Example Technology Performance Assessment Task

 

 

Task #3

Class Published Research Findings

Grade

5

Content Area(s)

History/Social Sciences & Writing

Unit Title/Theme

Explorers

Task Developer/Author

Jill Corliss

 

 

                                                                                                                 

 

1.                 Setting the Context

 

This task is part of an eight week Social Studies Unit on the Age of Discovery.  The students will be conducting research on an individual explorer.  As a result of their work, they will develop a web page as a part of a class designed web site on Explorers, Past and Present.  When the information is all compiled, each student will use the information contained on the web site to build a time line.  Secondly, each student will decide which explorer made the greatest impact on society.  Then, using the procedural writing process, the student will exercise his/her civic right to e-mail a state or national politician of their desire to have a holiday dedicated to this famous explorer.

 

 

2. Grade Expectations

 

Technology

 

IT3 Productivity Tools

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

·        Identifying single and multiple record formats.

 

IT4 Communication

 

Content

 

H&SS5-6:10

Students show understanding of past, present, and future time by…

·  Constructing time lines of significant historical developments in the nation and world, designating appropriate equidistant intervals of time and recording events according to the order in which they occurred.

·  Interpreting data presented in time lines

 

W5:15

In persuasive writing, students define a significant problem, issue topic or concern by…

 

W5:16

In persuasive writing, students present and coherently support judgments or solution(s) by…

 

 

3. The Performance Task

 

This task will have a dual purpose.  First, the student will use the information contained in the class-generated Explorer website to construct an Age of Discovery time line.  Secondly each student will select an Explorer worthy of a holiday designation and then will write a persuasive essay outlining their choice.  They will communicate this selection to a legislator via email.  

 

Goal(s):

Collect data on an explorer, present information about that explorer in a web page, analyze data to determine which explorer is most worthy of a holiday and persuade a public official to sponsor a bill honoring that explorer.

 

Role:

Each student will become both an expert on a particular explorer and an involved citizen in the process of legislative change.

 

Audience:

Other fifth grade students using the Web to find information about explorers; legislators

 

Situation:

Senator X has contacted you, the teacher, and is interested in proposing legislation that would honor another explorer with a holiday.  You, the student, have been asked to serve as special assistant to the Senate to help determine which explorer should be honored.

 

Product/Performance:

Class published research findings

Web page

E-mail to Legislator, principal, teacher, one another

4. Activities

 

Prior to Assessment

 

Introduce the concept with the scenario.  Provide the students with a teacher generated list of explorers (www.kidinfo.com/american_history/explorers.html).  Each student will select a famous explorer to research.

 

Assessment Activities

 

Assessment Activity 1 – Using an offline search template (know-want-learn KWL), students will plan their online search.

 

Assessment Activity 2 – Students will use a predetermined search engine (Google, etc.) to conduct an advanced search on their explorer.  They will collect additional information about their explorer by emailing an expert found through their web search.

 

Assessment Activity 3 – Students will enter the data into an existing database which was created by the teacher (possible fields might contain:  area of exploration, age at first voyage, sponsoring country, time period, etc.) and use the explorer database to analyze the information collected by the entire class.

 

Assessment Activity 4 – Individual students will produce a web page on their explorer.  The page will include text, graphics, tables, and internal and external links.  These pages will published on a class web site on the Age of Discovery.

 

Assessment Activity 5 - Using the database information, each student will construct a time line from all available information on the above web site.

 

Assessment Activity 6 – Teacher will conduct a class discussion about the qualities that would be most important when determining who would be most worthy of being honored with a designated holiday. (Not assessed)

 

Assessment Activity 7 – Based on the above discussion and a review of the website, each student will select their preferred explorer and compose a persuasive essay in the form of a letter and send it via email to a legislator.  They will include an attachment of that explorer’s web page with that email.  Students will cc: teacher and the principal.

 

Assessment Activity 8 – Once a reply is received from the legislator, the student will forward that reply to the teacher.  In the forwarded email the student will cite a quote from the legislator’s original message.

