however for now I will compare my assignment

with the original levels of thinking.

After going through this assignment I compiled the data collected into a table and later

made it more visual by representing the total number of questions for each level of thinking on a

pie chart. This visual representation of my reflection is useful for my own learning because I can

clearly see the levels of thinking I elicited most often. An overwhelming 58% of questions on the

assignment had students expressing knowledge, as they were required to recall or retell a specific

part of the novel. If I use this assignment again, I would like to reduce the number of knowledge

questions to no more than 50%. I would also like to increase the frequency of questions that elicit

application, analysis and synthesis. I didn’t feel that any of my questions used synthesis thinking

skills, so I would like to include these in my revised assignment.

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I think it is important to know how I am using Bloom’s taxonomy in my classroom and

on assignments. It would be interesting to have a co-worker sit in on a couple of my classes to

see which levels of thinking are elicited through oral questioning and class discussion.

Conclusion

Despite issues with time management, I have found the creation of this portfolio

incredibly useful. I extracted ‘real world’ uses from each of my articles that will be beneficial

when I am in my own classroom. It was incredibly useful to compare assignments that I created

with theory from the textbook. It would be interesting to see how secondary students would react

to a similar assignment, where they would write a story or an essay and then compare it with

theory. I think it would be a great way for students to learn more about their areas of strengths

and weaknesses, as well as a good activity to allow students to use self-assessment strategies.

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Appendix A – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam ELA 20 - To Kill a Mockingbird Final Exam Name: _____________________

Character Matching (11[B1][B2])

______ Aunt Alexandra

______ Link Deas

______ Tom Robinson

______ Bob Ewell

______ Mayella Ewell

______ Mr. Walter Cunningham

______ Mr. Dolphus Raymond

______ Heck Tate[B3]

______ Mr. Underwood

______ Mr. Gilmer

______ Cecil Jacobs[B4]

1. The sheriff of Maycomb and a major witness

at Tom’s trial. He is a decent man who tries to

protect the innocent from danger.

2. A poor farmer and part of the mob that wants

to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail. He displays

his human goodness when Scout’s politeness

compels him to disperse the men at the jail.

3. The lawyer that worked against Atticus at

Tom’s trial.

4. A strong-willed woman with a commitment to

tradition and proper behaviour.

5. A drunken, mostly unemployed member of

Maycomb’s poorest family. He represents

ignorance, poverty, squalor and hate-filled racial

prejudice.

6. A wealthy white man who lives with his black

mistress. He is unhappy with the hypocrisy of

white society.

7. Tom Robinson’s employer. In his willingness

to look past race and praise the integrity of Tom’s

character, he represents the opposite of prejudice.

8. The publisher of Maycomb’s newspaper. He

respects Atticus and keeps a gun aimed at the

mob that gathers on the steps of the jail.

9. Bob Ewell’s abused, lonely, unhappy daughter.

10. A classmate of Scout. He enjoys playing

tricks on other children.

11. A black field hand accused of rape. He is one

of the novel’s ‘mockingbirds,’ an important

symbol of innocence destroyed by evil[B5].

Multiple Choice (38[B6])

Circle the best answer for each of the following questions

1. One fact that Atticus establishes about the case is[B7]...

a. Bob is right handed b. Tom has one good hand c. Mayella’s left eye was bruised

2. What was Scout’s pageant costume?

a. Turkey b. an apple c. a ham d. piece of bacon

3. Who did Scout find under her bed?

a. Boo Radley b. Bob Ewell c. Dill d. a snake[B8]

4. Who is sure during the whole trial that Atticus and Tom will win the case?

a. Jem b. Scout c. Tom Robinson d. Calpurnia

5. What was the name of the mad dog Atticus shot?

a. Tim Johnson b. Tom Robinson c. Rover d. Scout

6. Who saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell?

a. Nathan Radley b. Atticus c. Tom Robinson d. Arthur Radley

7. Scout and ______, went through the house of horrors on Halloween.

a. Jacob b. Cecil c. Arthur d. Dill

8. Who did Atticus think killed Bob Ewell?

a. Boo Radley b. Scout c. Jem d. Tom Robinson

9. How did Bob Ewell die[B9]?

a. Hit his head on the ground b. Boo squeezed him to death

c. Boo stabbed him d. He stumbled, fell and landed on a knife.

10. When Jem and Scout made a snowman who did they first intend to make it look like[B10]?

Gartner Portfolio 13

a. Calpurnia b. Miss Maudie c. Mr. Avery d. Stephanie Crawford

11. Who said it was a sin to kill a mockingbird?

a. Uncle Jack b. Calpurnia c. Aunt Alexandra d. Atticus[B11]

12. Who was the man that sat with Jem and Scout in the court room?

a. Reverend Sykes b. Mr. Underwood c. Atticus d. Mr. Tate

13. How did Jem break his arm?

a. fell out of a tree b. fell out of two story window c. a man broke his arm

14. Mayella Ewell said that Tom Robinson[B12]

a. raped her b. strangled her c. beat her d. all of the above[B13]

15. Atticus said that in ________all men are treated equally[B14].

a. your own house b. a court c. school d. society

16. How did Mr. Tom Robinson's injure his left arm?

a. He was thrown out of a tractor. b. He got it stuck in a cotton gin.

c. It was cut during a street fight. d. He was born with a muscle deficiency.

