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Creating Meaningful Activities and Assessments

This document provides examples of meaningful and meaningless activities and assessments. A meaningful assessment for the objective of orally describing reactions to a book or film would be having students watch a movie trailer and express their opinion to a partner. This directly tests their ability to orally communicate their reaction. A meaningless assessment would be a multiple choice vocabulary test, which does not demonstrate if students can actually communicate. The document also outlines steps for designing meaningful lessons, including identifying desired learning outcomes, determining acceptable evidence of learning, and planning engaging activities to help students achieve the goal.

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annmarietunney
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126 views

Creating Meaningful Activities and Assessments

This document provides examples of meaningful and meaningless activities and assessments. A meaningful assessment for the objective of orally describing reactions to a book or film would be having students watch a movie trailer and express their opinion to a partner. This directly tests their ability to orally communicate their reaction. A meaningless assessment would be a multiple choice vocabulary test, which does not demonstrate if students can actually communicate. The document also outlines steps for designing meaningful lessons, including identifying desired learning outcomes, determining acceptable evidence of learning, and planning engaging activities to help students achieve the goal.

Uploaded by

annmarietunney
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Creating Meaningful Activities and

Assessments
ASSESSMENT
Examples:
Objective: Orally describe their reactions to the plot of a book or flm.
Meaningless assessment: Have the students tae a multiple!ch"ice test "n #lm and
b"" v"cabular$%
Why is this meaningless?
&f their g"al is t" be able t" spea ab"ut their reacti"ns t" a b"" "r a #lm and 'e give
them a multiple!ch"ice test "n v"cabular$( h"' d" 'e n"' if the$ can actuall$
c"mmunicate) All 'e n"' fr"m this assessment is that the$ can recall and 'rite s"me
m"vie v"cabular$% This is not acceptable evidence%
Meaningful assessment: Have the students 'atch a m"vie trailer and then express
their "pini"n t" a partner%
Why is this meaningful?
&f the student is able t" express their "pini"n t" their partner( then the$ have reached
their g"al% &f the$ are unable t" d" this( this sh"'s us that the$ need m"re practice t"
reach their g"al% This is acceptable evidence%
******************************************************************************************
******************
ACT&+&T&ES
Examples:
Objective: Orally describe their reactions to the plot of a book or flm.
Meaningless activity #1: ,earning #lm and b"" v"cabular$ in the b"" and repeating
each '"rd #ve times in their n"teb""s%
Why is this meaningless?
This activit$ d"es n"t inv"lve speaing( s" it is n"t helping the students reach their g"al%
Als"( 'e n"' that simpl$ repeating '"rds in a n"teb"" d"es n"t pr"m"te learning%
Meaningless activity #2: -atch a m"vie trailer and then 'rite a summar$ in $"ur
n"teb""%
Why is this meaningless?
This is a great activit$( &. 'e 'ere g"ing t" assess them "n their 'riting% H"'ever( their
g"al is t" be able t" S/EA0 ab"ut m"vies and b""s( n"t 'rite% &n c"nclusi"n( this activit$
12O TEACHE3S4 5678
seems great "n the surface( but 'hen 'e l"" at "ur g"als( it is n"t an appr"priate
activit$%
ASSESSMENT
Objective: understand the description of events, feelings, and wishes in personal letters.
Meaningless assessment:
-h$ is this meaningless)
Meaningful assessment:
-h$ is this meaningful)
ACT&+&T&ES
Objective: understand the description of events, feelings, and wishes in personal letters.
Meaningless activit$:
12O TEACHE3S4 5678
-h$ is this meaningless)
Meaningful activit$:
-h$ is this meaningful)
9AC0-A3:S :ES&2N STE/S
Step 1: &dentif$ :esired 3esults
What do I want my students to know and be able to do?
Step 2: :etermine acceptable evidence
How will I know if my students reached the goal?
Step 3: /lan learning experiences
12O TEACHE3S4 5678
What meaningful activities can I design that help my students reach their goal?
12O TEACHE3S4 5678
HELPFL !ES"#$%S WHE% PL&%%#%'
S"EP 1
!OW
-hat v"cabular$( structures and culture d" students need in "rder t" meet the
learning target)
"O
-hat 'ill students be able t" d" at the end "f this less"n that the$ c"uldn;t d" 'hen
it started)
This sh"uld be a real!life learning target stated in student!friendl$ language
-h$ d"es this matter t" me( t" m$ friends)
1<"u 'ill be able t" #gure "ut and tell s"me"ne h"' t" use the metr" s$stem in Ne'
<"r t" get fr"m place t" place%4
S"EP 2
H"' 'ill $"u chec f"r understanding)
-hat evidence 'ill $"u c"llect t" determine if students have achieved the desired
results)
3eliable assessment re=uires multiple s"urces "f evidence% &nstead "f a =uic
snapsh"t( thin ph"t" album%
-hat is d"ne in the real '"rld) :"es it have a genuine purp"se) :"es it demand
higher!level thining and n"t just mem"ri>ati"n)
Thin lie an assess"r( n"t an activit$ designer
S"EP 3
Thin lie a travel agent% H"' 'ill $"u mae $"ur clients ?students@ reach their g"al)
H"' 'ill $"u e=uip students t" be able t" reach their g"al)
H"' 'ill $"u h"" and h"ld students interest)
Are all the learning activities necessar$)
H"' d"es the activit$ relate t" real life) &f it d"esn;t( d"n;t d" it%

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