Planning Assessments

---Yanhua Wang

Learning Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the traditions, the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.

Formative assessment, including diagnostic testing, is a range of formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment.

Formative assessments using in this Chinese cultures learning class.

1. Characters and Pinyin Matching Game

The teacher prepared a Characters and Pinyin Matching exercise. Each student is handed out the paper in the class. The first three students who match the Characters and Pinyin correctly win the game.

This exercise can assess how many Characters and Pinyin the students can recognize and and how well they know the meaning of the Characters. The reason to design this part as a game is to activate students’ interest in joining class activities.

2.Interesting and funny little quiz--Playing Kahoot. Students use computers, cell phones, or other devices to join in the game. Student who gets the highest score is the winner.

Kahoot is a simple web tool to brighten and engage the classroom.The quiz generator walks me through a few simple steps to create a quiz.Most importantly, it gives me concrete data and feedback that I can actually use. This game is most suitable for middle or high school students.

3. Oral Presentation. After learning the words and expressions about the Chinese New Year, Students are divided into several groups and asked to make dialogues about what to say when people meet during the Chinese New Year. They have to use all the new words and expressions in the presentation.

It's tough enough for students to present something orally in their own language. They even feel twice as nervous in foreign language classes. Students of foreign languages get a double dose of jitters when they know they have to stand up before a class or even just in front of their teacher to make an oral presentation. But speaking is a very important part of learning language.Through the presentation, I can observe not only how they are doing in speaking, but also how well they have grasped the knowledge in this lesson. A rubric for oral presentation is used as criteria.

References:

1.Formative assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formative_assessment

2.Formative Assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2016, from http://arincoaches.wikispaces.com/Formative Assessment

Understanding and Applying Standards

---Yanhua

Many teachers help me and give me suggestions in my career, and all of them are helpful. I remember that after observing my lesson, a teacher suggested me to give students objective at the beginning of the class.

In the State I am teaching, there are core standards for world language, and the corresponding subject curriculum is made and issued.

The standards are the guide in directing me to fulfill the curriculum.  My teaching plans have to meet the standards, but I use the standards to help set up learning target and better improve students’ academic improvement.Since the standards are being implemented across the state I can benefit from the work that has already been done in this area.  Although the best understanding comes from doing, these resources will help me get started.

Unpacking a standard help me consider what students need to know and be able to do to demonstrate mastery of the standard.  It not only provides an opportunity for reflection by comparing and contrasting the expectations of a standard with my current curriculum; But also allows for the identification of professional development/ resources needed to implement each standard.

Backward mapping is a new concept for me to prepare lessons. I couldn’t believe it when I was told that backward mapping means the unit begins at the end.I was curious about the way it carries on.  And I find out that by beginning with the end in mind I am able to avoid the common pitfall of planning forward from activity to activity, only to find that some students are prepared for the final assessment while others are not.  Using backward design, teaching for understanding, and requiring students to apply and demonstrate their learning are not new concepts.  

Writing objectives: A learning objective is an explicit statement that clearly expresses what the student will be able to do after taking a course.It benefits students by helping them clarify their personal goals for a course and give them a framework against which to measure their own success.   

According to the-the core standard of world language in Connecticut, students can finally demonstrate an understanding of the tradition of the cultures studies. I design a New Year celebration class for students to better understand the Chinese cultures. I first write the objectives of the lessons. Assessment is also made to make sure that students really understand the essence of the cultures.

Standards and Backwards Mapping

---Yanhua Wang

I enjoy teaching every day. I like to see the smiles of my students when I help them solve the problems. I am now teaching Mandarin Chinese in a high school. Many of my students choose Mandarin Chinese as a second language because they are attracted by the Chinese cultures. And with more and more school districts offer Mandarin Chinese as one of the second languages, serial standards or guides have been made and issued. One of them is the Common Core of Learning-World Languages.The document is based upon the work of the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project (1996) and recent research findings in world language education.It also provides a progressive development of essential concepts and skills for Grades pre-kindergarten - 12.

In this Unit, I am going to introduce 5 different topics to students, so that:        1.Students will understand and interpret spoken and written language on a variety of topics. (Interpretive)                         

2.Students will present information, concepts and ideas to listeners or readers on a variety of topics. (Presentational)                         

3.Students will demonstrate an understanding of the traditions, products and perspectives of the cultures studied.

In order to test how well do the students grasp the knowledge points of this unit, corresponding assessments are taken to  help me know students are meeting the standard.

1. Students will take a written quiz after finishing the unit. The quiz includes Pinyin, tones, Character writing and sentence writing.  After the quiz, I will analyze each part of the quiz. I will adjust the lesson plans to improve students academic performance.

2. Students are asked to make a book “story of me”. Students design, write and draw according to the requirement and the topics.

3. Students introduce the book to their classmates. They are going to introduce the book in Mandarin.

In the class, various teaching methods and activities are taking to attract students attention. Engaged students mean easier way to make sure students meet the standards. Activities in this unit include:

1. Stuff picking game: Students use chopsticks to pick up pasta and beans in given time. The one who pick the most wins the game and gets a prize. It’s a good time to introduce the history of using chopsticks in China.

2. Introduce what their partners are wearing today. When students are learning lesson “clothing”, they have to tell the rest of the class what their partners are wearing today. Students like to observe what other students are wearing, and with their introduction, students insensibly  review the-the expression of “clothing”.

3. Bring some balls with me to school. It’s a surprise to the students when they see the balls. But they only way they can play is to tell me the names of the balls and the expressions about sports.