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Assessment - Geometric Sequences & Series

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Assessment - Geometric Sequences & Series

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The students are asked to create a sequence and and context for it, allowing them to either write or draw it. They will also create a question for themselves, and answer it.

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The students were shown a powerpoint that showed visual examples for each vocabulary word. I'm having a problem uploading images of my slides so I have attached a summative assessment that I made for my 3rd-5th grade classes. We are currently studying Picasso and the Cubist movement. In order to assess their understanding of the vocabulary words, Cubism and abstract they are to draw different cubist inspired images. There are three questions and next to each is an image that shows a visual example of what each question is asking for. This assessment allows students to visualize vocabulary and utilizes the BAWD method by letting them draw their answers.

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For my assessment in music, I chose to have younger students complete an evaluation on their knowledge of musical families. This assessment would probably be for students who are either in 1st or 2nd grade, and have a foundation of musical instruments. Instead of having students only use vocabulary, now they also have the aide of pictures and a word bank for each category. I think drawing/tracing out the musical instruments truly gives the student time to understand how each one is shaped, and all the different bells and whistles on each.  "Performance assessments can
be less affected by unnecessary linguistic complexity."(Abedi, 2010).

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I have worked in a diner for the past five years, and have observed translanguaging quite often with Spanish/English speakers. When listening to my co-workers communicating, it is mostly Spanish, but I do hear bits and pieces of English words and phrases. As a native English speaker, I try to always listen and learn new Spanish vocab words while I am at work. Several times, I have asked them the Spanish words for the names of different foods, and they often respond with the English word. They say that they only know one word for the food that I am asking about. This is a perfect example of translanguaging. These EBs will sometimes "mix" Spanish and English as a means of communication. Some terms that they say will be the same word in both English and Spanish.

Thus far in my teaching career, I have not been a witness to translanguaging in the classroom, but I assume that it would not be too much different than what I have seen at the diner I work at.

According to Garcia (2013), the term translanguaging has changed over the years. It was coined by a Welsh man named Cen Williams. It was orginially a term which meant to have a student read in one language and write in another. Today, it is the approach of language which has features of two separate languages and is socially accepted and understood.

Attached is an elementary beginner lesson for musical symbols and rhythm counting. The vocal words are written in both English and Spanish, and can be used interchangeably.

García, O., & Wei, L. (2013). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Springer.

Another power point slide is posted in a different tab. I could not get two different files to upload on one post.

These two documents are templates for my students to demonstrate their understanding through BAWD (Build, Act, Write, or Draw). Students can cut out and design their own four beat rhythms. They can act out / perform the musical symbols. They can write or compose their own rhythms, and they can draw these symbols on their own.  These 4 action verbs  (Build, Act, Write, or Draw) can be combined to create activities that are great for cooperative learning not just for EBs, but for all learners. BAWD adds a more kinesthetic and creative approach to learning.

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Attached is a picture of an example of a completed math assessment. It also contains more specifics than I wrote here.

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For my assessment in music, I chose to have students make a song using their preferred way in the BAWD method. Students could build it by using objects in the room to create different sounds and make a song that way. They could act it by playing the song themselves on instruments, with or without words. They could write it by writing the chords and the lyrics, or using musical notation. Finally, they could draw it using computer software such as Garageband or Reaper. A program provides visual ways to create music by dragging and dropping different sounds onto a grid. They can combine drums, guitar, bass, piano, and many other instruments for a full band sound. Students can also record their own sounds themselves and make a song, or record their voices.

Using these methods gives students many ways to write music. They can use their preferred method and much of it is visual, where being fluent in English isn’t required. I think this gives EB students an opportunity to create a song using their preferred method. On computer software, they can click and hear different sounds. They can choose what they like and combine it in a way they enjoy. I would look forward to hearing the students songs and how they express themselves through it. I want to use technology in my classroom to enhance students’ experiences and their music-making. I want them to be able to make their own songs and be proud of what they’ve accomplished. I’m also interested in seeing unique ways students create music, so this method could assess that a student knows how to make a song but can show it in a way they understand.

Even if students don’t play instruments themselves or feel like they can’t, different methods provide them ways to make something. ““Not only can the right apps help people make music wherever their smartphone goes, but it can also spark creativity in those with little-or-no musical talent,” reads a Gizmodo review of several apps.” (Cortez, 2017) I feel as if this not only can be accomplished by technology, but just by showing different methods students can make music. They can write it, act it, draw it, or build it. Some students are performers, some want to write it but have others perform it.

