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Rubric introduction Tutorial 20

Welcome to the Rubric Workshop!

In this first tutorial, we’ll introduce you to the In2Books Rubric.

Welcome to the In2Books Rubric Workshop. In this first tutorial, we give you an overview of the In2Books Rubric: our assessment tool specifically designed to evaluate students’ letters to their pen pals.

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Goal of this tutorialTeacher’s Role

The goal of this tutorial is to familiarize you with the major features of the In2Books Rubric.• What’s assessed?

• Our Six-Point Scale

• Using One Rubric for Grades 3-5

• Expected Scores at Different Levels

Rubric Overview

Learning Objective

We start the tutorial by showing you what specifically is assessed with the rubric. We then explain the six-point scale and how it enables the use of one rubric for grades 3 through 5. Finally, we share with you the expected scores for different grade levels.

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The In2Books RubricLearning Objective

Ask Planning Questions to begin Goal Setting

So here it is! This is the In2Books Rubric. Let’s take a look at the key features. First, you’ll notice that the rubric evaluates seven characteristics of writing, critical thinking and reading comprehension. (click) These characteristics include comprehension, thinking about the book, connecting with the pen pal, organization, sentences, word choice/vocabulary and mechanics.

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The In2Books RubricLearning Objective

Ask Planning Questions to begin Goal Setting

The seven characteristics are divided into the two main dimensions of students’letters: (click) Communication of Ideas About the Book and (click) Use of Language and Organizational Features.

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The In2Books RubricLearning Objective

Ask Planning Questions to begin Goal Setting

The rubric measures student achievement on a 1 to 6 scale. (click) To understand the developmental progression outlined in the rubric, think of a score of 6 as the achievement level of the best writers at the end of fifth grade, and scores of 1 or 2 as the level of many students at the beginning of second grade.

Even though many schools use rubrics with four point scales, we settled on the six-point scale after much deliberation because of the wide range of age and literacy levels of students across grades 3 through 5. This extended six-point scale makes it possible to provide specific instructional guidance to students as they grow from novice to stronger readers, writers and thinkers.

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One rubric for grades 3-5:Learning Objective

Rubric Overview

• Provides a developmental continuum that accommodates the range of students from grades 3-5;

• Creates a common vocabulary for teacher-to-teacher communication from year to year; and

• Allows you to pinpoint appropriate next-step instruction for each student in each of the seven characteristics.

You heard right – we suggest using the same rubric for students in grades three through five. This six-point scale, applied to seven characteristics of student performance, provides a developmental continuum that is appropriate for the range of students. The rubric applies equally well across these grade levels: from students struggling with comprehension and writing, to “typically achieving”children at each grade level, and even to older students with highly-developed literacy skills. Another important advantage of one continuous rubric is that it creates a common vocabulary for teacher-to-teacher communication from year to year. This, in turn, makes it easy to create writing portfolios for In2Books students.A rubric built on a developmental continuum means that you can pinpoint exactly where each student, regardless of ability, needs help. The rubric lets you see where your students are in relation to each aspect and where they should be able to progress when given more assistance. For example, one student may be above-grade level in thinking skills, but much lower in grammar or sentence structure. Another student could be proficient in writing mechanics but is writing letters that do not exhibit much depth of comprehension. The six developmental points help you identify “next-step teaching” for each student.

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Expected scores at different grade levels

Learning ObjectiveRubric Overview

654Grade

5

543Grade

4

432Grade

3

321Grade

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SCORE BANDSScoring Points

Within Each Band…

Lower Scores: anticipated beginning of the year point

Higher Scores: expected scores at the end of the year

A question teachers often ask is what a specific score on the rubric means in terms of how well their students are doing. This table gives a general guide to score bands for students in grade two through five. For example, we would expect a third grade student to be scoring twos, threes or fours on their letters during the third grade year. (click) The lower scores in the band indicate beginning points and the higher scores indicate expected scores by the end of the year. However, it’s important to note that these bands are based on averages. That is, some second and third grade students are scoring 4s, 5s and a few 6s, and some fifth-graders do score 2s and 3s. If you have a student that falls outside the band, that just gives you more information about the instructional needs of that specific child.

