Example Technology Performance Assessment Task

 

Task # 3

Published Research Findings

Grade

5

Content Area(s)

Reading/Language Arts

Unit Title/Theme

DCF Author Study

Task Developer/Author

Donna Sullivan-Macdonald

 

 

 

 

1.                 Setting the Context

Each year, librarians and teachers nominate thirty books for the state’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award.  Vermont students in grades 4-8 may participate in voting for this “DCF” Award  (http://www.dcfaward.org).    Over the school year, Vermont students read the books and then in April, vote for their favorite.  There is a yearly award ceremony celebrating the author of the state’s favorite DCF book.

 

For this task, students will be gathering information about an author of a DCF book.  This information will be obtained through Internet research and email correspondence.  Students will enter information about their author, as well as reactions to DCF books read, into a class database.  Students will then create a web page about their DCF author, including links to sites about the author, as well as links to fellow students’ pages.

 

2.                 Grade Expectations/Standards

 

Technology

 

IT3 - Productivity Tools

·         Identifying components of database including field/category, record, file.

·         Identifying single and multiple record formats.

  • Entering data into an existing database

 

IT4 – Communication

 

  • Describing the components of a web address (e.g. ~, /, . edu, .com, .gov, etc.).
  • Creating a web page including text, graphics, tables and  internal and external links.
  • Sending and receiving an email attachment.
  • Including the text of the original message in their reply (using quote).
  • Forwarding mail.
  • Using cc: to copy a message to another individual.
  • Using reply options (e.g., reply sender, reply group, reply conference)

 

 

 

Content

Reading Extensively

R5:17 Demonstrates the habit of reading extensively* by…

Reading the equivalent of at least two books a month, including in-school, out-of-school, and summer reading.  * Materials should be at the student’s instructional and independent reading levels. The specific number of books should be viewed flexibly and is less important than the extensiveness, duration/time, and frequency of reading.

 

 

3. The Performance Task

 

Students will gather information about  students’ favorite books in order to give teachers data for their selection of the Dorthy Canfield Fisher Award.  In doing so they will understand how to enter information into a database and then analyze it.  They will also understand how to create a web page, based upon their research, that includes text, graphics, tables and internal and external links.

 

Goal: Students will publish a web page giving information about the author of one of this year’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award books.  Students will have collected information in a class database.

 

Role:  For this task, students will take on multiple roles.  They will be book reviewers, entering their opinions about DCF books into a class database.  Students will also take on the role of interviewers and publishers as they communicate with the author of a DCF book and publish their research findings on a web page about the author.

 

Audience: Students’ DCF author pages will be available to all through the school’s web site.  Once published, the Webmaster of state DCF web page will be notified so that there may be a link created on that home page for use by other Vermont schools. 

 

Situation: Students will need access to the thirty nominated DCF books.  Early in the school year, they will research a DCF author and create their web page.  The DCF book database will be on-going throughout the year, as students review books that they read and enter review information.  After students vote for their favorite book in April, the book review database will be analyzed and results will be posted on the students’ DCF author page.

 

Product/Performance: Published Research Findings - Web pages for the authors of Dorothy Canfield Fisher nominated books will be the final product.  These web pages will include text, graphics, tables and internal and external links.  Students will email their author to obtain some information.  Throughout the school year, students will be entering book review information into a class database according to the fields listed below. 

4. Activities

During the first week of school, students will be given the list of 30 DCF books (http://homepage.mac.com/crowleyvt/dcfaward/dcf/index.html).  Students will choose one book from the list to begin their yearlong reading of DCF books.  (In order to vote for the state’s favorite book, at least five nominated books must be read by April.) 

Students will conduct Internet research on the author of their first DCF book.  They will locate the e-mail address of the author and/or publisher of their book.

Students will generate a list of ten questions for their author using a word processing program.  These questions will be emailed to the author and/or publisher as an attachment.  Students will use “cc” to copy this message to the teacher.  When a response is obtained, students will forward a copy to their teacher, as well a send a reply of thanks to the author and/or publisher.

Using information obtained from their Internet research, as well as email correspondence, students will create a web page about their DCF author that includes text, graphics, tables and internal and external links.  (Internal links may be to the class or school home page or other classmates’ pages.  External links may be to other web pages about the author.)  Students will be queried as to the components of a web address that they use (e.g. ~, /, .edu, .com, .gov, etc.).  When completed, these student web pages will be published on the school web site.  The Webmaster for the state’s DCF page will be informed of the students’ work so that a link may be created.

Upon completion of their first DCF books, students will enter information into a class database.  The following fields will be used for the DCF book review database:

            Author’s name

            Book Title

            Book Summary (short)

            Rating for book (Scale of 5 drop down menu)

            Reason for rating

            Student’s name

 

Students will be required to enter this information into the DCF book review database for each nominated book that they read throughout the school year. 

 

After voting for their favorite DCF book in April, students will analyze the database, paying close attention to the comments given about the book by the author that they researched and emailed.  A couple of paragraphs may be added to their original DCF authors web pages stating their individual findings. 

5. Materials and Resources

The following web sites may be useful for students researching the authors of Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award books:

The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award web site
http://www.dcfaward.org

Learning About the Author and Illustrator Pages (from Rutgers University)
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/AuthorSite/

Children’s Literature
http://childrenslit.com/f_mai.htm

Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site
http://www.carolhurst.com/authors/authors.html

Authors and Illustrators on the Web
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html

6. Criteria/Rubric

Grade Expectation

Introduced

With Assistance

Met the Standard

Basic Operations

Not Assessed

 

 

 

Social, Ethical & Human Issues

Not Assessed

 

 

 

Productivity Tools

Identifying components of data base including field/category, record, file.

 

 

 

Identifying single and multiple record formats.

 

 

 

Entering data into an existing database

 

 

 

Communication

Describing the components of a web address (e.g. ~, /, . edu, .com, .gov, etc.).

 

 

 

Creating a web page including text, graphics, tables and  internal and external links.

 

 

 

Sending and receiving an email attachment.

 

 

 

Including the text of the original message in their reply (using quote).

 

 

 

Forwarding mail.

 

 

 

Using cc: to copy a message to another individual.

 

 

 

Using reply options (e.g., reply sender, reply group, reply conference)

 

 

 

Research, Problem Solving & Decision Making

Not Assessed

 

 

 

 

 

7. Checklist

Pre-Assessment Checklist

Grade Expectation

Introduced

Practiced

Identifying components of data base including field/category, record, file.

 

 

Identifying single and multiple record formats.

 

 

Entering data into an existing database

 

 

Describing the components of a web address (e.g. ~, /, . edu, .com, .gov, etc.).

 

 

Creating a web page including text, graphics, tables and  internal and external links.

 

 

Sending and receiving an email attachment.

 

 

Including the text of the original message in their reply (using quote).

 

 

Forwarding mail.

 

 

Using cc: to copy a message to another individual.

 

 

Using reply options (e.g., reply sender, reply group, reply conference)