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In, at, on, between, over, under, next to…Prepositions can be challenging to teach because of their need for context. We use prepositions of location to directly refer to the world around us:

Please give me the pencil next to the book.

The book is on the table to the right of the lamp.

In the classroom, teachers often use examples like those above, using classroom objects to teach prepositions of location. However, using computer-based tools, we can give students a richer, more engaging context to learn prepositions of location.

In this week’s Teacher’s Corner we’ll practice prepositions through a virtual visit to the U.S. National Museum of Natural History. Millions of visitors every year visit the National Museum of Natural History to learn more about geology, human history, and the environment. Perhaps one of the most popular exhibits is the museum’s collection of dinosaur skeletons and fossils.

The museum has created a virtual tour of its exhibits, and now visitors around the world can tour the museum from home or from the classroom. This week, we’ll use this virtual tour to engage students while they practice prepositions of location.

 

Level

Intermediate and above

 

Language focus

  • Speaking, listening (primary focus)
  • Writing (secondary focus)

 

Goal

Students will use prepositions of location to create a scavenger hunt at the National Museum of Natural History.

 

Materials

  • Teacher: whiteboard, or chalkboard; markers or chalk, tape
  • One classroom computer, Internet connection, and projector

      o   If possible one computer per 2-3 students

      o   If no computer is available an .mp3 player will be needed to play audio

  • Students: pencils or pens, writing paper

 

Preparation

     o   Be sure to try the Virtual Tour before using it in class to better understand how it works.

     o   At the top right corner of the screen are the buttons: ground, first, and second. Click the button labeled: first.

§  This class activity will only use the first floor of the museum.

  • If a computer is not available, print out the photos in Appendix B.

     o   This activity will use the web-based virtual tour; however the tour can be substituted with the images provided.

 

Procedures

Part 1: Listening Activity

1.     Begin the activity by asking students if they like to go to museums.

  • Elicit museum vocabulary from the students by asking: What can you see at a museum?
  • Some ideas might include: paintings, art,

2.     Tell the students that today they will visit a museum in Washington, D.C.

3.     Next, give each student a copy of the National Museum of Natural History: Fill in the Blank worksheet (Appendix A).

4.     Tell the students that this is the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. and today they will listen to a description of the museum. They must listen and label the rooms correctly.

5.     Read the directions on the worksheet as a class. When students are ready, play the audio.

  • If no computer or .mp3 player is available, the audio transcript in Appendix B can be read aloud.

6.     Next, check comprehension by asking the students:

  • Does the museum have dinosaurs? – (Yes)
  • What do visitors see when they first enter the museum? – (An elephant)

7.     As a class, check the answers to the listening activity.

8.     Finally, tell the students that the class should not just listen about the museum but take a tour!

 

Part 2: National Museum of Natural History: Virtual Tour

1.     On the computer screen show the students the National Museum of Natural History: Virtual Tour.

2.     Take a few moments to explore the museum as a class.

Note: each of the blue dots on the museum’s floor plan is a spot where you can look around the museum.

3.     Play the audio one more time. After each area of the museum is discussed, pause the audio and visit the room. In each room, ask the students to find the items discussed in the audio:

  • The Hall of Mammals – A Giraffe (between zebras and a hippopotamus)
  • Dinosaurs – A Tyrannosaurus Rex (across from the triceratops)
  • Ocean Hall – A Whale (hanging from the ceiling)
  • Discovery Hall – An Alligator (on the table) and a Raccoon (on the wall to the right)

4.     Once students have found all the items in the audio, return to the Hall of Mammals in the Virtual Tour.

Note: Many of the items in the museum may be new vocabulary for the students. However, the Hall of Mammals has many well know animals so is the best choice for this activity.

5.     Have a student pick an item in the Hall of Mammals but keep it secret.

6.     Have this student give clues using prepositions of location. The other students must guess the correct item. The student who guesses first chooses the next item for others to guess.

 

If students would like to learn more about the items at the National Museum of Natural History encourage them to visit:http://www.mnh.si.edu/explore.html

Format: Text
Availability
Activity 1
Text (PDF)
National Museum of Natural History Tour
Audio (MP3)

This week’s teaching tip demonstrates how to use a combination of student choice, friendly competition, a visual display with a fun theme, and rewards to motivate students to read more in English. 

Students choose English language materials to read from a class library, a school library, or teacher-suggested Internet resources; students can read items during extensive/free-reading periods in class or on their own time outside of class.  Students then write short summaries about and personal responses to what they have read.  Student reading responses are captured on forms containing a train car-shaped outline.  Each contribution is posted on the wall, making an addition to an ever-growing class “reading train.”  The reading train serves as a visual symbol that recognizes students’ effort and progress toward becoming avid readers.  To motivate students to read in their free time, teachers can conduct a competition and offer small rewards to students who contribute the most “cars” to the reading train in a given time period.

 Level

Upper beginner and above

  • The example in this teaching tip is designed for younger learners, but the concept can be adapted for older students by creating a “reading chain” that uses forms with plain circles or squares to capture reading responses instead of train cars.
     
  • Teachers can increase the activity’s difficulty by adapting the reading response forms to include more advanced reporting, analysis, and personal response items.

 Goals

Generate student enthusiasm about reading by: 

  • Encouraging them to read and respond in a level-appropriate way to materials they choose.
  • Encouraging them to engage in extensive reading during class and in their free time.

 Associated Motivation factors

Instructional design and promoting learner autonomy: incorporating student choice; encouraging self-directed learning

Creating a positive classroom environment: creating healthy competition and using a reward system; recognizing/celebrating student progress with a classroom display and reward ceremonies

Teacher behavior and knowledge: conveying enthusiasm about reading in English as you explain and manage the reading train

 Materials

  • Teacher:
    • Whiteboard or chalkboard
    • Markers or chalk
    • Level-appropriate English language reading materials
    • Reading train engine printout (example provided)
  • Students:
    • Pencils or pens
    • Crayons or markers (optional)
    • Reading train” response forms (example provided)

 Preparation

  • If you don’t already have a classroom library from which students can borrow materials, create or curate a set of English language reading materials that are age- and level-appropriate for your students.  Considering seeking help from your school librarians, who may be able to provide a list of available English language materials; the librarians may also be able to order or locate resources for you, if needed.  If your students have access to the Internet in the classroom, in the school library, in a computer lab, or at home, you can create a list of acceptable online reading resources for them.  Be sure to review the American English website for free e-reading materials to include on this list.   
  • Adapt the reading train response form if needed. You can use the example form provided with this teaching tip, or you can create a similar form that is tailored to your reading objectives and learner level.  Print several copies of the form; keep a stack of them available near the classroom library or in a folder in a known location in the classroom.  If copying forms isn't possible, create a master form to display in the classroom and let students draw the train outline and copy the form content onto their own paper.
  • Prepare the area on the wall that will feature the reading train.  You can print, color, and post the train engine (provided with the example response form) to be the front of the train.  Post a few blank response train car forms behind the engine to illustrate how the train will look as it grows.
     
