using formative assessment rubrics in english · web view2019-11-13 · formative assessment is...

Using formative assessment rubrics in English

Using vocabulary to enhance writingLevels 4 and 5

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ContentsWhat is formative assessment?.....................................................................................................4

The formative assessment rubric...................................................................................................5

Links to the Victorian Curriculum F–10...........................................................................................5

The formative assessment task......................................................................................................7

Description of the task (administration guidelines)..................................................................7

Evidence collected from this task............................................................................................8

Interpreting evidence of student learning.....................................................................................9

Setting the scene............................................................................................................................9

Sample 1...................................................................................................................................10

Sample 1: Evidence of student learning................................................................................11

Any feedback given...............................................................................................................11

Sample 2...................................................................................................................................12



Sample 3...................................................................................................................................14



Sample 4...................................................................................................................................16



Sample 5...................................................................................................................................18



Using evidence to plan for future teaching and learning...........................................................20

Teacher reflections........................................................................................................................20


What is formative assessment?Formative assessment is any assessment that is used to improve teaching and learning. Best-practice formative assessment uses a rigorous approach in which each step of the assessment process is carefully thought through.

Assessment is a three-step process by which evidence is collected, interpreted and used. By definition, the final step of formative assessment requires a use that improves teaching and learning.

For the best results, teachers can work together to interrogate the curriculum and use their professional expertise and knowledge of their students to outline a learning continuum including a rubric of measurable, user-friendly descriptions of skills and knowledge. Teachers can draw on this learning continuum and rubric to decide how to collect evidence of each student’s current learning in order to provide formative feedback and understand what they are ready to learn next.

The VCAA’s Guide to Formative Assessment Rubrics outlines how to develop a formative assessment rubric to collect, interpret and use evidence of student learning to plan teaching and learning. For more information about formative assessment and to access a copy of the guide, please go to the Formative Assessment section of the VCAA website.

Using formative assessment rubrics in schoolsThis document is based on the material developed by one group of teachers in the 2019 Formative Assessment Rubrics project. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority partnered with the Assessment Research Centre, University of Melbourne, to provide professional learning for teachers interested in strengthening their understanding and use of formative assessment rubrics.

This resource includes a sample formative assessment rubric, a description of a task/activity undertaken to gather evidence of learning, and annotated student work samples.

Schools have flexibility in how they choose to use this resource, including as:

a model that they adapt to suit their own teaching and learning plans a resource to support them as they develop their own formative assessment rubrics and

tasks.

This resource is not an exemplar.

Additional support and advice on high-quality curriculum planning is available from the Curriculum Planning Resource.

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http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/aboutus/policies/policy-copyright.aspx


The formative assessment rubricThe rubric in this document was developed to help inform teaching and learning in English. This rubric supports the explicit teaching of the use of vocabulary to enhance writing. Student learning focuses on enriching sentences through the use of adjectives, adverbs and descriptive phrases.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum F–10

Curriculum area: English

Mode: Writing

Strand: Language

Levels/Bands: Levels 4 and 5

Achievement standard/s extract: Level 4:

Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts.

Level 5:

Students use language features to show how ideas can be extended.

Content Description/s: Level 4:

Understand that the meaning of sentences can be enriched through the use of noun groups/phrases and verb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases (VCELA292).

Level 5:

Understand how noun groups/phrases and adjective groups/phrases can be expanded in a variety of ways to provide a fuller description of the person, place, thing or idea (VCELA324).

© VCAA


https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Search?q=VCELA324

https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Search?q=VCELA292


Learning continuum

EnglishLevels 4 and 5Mode: WritingStrand: LanguageSub strand: Expressing and developing ideas

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

Students write to express and develop in some detail experiences, events and information.

Students use language features to create coherence add detail in their writing.


Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis.

Organising element

Action Insufficient evidence Quality criteria

Use of vocabulary to enhance writing

1 Uses adjectives to describe a noun

1.0 Insufficient evidence 1.1 Uses small range of adjectives to describe a noun. For example: The big dog ...

1.2 Varies adjectives to more accurately describe a noun.For example: The spotted dog…

2 Uses an adverb to describe a verb

2.0 Insufficient evidence 2.1 Writes a small range of adverbs to describe a verb.For example: ran fast…

2.2 Uses modifying words or more specific adverbs to elaborate on an action. For example: ran very quickly…

3 Writes adjectival clauses 3.0 Insufficient evidence 3.1 Uses adjectives to create a noun group to add detail.For example: The black and brown spotted dog…

3.2 Builds richer description through creating and extending an elaborated noun groupFor example: The black and brown spotted dog with his flag-like tail waving in the air, who wandered into our yard

4 Writes adverbial clauses 4.0 Insufficient evidence 4.1 Uses adverbs to add surrounding detail such as place, manner and reason.For example:… ran down… ran quickly … ran to escape…)

4.2 Creates adverbial clauses which may include similes or a prepositional phrase to enhance description. For example: ran like the wind ….ran down the hill…The frightened boy ran down the hill, as fast as the wind, to escape the dragon.