 

Assessment Activity 9 – The student will use the reply option to respond to the legislator thanking him/her for their email and their consideration of the student’s request.

 

 

5. Materials and Resources

1.      Web design software

2.      Email software

3.      Internet connection

4.      Offline search template

5.      Database software

6.      List of explorers (www.kidinfo.com/american_history/explorers.html)

7.      Lengths of paper for timeline

6. Criteria/Rubric

Technology

Grade Expectation

Introduced

With Assistance

Met the Standard

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)

 

 

 

 

Content

Time line Rubric

 

Below Standard

Meets Standard

Exceeds Standard

Time line content

 

Timeline contains eight or fewer historical events.

Timeline contains nine to fifteen historical events.

Timeline contains sixteen or more historical events.

Intervals of time

Time line shows no evidence of equidistant partitioning of time intervals.

Time line shows appropriate partitioning of time intervals.

Time line shows a sophisticated partitioning of time intervals – complete with a key.

Sequence of Historical Events

Few historical events are in proper sequence.

Most historical events are in proper sequence.

All historical events are in proper sequence.

 

Procedure Writing Rubric

 

Score Point 4
Exceeds

Score Point 3
Meets

Score Point 2
Approaching

Score Point 1
Not at Standard

Score Point .5
Little evidence

Purpose

-Sets context; presents enough info so that readers know when the procedure ids appropriate.
-Is appropriate to audience.
-Focus of the procedure is clearly established at the beginning of the essay.

- Sets context; presents enough info so that readers know when the procedure is appropriate.
-Focus of the procedure is clearly established at the beginning of the essay.
-Is appropriate to audience.

-contextual Info is weak.
-Provides materials that the user will need but may not adequately indicate necessary conditions for use.

-Context may be missing.
-Provides materials that the user will need but does not include statements about necessary conditions for use.

-Presents no context.
-May give a list of materials.

Organization

-Presents steps of the process in an unusually effective way.
-Not only clear and logical, but attractive and inviting.

-Organizes the steps of the procedure clearly and logically.
-Provides clear transitions between steps.
-Conclusion advances reader's understanding or appreciation of the process.

-Organizes the steps of the procedure clearly.
-Uses some appropriate transitions.
-Conclusion may be weak.

-Steps for carrying out the procedure may not be clear.
-Transitions may be missing.
-Minimal closure.

-Steps for carrying out the procedure are incomplete or unclear.
-Transitions are missing or used inappropriately.
-Simply stops, no closure.

Voice/Tone

-Is engaging to the audience.
-Tone is appropriate for the anticipated user.
-Precise choice of language.

-Is engaging to audience.
-Sentence structure is varied.
-Precise choice of language.
-Tone is appropriate for the anticipated user.

-Tone is appropriate for the anticipated user.

-Seems to have no particular user in mind.

-Little evidence of accommodating the reader's needs.
-Inappropriate for audience.

Details/Elaboration

-Uses imaginative strategies (e.g., placement of text, use of charts, pictures or analogies) enable reader understanding..
-By depicting and not just telling, this paper appeals to different styles of processing information--visual, verbal, metaphoric--and enables the readers to execute the procedure successfully.

*Meets all criteria listed in score point 3.

-Format makes the steps easily accessible, using such strategies as paragraphing, blocking, white space, & graphics.
-Appropriate examples, imagery, and/or analogies help the reader visualize and understand the process.
-Anticipates readers' needs, and problems, mistakes or misunderstandings that might arise; e.g. provides description and list of materials to be used, or indicates the conditions for use.

-Format makes the steps easy to follow.
-Some examples, imagery, and/or analogies help the reader visualize and understand the process..
-Anticipates the reader's needs, but little attempt is made to anticipate problems, etc.

-Format makes the steps somewhat difficult for the reader to follow.
-Few examples, imagery, and/or analogies help the reader visualize and understand the process..
-May include some irrelevant info.
-No attempt is made to Anticipate the reader's problems or misunderstandings that may arise.

-Confusing format.
-No presentation strategies