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i.
Overall, students demonstrated an average performance on the writing style response. This outline was worth 25 points, or five sections worth five points per section. All three samples attached were scored a total of 18 points out of the possible 25. Choosing samples that scored the same amount of points might seem redundant, but each students work represents differing commonalities among the larger majority of students. These samples have been assessed according to each respective students prior academic performance in class and overall academic strengths and weaknesses. Student sample 1 demonstrates the work of a struggling reader and writer who has been placed in Fundamentals of Writing Lab based on low standardized test scores. Student sample 2 demonstrates the work of someone who shows adequate performance in class, but tends to struggle with reading comprehension. Finally, student sample 3 shows the work of someone who demonstrates adequate performance in class and has no identified special needs accommodations.
ii. Based on assessment data, students in this class have demonstrated a strong ability to identify the correct types of diction used in their books. Also, they appear to comprehend the types of literary techniques used. What appears to be the biggest struggle for most students is being able to understand how these elements of writing style impact the overall meaning of the book and its characters. Generally, students did a fine job of identifying types of diction and literary techniques in the book, but did not fully connect the relationship between writing style with purpose and theme. iii. I notice a common pattern among students in terms of struggling to identify the relationships between writing style to the overall purpose and theme of the book. Many times, I see explanations such as this: Because the author has such a passive voice the imagery she uses helps you understand the story better.
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Student 1 struggled a great deal with this assignment and needed a lot of assistance to complete the task. Student 1 has been identified as a struggling reader and writer, and has been placed in the Fundamentals of Writing Lab as a result of his below-proficient score on the Iowa Assessment Tests. Student 1 tends to demonstrate a lack of focus and willingness to stay on task while in the classroom. Despite his tendency to not focus, he is quite skilled at recalling evidence from the text. While working one-on-one with this student, I was very impressed with his ability to relate evidence from the text to specific literary techniques. His major struggle in this area, however, is taking the time to understand the connection between the two. My job, as his facilitator, was to help him focus in on specific quotes, break them down, and analyze them to determine how they show a broader meaning. Walking him through this process seemed to help him make more sense of the bigger concept.
Student 2 is an average performer in the classroom, but tends to struggle with reading comprehension. Student 2 needed little help completing this assignment, but the evidence of her conclusions show her lack of ability to form the necessary connections needed to understand the larger concepts of the unit. In the work sample, Student 2 was able to correctly identify literary language devices used by the author. Nearly all examples accurately represented the type of diction or literary technique Student 2 chose to discuss in her response. However, this student was unable to correctly explain how the authors language use added meaning to the book, and did not fully connect the relationships between her two literary techniques and the how they reflect the larger purpose and theme of the book.
ii. After assessing student work, I can now determine that although they
demonstrated the ability to identify evidence of literary techniques used in their books, they did not utilize higher-order thinking skills to reach the next level of
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c. The writing style response outline is one of three outlines students will complete
throughout the Nonfiction Literary Analysis unit. These outlines were created as summative and formative assessment tools to help the teacher and students practice relating literary concepts to real textual evidence. Once completed, they help the teacher gauge the overall comprehension level of students, and help identify strengths and weaknesses of students. The feedback I provide on each outline is used for students to reflect upon and to correct in preparation of the final unit essay. They are aware that making corrections now will only make their essays stronger, more efficient, and more accurate. Students promptly received feedback so they could make necessary changes or get help from the teacher.
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c. The steps I will implement as a follow-up to the writing style analysis aid in
supporting the overall goal for the unit, which is for students to be able to accurately identify and interpret nonfiction literature using literary language devices. Students must be able to analyze literature through the use of literary language. 4. Evidence of Academic Language
a.
Students have adequately demonstrated the necessary academic language required for them to be proficient in this unit. Many students are on target when identifying elements of writing style, but need to provide more concrete evidence to support their claims. For example, the first section of the writing style response asks students to identify the type of diction used by the author. Student 1 identified a frequent use of low diction. I would have liked for this student to be more specific in identifying the diction as either informal or neutral, but they are still on target. In the explanation, Student 1 mentions that the authors diction is more conversational, leading the reader to believe this is more similar to neutral diction. However, later when describing how the language adds meaning to the book, Student 1 chose a quote that contained a lot of profanity. This example would more accurately represent his use of low or informal diction, and therefore helps me understand how Student 1 arrived at his conclusion.
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Copyright 2011 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. pages maximum All rights reserved.
Page 5 of 5 | 8