  • Decide the reading train contest rules, timeline, and rewards:  Each car on the reading train is worth one point.  Pick a minimum number of points students must have in a given timeframe. (Example rules: all students must earn two points per month by reporting on two books read during in-class extensive reading time; students who read more than the minimum number collect more points. At the end of the month, the three students with the most points get a small reward such as extra points on a quiz, a homework pass, their name displayed on a “Reading Superstars” board, candy, etc.). You can also offer a cumulative reward if desired (the top reader for the term gets a new book, set of pencils, etc.).   
     
  • Prepare to draw or electronically display a large version of a blank response form on the board as you explain the idea to the class. (Procedures – Step 3)

 Procedures

  1. To get students excited about reading, explain that you are going to work together to build a “reading train” over the course of the term.  Direct them to look in the area in the room where you have posted the train engine and example cars.  Tell them that while the train looks very small right now with just an engine and a few cars, all of the students in the class are going to help it grow as part of a reading contest.
  2. Explain that each time students read an English language book outside of class or during free reading/extensive reading time in class, they can add a car to the reading train by completing a response form. 
  3. Display a large version of the response form on the board (example form shown here; adapt as needed for your students):
  4. Demonstrate how to complete the form: explain each field on the form and work together with students to write in the needed information for a book the class has all read (a book you have read aloud, an assigned book from earlier in the course, etc.).  Tell students they can decorate their train cars with crayons or markers before they turn them in for review.
  5. Explain the contest rules you set during the preparation phase:  tell students that each car on the train (each book read) gives the reader a point; set the minimum number of points required for each reader in the given timeframe; explain how to earn more points; and explain the contest rewards.
  6. Explain where students can find acceptable reading materials (class library, school library English language books, approved online e-books, etc.).  Emphasize that they can choose any book from acceptable sources that seems interesting or exciting.  The goal is to have fun and read a lot!
  7. Show students where blank response forms will be kept (or how to make their own form if you are using that option).  Tell students where and when they should turn in completed forms for you to review and post on the wall.
  8. Answer any questions students have about the contest.  
  9. As the contest progresses, review and post student submissions on a regular basis.  To keep students engaged, be sure to occasionally direct their attention to the reading train:  praise the class for how it is growing, ask students to talk about the books they’ve read, give updates on which students are in the lead, and encourage others to make an effort to add to the train before this round of the competition ends.

At the end of each contest timeframe (monthly, end of term, etc.), celebrate the winners in front of the class by having a brief ceremony to announce/display their names and hand out rewards.  Remind students that reading is its own reward (so everyone wins!), and challenge them to participate in the next round of the contest. 

Format: Text
Availability
Activity 4
Text (PDF)
"Reading Train" Worksheet
Text (Powerpoint)

This week's teaching tip illustrates how to use an objectives-based checklist that asks students to reflect on and assess their progress. Seeing their own progress, meeting objectives, and "ticking items off a list" is intrinsically motivating to most students. Realizing additional work is needed in some areas can help students set clear follow-up goals. Having a plan to meet learning challenges and a sense of being in control of the learning process can increase student motivation. This checklist also uses positive language to talk about the learning process (e.g., "I'm still working on this" which creates a sense of potential, instead of the de-motivating phrase, "I can't do this".)

Teachers can incorporate “I can” self-assessment forms at the end of a unit, after a project, halfway through a term, or at the end of a course.  These checklists can be used either on a regular basis (after every unit, monthly, etc.) or occasionally to add variety to assessment processes.

Level

Intermediate and above.   

  • The example checklist provided with this teaching tip is designed for secondary or adult learners in an upper intermediate class working on a podcasting project about environmental challenges in their community.  The concept can be adapted for other contexts by adjusting the curricular content, language complexity, and number of items on the form.  

Goals

Students will:

  • Reflect on their learning and assess their progress toward meeting learning objectives.
  • Identify areas for improvement and consider strategies and tools to improve knowledge and performance.

Associated Motivation Factors

Instructional design: ensuring students understand objectives; highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement in assessment practices

Promoting learner autonomy: encouraging students to reflect on their learning and progress toward their goals; encouraging learners to select tools and strategies to meet goals

Teacher behavior and knowledge: using positive language to talk about the learning process

Materials

  • Students:

    • Pencils or pens

    • “I can” checklist (example provided)

Preparation

  • Using the example as a guide, adapt the “I can” checklist to reflect your learning objectives.  You can include objectives related to:

    • Language content

    • Other subject-area knowledge (e.g., science or math) in content-based instruction contexts

    • 21st-century skills such as technology use

    • Interpersonal skills such as working in a team or taking turns

    • Academic skills like taking notes during a lecture or setting/meeting deadlines

    • Critical thinking skills and strategy use

As you make the checklist, you may need to simplify language used in your lesson plan objectives to make them accessible to students.

  • Print or photocopy the checklist (one per student). If printing the checklists isn't possible, create a large checklist to display and let students copy the content onto their own paper.

Procedures

​Answer any questions students have about the form.  Provide support, as needed, while students fill out the forms.

