Dustin Ryan

Assessment for English Learners

11/3/2014
Portfolio Assessment

What will I include?

My portfolio will be focused on 3rd grade English Language Arts - Writing.
Students choice: Two best morning journal entries, two best quick write
assignments, favorite thinking map from Mono Lake writing, free choice
some piece of writing the student is especially proud of (example: a haiku
from poetry unit).
Teachers selected: Trimester 1 writing sample Mono Lake is a Special
Place; Final draft, thinking maps/graphic organizers used to prewrite,
vocabulary sentences (6 sentences students write using weekly vocabulary
words); one early on and one showing progress or growth, student letters
from friendly letters lessons
Informal: Anecdotal reports and observations of student interactions in
class
Description of lessons:
Morning journal entries: Students spend 5-10 minutes in their personal
journals each morning. This is a type of bell work. For now, a topic is given
for students to write about (what you did over the weekend, what you
Halloween plans are)
Quick write: I use writing cubes with 6 writing prompts. Students roll the
cube and begin writing. This is a 10 minute activity, and students are asked
to write as much as they can for 10 minutes.
Thinking maps: a specific type of graphic organizer my elementary school
has adopted. We will be focusing on tree maps (categories, classifying),
circle maps (brainstorming/identifying), flow chart (sequencing).
Vocabulary sentences: This activity is started on Thursday, after the
students have become somewhat familiar with the weeks vocabulary words.

Students are asked to write their own sentences using the vocabulary
words. They will choose their favorite sentence and draw a picture
depicting it.
Mono Lake Writing Assessment: This is a two week project. The first week
is spent giving students background information about Mono Lake.
Students spend time in social studies and science working on Mono Lake
projects. Students then go on a field trip to Mono Lake to actually
experience the area, and get the best visual and physical representation
they can. The second week is the writing week. We begin by coming up
with a word bank. Students develop a graphic organizer, circle map and a
tree map, during a discussion of Mono Lake. The next few lessons are spent
covering writing conventions using the Step up to writing curriculum.

How is it related to the curriculum?

The writing lessons and assignments will follow the Common Core State
Standards for the 3rd grade. Listed below are the standards that will be
focused on over the course of the unit. The theme for the writing sample
Mono Lake is a Special Place is a grade level topic that extends into both
the 3rd grade social studies and science curricula.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4
With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the
development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Gradespecific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A
Introduce a topic and group related information together; include
illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection,
and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a
range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

How will it be evaluated?

The portfolio will be evaluated in three processes. I will be the first to
review the collection of work and write notes about the progress and
strengths I see apparent, as well as the areas where improvement is
needed. The second process will be with the student. The student will walk
me through his or her portfolio defending/explaining each piece, why they
picked it or why they see it as a strong piece of evidence. The last process
will be for the student to walk their parent or guardian through the
portfolio. This will allow the student to really solidify the ownership they
take in their portfolio. Having gone through a walk though and discussion
with me, they will now be ready to explain their work to their parent or
guardian. I will sit in at this meeting, only to fill in any gaps or answer
questions.
Why is it valid for ELs?
The writing pieces included will provide a look at the students use of the
English Language ranging from a comfortable informal setting (quick write,
friendly letters, daily morning journals) to a formal grade level assessment
piece (Mono Lake writing). The vocabulary sentences were included to
show students use of the weekly vocabulary words. The sentences show
how the student is able to manipulate the word within a sentence, changing
the form and tense when necessary.