Appendix D: Evaluation Example

Sample 3: English 12

Topic: Writers' Workshop

Communicate Ideas and Information (Knowledge of Language)

It is expected that students will:

• adapt their use of language register and the sophistication of grammatical constructs for specific audiences and purposes

It is expected that students will:

• apply various strategies to generate and shape ideas

It is expected that students will:

• assess their own and others' work for sentence clarity, precision of language, and variety and artistry of expression
• critique, defend, and appraise the effectiveness and organization of their own and others' work
• critique, defend, and appraise the effectiveness of their own and others' use of language and presentation forms relative to the specific purpose and audience

It is expected that students will:

• demonstrate pride and satisfaction in using language to create and express thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a variety of written, oral, visual, and electronic forms
• create presentations in forms that are appropriate to a variety of subjects, audiences, and purposes, including informing, persuading, and entertaining
• create a variety of academic, technical, and personal communications, including personal and formal essays, documented research reports, multimedia presentations, panels or debates, summaries, explanations, instructions, letters, and real and invented narratives

It is expected that students will:

• demonstrate confidence in their abilities to communicate effectively in a variety of school, community, and work contexts
• demonstrate their understanding of themselves as self-directed, curious, self-appraising, and open-minded learners

The unit involved students in a series of writing activities. Evaluation was based on:

• a student mini lesson
• a writing portfolio

• At the beginning of the term, the teacher presented an overview of the Writers' Workshop. Together, the class decided to devote one day per week to the Writers' Workshop to practise and develop their writing skills. They also decided to focus mainly on multi-paragraph compositions. The teacher then talked about portfolios and told students that all their writing from the workshop would go into a writing portfolio for evaluation. The students and teacher generated criteria for an effective portfolio, and then each student made a personal three-sided pocket portfolio out of Bristol board.
• The teacher began the second class with a mini lesson on the contents of the writing portfolio. Students learned about the table of contents sheet, the editing skills sheet, the reflection form for each piece of writing, and the review form for the portfolio as a whole. The teacher also gave students a list of possible writing topics. They were then given time to begin writing a piece on a topic of their choice.
• The remaining Writers' Workshop sessions followed the same format. Each began with a mini lesson on an aspect of the craft and technique of good writing. The teacher then checked to see that each student had a writing project to work on. Students were next given time to write, edit, and proofread while the teacher moved through the class conferring with them. At the end of each session, one student shared something from his or her writing.
• During the term, each student worked with a partner to present to the class a mini lesson on a language topic (e.g., run-on sentences, parallelism, the use of lie and lay). Before students began their preparations, the teacher presented a sample mini lesson to show how it should be organized and presented. For emphasis, the teacher paused periodically to explain the mini lesson. After watching the teacher's demonstration, the class generated criteria for a good mini lesson.
• Toward the end of the term, the class reviewed the criteria for an effective portfolio and generated draft descriptions for a portfolio rating scale. Before submitting them to the teacher, students reviewed their own portfolios and exchanged them with peers for review. While reviewing and evaluating student portfolios, the teacher paid careful attention both to the portfolio's contents and to each student's review comments and self-evaluation.

The teacher reviewed with students the learning outcomes for these activities and explained the requirements of each task.

The teacher and students decided that the following key criteria should be demonstrated in the assigned tasks.

Mini Lesson

• well organized; effective opening and middle; logical conclusion
• use of audio-visual materials clearly supports lesson
• topic clearly presented in a knowledgable and interesting manner
• aware of audience's needs and checks on lesson's progress
• style of presentation invites response and questions
• practice activities are engaging and meaningful

• submissions are engaging and well written
• all reflection forms are insightful, demonstrating an awareness of strengths and weaknesses
• overall, a great deal of effort has been put into the portfolio (creativity, risk taking, thoroughness of revisions and editing, quality, and quantity)
• all requirements have been completed
• presentation is neat, organized, and attractive

The teacher and students used criteria lists and rating scales to evaluate student performance.

Criteria	Rating
well organized; effective opening and middle; logical conclusion	4     3     2     1     0
use of audio-visual materials clearly supports lesson	4     3     2     1     0
topic clearly presented in a knowledgable and interesting manner	4     3     2     1     0
aware of audience's needs and checks on lesson's progress	4     3     2     1     0
style of presentation invites response and questions	4     3     2     1     0
practice activities are engaging and meaningful	4     3     2     1     0
Key: 4­criteria evident at a strong level 3­criteria evident at a good level 2­criteria evident at a satisfactory level 1­criteria evident at a developing level 0­criteria not evident/in progress

Rating	Criteria
A	Submissions are engaging and very well written. The writing is coherent and organized, with a clear and effective pattern of development. Examples, reasons, and details are focussed and relevant, and convey precise meaning. Writing contains few errors, if any. All reflection forms are very insightful, demonstrating a detailed and thorough awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Overall, a great deal of effort has been put into the portfolio (creativity, risk taking, thoroughness of revisions/editing, quality, and quantity). All requirements have been completed. Presentation is neat, organized, and attractive.
B	Submissions are well written. Ideas are presented effectively, with the writing following a consistent organization and pattern. Compositions draw on facts and ideas from various sources to shape precise meaning. Writing contains some minor errors. Reflection forms are insightful, demonstrating a general awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Overall, a great deal of effort has been put into the portfolio (creativity, risk taking, thoroughness of revisions and editing, quality, and quantity). All requirements have been completed. Presentation is neat, organized, and decorative.
C+	Submissions are generally well written. The writing has a sense of growing control with instances of complexity and specialized use of language and structure. Compositions include details, examples, and explanations which help clarify the writing. Writing contains some errors, but the meaning is understood. Most reflection forms demonstrate a general awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Overall, a good effort has been put into the portfolio (creativity, risk taking, revisions and editing, quality, and quantity). All requirements have been completed. Presentation is neat, organized, and decorative.
C	Submissions are functional and easy to read. The writing has a clear form and a logical sequence. Most examples, reasons, and details are relevant, but not necessarily fully developed. Writing contains conventional spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure in most cases, but substantial revisions to the form and content of the written work could be made. Reflection forms are often vague. Due to lack of detail, it is difficult to assess awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Overall, effort has been put into the portfolio. Some of the work, however, may appear rushed. All or most requirements have been completed. Presentation is generally neat, organized, and decorative.
C-	Submissions are functional, but at times lack focus. There is an attempt to develop and elaborate ideas, but at times it is difficult to follow the sequence and understand the relationship among ideas. Frequent errors appear, making communication awkward and at times unclear. Reflection forms are vague. Due to lack of detail, it is difficult to assess awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Overall, effort has been put into the portfolio. Much of the work, however, may appear rushed. All or most requirements have been completed. Presentation may or may not be neat, organized, and decorative.
F	Submissions are incomplete. At times, there is elaboration through detail, examples, and reasons, although this elaboration may be irrelevant or unfocussed. Frequent errors make the writing difficult to comprehend. Reflection forms are vague or incomplete. There is no apparent awareness of strengths or weaknesses. Overall, minimal effort has been put into the portfolio. Some requirements have been completed, but others remain incomplete. Presentation may or may not be neat, organized, and decorative.

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