  1. Introduce the “I can” checklist and explain how to fill it out:
    • Ask a student volunteer to pass out the forms.
    • Tell/remind students that in addition to receiving feedback from the teacher or their peers, “reflection” (thinking about one’s learning journey) and “self-assessment” (rating or evaluating one’s own learning) are also important skills to develop.  Explain these two terms as needed.  Also mention that these processes involve thinking about the learning process (how they learned) and progress (what they learned/are able to do).
    • Review the objectives in the checklist and describe how to complete it.  Explain that honestly assessing one’s own progress can be difficult, but that they should try not to be too easy or too hard on themselves as they complete the form.
    • Explain the last two items related to (1) things students enjoyed/found interesting about what they learned and (2) selecting tools and strategies to improve their knowledge or performance.  For the tool/strategy selection question, consider prompting students to give a few examples of tools and strategies they have previously used or discussed in class.
  2. Collect the completed forms.  Review them and, if practical, make brief comments to students on the forms.  For example, you might add a few words of praise or encouragement related to their self-assessment ratings for some objectives, comment on things students enjoyed/found interesting, or suggest another resource or tool for improvement.
  3. After reviewing the forms, return them to students.  If you use portfolio assessment or keep collections of student work, these forms make great additions.  Encourage students to review their self-assessment forms again toward the end of a course so they can see how far they have progressed!
Format: Text
Availability
Activity 3
Text (PDF)
"I Can" Checklist
Text (PDF)

This week's teaching tip illustrates how to use beginning-of-course questionnaires to encourage students to think about these motivation-related questions:

  • Why are they learning English, and how does it relate to their goals and interests beyond the classroom?
  • What do they hope to gain from this course?
  • What topics and learning approaches appeal to them?
  • What can the teacher do to support their learning and build their motivation?

This questionnaire activity can be conducted after the teacher has presented an overview of the course goals and objectives. 

LEVEL

Intermediate and above. The example questionnaire provided with this teaching tip can be adapted to suit other students by adjusting the language level, the number of questions, and the ratio of multiple choice/"tick the box" options to free-text, open-ended responses.

GOALS

  • Teachers will have a collection of student-generated data to inform motivation-oriented decisions related to instructional design, building learner autonomy, creating a positive classroom community, and their own classroom behavior.
  • Students will increase their awareness of what motivates them to study English; this awareness can help them make choices about their learning and can be used as part of goal-oriented self-motivation strategies.

ASSOCIATED MOTIVATION FACTORS

Instructional design: incorporating student interests and learning preferences; personalizing learning
Promoting learner autonomy: encouraging goal setting and reflection; encouraging learner self-awareness; developing self-motivation strategies
Creating a positive classroom environment: understanding learner preferences about grouping styles and cooperative learning
Teacher knowledge and behavior: understanding student perceptions and preferences about teacher behavior

MATERIALS

Teacher:
  • Whiteboard or chalkboard
  • Markers or chalk
Students:
  • Pencils or pens
  • Questionnaires (an example questionnaire is provided)

PREPARATION

  • Adapt and modify the example questionnaire to suit your student's needs, culture, and course content.  The example questionnaire is designed for an upper intermediate, secondary integrated skills class. 
  • Print or photocopy the questionnaire, preparing enough copies for each student.  If possible, prepare two-sided copies to save paper.  

PROCEDURES

  1. Write "motivation" on the board.  Ask student volunteers to define this word, giving prompts and asking clarifying questions if needed.  (Example definitions: what makes us try to do something; something that makes us work to achieve a goal).
  2. Tell students they are going to think about what motivates them to study English, their overall and course learning goals, topics they might want to see in course materials, and how they like to learn.  Explain that they will use a questionnaire (survey) to complete this process.
  3. Ask a student volunteer to pass out the questionnaires.  Ask students to write their names at the top of the page.  Tell students to wait to write their responses until after you explain the questionnaire's content.
  4. Direct students' attention to the "Goals and Motivation" section at the top of the questionnaire.  Tell students they will set some general goals today using the questionnaire. Explain that setting goals and thinking about them can help motivate students when they face difficulties or challenges while learning English.  Explain that you will collect and keep the questionnaires so students can review and think about their goals halfway through the course and at the end of the course.
    • Explain that Item A (Overall, I study English because…) relates to long-term goals and reasons they study English.   Ask students to share a few example answers to Item A, and write them on the board (for instance: …I want to study at a university in an English-speaking country, …I want to be a travel agent and I need to be able to speak to foreign customers at my job, etc.).  
    • Tell students that thinking about answers to Item B (Learning English helps me/will help me…) can help motivate them because it connects what they learn in the classroom to their everyday lives.  Again, ask a few students to share example answers and write them on the board, reminding the class that answers can relate to both fun and more serious things you can do with English skills (for instance: play online games with English-speaking friends and understand English popular music; communicate with people on the internet and get a good job after I graduate).
    • Explain that Items C & D relate to setting shorter-term goals for the current course.  Remind them to think about the course content and objectives when they answer Item D (During this course I want to learn…)
  5. Direct students to the next section related to student interests.  Explain that you plan to incorporate topics and themes that interest your students (as your curriculum permits) in some activities during the course.  Tell students that this section of the questionnaire will help you determine which topics are most interesting to a majority of the class.  Ask students to select the three topics they are most interested in, point out that they can add an original topic where the worksheet says "Other", and ask them to give specific topic examples, if desired. (Reminder: asking students for input about their learning and connecting student interests to course content are great motivational strategies for teachers to use!)
  6. Direct students to the questionnaire's final section related to learning preferences.  Explain that it is important for all learners to take time to think about how they like to learn and how they learn effectively.  Tell them that you recognize that the way activities are set up and teacher qualities are important factors in how students learn.  Explain that it is helpful to you to understand their individual and whole-class preferences in these areas.
  7. Give students a few minutes to quietly reflect on the items in the questionnaire with their pencils and pens down.  Then ask students to complete the questionnaire.  Collect the questionnaires when students are done.
  8. After class, review and tabulate the student responses. Make notes about the data you collect: Do you notice any patterns or trends?  Are there some individuals with unique preferences and interests? 
    • Revisit and consider this data as you make instructional and classroom management decisions during the course.  Think about how to use the information to increase student motivation.
    • Mention the data you collected to students so they know you took their goals, ideas, and opinions into account; doing this can be inherently motivational! (Examples:  In our start-of-course questionnaire many of you mentioned….that you want to improve your confidence in speaking, so today we are going to do [activity X.]/ …that you prefer to work alone; however, we also need to build teamwork and cooperation skills in language class because…/ …that you like to learn through games, so today we are going to work in teams to play a game that will help us practice [grammar topic X].).
    • Be sure to return the questionnaires to students at the course midpoint and toward the end of the course.  Ask them to reflect on their goals and motivations:  Has anything changed?  What progress are they making toward meeting their goals?  What challenges do they face? How can they overcome them?  How do they use their goals to self-motivate in these challenging situations?  If desired, turn this reflection process into a short writing assignment. (Again, encouraging reflection, self-assessing progress, and considering strategies to overcome roadblocks are all motivation-building activities.)

