Overview

In this performance assessment, students will be assessed on their ability to identify the author’s creative choices in a text and analyze how the creative choices impact meaning and tone. Specifically, students will be asked to create a one-pager visual to demonstrate how an author’s creative choices impact the meaning and tone of the text. 

Students will: 

  • Identify a minimum of one way an author uses word choice, structure, figurative/connotative meanings, or a literary element to impact meaning, 
  • Identify a minimum of one way an author uses word choice, structure, figurative/connotative meanings, or a literary element to impact tone. 
  • Cite two pieces of evidence in a standard format (such as MLA) to support analysis of each creative choice (four total). 
  • Analyze how the author uses the creative choice to impact meaning. 
  • Analyze how the author uses the creative choice to impact tone. 

This assessment is best administered after completing a unit text. Students should have instruction on tone, meaning, literary elements, word choice, structure, and figurative/connotative meaning prior to this assessment. 

Students can create the final presentation in any appropriate way, including, but not limited to, PowerPoint or Google Slides (or another slideshow tool), Microsoft Word or Google Docs, paper and colored pens/pencils/ markers. Final student work should be saved as an Acrobat PDF for uploading to the virtual scoring software. 

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Details

Big Ideas & Competencies

Big Ideas Competencies

A. Reading Literature

Students can read with purpose, understand and analyze evidence in literature to construct meaning in increasingly complex texts.

A2

Students can analyze the impact of an author’s creative choices (e.g., word choice, structure, figurative and connotative meanings, and literary elements) on the text’s meaning and tone.

NOTE ABOUT ASSESSMENT RUBRICS

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.

Teacher Rubric

Dimensions Not Yet Meeting Expectations Meeting Expectations Exceeding Expectations

Creative Choices
  • Student identifies creative choices used by the author to impact meaning or tone.
  • Little to no analysis provided for how the creative choice is used to impact meaning or tone.
No exemplars at this time.
  • Student identifies a creative choice used by the author that impacts the meaning of the text. Analysis includes how the choice is used in the text and how it impacts meaning for the reader/text.
  • Student identifies a creative choice used by the author that impacts the tone of the text. Analysis includes how the choice is used in the text and how it impacts tone for the reader/text.
No exemplars at this time.
  • Student analysis of the creative choices demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the content.
  • Connects what was learned to the real-world/makes the content relatable to the audience.
No exemplars at this time.

Evidence
  • Evidence provided is not relevant or sufficient to support the creative choice(s) identified.
  • Evidence does not follow a standard format.
No exemplars at this time.
  • Student cites a minimum of two pieces of relevant and sufficient evidence that demonstrate the creative choice used by the author to impact meaning and supports analysis.
  • Student cites a minimum of two pieces of relevant and sufficient evidence that demonstrate the creative choice used by the author to impact tone.
  • Evidence follows a standard format.
No exemplars at this time.
  • Student provides more than two pieces of text evidence per choice or;
  • Evidence provided extends on the student’s analysis and ideas.
No exemplars at this time.

Visual
  • Information presented does not fill the page or follows an unclear line of reasoning.
  • Information presented is incomplete, lacks color, or leaves more than 2/3 of the page blank.
No exemplars at this time.
  • Information is presented in a one-pager format and is clear, easy-to-read, and logically organized so that it is easy to follow the analysis of ideas.
  • One-pager is in color, fills most of the sheet, and is neat.
  • Relevant pictures/ graphics/ design are used to enhance the audience’s viewing of the product.
No exemplars at this time.
  • One-pager is visually appealing and captures the audience’s attention by drawing the eye to the most important points.
  • Information is creatively organized and uses pictures/ graphics/ design to enhance the audience’s viewing of the product.
No exemplars at this time.

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