Sources

Cortez, M. B. (2017, August 16). Tech in the Music Classroom Creates Efficiencies, Improves Accessibility. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2017/08/tech-music-classroom-creates-efficiencies-improves-accessibility

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I chose to write a slam poem to convey my a definition of the concept, in the context of teaching EB students and what it would look like in my classroom. This poem is most impressionable when read aloud so I plan on video taping myself reading it after school today. That way, the proper inflections are in place. However, I also wanted to post in print so that you could follow along. You will notice that I use colloquial diction quite frequently. This is purposeful because I also wanted to take away the stigma around those who do not use academic language or proper grammar. Another thing I learned when reading about using BAWD or performance assessments is that it gives students the opportunity to not be judged based on language and instead actually assess them on whether they understand the content. I hope you enjoy. I put a lot of emotion into this assignment (you will tell right away) as I really appreciate the opportunity to get creative with my assignments. I look forward to allowing my students to choose their own path for assignments in the future.

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Math: Students will draw a picture by hand and then use functions to "draw" that same picture on a graphing calculator.

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Translanguaging - Draw (Visual of Translanguaging both at home and in the Math classroom)

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Translanguaging - Draw (Visual of Translanguaging both at home and in the Math classroom)

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I received the information that I know about translanguaging from the chapter we were required to read for this assignment, and based the context of this image from that knowledge.

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I created a parody of the song Hakuna Matata to show a possible struggle EB's may have when being assessed in a language they are not proficient in. Performance based assessments give them more opportunity to show what they know rather than articulate it.

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Math: The picture is a representation of a bulletin board for the classroom for a Quadratics Unit. Each important concept/Vocabulary Word for the Unit is demonstrated with a picture and given by the English and Spanish name.

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Math: I acted out teaching a lesson to students, starting with language objectives, acting out vocabulary, making a word wall, and having graphic organizers. I had trouble uploading the video, so if you can't watch it I can email it to you.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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My BAWD Assignment centers around the educational process of translanguaging. Translanguaging centers around the idea of synthesizing information in one's original language and later shifting these analytical ideas into the language s/he is trying to learn. Translanguaging, according to Jeff MacSwan in his text A Multilingual Perspective on Translanguaging, “views bilingualism as valuable in its own right”; in other words, this lingual process finally provides a middle ground for bilinguals to transfer ideas from one language to another with greater fluency (2017). To represent this vital ideal, my product uses a puzzle to help connect two synthesized languages into one. Within my classroom, students will be asked to work together and create a classroom slogan that promotes diversity and unity. Once this slogan is developed, students will write it on the puzzle pieces in one language. When completed, students will be asked to take their slogan (all in one complete language) and combine their puzzle pieces with their peers to create one completed puzzle that portrays our room’s idea of universal harmony in languages from around the world. This assignment requires students of all backgrounds to create a classroom motto “from their own perspectives”; rather than simply code-switching between languages, this product requires students to delve deep into a multifaceted thought process. The goal of this assignment is to have various ideas and languages come together as one; the goal is not for the combined translations to be exactly the same word for word. With this assignment, I hope for all students to feel willing to think on a deeper level despite their original language.

Works Cited

MacSwan, J. (2017). A Multilingual Perspective on Translanguaging. American Educational Research Journal, 54(1), 167–201. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216683935

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A quilt is a symbol of different pieces coming together to create something beautiful on one piece of fabric. They have a rich history as a symbol of unity, but unlike the metaphor of a melting pot, fabric pieces do not lose their distinct individuality and mold into something else. Rather, they retain their individuality and join with others to create something larger. Because of this, I have chosen to create an interactive paper quilt to demonstrate translanguaging. During our first class, we completed an activity that involved multiple facets of our identity including our name, our religion, our language, our sexual orientation and many other aspects of our identity. As we worked through the activity and were asked to give up different parts of ourselves, we struggled with the implications. This connected us to what emergent bilingual students might potentially feel in classrooms in the United States. This was uncomfortable and unsettling to imagine.As we read in chapter 2, Language Practices and the Translanguaging Classroom Framework, American classrooms pride themselves on being monolingual or bilingual. There is no middle ground and no sympathy for the loss of identity that is felt. Translanguaging enables a middle ground and allows emergent bilinguals to bring their whole selves including all of their linguistic knowledge to the educational table. This is best illustrated through the metaphor of the translanguaging corriente which “allows bilingual students to combine social spaces with language codes that are usually practiced separately” (García, 2017, p.21). This enables the formation of an “integrated whole” (García, 2017, p.21). The idea of the interactive quilt I created is to encourage students to bring their whole selves to the classroom. When students in my classroom use different language practices, I do not want it to be viewed through a deficit lens, but rather, I want to say to them “también así se dice” as discussed in chapter two. I want my students to write their own words down on a quilt square so that we can add it to our quilt backing. The squares will represent the linguistic differences we all share and the quilt backing will represent the “integrated whole” (García, 2017, p.21). This will be a communal activity that will establish our classroom culture so that when a student uses language that is not accepted in particular social spaces, they will feel encouraged, not ostracized, to use their voice. I hope that this will not only empower my students, but will encourage my colleagues to shed their “deficit view” and stop ignoring the linguistic practices of their students. (García, 2017, p.24).  By welcoming students’ home practices, we are increasing the chance of “build[ing] on a child’s entire linguistic repertoire” (García, 2017, p.23). Work CitedGarcía, O., Johnson, S. I., & Seltzer, K. (2017). The translanguaging classroom: Leveraging student bilingualism for learning. Philadelphia: Caslon.

