Pre-Assessment: KWL Charts

Students are provided with a paper-based or electronic chart with the following questions:

K - What does the student know?

W - What does the student need and want to know?

L - What did the student learn? (this part they will fill out as a reflection after activity)

The Charts will be reviewed by the teacher immediately and sorted into 3 categories: Novice, Average, and Expert. 

Novice Level Students:

Prior to assigning any activities to the students, the teacher needs to know why the student struggled, was it due to lack of information/knowledge or was it a language issue. 

Novices will be provided with an additional instruction from the teacher or a share session from an expert student; flipped classroom - videos to watch on their own time and provide reaction to; and will be occasionally grouped with higher students. Novices also should be provided with specific task, requirement and a checklist (English and Chinese versions). 

Average Level Students: 

Same as with Novice, the teacher will evaluate what the student needs extra help with. Based on the acquired information, the teacher then decides regarding homogenous or heterogeneous grouping. For group activities, students should be provided with specific role and expectations within the team. For the individual task, students should be given take away menu where they can moderate the difficulty. 

Expert Level Students:

Students who showed higher results should be challenged appropriately. For individual tasks, they need to be given a takeaway menu too, so they can choose their own level of difficulty, and at the same time, will always have another step to climb if need be. 

Flexibility within the task, and freedom of expression and the choice of tools. Expert level students should be provided with more ownership of their own project and high expectations. 

Strategy for Differentiation and Assessment for Progress Tracking and Monitoring

Since the pre-assessment asks the question what the students already know, the question should be task specific. For example, since right now my students are working on the Exotic Animals Unit, I am looking to extend their knowledge about the animals, along the way. So the KNOW question will be about Habitats and what animals live in those habitats, as well as which continents and parts of the continents such habitats exist. I know without the pre-assessment a few students who are stronger in Geography, but I need to sort all other students in their categories.

3 categories: Novice, Average and Expert

When reviewing pre-assessments, I'll check how many students are on the Expert level and they will be exploring further about the specific animals and their habitat. The average level students will be provided with an interactive map or game - locate the animal, and so will be the beginner level students too. If their problem was lack of knowledge, if the problem was lack of English, I will make sure the KWL assessment has both English and Chinese.

(ELL) The lower English level students will be provided with easier level text, will be given extra explanation verbally, and will be grouped with the students with higher English level. 

Dyslexic students can draw the continents and climates and the animals in them. Each team will need visuals later on anyway, they will be able to re-use them further when working in groups. 

ADHD students will be able to go to the map at the back of the classroom if they need to check something. So will other students too. And ADHD students will be placed further away from each other with the possibility to go outside for a cool down break if they need it. 

Next Class, there will be another Pre-assessment, either another KWL, quiz, or a Think/Ink/Pair and Share activity prior to new activity or continuation of the previous one.

The students will eventually create their infographics about an endangered animal of their choice for their Summative Assessment, and they will need to provide peer feedback to each other. While being observed and joined by the teacher. 

Progress Tracking will be made by 2 rounds of progress drafts submission via the Managebac system. I will be able to see the students' progress notes, and possible challenges they might encounter. Second drafts will also be peer-reviewed in the small groups in class, their peer reviews will be graded as well. After peer-review students will fill out checklists to make sure they have completed all the steps. 

References:

Differentiation & LR Information for SAS Teachers (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/lrtsas/differentiation/5-preassessment-ideas

Pendergrass E. (2014). Differentiation: It Starts with Pre-Assessment. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/dec13/vol71/num04/Differentiation@_It_Starts_with_Pre-Assessment.aspx