EXTENSION ACTIVITY

Talking about goals and motivation
After students complete the questionnaires, put them into pairs or small groups and ask them to share and compare their goals and motivations for studying English and the course.  This brief discussion activity can help students get to know one another and create a sense of shared purpose, both of which contribute to creating a positive class environment -- another motivational strategy!

Format: Text
Availability
Activity 2: Goal-Setting and Student Interest Questionnaires
Text (PDF)
Questionnaire
Text (PDF)

To begin this month’s Teacher’s Corner, we will think about motivation and our own language learning experiences, review factors that can affect student motivation, and reflect on how we currently address student motivation in our classrooms and what we might do differently in the future.

You can do this reflection activity on your own or with a group of fellow teachers. If you work in a group, you might learn a few new motivational techniques from your colleagues!

GOALS

Teachers will:

  • Reflect on what motivated them during their own language learning experiences
  • Increase their awareness of factors that affect student motivation by reviewing and reflecting on a list of questions related to:
    • Instructional design
    • Promoting learner autonomy
    • Creating a positive classroom environment and culture
    • Teacher behavior and professional knowledge

MATERIALS

  • Teacher:
    o Blank paper
    o Pencil or pen
    o A timing device, watch, or clock o Reflection worksheet (provided)

PROCEDURES

  1. Print out and complete the reflection worksheet. Discuss your responses with colleagues if working in a group.
  2. If desired, write a short reflective journal entry or personal action plan based on what you learned from this activity.
  3. Review the additional resources below related to building student motivation.
  4. Smile! You just increased your professional knowledge and (we hope!) rekindled your enthusiasm about an aspect of teaching – both of which can contribute to building student motivation. ☺

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For additional instructional design tips related to motivation, check out these resources and many others available on the American English website:

For more ideas about promoting a positive classroom environment and classroom management see the April 2015 Teacher’s Corner. 

Also, English Teaching Forum contains numerous journal articles related to motivation, including the effects of teacher behavior, improving teacher subject-matter knowledge, and promoting learner autonomy. Build your professional knowledge by searching the journal’s archive for relevant articles!

Format: Text
Availability
Activity 1: Reflecting on Teacher Experiences and Building Awareness of Motivation-Related Factors
Text (PDF)
Reflection Worksheet
Text (PDF)
Podcasting for the Classroom
Text (PDF)

So far this month in the Teacher’s Corner, we have discussed aligning lesson goals with assessments, types of summative assessments, and a few formative assessment ideas. This week we will conclude by exploring three more types of formative assessments and how to use data to have a positive impact on student learning.

STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENTS

One great way to examine student progress is to train students to assess themselves. There are many advantages to having students reflect on their learning process and their performance in class. Students may know that they are struggling because they are unable to complete exercises or are confused when asked to perform tasks in class. A benefit of self-assessment is that it forces students to acknowledge when they are having trouble and need more practice. After students consider their performance, you can have them share their self-assessments in a variety of ways.

Guiding students to reflect honestly can take some practice. At first, some students are afraid to admit they need help and/or inflate their ratings of how well they understand things. However, asking students to examine how closely their self-assessments align with their performance on tasks like quizzes and tests will help them see the benefits of being honest about their learning process. Another important element of successful self-assessment is creating a classroom culture where students feel comfortable asking for assistance and support each other’s learning.

Consistently using one self-assessment method can help make the process more intuitive for students. Helpful strategies are discussed below, and you can find additional ideas in the English Teaching Forum article Using Self-assessment for Evaluation.

Response Cards

You can create response cards for each of your students to keep in his/her desk, notebook, or school bag. Some teachers use colors for students to show how well they grasp content. For example, green indicates the student fully understands, yellow means they need more examples or practice, and red means they do not understand at all. Instead of colors, you can use a smiling face, a neutral face, and a frowning face to indicate these same levels of comprehension. After you pose a question or give students a task to complete, ask them to show the card that corresponds to their level of understanding by holding it up, or displaying it on their table or in their laps. By looking around at the response cards, you get instant data to guide your instruction. You can adjust your teaching by adding more practice, reviewing the concept in the next class period, or moving ahead if your students are ready.

Signals

Hand signals are another great way for students to communicate their self-assessments. A thumb pointed downward can indicate lack of understanding, a thumb parallel to the floor can show a need for more practice, and a thumb pointed upward can demonstrate that a student feels confident about a concept. Similarly, the scale below, starting with a fist and ending with four fingers can show a student’s level of understanding.

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4
How to display: Student holds up a closed fist. Student holds up one finger. Student holds up two fingers. Student holds up three fingers. Student holds up four fingers.
What it indicates: I have no understanding of this concept or skill. I have heard of this concept or skill. I have some knowledge of this concept or can use this skill in some situations. I know a good amount about this concept and/or can apply this skill most of the time. I can explain or teach this concept or skill to someone else.

PEER ASSESSMENTS

You can collect data by asking students to assess one another. Students often enjoy receiving feedback from someone other than their teacher and may be more open to ideas from a classmate. Peer assessment also trains students to recognize what successful work looks like. Peer assessors can learn about their own performance if they see examples of success or areas for improvement in the work they are evaluating.

You can assign partners to examine each other’s work, or collect assignments and randomly distribute them to the class. Multiple peers can assess the same assignment to offer different perspectives. The most important part of asking students to take on the role of assessor is that they must have established guidelines and criteria for rating or grading their classmate’s work. This could be a checklist or rubric similar to those presented in Week 3 of October’s Teacher’s Corner, or a rating scale. Students must know what they are looking for, what constitutes successful completion of a task, and what indicates a need for improvement.

Peer evaluation can be highly effective when used as a formative assessment because it allows students to get feedback and improve their assignments. Teachers can examine checklists, rubrics, rating scales, or notes between peers to identify areas where students need further instruction or guidance.

