We began this class by finishing our rubric activity we started yesterday. In breakout rooms, we had to brainstorm responses that a fifth grade student would have said about our geometry question. Then we had to organize those responses into three categories: math terms, descriptions, and measurements. The third step had us creating the “adequate” column of a rubric and rated the sample answer to our rubric. This step left me very confused because the criteria was from various outcomes, and I know you cannot actually fail kids in school, but shouldn’t they have to show at least a basic understanding of all of the outcomes to “pass” a.k.a. receive an adequate? Maybe I’m inconsiderate because I didn’t have struggles in school, but I feel like most students should have a grasp on perimeter since they cover it in grade three, but according to the Saskatchewan rubric, they would receive a level four on this assignment if they provide the perimeter of one shape. This is something I will have to work to change my mind on.

After a break, we went to our learning circles where we talked about the example provided in the text, the importance of assessing over time, and the importance of play. (Click here to read my full blog on our discussion.)

Next we talked about the triangulation of evidence which includes conversations, observations, and products. During our poll guru, we found that most of the assessments of our past were based on products, which wasn’t very surprising. Products could be quizzes, journals, or other projects/written work. An observation includes checklists with comments about a student’s group work interactions, reading skills, or listening/speaking skills. A conversation could be based on peer feedback, student-led conferences, talks between teacher and student, or visual records such as photos and drawings.

We then briefly discussed journal writing, which I think I would like to utilize in my own classroom. There are a multitude of ways to include journal writing in your class, but I feel like the one I am most likely to utilize is a response journal, where students write responses to questions I have posed.

We then went into breakout rooms to practice the buddy journal system where students write on a topic for 2-3 minutes and pass it to another student. They critique it and give it back to you where you then have a conversation about their comments.

My symbol(s) to remember this week are a square (for the assignment) and a triangle (for triangulation).