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The formative assessment taskThe following formative assessment task was developed to elicit evidence of each student’s current learning and what they are ready to learn next.

Description of the task (administration guidelines)

Tuning in activity

Students:

are exposed to an example of descriptive language that creates rich imagery in a story, for example, Fox by Margaret Wild.

need to understand that the author will use precise description in order for the audience to create similar imagery/inferencing and understanding.

write a descriptive piece from a common prompt or stimulus selected by the teacher. are provided a period of time in which to plan, organise, write, revise and edit their

piece. This could be over multiple sessions.Teachers: should select a visual stimulus that provides adequate imagery that best suits their

students’ needs and context. introduce the stimulus explaining to the students the purpose is to write descriptively so

that someone else can visualise and get the picture in their head.

Terminology

From the Victorian Curriculum F–10: English glossary:

Adverb

A word class that may modify a verb (for example, ‘beautifully’ in ‘She sings beautifully’), an adjective (for example ‘really’ in ‘He is really interesting’) or another adverb (for example ‘very’ in ‘She walks very slowly’). In English many adverbs have an –ly ending.

Adverbial

A word or group of words that contributes additional but nonessential information to the larger structure of a clause.

Modal verb

A verb that expresses a degree of probability attached by a speaker to a statement (for example `’I might come home') or a degree of obligation (for example ‘You must give it to me', ‘You are not permitted to smoke in here').

Noun groups

A group of words building on a noun. Noun groups usually consist of an article (‘the’, ‘a’, ‘an’) plus one or more adjectives. They can also include demonstratives (for example ‘this’, ‘those’), possessives (for example ‘my’, ‘Ann's’), quantifiers (for example ‘two’, ‘several’), or classifiers (for example ‘wooden’) before the head noun. These are called pre-modifiers after the noun, phrases and clauses act as post-modifiers following the head noun (for example ‘the girl with the red shirt who was playing soccer’).

© VCAA


https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/LearningArea/LoadFile?learningArea=english&subject=english&name=English%20Glossary.docx&storage=Glossary


Prepositional phrases

Prepositions are positional words, for example:’ below ‘, ‘for’, ‘down’, ‘above’, ‘to’, ‘near’, ‘under, ’since’, ‘between’, ‘with’, ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘into’, ‘from’, ‘beside’, ‘without’, ‘out’, ‘during’, ‘past’, ‘over’, ‘until’, ‘through’, ‘off’, ‘on’, ‘across’, ‘by’, ‘in’, ‘around.’ Prepositional phrases are units of meaning within a clause that contain a preposition, for example ’She ran into the garden’, ‘He is available from nine o’clock’.

From Blake’s Grammar Guide:

Adjective

A word used to describe a person, place or thing. For example, ‘beautiful ‘ as in ‘The beautiful flower’.

Adjectival

A dependent clause that says more about a noun in another clause. For example, ‘The men, who were all dressed in suits, stood chatting nearby.

Simile

A phrase that shows the likeness between two things. For example, ‘as slow as a snail,’ and ‘as deep as the ocean.’

Reference

The Literacy Learning Progression – Grammar Foundation to Level 8 document was used to support the creation of this rubric. See the VCAA’s Literacy web page for general information about the Literacy Learning Progressions.

Evidence collected from this task

Student writing samples

© VCAA


https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/foundation-10/crosscurriculumresources/Pages/Literacy.aspx

https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/viccurric/Literacy_and_Numeracy_Progressions/Literacy/Grammar.docx


Interpreting evidence of student learning Evidence collected from each student was mapped against the rubric:

The quality criteria that were achieved was shaded in blue. The phase that the student is ready to learn next was shaded in green.

Please note, the following annotated student work samples are representative examples only.

Setting the scene The following samples were collected and annotated by teachers at two different

schools, and each school teaches writing using their own approach. In each case, students were prompted to write a piece and encouraged to consider the

use of descriptive language to create imagery and devices to engage the reader. This task was a formative assessment task so students were encouraged to complete

the task independently to their best ability Students had previously engaged in learning about how to use adverbs and adjectives

to strengthen imagery and other language features that support descriptive language. The task was implemented for students to demonstrate their knowledge and

understanding of descriptive language and devices independently to determine future teaching is required and student’s next point of learning.

The task was administer within a single writing session (50 min to 1 hour in duration).

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Sample 1

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Sample 1: Evidence of student learning

Annotations 1.2 Student chooses adjectives to provide variety within the writing ‘particular day.’ 2.2 Student uses modifying words or specific adverbs to elaborate, so nice, so

surprised. 3.2 Student builds richer description through creating and extending an elaborated noun

group ‘a long, bleak, black, dress, to the tip of the toe,’ 4.2 Student creates adverbial clauses which may include similes or a prepositional

phrase to enhance description. ‘Live with her on the top of the mountain’ and ‘spread all around the town.’

What is the student ready to learn next?This student is experimenting with language to enhance her writing. Her next steps will be to develop her vocabulary choice to further enhance her description. She will also be encouraged to edit her work for clarity.

