"...and Not to Yield": Explorations in English Education

[ Revision note, 8/22/20: Shout-out to Hector Caudillo ( @CaudilloHector ) who suggested I rearrange the learning targets of Standard 2 . They have been sequenced so writing a claim comes first, then formatting proper in-text citations, and then using those citations to analyze the topic at-hand. The text below is edited from my original posting .] Continuing from my previous post , I plan to use the following six guiding/power standards for the 2020-2021 school year: Standard 1 : Reading Nonfiction and Informational Texts Standard 2 : Composing Nonfiction Standard 3 : Reading Fiction and Literature Standard 4 : Composing Fiction Standard 5 : Developing Speaking and Listening Skills Standard 6 : Employing Mechanics, Style, and Vocabulary Even from my post a couple days ago , I have changed a category and added Vocabulary back to Standard 6. I was going to have it integrated throughout, but it makes more sense to have one learning target (subcategory) for it under one Stan...

As I work to assess my students more appropriate in my workshop environment, I have continually shifted how my rubrics are formatted . After hearing Dr. Connie Moss from Duquesne University ( @DUSchoolofEd ) speak on Learning Targets again at a recent in-service, I began to see how her concept of “student Look-Fors” could better articulate our learning goals in class. “Look-Fors” are the aspects in a learning experience that students can look for in their own work to see if they are on-target to demonstrate their learning. In earlier iterations, I had written Learning Targets with accompanying Performances of Understanding (POU) for each lesson. For example, here is one of my Learning Target and Performance of Understanding from two years ago: I know I can discuss text structure when I categorize examples from the myth of Theseus into the aspects of the Hero’s Journey . The first portion (“ I know I can discuss text structure ”) is the learning target, while the proof (“...

My Instruction and Assessment Philosophy Over the past couple years, I have been reading into standards-based grading and “healthy” grading practices. Along with a variety of blog posts, @TG2Chat/#tg2chat and the #sblchat community, the following resources have assisted me in developing my standards-based assessment (and, in turn, instruction) philosophy: ·          Grading from the Inside Out by Tom Schimmer ( @TomSchimmer ) ·          On Your Mark by Thomas R. Guskey ( @tguskey ) ·          Assessment 3.0 by Mark Barnes ( @markbarnes19 ) ·          Standards-Based Learning in Action by Tom Schimmer ( @TomSchimmer ), Garnet Hillman ( @garnet_hillman ), and Mandy Stalets ( @MandyStalets ) I believe that students must seek learning, not points, and that their grade in my course should be a reflection on tha...