17. Atticus always said, "to understand someone, you had to ____."

a. live with them b. know their mother c. walk in their shoes for awhile d. talk to them

18. Who was Mr. Tate talking about when he said "taking the one man who's done you and this

town a great service an' draggin' him with his shy ways into the limelight to me, that is a sin."

a. Atticus b. Arthur c. Bob d. Jem.

19. What is the verdict of Tom’s trial?

a. Guilty b. Not guilty c. Hung Jury[B15]


Short Answer

Answer the following questions in point form[B16].

19. Who is the author of this novel? (1[B17])

20. What is the setting of this novel? (1[B18])

21. Scout comments of Bob Ewell, “All the little man on the witness stand had that made him

any better than his nearest neighbors (the Negroes) was, that if scrubbed with lye soap in very

hot water, his skin was white.” Does she mean that he is better than his neighbours? What is she

really saying? (2[B19])

22.When asked whether he can get a change of venue for Tom Robinson – that is, a change in

the location of the trial – the sheriff says, “Not much point in that, now is it?” What is the sheriff

implying and what does this reveal about his personality? (2[B20])

23. When Atticus asks Mayella if she loves her father, her response is, “Love him, whatcha

mean?” Considering the kind of life that she leads, do you think she has any idea what love is?

Explain. (2[B21])


24. Scout states that Boo Radley had given them things, including their lives. Explain how he

gives the children their lives. (2[B22])

32. Literary devices were used extensively in this novel[B23]. Provide an example for each of the

following[B24]: (3)

- Dialect[B25]

- Foreshadowing

- Symbolism

33. Explain briefly how Tom was killed. What is Atticus's explanation for Tom's attempted

escape? (3[B26])

Essay Response (20 pts)

Using multiple paragraphs (at least 2), answer one of the following questions on a separate piece

of[B27] paper. Remember, a proper paragraph has between 8 and 12 sentences[B28].

A. In the novel, the mockingbird is a symbol for good, innocent people that are destroyed by

evil. Choose two characters and explain why you think that they are to be considered the

‘mockingbirds’ of the novel.

B. Jem and Scout are dynamic characters. How do both Jem and Scout change over the

course of the novel? How do they stay the same?

C. Compare and contrast the different types of courage shown by both Atticus and Mrs.

Dubose in the novel[B29].


Teacher’s role in assessment as learning

Provide exemplars of quality work

Guide students through goal setting &

monitoring

Provide regular opportunity for students to

self-assess

Create a safe environment

Monitor students’ metacognitive processes

and provide descriptive feedback

Model & teach self-assessment

Show students a variety of examples from

past students – different styles and different

levels of quality

Have students set their own timeline to read

chosen novel and complete assignment

Check in with students on a regular basis to

see how they are progressing toward their

goal

I wouldn’t want this assignment to be the

first time students get to self-assess

Give feedback in a teacher/student

conference

Explicitly teach self-assessment strategies Model self-assessment by assessing explicit

teaching

Start off the year by establishing a

community on our classroom

Ensure use of anti-racist, anti-oppressive

language

Appendix B – Assessment as Learning Mind Map


Appendix C – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide Main Characters[B30]

Write a brief sentence to describe each of the following characters:

Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose

Tom Robinson

Mayella Ewell

Aunt Alexandra

Uncle Jack

Heck Tate

Reverend Sykes

Judge Taylor

Bob Ewell

Mr. Gilmer


Themes[B31]

As we read the novel, write down examples for each of the following themes. If you choose to

include quotes, explain how they are an example of a certain theme.

Theme Examples of this theme from the novel

Coexistence of Good and

Evil

Transition from

Innocence to Experience

Social Inequality

Education and

Perspective

Heroism and Bravery


Map of Maycomb[B32]

Draw a map of Maycomb. Marks will be given for accuracy and neatness. Be sure to include all

of the following locations: The Finch house, the Radleys, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose’s, Miss

Rachel Haverford’s, the Ewells, Miss Caroline Fisher, Miss Stephanie Crawford’s, the

courthouse, the jail and the school.

Chapter Questions

After we read each chapter, answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper. If you

want full marks, use proper sentence structure and accurate spelling.

Chapter 9

How well does Atticus feel he should defend Tom Robinson[B33]? Is it usual for (white)

lawyers to do their best for black clients in Alabama at this time[B34]?

Uncle Jack Finch tells Scout that she is growing out of her pants. What does this mean

and why might he say it[B35]?

Does Scout learn anything from overhearing Atticus's conversation with Uncle Jack?

What might this be[B36]?

Chapter 10

Scout says that “Atticus was feeble”. Do you think that this is her view as she tells the

story or her view when she was younger? Does she still think this after the events

recorded in this chapter[B37]?