8654Grade

5

543Grade

4

432Grade

3

321Grade

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SCORE BANDSScoring Points

Take a moment to look closely at the table to identify the expected score range for your grade level. Notice that a score of 4 is a good score for a third-grade student, but a score of 3 for a fifth-grade student indicates that supplementary instruction is needed to raise achievement to be within the grade appropriate performance band of 4 to 6. Thus, the table helps you determine which of your students are performing above, at, or below grade level. You can then plan instructional interventions and lessons accordingly.

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Fiction unit focus: Connecting with pen pal

Learning ObjectiveAsk Planning Questions to Begin Goal Setting

• Mini-lesson: model how to communicate conversationally in writing.

• Show students a model letter and highlight the parts that show a dialogue with the pen pal.

• Share the rubric expectations.

• Score your students’ letters on this characteristic. Have them each set score goals for their next letters.

Make “connecting” your focus…

In each unit, we’re going to ask that you focus on a different portion of the In2Books Rubric.

During this fiction unit, we’re asking that you take a close look at the “Connecting With Pen Pal” characteristic.

Here are some ideas on how to make this rubric characteristic a focus of your fiction unit:

1. Try teaching a mini-lesson while students are focusing on how to write conversationally. Show how simple phrases such as, “Do you agree?” show that the writer is aware of the audience. Help students write thoughtful, conversational sentences about the books’ main ideas and themes.

2. Show students a model letter and work together to highlight the parts that show a dialogue with the pen pal.

3. Share the rubric expectations. Be up front with what you’re expecting students to be able to do.

4. Score your students’ letters on this characteristic. Share the scores with students and invite them to set score goals for their next letters.

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Tutorial reviewLearning Objective

Review

654Grade

5

543Grade

4

432Grade

3

321Grade

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SCORE BANDSScoring Points

In this tutorial, we introduced the In2Books rubric, its 7 key characteristics and the 6-point scoring scale. You got a look at the expected score bands for your grade level. Finally, you were presented with suggestions about how to focus on the “Connecting With the Pen Pal” characteristic during the fiction unit. At this point, we suggest you print a copy of each of these resources to keep handy in your classroom.

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Assessment-Instruction Cycle Tutorial 21

Welcome to In2Books!

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to gather assessment information from your fiction unit lessons and letters to help you plan for the next unit.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to gather assessment information from your fiction unit lessons and letters to help you plan for the next unit.

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Goal of this Tutorial

The goal of this tutorial is to:overview different ways to monitor and assess student progress in the fiction unit to inform planning. Specific attention is given to the examination of student letters.

Utilize the Assessment-Instruction Cycle

Learning Objective

Part 1: The Genre Lens

Part 2: The Topic Lens

Part 3: The Book Lens

The goal of this tutorial is to overview different ways to monitor and assess student progress in the fiction unit to inform planning. Specific attention is given to the examination of student letters.We want you to pay specific attention to the depth of genre, topic and book knowledge that is expressed in student letters. Reading students letters with these specific lenses will help you to diagnose where students show weaknesses (as a whole) to guide your planning for the social studies unit.

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Responsive Teachers: Using the

Assessment-Instruction Cycle

Plan

Assess Instruct

Use Fiction Letters as part of the assessment-instruction cycle

Analyze student progress and customize instruction.

Learning Objective

Responsive teachers use the assessment-instruction cycle. They are constantly involved in the process of analyzing student progress and customizing instruction. You’ll notice in the fiction unit plans that we offer several different supports for assessing and monitoring students. (click) We offer the customizable unit checklist for monitoring progress towards meeting your specific unit objectives. (click) We offer a student assessment chart for observational notes about individual student progress.(click) We provide a six-point rubric for evaluating student letters. And finally (click) we offer several student checklists to involve students in the process of monitoring their own learning.