UTILIZING DATA

After giving students a formative assessment, you can use the data to determine the effectiveness of your teaching. If all students successfully completed the task, proceed with the next lesson. If no students successfully completed the task, you need to reteach and consider a new way to present the content. Of course, situations where all students perform exactly the same way on an assignment are highly unlikely in a real classroom! Formative assessment data can help us identify specific students that need review or additional practice, and help us improve their performance.

Small Group Support

You can use data from formative assessments to form small groups of students who may need additional instructional support. If the assessment measures specific skills or standards, the data will show you exactly what you need to reteach. Record data in a table like the one below and form review groups after you score assessments. Use independent work time or organize a tutoring session to reteach the content and provide more practice to students who need it.

Assignment Topic:  Past tense verbs Date:  September 25th
Question Number Learning Standard or Skill Addressed Correct Responses Incorrect Responses Students Needing Review
1 regular verbs in past tense (-ed) 27 5 Fatima, Maria, Kenji, Fin, Mattias
2 irregular verbs in past tense 3 30 Whole class review/practice
3        
4        
5        

After you provide additional instruction to students, check their understanding again to be sure they have improved. You can give them the same assessment they took the first time, or develop a new one that measures the same skill. The important thing is that students are able to apply what they have learned and complete the task successfully.

Peer-to-Peer Assistance

Formative assessments can yield unique opportunities for students to support each other in the classroom. For example, use a peer assessment checklist to assess your students’ progress on an essay. Some students perform very well on certain parts of the essay, while others do not. When it is time for students to revise the essays, pair or group students with different strengths so they can benefit from each other’s feedback.

Accurate self-assessments can also create opportunities for peer support in your classroom. Students who understand a concept can assist those who need more practice. Sometimes learning from a classmate, rather than the teacher, can help students grasp material they have struggled with in the past.

When using peer-to-peer assistance, remember that it should not replace your teaching. Asking the same students to take on a helping role too often can put a strain on classroom relationships. Situations where classmates can support each other simultaneously are the best use of this method.

Challenging Successful Students

Formative assessment data can also help you challenge successful students by creating enrichment opportunities. You can give them assignments that require them to apply what they have learned to new situations. Below are some ideas for activities you might use with high-performing students.

  • Have them create their own exercises or a game on the topic
  • Let students read a novel independently and conduct a book club (See Literature Circles as Support for Language Development from English Teaching Forum for ideas.)
  • Ask them to create a piece of writing using a new skill or structure
  • Require them to apply a process to new types of problems or multi-step problems
  • Allow students to read books on the topic and complete graphic organizers
  • Let them choose a topic to research and plan a presentation, poster, brochure or report
  • Give students learning games related to the topic
Format: Text
Availability
Formative Assessments: Part 2
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Last week, we ended the Teacher’s Corner with an example of some activities that would successfully prepare students for a particular summative assessment. This week, we will explore ideas for formative assessments you can use in your own classroom. These assessments will help you collect data to check students’ progress after you teach a single lesson or concept. Formative assessments are valuable because they provide data that show if students are grasping smaller concepts or skills that they need in order to build proficiency and succeed on summative assessments.

ANECDOTAL NOTES

One very simple way to collect data is taking notes. Observing your students and writing down notes about what you see them doing is a great way to gather information. Watching your students work, listening to them speak during group discussions, observing how they follow steps in a process, and paying attention as they read aloud are all opportunities to see where they succeed and what they are struggling with.

Note-taking does not have to be a complicated process. You can use a regular notebook or three-ring binder and dedicate a section to each of your students. This can be organized using dividers or tabs, or simply by writing a student’s name at the top of a section in the notebook. You can create a schedule and plan to observe certain students each day. Student-specific notes are helpful for uncovering repeated mistakes made by students and/or their improvement. For example, you notice that some of your students continually omit inflectional endings such as –ing, –s, and –ed when they read aloud. Once you plan activities to bring this to their attention and allow them to practice, you can use your notes to be sure they consistently read the inflectional endings. A table similar to the one shown below is any easy way to organize student-specific notes in any subject.

Student Name:
Date Strengths Areas of Improvement
     
     
     

Notes do not have to be linked to a particular student to be helpful. Teachers can also take notes about the entire class by circulating around the room and writing down any information they find useful. For example, you observe your students changing singular nouns to plural and notice that many of them add –s to nouns that end in –y. General notes like these can help you determine what your class needs to review. In this instance, your notes show that your students do not understand the rules for changing singular nouns that end in –y to the plural form. Now you can reteach the rules and provide your class with additional practice.

Taking notes about the things your class does well is also useful. When students successfully apply what you have taught, you can determine the concepts and skills they have mastered. This helps you decide when they are ready to move on to new material. You can also use your notes to give your class positive feedback such as verbal praise. Another idea is to keep a list of things students do well posted somewhere in the classroom and add more of their strengths to the list as you observe them.

CHECKLISTS

Checklists can be used for a variety of assessment tasks. They are especially helpful in determining areas of weakness for performance tasks like presentations, or written work like essays and compositions. For instance, you have given your students a major assignment where they must research a topic and present it to the class. A checklist of presentation skills, like the one shown below, is an excellent assessment tool because it communicates the exact criteria students need to address in order to succeed.

Presenter Name: Reviewer Name:
Presentation Skill Does the presenter do this? Write some notes about what the presenter did well, or ideas about how the presenter could improve his/her skills.
Yes No
Speak clearly      
Use appropriate volume      
Speak with appropriate speed      
Make eye contact while speaking      
Stay within time limit      

As a formative assessment, have students practice their presentation in pairs. The partners can use the checklist to give each other feedback on what they still need to improve. Additionally, you can collect the checklists, analyze them, and determine if a portion of your class needs further instruction on a specific presentation skill. By using the data, you can plan to review the skill that your students need to work on most.

Similarly, you can adapt the above checklist to give students feedback on written work like essays and compositions. The checklist should consist of the skills you want them to include in a composition, such as a specific tense, certain vocabulary, an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use the checklist to formatively assess these skills, give feedback, or review the topics where the class shows the most weakness.