In this chapter Atticus tells his children that “it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”. What

reason does he give for saying this[B38]?

Jem and Scout have different views about telling people at school how well Atticus can

shoot. Explain this difference[B39]. Which view is closer to your own[B40]?

Chapter 11

How does Atticus advise Jem to react to Mrs. Dubose's taunts[B41]?

What request does Mrs. Dubose make of Jem[B42]? Is this a fair punishment for his

“crime[B43]”?

Explain in your own words what Atticus thinks of insults like “nigger-lover” [sic[B44]].

How far do you agree with him[B45]?

Chapter 12

Comment on Jem's and Scout's visit to First Purchase church[B46].

What new things does Scout learn here about how the black people live[B47]?

Explain why Calpurnia speaks differently in the Finch household, and among her

neighbours at church[B48].

Chapter 13


Why does Aunt Alexandra come to stay with Atticus and his family? What is she

like[B49]?

Alexandra thinks Scout is “dull” (not clever). Why does she think this, and is she

right[B50]? Are all adults good at knowing how clever young people are[B51]?

How does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Maycomb's social life[B52]?

What are Aunt Alexandra's ideas about breeding and family? Why does Atticus tell them

to forget it? Who is right, do you think[B53]?

Chapter 14

Reread Atticus's explanation of rape. How suitable is this as an answer to Scout[B54]?

Why does Alexandra think Atticus should dismiss Calpurnia? How does Atticus respond

to the suggestion[B55]?

What do we learn from Dill's account of his running away[B56]?

Chapter 15

What is the “nightmare” that now descends upon the children[B57]?

What was (and is) the Ku Klux Klan[B58]? What do you think of Atticus's comment about

it[B59]?

How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home, and why[B60]?

What persuades the lynching-party to give up their attempt on Tom's life[B61]?

Chapter 16

What “subtle change” does Scout notice in her father[B62]?

What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond[B63]?

How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial[B64]?

Comment on Judge Taylor's attitude to his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not[B65]?

Chapter 17

What are the main points in Heck Tate's evidence? What does Atticus show in his cross-

examination of Sheriff Tate[B66]?

What do we learn indirectly of the home life of the Ewell family in this chapter[B67]?

Why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to write out his name? What does the jury see when he

does this[B68]?

Chapter 18

Is Mayella like her father or different from him? In what ways[B69]?

How does Mayella react to Atticus's politeness[B70]? Is she used to people being

polite[B71]?

How well does Mr. Gilmer prove Tom's guilt in the eyes of the reader (you) and in the

eyes of the jury? Can you suggest why these might be different[B72]?

Journal Entries

Complete three of the following questions in your journal.


Read the final sentence of chapter 9. Explain in your own words what it means and why it might

be important in the story. How does this sentence relate to the ‘real’ world? Provide an example

from your own life[B73].

When Atticus shoots the mad dog, Scout begins to see her father in a different light. Can you

remember a time when one of your parents did something (either negative or positive) that made

you see them differently[B74]?

There are several examples of courage and heroism in these chapters. Atticus becomes a hero to

his children when he shoots the rapid dog, and Mrs. Dubose becomes a hero to Atticus when she

decides to die free of her morphine addiction. Which character do you believe is more heroic?

Why? How does your chosen character relate to one of your personal heroes[B75]?

The Ewells are very low in Maycomb society; they are uneducated, and people don’t want to

associate with them. Can you think of any people like that in our own society? Do you have

people in your own life that you really would rather not associate with[B76]?

Vocabulary[B77]

I. Define each of the following words. This will help you gain a better understanding of the

events in the novel.

Ingenuous

Obstreperous

Feeble

Apoplectic

Tirade

Frivolous

Habiliments

Tactful


Curtness

Manacles

Ominous

Acquiescence

Elucidate

Ruddy

Gullet

Dictum

Ambidextrous

Mollified

Arid

Begrudge


Appendix D - Data Collection from Bloom’s Taxonomy Analysis Table 1: Number of Questions on Assignment in Each Level of Thinking

Section of

Assignment

Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Main

Characters

10

Themes 5

Map 1

Chapter

Questions

17 11 3 10

Journal

Entries

1 3 1

Vocabulary 20

Total 48 17 3 3 0 11

Chart 1: Bloom's taxonomy analysis of an

assignment

58%

21% 4%

4%

0%

13%

Knowledge

Comprehensio

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation


Bibliography

Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (2006). Rethinking Classroom Assessment with

Purpose in Mind. Accessed online on February 16, 2012 at:


McMillan, James H., Hellsten, Laurie-Ann M., & Klinger, Don A. (2011). Classroom

Assessment: Principles and Practice for Effective Standards-Based Instruction. Toronto: Pearson

Canada.

Noble, David F. (2007). Giving Up the Grade. Our Schools, Our Selves, 16 (3), 29 – 31.


portfolio

Documents

mockingbird

multiple choice

short answer

rethinking

mockingbird

multiple choice

mr

aunt alexandra