Assignment:
Provide two different writing samples (must be written in student’s handwriting) from one-fifth grade student (please be creative and make up two different writing samples) based on student needs. THE TWO DIFFERENT STUDENT WORK SAMPLES MUST BE INCLUDED WITH ASSIGNMENT. Provide a make believe name for the student to name throughout paper.
The student work sample:
• must represent a student’s original work
• come from the student who is the basis for your Written Commentary
• be from two different writing activities based on identified needs
Please follow the number amount page requirements:
One page: Instructional Context
Provide the following in addition to the context that you supply on the Contextual Information Sheet, which focus on the school or district at large. Address the following questions on this page:
• What is the age and grade of this student? ( grade 5 and age 11)
• What are the relevant and important characteristics of this student? Why did you select this student? Give a brief sketch of this student, including any relevant information that will help assessors understand your assessment (s) and instructional strategies.
• What are the specific needs and abilities of this student that influenced your planning for this period of instruction (for example, the range of abilities and the cognitive, social/ behavior, attentional, sensory, and/ or physical challenges of the student)? Give any other information that might help the assessor “see” the student.
• What are the relevant features of your teaching context that influenced the selection of this period of instruction? This might include other realities of the social and physical teaching context (e.g., available resources, scheduling of classes, room allocation- own classroom or shared space) that are relevant to your response and program parameters (e.g., small group, one-on- one, inclusive, pull-out, in-class, support, etc.)
Two pages: Assessment/ Analysis of Student Writing Ability:
This section focuses on your assessment(s) and/or analysis of the selected student’s writing skills and abilities at the outset of a three week to three month instructional period.
• What pattern of behaviors (strengths, interests, needs, and preferences) does this student exhibit toward literacy- related activities? Discuss how you involved the student in responding through writing during these activities (e.g., book reading, discussions, journals, etc.)
• Describe the student’s reading and writing ability at the outset of the three-week to three-month instructional period. What are this student’s specific strengths and weaknesses as a reader and writer?
• What assessment(s) did you use to help you determine this student’s reading and writing ability? Assessments could include formative or summative assessments.
• How did you use the information gained about this student from assessment(s) to guide student writing growth and development and to help the student construct meaning through writing?
• How did you ensure fairness, equity, and access for this student? How did you accommodate this student’s individual learning needs and adjust instruction for this individual student? Cite specific examples.
One pages: Planning and Instruction Work Sample One
This section focuses on the instruction designed in conjunction with the first student work sample submitted. It gives you the opportunity to discuss how you formulated goals and designed instruction for this student.
• Given that this instructional period is designed to extend over a period of three weeks to three months, what specific long-term writing goals did you plan for this student, and how do they reflect developmental needs of the student at this time? What local, state, and/ or national standard(s) and curricula did these writing goals reflect? Indicate how these were appropriate writing goals for this student.
• What was the short-term goal of the instruction that generated student work sample #1? Indicate why this was an appropriate writing goal for this student.
• Describe the instruction designed to meet your short- and long- term goals. How did the instruction meet the specific needs of this student? What instructional strategies and instructional resources did you use in this assignment?
• Describe the specific assignment that generated the student first work sample and why you chose to use it with this student. How did the assignment reflect your specific short- and long- term goals? What did you hope to learn from this assignment?
Two pages: Description and Analysis of Student Work Sample #1
In this section, you analyze the student first work sample.
• Analyze how areas of this student’s weaknesses were strengthened. Cite evidence from student work sample #1.
• What feedback did you provide to the student regarding his or her writing and ability to construct meaning through writing in this assignment?
• What did you learn about this student’s writing progress through this assignment? Cite evidence from student work sample #1.
One pages: Planning and Instruction Student Work Sample #2
This section focuses on how you used information learned about the student’s writing progress from the student first work sample to inform continuing instruction in this instructional sequence over time.
• How did you use knowledge gained from your analysis of student work sample #1 to formulate new goals for this same student? What were those goals? How did they guide the student to grow as a writer? How did you instruction connect the reading and writing processes? How did you adjust your instruction to meet the needs of this student?
• Describe the instruction planned to meet the newly formulated writing goals. What was the specific assignment that generated student work sample #2? Discuss how this instruction and assignment met the newly formulated writing goals.
• What instructional resources did you use in this assignment? Why did you choose to use those materials?
Two pages: Description and Analysis of Student Work sample #2
In this section, you analyze the second student work sample and discuss the student’s growth as a writer over the three-week to three- month instructional period.
• Were the strategies implemented effective in addressing the identified student’s weaknesses? How well were the goals of this instructional opportunity met for this student? What is the evidence for your response? Cite evidence from student work sample #2.
• How did you connect the reading and writing processes to help this student construct meaning through writing? Cite evidence from student work sample #2.
• What feedback did you provide to the student? How did this feedback help the student to continue to grow as a writer and to construct meaning through writing?
• How did this student grow as a writer over the instructional period of three weeks to three months? Cite evidence from student work sample #2 to indicate areas of growth.
One pages: Reflection
In section, you reflect on the overall success of your instruction in meeting the goals you formulated for this student.
• How well were the goals of this instructional sequence met? Was the instruction design implemented for this period of time successful in guiding the student to grow as a writer and to construct meaning through writing? What is the evidence for your response?
• Would you do anything differently if you had the opportunity to teach this instructional sequence again? Why? If you would not change anything, explain why this instructional sequence was successful.
• How will this instructional sequence influence future instruction?
One page: Description of Student Sample #1 and Sample #2
• Give a brief description of the assignment that prompted the student work for both sample #1 and sample #2. One paragraph for sample #1 and one paragraph for sample #2.
• Include the samples generated in each response to the assignment.