Any feedback given

The student was provided feedback on their successful use of all aspects of the rubric with her future goal being on the precise selection of vocabulary. Additional teaching activities will be provided in how to use a thesaurus to up level word choice.

© VCAA

Learning continuum

English Levels 4 and 5 Mode: Writing Strand: Language Sub strand: Expressing and developing ideas






Organising element





1.2 Varies adjectives to more accurately describe a noun. For example: The spotted dog…


2.0 Insufficient evidence 2.1 Writes a small range of adverbs to describe a verb. For example: ran fast…


3 Writes adjectival clauses 3.0 Insufficient evidence

3.1 Uses adjectives to create a noun group to add detail. For example: The black and brown spotted dog…

3.2 Builds richer description through creating and extending an elaborated noun group For example: The black and brown spotted dog with his flag-like tail waving in the air, who wandered into our yard

4 Writes adverbial clauses 4.0 Insufficient evidence 4.1 Uses adverbs to add surrounding detail such as place, manner and reason. For example:… ran down… ran quickly … ran to escape…)




Sample 2

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Annotations 1.2 Student varies adjectives to provide more detail to accurately describe a noun ‘blood

red eyes’. 2.2 Student uses modifying words or more specific adverbs to elaborate on an action. 3.2 Student builds richer description through creating and extending an elaborated noun

group ‘tall, pointy, charcoal hats that smell like BO’. 4.1 Student uses adverbs to add surrounding detail such as place, manner and reason,

worse than you think.

What is the student ready to learn next?

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This student is showing a developing understanding of using language to enhance her writing and is now ready to incorporate adverbs and adverbial clauses to add further detail to her writing.

Any feedback givenThis student was provided feedback regarding their positive use of adjectives to build imagery. Their attention was also brought to the lack of verbs and how action can also add detail to description.

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Learning continuum







Organising element
















Sample 3

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Annotations 1.1 Student uses adjectives ‘big treat’. 2.2 Student uses modifying words and more specific adverbs ‘is so confusing’. 4.1 Student uses prepositional phrases to create adverbials: ‘flew through the city and

far away’, ‘got working on the bomb’.

Insufficient evidence

3.0 Student didn’t provide evidence for this action.

What is the student ready to learn next?

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Although this student is using some descriptions and language features to express and develop their ideas, the next phase is to develop understanding of describing the scene and help the reader to visualise the characters and setting to provide context for the story through the use of specific selected adjectives and adverbs and clauses.

Any feedback given

The student received feedback around their use of adverbs and some adjectives and could be asked to describe the place where this was all happening.

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Learning continuum







Organising element
















2.2 Student uses modifying words and more specific adverbs ‘blinked once or twice’, gleefully said’.

3.2 Student builds richer description through creating and extending an elaborated noun group ‘What she seen was her mother… lying on the ground in a puddle of blood.’

4.2 Student creates adverbial clauses which may include similes or a prepositional phrase to enhance description: ‘opened the door at the speed of a snail’, ‘placed (her blue princess dressing gown) over her shoulders.’

What is the student ready to learn next?Although this student is using descriptions and language features to express and develop their ideas, the next phase is to build proficiency in using descriptive language more selectively and to elaborate on the setting and scene rather than the actions taking place to provide the reader with a context and support visualising.

Any feedback given

The student received feedback around their range of varied adjectives and adverbs to create imagery for the reader.

© VCAA

Learning continuum







Organising element

















Annotations 1.2 Student uses varies adjectives. ‘Rainbow chicken distant eeh-arh.’ 2.2 Student uses modifying words and more specific adverbs ‘aggressively opened,

screamed impatiently unfortunately it was….’

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3.2 Student builds richer description through creating and extending an elaborated noun group ‘With dead trees and darker shadows … rainbow chicken that wandered around the island every now and then.’

4.2 Student creates adverbial clauses which may include similes or a prepositional phrase to enhance description. ‘…questioned Johnny as he arrived at the stables that held many other creatures.’

What is the student ready to learn next?This student is using descriptions and language features to express and develop their ideas in particular actions that take place.

The next phase is to build proficiency in using descriptive language more selectively and to elaborate on the setting and scene rather than the actions taking place to provide the reader with a context and support visualising and imagery.

Any feedback given

The student received feedback around their range of varied adjectives and adverbs to create imagery for the reader.

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Learning continuum







Organising element
















Using evidence to plan for future teaching and learningFor future learning, I would suggest we need to ensure that our students understand how to use vocabulary effectively to improve imagery and encourage students to use to figurative language to enhance their writing.

Using evidence from the students writing has also highlighted that there are other aspects of their writing that will now form our future areas of focus. We will be checking on the retention of their use of adjectives and adverbs using the rubric at a later point in the year.

Teacher reflectionsAfter trialing the task and rubric, we made a decision to modify some quality criteria to provide clearer definitions and examples. Some re-ordering of the criteria was made to reflect the difficulty.

The modified rubric will provide a much more teacher friendly assessment and moderation tool.

© VCAA