EXIT TICKETS

Exit tickets are short assessments designed to quickly assess whether students have learned the content from the lesson in which they just participated. These assessments are given at the end of the lesson and are often handed in as a “ticket” to leave the classroom or transition to the next activity. Many teachers distribute index cards, sticky notes, or half sheets of paper for students to use to complete these tasks. Below are some examples of the different types of exit tickets that teachers use.

  • Sentence frames or sentence starters that require students to fill in key parts of the content they learned, sometimes with added illustrations.

    • The four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly are ____________________, ____________________, ____________________, and  ____________________.

    Draw the stages in order:

     

     

     

     

  • Words orally dictated by the teacher for students to write. This type of exit ticket is used to test students’ mastery of a particular spelling pattern or phonics skill. In this example, students have to write words such as blue, black, blade, brick, bring, and bright to demonstrate their ability to use the two blends shown below.

    • bl-

     

     

     

     

     

    br-

     

     

     

     

     

  • Sorting words according to grammar or spelling rules. In this example, students have to place the singular nouns branch, fox, baby, family, lunch, supply, class, and dish in the correct category according to the ending of the plural form.

    • -es

     

     

     

     

     

    -ies

     

     

     

     

     

Additional types of exit ticket assessments include:

  • Sequencing events or steps in a process
  • Defending one’s position on a key issue using evidence from the lesson
  • Answering 1-2 multiple-choice questions on a topic
  • A cloze paragraph on a topic, with or without a word bank
  • An oral answer to a question posed by the teacher (to individual students)
  • Sorting content-based information into learned categories depending on characteristics
  • Employing a specific language structure or grammar rule to respond to a prompt orally or in writing
  • Using new vocabulary correctly in a response

Exit tickets should be short and measure the skill or content you presented in your lesson. You can determine if your students learned what you taught by examining whether they are able to successfully complete the exit ticket. If they do not succeed, you should plan to reteach the material.

Next week in the Teacher’s Corner, we will examine three more ways to incorporate formative assessments in your classroom. In addition, we will discuss how to use data from these assessments to help your students.

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Formative Assessments: Part 1
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Last week in the Teacher’s Corner, we explored the idea of choosing a final, summative assessment task as the first step in lesson planning. This week, we will discuss some options for summative assessment activities, ideas for using rubrics, and how to be sure that the rest of your lesson prepares students for your summative task.

ESSAYS OR PROJECTS

Asking students to write essays or create projects is a great way to provide an opportunity for them to summarize or apply what they have learned during a unit of study. In language classrooms, these two types of assignments require students to demonstrate their ability to use language structures or specific vocabulary in an authentic task.

Here is an example that incorporates arguments and the future tense. Students read articles that argue a position or state opinions and have mock debates as part of the unit. As a final assessment, they write an argumentative essay where they take a position on the use of mobile phones in the classroom. They choose a stance, for or against, and discuss three potential benefits or consequences using the future tense and the If, then sentence structure. In their essays, they also incorporate related vocabulary such as pro, con, advantage, disadvantage, benefit, and drawback. To assign this as a project with the same language requirements, ask students to make a poster or brochure supporting their stance.

PRESENTATIONS, SPEECHES, SKITS, or COMMERCIALS

Assignments like presentations, speeches, skits, or commercials are creative tasks that ask students to incorporate what they have learned into some type of performance. They are a great way to offer students who are stronger at speaking or performing a chance to excel. These tasks can be less structured than an essay or project and allow students more creative freedom to demonstrate what they have learned. Additionally, students enjoy seeing their peers perform. Therefore, the audience can often be just as engaged in watching the performance as the presenters are in performing it! This type of assignment provides students with a chance to review information both as performers and audience members, something they would not experience by handing in an essay or taking a test.

For example, as a summative assessment for the topic of mobile phone use in the classroom, students can make a presentation or give a speech arguing for or against the use of mobile phones in the classroom. The same requirements can still apply: students use the future tense, argue a position with three potential outcomes, use If, then structures, and incorporate some key vocabulary. Students can also create a commercial or skit with the same requirements.

PORTFOLIOS

Portfolios are collections of student work used to demonstrate the student’s mastery of specific content. Portfolios can include classwork, homework, assessment tasks given by the teacher, peer assessments, or self-assessments conducted by the student. Pre- and post-tests, item descriptions, or student reflections may also be included.

Some portfolios aim to show student growth. These may include early assignments where it is evident that the student did not grasp the concepts being taught, and then later assignments where the student was able to perform successfully. The purpose of this type of portfolio is to show that the student’s understanding of content has increased over time. Including a pre- and post-test in a portfolio of this type is a great way to show that the student has improved. An additional benefit of this type of portfolio is that it shows students their own progress over time.

Other portfolios aim to showcase a student’s best work related to a certain skill or learning outcome. In creating this type of portfolio, one would likely give his/her students a choice about which items to include. For instance, if students have completed a total of fifteen assignments related to a specific learning outcome or skill, ask them to choose ten items to include in the portfolio. Depending on the age of your students, you can also assist them with making choices about what to include.

Sometimes teachers ask students to provide a description of each item in a portfolio or even a reflection about how the piece of work demonstrates their learning or growth. This can be done with any type of portfolio. Here are some sample questions for students to answer:

  • How did this activity require you to show your understanding of the concept or topic?
  • If you struggled with this assignment, how well do you think you would complete it now? What would you do differently?
  • How does this collection of work show that you improved your understanding of the topic over time?
  • Why did you choose to include these specific assignments to demonstrate your performance?

USING RUBRICS

Rubrics are an excellent tool to use with summative assessment tasks such as those described above. A rubric allows you as a teacher to clearly communicate what a highly successful performance on a task looks like, therefore giving your students specific criteria to guide their completion of an assignment. Let’s revisit the example of writing an argumentative essay for or against the use of mobile phones in the classroom. Based on the requirements you have given your students, start creating a rubric by thinking about what the most successful essay would include. Then, define criteria for each subsequent level of performance on the task. Here is an example rubric.