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A quilt is a symbol of different pieces coming together to create something beautiful on one piece of fabric. They have a rich history as a symbol of unity, but unlike the metaphor of a melting pot, fabric pieces do not lose their distinct individuality and mold into something else. Rather, they retain their individuality and join with others to create something larger. Because of this, I have chosen to create an interactive paper quilt to demonstrate translanguaging. During our first class, we completed an activity that involved multiple facets of our identity including our name, our religion, our language, our sexual orientation and many other aspects of our identity. As we worked through the activity and were asked to give up different parts of ourselves, we struggled with the implications. This connected us to what emergent bilingual students might potentially feel in classrooms in the United States. This was uncomfortable and unsettling to imagine.As we read in chapter 2, Language Practices and the Translanguaging Classroom Framework, American classrooms pride themselves on being monolingual or bilingual. There is no middle ground and no sympathy for the loss of identity that is felt. Translanguaging enables a middle ground and allows emergent bilinguals to bring their whole selves including all of their linguistic knowledge to the educational table. This is best illustrated through the metaphor of the translanguaging corriente which “allows bilingual students to combine social spaces with language codes that are usually practiced separately” (García, 2017, p.21). This enables the formation of an “integrated whole” (García, 2017, p.21). The idea of the interactive quilt I created is to encourage students to bring their whole selves to the classroom. When students in my classroom use different language practices, I do not want it to be viewed through a deficit lens, but rather, I want to say to them “también así se dice” as discussed in chapter two. I want my students to write their own words down on a quilt square so that we can add it to our quilt backing. The squares will represent the linguistic differences we all share and the quilt backing will represent the “integrated whole” (García, 2017, p.21). This will be a communal activity that will establish our classroom culture so that when a student uses language that is not accepted in particular social spaces, they will feel encouraged, not ostracized, to use their voice. I hope that this will not only empower my students, but will encourage my colleagues to shed their “deficit view” and stop ignoring the linguistic practices of their students. (García, 2017, p.24).  By welcoming students’ home practices, we are increasing the chance of “build[ing] on a child’s entire linguistic repertoire” (García, 2017, p.23). Work CitedGarcía, O., Johnson, S. I., & Seltzer, K. (2017). The translanguaging classroom: Leveraging student bilingualism for learning. Philadelphia: Caslon.

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Put all translanguaging contributions on the right.

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Put all translanguaging contributions on the right.

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In “Fair and Square Assessments for ELLs”, it is shown that assessment that are created for native English speakers are not necessarily valid for non-native English speakers, also known as Emergent Bilinguals (EBs). We can examine the three strategies provided to help remedy the issues that EBs face and enact one of them to help our EBs through assessments with proper scaffolding to allow them to effectively demonstrate content knowledge. The second strategy recommends creating a word wall to help EBs with words they might see on a program they take an assessment on. I propose a similar strategy where we can create a word wall for lower level English Proficiency EBs to use for taking assessments so that we can help them complete these assessments without the language of the questions becoming an unnecessary roadblock for the EBs to demonstrate their content knowledge, regardless of platform. Below we have an example word wall, with images, that would help the students familiarize themselves with assessment-specific vocabulary. This word wall below is for an EB with Spanish as their native language that is in a Geometry class.
Source: Fenner, D.S. (2016). Fair And Square Assessments for ELLs. Helping ELLs Excel, 73(5).

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Put all ASSESSMENT contributions on the left!

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Put all ASSESSMENT contributions on the left!