“Miss, did I do OK?”
This my least favorite question, not because I don’t want to give feedback to my students, but because the question itself often reveals that the student has not yet connected with the purpose or the outcome of the work we’re doing. I see this especially from my dev ed English and reading students.
My goal is to help students understand the assessment tools we use so that they can gauge their own success and understanding. Without such independence, they won’t be able to increase their reading and writing proficiency to the level demanded by our college courses.
Two tools I use are the SPUNKI prompts and a self-assessment checklist.
The SPUNKI prompts are used to help students talk and write about what they read.
- S I am surprised that . . .
- P I’m puzzled by . . .
- U I found it useful that . . .
- N It was new learning for me to know . . .
- K I already knew . . .
- I It is interesting to know . . .
Source: On Course Workshop accessed June, 2016
The self-assessment checklist below helps reading students see growth in their own use of our literacy tools.
My Reading Report
Comprehension Pre-test _____ Comprehension Post-test _____ Gain _____
Vocabulary Pre-test _____ Vocabulary Post-test _____
Gain _____
My TP vocabulary book ________________________
Highest Newsela Lexile _____ Average Newsela Lexile _____
My Reminders for Active Reading
(20 minutes a day minimum)
Before:
- Predict
- Activate prior knowledge
During
- Summarize
- Make connections
- Check for understanding
- Take notes
After
- Evaluate what I learned
- Revisit my predictions
Once students complete the checklist, they can participate more fully in a conference with me about their own learning. This discussion is a precursor to a final reflective essay focused on their mastery of the course competencies.
By the time they’re finished, I want them to be able to say “Miss, I did well, and here’s how I know that.”