  Stance/Position Supporting Reasons Vocabulary Use Future Tense If, then Sentences
4 Clearly stated in introduction, aligned with reasons, consistent throughout essay. Three reasons are given and are well discussed and supported. 9-10 of the key terms are used in the essay. Tense is correctly used and consistent throughout the essay. There is at least one “If, then” sentence in each paragraph.
3 Clear and consistent, but may not be stated in introduction.  Well-aligned with reasons. Three reasons are given but discussion or support needs more development. 6-8 of the key terms are used in the essay. here are fewer than five instances where the tense is not used or is used incorrectly. One paragraph may not contain any sentences with “If, then” structure.
2 Position may not be clearly stated or not aligned with one reason. Only two reasons are given and/or there is not enough discussion and support. 3-5 of the key terms are used in the essay. There are fewer than ten instances where the tense is not used or is used incorrectly. Two paragraphs may not contain any sentences with “If, then” structure.
1 Position not stated or inconsistent.  Not aligned with two or more reasons. Only one reason or no reasons are given and the support is not sufficient. Fewer than 3 of the key terms are used in the essay. There are ten or more instances where the tense is not used or is used incorrectly. More than two paragraphs may not contain any sentences with “If, then” structure.

Sharing the rubric with students before they begin their essays gives them exact criteria they must attend to in order to perform successfully on the assignment. Creating a rubric also helps you as a teacher to define exactly what student performance will look like at each level. This makes it easier to give students grades and enables you to be more consistent in evaluating their work.

ALIGNING LESSON ACTIVITIES WITH THE SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK

p>Returning to our water cycle example from last week, we know what our summative assessment task is. We want our students to be able to arrange illustrations of each step in the water cycle correctly on a poster, label them, and then write a paragraph explaining the cycle at each step. With this in mind, we can plan lessons and activities that stay focused and help our students achieve this particular goal. Take a look at the example activities below and decide which keep students on track to reach their final destination.
  • Activity 1: Read aloud a book that explains how a raindrop travels through the steps in the water cycle and what happens to it along the way.
  • Activity 2: Have the class brainstorm a list of different ways they use water.
  • Activity 3: Have students work with a partner. Give each set of partners five pictures and five labels, one for each step in the water cycle. Have them match the labels to the pictures and arrange the cycle in order.
  • Activity 4: Have students complete a word search to find vocabulary related to water and rainy weather. Have them check their word search with a partner to be sure they found all of the words.
  • Activity 5: Watch a video about the steps in the water cycle. Watch it again, stopping after each step is presented. Each time you stop, have the class help you add information to an illustrated graphic organizer/chart, including descriptions of what happens at each step.

    • Remember, at the end of our unit, we expect that our students will be able to arrange illustrations of each step in the water cycle correctly on a poster, label them, and then, write a paragraph to explain the cycle, telling what happens in each step. If we keep this in mind, we can see that activities 2 and 4 do not align with the final goal because they do not teach students the necessary vocabulary or anything about what happens in the water cycle. While they may be related to the topic, they will not help increase students’ knowledge of the steps and what happens during each one. Now, we can see the difference between activities that keep us on the route to our destination and those that could be considered wrong turns or unnecessary stops.

    Moving on, we can plan our lesson or unit, possibly including example activities 1, 3, or 5 as formative assessments. Formative assessments are tasks or activities that provide information about what and how students are learning so that teachers can adjust instruction accordingly (Cabral at al. 2007, 202). If we see that our students perform poorly on a formative assessment task, we may need to reteach a concept or present content again in a different way.

    Next week in Teacher’s Corner, we will look at some easy ways to collect formative data in your classroom. This data will allow you to check your students’ progress as you prepare them to succeed on your summative assessment task.

    Reference

    Cabral, Robin, Socorro G. Herrera, and Kevin G. Murry. Assessment Accommodations for Classroom Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. First ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2007.

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Summative Assessments and Aligning Activities
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Great teachers spend a lot of time preparing for class. We examine our curriculum and plan our lessons, being sure to incorporate activities that will engage our students and motivate them to learn. We gather materials and even think about the exact words we will say in front of our class. We spend a lot of time thinking about how a lesson will unfold, how to make the content relatable to our students, and who will be doing what tasks in our classrooms. All of these things help us stay organized and keep learners on task, but they do nothing to answer our most important question as educators: Are my students learning what I am teaching?

PLANNING WITH THE END IN MIND

As educators, we have to know where we are taking our students, and we have to be sure we keep them on track to get there. In order to really set a purpose for a lesson, we have to work backwards. When we start planning, our first step must be to think about what our students should be able to do at the end of a class, a lesson, or a unit. What will they be able to do after we have finished teaching? What skill should they be able to demonstrate? What content should they prove that they retained?

The task or activity we use to measure this final goal is called a summative assessment. Summative assessments are given after a set time period of instruction and aim to determine students’ mastery of content (Cabral et al. 2007, 202). Setting a final, overarching goal and measuring it with a specific assignment or task helps us be sure the activities we include along the way will help students meet that goal. It also gives us a way to collect data that we can use to determine if our teaching was effective and if our students learned what they were supposed to learn during a unit of study.

Let’s examine the following scenario. You are teaching your primary school students about the water cycle in an English medium science class. At the end of the unit, you want your students to demonstrate understanding of the five steps of the water cycle. How will you know for sure that your students have learned this content?

Lesson planning that aims to collect data and prove that students have mastered content starts with a plan for summative assessment. For more information about effective lesson planning, view the Shaping the Way We Teach English Webinar Lesson Planning 101: Mapping Activities for a Clear Path to Learning.

ALIGNING SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS WITH LESSON GOALS

What will your students do at the end of this unit to show that they have, indeed, learned the five steps of the water cycle and know what happens during each one? Let’s take a look at some possible ways of assessing what they learned. As you read these, remember the goal and decide which summative assessment does the best job of measuring whether students have met the goal.

  • Draw an example of part of the water cycle you see in your own life. Write a few sentences to tell what is happening and which part of the cycle it is.
  • Label the steps of the water cycle on a worksheet with illustrations.
  • Write a paragraph about why the water cycle is important and at least five different ways you use water in your life.
  • Arrange illustrations of each step of the water cycle correctly on a poster and label all of them. Write a paragraph to explain the cycle, telling what happens in each step.

    • If we look back at the goal, “Demonstrate understanding of the five steps of the water cycle,” we can analyze each of these potential assessment activities to see if they really measure what students were supposed to learn. If we examine the wording of the goal, we can determine that the word demonstrate means that students should produce or do something. The word understanding implies that they must do more than simply remember the steps; they instead must show that they know what happens during each of the five steps.