While these are all highly valuable ways to assess student learning, right now we want to focus specifically on your students’ letters because they are a rich source of assessment information. Let’s move on to find out how to use your students’In2Books letters as part of the assessment-instruction cycle.

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Teacher’s RoleYour Students’ Letters Examine letters

with the genre lens

Learning Objective

Student letters provide ..

• authentic assessment opportunities: evaluate student learning;

• unique ways for you to get to know your students;

• a chance to reflect on your own teaching.

When your students submit their letters to you for approval, they are offering you aninvaluable assessment opportunity. Rather than just approving their letters andMoving on, print out their letters and realize that you hold in your hands truly authentic pieces of assessment. You haven’t given them a quiz or a test, butreal-life opportunities to communicate their learning with pen pals. And, nowyou have the chance to peek at those letters to evaluate their learning. You’ve also been given a unique way to get to know your students. These lettersmay make you aware of students’ personal situations, ideas and reflections thatyou otherwise may not discover.

And finally, these letters provide you with a chance to reflect on your own teaching.By looking for patterns of strengths and weaknesses in student letters, you may seeareas in which you need to focus your instruction more deeply. The remainder of this tutorial will focus on how to use the letters to evaluate student learning with the purpose of planning for future instruction.

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Teacher’s RoleThe In2Books Rubric Examine letters

with the rubric

Learning ObjectiveDid my students acknowledge their audiences?

Hands down, the most informative way to examine student letters is using oursix-point rubric. We’ll have future tutorials that will provide training on exactlyhow to score letters using the rubric. For this unit, we’d like you to ease intousing the rubric by scoring each student’s letter for the “Connecting With Pen Pal” characteristic. This is an ideal starting point because this unit focused on writing responsive letters that continue a student’s conversationwith his or her pen pal. Ask yourself, “Did my students acknowledge their audiences?” Score each letter tosee where your students fall on the six-point rubric. Based on their scores, you’ll know how to tailor this aspect of your writing instruction during the next unit. Justreview students’ scores to see where they succeeded and where they fell short andwill need your help to achieve better connections with their pen pals in the future.

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Teacher’s RoleRead Student Letters Assess Student

Learning While Reading Letters

Learning Objective

genre TOPIC BOOK

The next few slides are going to focus on how to examine student letters to find outwhat they’ve learned about the genre, your topic and their books. You’ll wantto take notes as you read through your students’ letters so that you can usethe information you collect in planning for the next unit.

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Teacher’s RoleThe Genre Lens Examine letters

with the genre lens

Did my students make comparisons to other books they've read within the genre?

Learning Objective

Did my students comment on the key genre characteristics?

Focus Questions:genre

Focus Instruction -• more read alouds in the genre

•discuss genre characteristics as they appear in student texts

First, read through your students’ letters looking for evidence of genre comprehension. Ask yourself:(click) Did my students comment on key genre characteristics such as therealism of characters, plot or setting?(click) Did students make comparisons to other books they’ve read withinthe genre?

If you can answer yes for the majority of your students, then you can be confidentthat the emphasis you gave to genre instruction was sufficient. If you answer nofor the majority of your students, then you may want to consider putting increasedemphasis on genre instruction in the next unit. (click) We would encourage youto do more read alouds in the genre and to have explicit discussions about thegenre characteristics as they are appearing in student texts.

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Teacher’s RoleThe Topic Lens Examine letters

with the topic lens

Did students share intriguing things that they learned about the topic?

Learning Objective

TOPIC

Did students relate what they learned about the topic to their own lives?

Focus Questions:

Focus Instruction -• Make a topic-based word wall.

• Direct students to write topic-based research questions.

Second, read through your students’ letters looking for evidence of topic knowledge.Ask yourself:(click) Did students share intriguing things that they learned about the topic?(click) Did students relate what they learned about the topic to their own lives?

