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Saturday, March 20, 2010

10 Weeks and No Tests VIII


The Gatsby Projects are in and here are some of the Student Created Assessments. Here is a selection of Prezi's, Glogs, Youtube videos and On-line magazines. I'm very proud of what my students have created and they all really showed me a deeper understanding of theme and symbolism in the story. I was able to assess their knowledge of the book easier this way than a standardized test.

While some students would have preferred to take a MC test, most of my students really loved the projects. They were excited to be able to express themselves and I was excited to see some of the things they were passionate about. A few complained about having to use technology in their project, but later admitted it was easy and fun to use. Enjoy the projects!

























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The East Egg Journal

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The Gatsby Times

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Here are some Great Glogs! Please check these out.


http://mollymo.glogster.com/the-eyes-of-dr-tj/


http://mollymo.glogster.com/glog-1890/


http://mollymo.glogster.com/glog/


http://mollymo.glogster.com/daisy-buchanan/


I hope that you have enjoyed following my journey with No Tests for 10 Weeks. There were many times I thought that this was not going to be possible. There were days where the students had not done the reading and I had to think of ways to encourage reading and check for reading without going to tests.

It forced me to really evaluate my lessons and explore what I was really trying to teach or assess. I was surprised to see that I wasn't sure why I was doing what I had always done. With a new lens to view my lessons, I was excited to see the new ways to attack my students with the literature I had been covering for years.

I highly suggest that all teachers try this experiment. You don't have to do it for 10 weeks, but maybe one unit. I think it is good for all teachers to take stock in their lessons every once in a while. I want to constantly evolve the way that I teach because I know that the students are in a constant state of change. I look forward to seeing how this experiment is going to influence the rest of my teaching.

- @TheNerdyTeacher

8 comments:

  1. I am constantly searching for the best way to show what my students can actually do and your experiment has given me so many ideas. In the new climate of cut and paste, projects like these force students to synthesize what they have learned. I also like these projects because the process is equally as important as the product. Thanks for giving me so many wonderful ideas!

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  2. These student examples are excellent. It is very evident that students were able to synthesize what they learned to create these projects. In the current climate of cut and paste, projects like these are a much better assessment of what students can actually do with what they have learned. You have given me many ideas for future projects!

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  3. what a neat idea! i am always looking for more "hands on" and creative ways to present lit to students. must look through more entries! :)

    this is agentausten09, by the way :)

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  4. The projects turned out amazing! I'm glad that you stuck with it and kept the kids motivated to complete their projects... especially for those who ASKED for a test instead. The learning here is evident. Great job to teacher and students! Will you try it again?

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  5. Thanks for the comments Kelly, Catherine and Mme Henderson! I'm really proud of the work my students completed. Not all of them were world changers, but they showed hard work and understanding of the concepts. I would like to do something like this again and I think The Catcher in the Rye is the perfect story to do it with. I definitely have some fine tuning to do with the structure of the Student Created Assessment, but it is worth it in the long run.

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  6. What a success this has been for you and your students Nick. The students have created products that they can not only be proud of, but that will change the way they think about assessment.

    Little steps, little increments, lead to big changes. Your idea has obviously inspired many of your students. I hope some of the other teachers at your school join in.

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  7. I really like that you gave students a choice of projects to show what they know. I have found that when students do a project they learn a lot more than the intended content of the overall lesson. In my classroom I get the most excited when there seems to be a lot of chaos as different groups are engaged in different aspects of some project. You can actually see the wheels turning in their heads as they listen in on what others are doing and offer suggestions to move projects forward. It does take time to train students to be able to work in an environment where they have to self evaluate and self engage but it is what I strive for as a teacher. I want students that can be life long learners and not just be able to regurgitate basic facts. I know that I have to have an arsenal of tricks in my classroom toolkit and projects instead of tests is one of these. I rarely give a test because most 7th and 8th graders usually cannot show what they really know on a test. Does this make me a bad teacher or a lazy one. No, it makes me a teacher that provides for all the levels of intellect in my classroom. Everybody has a chance to succeed, not just those that can memorize simple information. Way to go. Thanks for thinking outside of the box.

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  8. I am loving all of this student work! I will show it to the English teacher I share a room with!

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