    While activity A encourages students to recognize the water cycle in the context of their own lives, it does not ask them to recall five steps or show that they know what happens during each one. The labeling exercise in activity B only measures whether students remember vocabulary, not what takes place in the steps of the water cycle. Activity C asks students to list ways they use water and why the cycle is important, which does not show that they know the steps or how the cycle works. Activity D requires students to correctly arrange the cycle, label it with vocabulary and then explain, in writing, what happens in the cycle. If students can successfully complete activity D, it will prove that they have learned the material and understand what happens in the five steps of the water cycle. Because it is aligned with the goal, activity D is the best summative assessment task to determine whether students have learned the content.

    This is one example of a summative assessment activity that fits with a particular scenario. Many school districts, curriculum publishers, or education departments also create summative assessments, which are often tests. While tests can certainly provide valuable numerical data about student learning or areas for improvement, there are some more authentic tasks that also allow students to demonstrate their knowledge. Next week, we will take a look at some more ideas for summative assignment tasks, using rubrics to score them, and aligning the remainder of your lesson activities with your lesson goals.

    Reference

    Cabral, Robin, Socorro G. Herrera, and Kevin G. Murry. Assessment Accommodations for Classroom Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. First ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2007.

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Backward Design and Alignment of Assessments
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Lesson Planning 101
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This month’s Teacher’s Corner has outlined a variety of technology tools designed to give teachers more flexibility and customization in making new materials. These tools combined with a spark of teacher creativity can lead to a wide variety of new materials that can re-engage students.

This week’s Teacher’s Corner provides assistance in developing materials by highlighting online resources for teachers. These resources take advantage of the ‘open source’ movement, providing text, audio, images, and even entire academic courses for free. These resources can be integrated into classroom materials and used alongside tools highlighted this month such as Hot Potatoes and Audacity.

When using online resources, it is important to be aware of copyright laws for classroom practice and to demonstrate proper source use to students. For 21st century educators, teaching students proper digital citizenship skills has never been more important. Part of these skills is ‘information literacy’ and ensuring our students are able to access and evaluate digital resources effectively and utilize proper use. Each of the sites listed in this week’s Teacher’s Corner helps sort through which materials can be used in the classroom without violating copyright restrictions. For more information on 21st century skills, visit here.

All of the resources this week use, to some degree, the philosophy of the open-source movement. This movement amongst teachers, developers, governments, and organizations strives to make materials that can be shared without the worry of copyright violations and, when possible, for free.

For more information on the open-source philosophy, visit the Creative Commons website.

OPEN SOURCE RESOURCES

Below are a variety of websites that provide a host of resources for teachers and students. These materials can be accessed for free and can be integrated into classroom resources. Each site has it owns strengths and weaknesses in regards to resources, so it is recommended to explore them all and determine how each can play a part in your materials development.

American English - americanenglish.state.gov

American English hosts a variety of materials specifically designed for teachers and learners of English as a Foreign or Second Language. Since you are probably familiar with Teacher’s Corner (!) we will highlight some of the other features of the American English website.

  1. American Culture – The American English website is home to a wide assortment of publications and materials related to American culture and customs.
  2. English Teaching Forum – This journal contains articles on topics of interest to the language classroom, practical classroom activities, and teaching techniques.
  3. Shaping the Way We Teach English – This is a professional development webinar series that covers a broad range of teaching tools, strategies, and resources. This has been renamed the American English Webinar Series.
  4. Publications – The American English website houses a wide variety of publications that can be used by teachers as classroom materials or for student self-study.

Internet Archive - archive.org/index.php

The Internet Archive contains a collection of multimedia resources accessible from a search field on the home page. Much of the material is community-based, so quality and usefulness can vary. However, it also contains a variety of materials from museums, universities, and the U.S. Library of Congress.

  1. American Libraries – The Internet Archive has an extensive list of resources from a series of American libraries. Although some of the material can be dated, it contains materials suitable for a wide variety of topics.
  2. Audio Books and Poetry – This section of the Internet Archive contains audio versions of classic books and poems that can be downloaded or streamed. The web links to the streaming audio are well suited for embedding into Hot Potatoes activities.
  3. Radio Programs – Containing a wide variety of radio programs, this section of the Internet Archive is a great resource to share with students who are using Audacity for podcasting. The radio programs featured on the site can serve as models for students interested in creating their own radio programs.

MIT Open Courseware - ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

MIT Open Courseware is a website hosting course materials from over 2200 courses taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

  1. Audio/Video Lectures – This section of the website collates a variety of individual lectures on a wide variety of topics. These lectures may be too advanced for lower-level learners but could be integrated into Hot Potatoes activities for more advanced learners.
  2. Online Textbooks – A collection of textbooks used by MIT courses, these books are all open sources and available for use by teachers and for students’ self-study. However, these materials may be too advanced or too specific for all but the highest-level learners.

Open Culture - openculture.com

Open Culture is a website that collates free and open-source online materials. The website contains links to audiobooks, movies, online courses, as well as textbooks and foreign language materials. Consider Open Culture a table of contents for materials with this content being housed on other websites.

  1. Language Lessons – This section of Open Culture contains links to a variety of language learning materials including English.
  2. Online Courses – Each of the links in this collection connects to an online course or its materials. Many of the links are to complete online courses; however some are only audio or videos so be sure to preview the materials before using them in class.

Project Gutenberg - gutenberg.org

Project Gutenberg specializes in written works with 49,000 e-books available on its website along with another 50,000 available through organizations partnered with Project Gutenberg. Each book comes in a variety of formats such as HTML (webpage format), EPUB which can be read by a wide variety of software on tablets and mobile phones, and Plain Text for printing onto paper.

  1. Language Lessons – Project Gutenberg has done extensive work on providing audio versions of the books available. The audiobooks are divided into human-read and computer-read so if looking for authentic pronunciation and speaking be sure to search the human-read books.
  2. Online Courses – The best place to begin on Project Gutenberg, this page organizes the site’s material into ‘bookshelves’ categorized by topic and language.
  3. Online Courses – This feature of the Project Gutenberg website makes all the books on the site available as a downloadable file that can be burned to a CD or DVD for schools or classrooms without an Internet connection.
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Open Source Resources
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