If you can answer yes for the majority of your students, then you can be confidentthat the emphasis you gave to topic instruction was sufficient. If you answer nofor the majority of your students, then you may want to consider putting increased emphasis onto topic instruction in the next unit. (click) Consider creating a topic-based word wall and then encouragestudents to use those words in their letters. Another great way to increase student focus on the topic is by having students write their own topic-based research questions to focus their reading.

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Teacher’s RoleThe Book Lens Examine letters

with the book lens

Did my students express personal opinions and ask good questions about their books?

Learning Objective

BOOK

Did my students write about significant text-to-self connections that they made with their books?

Focus Questions:

Did my students respond to their pen pals’ questions with evidence from their books?

Focus Instruction -•Use writer’s notebooks during reading.

• Encourage small group book discussions.

Third, read through your students’ letters looking for evidence of book knowledge.Ask yourself:(click) Did my students express personal opinions and ask good questions abouttheir books?(click) Did my students write about significant text-to-self connections thatthey made with their books?(click) Did my students respond to their pen pals’ questions with evidence fromtheir books? If you can answer yes for the majority of your students, then you can be confidentthat the emphasis you gave to book instruction was sufficient. If you answer no forthe majority of your students, then you may want to consider putting increasedemphasis on book instruction in the next unit. (click) Consider additional instruction on using writer’s notebooks to take notes during reading. Remember to have students put page numbers next to their notes so theycan easily refer back to the text in their letters. Also, encourage moresmall group book discussions. Talking with peers who are reading thesame books deepens students’ understanding because they hear otheropinions and interpretations of the books.

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Teacher’s RoleShare Findings With Students Sharing findings

with students

Learning Objective

Motivate learners by sharing your findings.

"I noticed that in your pen pal letters in the last unit, only 5% of you commented on the key genre characteristics. So, during this unit, we're really going to focus on how the genre characteristics are revealed in each of your texts. I want to see evidence of your genre learning in your letters to your pen pals."

After you have examined your students letters for genre, topic and book contentand realized the instructional implications, share your findings with your students.Students like to hear why you are teaching what you are teaching.For example, you might say,"I noticed that in your pen pal letters in the last unit, only 5% of you commentedon the key genre characteristics. So, during this unit, we're really going to focuson how the genre characteristics are revealed in each of your texts. I want tosee evidence of your genre learning in your letters to yourpen pals."

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Teacher’s RoleReview Tutorial Review

Learning Objective

1. Examine letters for:

Genre Content

Topic Content

Book Content

2. Reflect on instructional implications.

3. Motivate learners by sharing your findings.

In this tutorial, we’ve taught you how to use your students’ fiction letters as criticalcomponents of the assessment-instruction cycle. First, score your letters using the In2Books six-point rubric for the “connectingwith pen pal” characteristic. Then, examine your letters for genre, topic andbook content to reflect on the instructional implications for your next unit.And finally, motivate your learners by sharing yourfindings.

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About the Author

Laura Woodside is a Curriculum Developer for Education and Outreach at ePals, Inc. An experienced teacher with National Board Certification, Laura develops curriculum projects, writes online content for teachers, students, parents and pen pals, and creates professional development materials including these fiction tutorials. Prior to joining ePals, Laura taught first grade in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she also wrote county curriculum and conducted curriculum training for teachers. She was recognized as a Benchmark Demonstration Teacher for Exemplary Balanced Literacy Instruction. Laura holds a B.A. in English and an Early Childhood Education Certification from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a M.S. in Reading Education from Johns Hopkins University.

Send Laura your comments and questions about the fiction unit tutorials at founder@epals.com.

The author of our Fiction Unit tutorials, Laura Woodside, would love to hear your feedback and questions as well as ideas for future tutorials.

Send her your comments online at founder@epals.com and you may see your ideas incorporated in future In2Books tutorials!

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(1) Close this window.

(2) Get credit for this tutorial by clicking the large green button on the page you will see.

(3) Continue on to the next tutorial.