This assessment should be used as a final book project. However, it should be introduced before beginning to read so students know that they are looking for significant events, characters, places, etc. that can be represented as “items” they can use and pages they can cite for textual evidence. In addition, the student may want to plan to acquire their items before beginning to work on the actual project. In this performance assessment, students will create a diorama that includes items representing significant details from a short story or novel that contribute to the development of the theme.
Specifically, students will be asked to use a shoebox to create a scene from a short story or novel representing an important setting. Students will go back through the story and take notes on significant events, characters, places, etc. that work to develop the theme. The student will choose nine miniature items to place into the diorama that will symbolize these details from the story and illustrate the theme. These can be physical items, pictures of items taken from magazines or from online, or even illustrations the student has created. Then, the student will write a total of eleven notecards.
The first notecard will list the title of the novel or short story, the author, and the theme the student claims was developed throughout the story. The next notecard will include a description of the scene in the shoebox and why that setting was significant. It will include a quote and a page number illustrating the significance. Each of the following notecards will describe one of the items the student has included along with a quote and page number that the quote is found on to be used as evidence supporting the claim that the item contributed to the development of the theme.
Student work will be displayed around the classroom and students will be able to participate in a gallery walk, observing other student’s work and providing feedback to one another.
Students can best complete this performance assessment after mastering an understanding of the story elements, specifically “theme,” and having practiced finding textual evidence of it. In addition, students should have been introduced to the concept of symbolism and this should have been reinforced during the reading of the novel/story.
Note that this assessment focuses on the students’ understanding of theme and ability to find and cite textual evidence. The diorama is secondary and meant to engage the student. If accommodations must be made for time, the focus should be on the notecards, not the diorama scene. An accommodation that could be considered for students could be to complete a one-pager instead.
Examples can be found on the following slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z3gaAtCaeIcmOS66v_crMLNLXK_5056BE5qHvP5fiRo/edit?usp=sharing
This assessment should be used as a final book project. However, it should be introduced before beginning to read so students know that they are looking for significant events, characters, places, etc. that can be represented as “items” they can use and pages they can cite for textual evidence. In addition, the student may want to plan to acquire their items before beginning to work on the actual project. In this performance assessment, students will create a diorama that includes items representing significant details from a short story or novel that contribute to the development of the theme.
Specifically, students will be asked to use a shoebox to create a scene from a short story or novel representing an important setting. Students will go back through the story and take notes on significant events, characters, places, etc. that work to develop the theme. The student will choose nine miniature items to place into the diorama that will symbolize these details from the story and illustrate the theme. These can be physical items, pictures of items taken from magazines or from online, or even illustrations the student has created. Then, the student will write a total of eleven notecards.
The first notecard will list the title of the novel or short story, the author, and the theme the student claims was developed throughout the story. The next notecard will include a description of the scene in the shoebox and why that setting was significant. It will include a quote and a page number illustrating the significance. Each of the following notecards will describe one of the items the student has included along with a quote and page number that the quote is found on to be used as evidence supporting the claim that the item contributed to the development of the theme.
Student work will be displayed around the classroom and students will be able to participate in a gallery walk, observing other student’s work and providing feedback to one another.
Students can best complete this performance assessment after mastering an understanding of the story elements, specifically “theme,” and having practiced finding textual evidence of it. In addition, students should have been introduced to the concept of symbolism and this should have been reinforced during the reading of the novel/story.
Note that this assessment focuses on the students’ understanding of theme and ability to find and cite textual evidence. The diorama is secondary and meant to engage the student. If accommodations must be made for time, the focus should be on the notecards, not the diorama scene. An accommodation that could be considered for students could be to complete a one-pager instead.
Examples can be found on the following slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z3gaAtCaeIcmOS66v_crMLNLXK_5056BE5qHvP5fiRo/edit?usp=sharing
| Big Ideas | Competencies |
|---|---|
A. Reading LiteratureStudents can read with purpose, understand and analyze evidence in literature to construct meaning in increasingly complex texts. |
A1Students can use several pieces of evidence to support inferences and analysis of how details of a text interact with each other (stories, dramas, and poems), as well as contribute to a theme of a text. |
C. WritingStudents can effectively communicate purpose to an intended audience through written language, using a variety of media. |
C1Students can write arguments to support claims using clear and logical reasoning, relevant evidence, and counter arguments to demonstrate understanding of the topic. |
Below are analytic teacher rubrics. The column on the left shows the dimension that is being measured in the student’s performance. The levels across the top row indicate the performance level in the dimensions. Occasionally all dimensions and performance levels are exemplified by multiple students in a single recording.
| Dimensions | Not Yet Meeting Expectations | Meeting Expectations | Exceeding Expectations |
|---|---|---|---|
Nine Items Representing the Theme |
No exemplars at this time.
|
No exemplars at this time.
|
No exemplars at this time.
|
Description and Textual Evidence |
No exemplars at this time.
|
No exemplars at this time.
|
No exemplars at this time.
|
Creativity/Care |
No exemplars at this time.
|
No exemplars at this time.
|
No exemplars at this time.
|
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