I. Curricular Framework
Concept:
Evaluation
Essential Question:
How can the evaluative process of thinking become an important life skill?
Bridge:
Criteria Mindmaps
Content:
Evaluative Process of Thinking
Outcomes:
II. Standards Aligned
III. Instruction and Assessment
1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially
Objective: To have students make a choice between two similar items to be used to accomplish a task.
Activity: Students will individually make the following choices:
New vs. Old sneakers for climbing a tree.
Fork vs. Spoon for eating very chunky soup. Pen vs. Pencil for writing a letter to a friend. etc.
Assessment: Teacher observation for participation.
2. Attend: Attending to the Connection
Objective: Analyze the rationale for choices made.
Activity: For each choice, the teacher makes a categorical list as to reasons/rationale for decisions made by students. Highlight in discussion that disagreement exists and that it is allowable. Individual decisions were based on reasoning.
Assessment: Teacher observation for participation.
Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:
3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture
Objective: To determine criteria for judgments on various topics.
Activity: In cooperative groups, students will mindmap the criteria for the following:
1. A fun party
2. A good vacation
3. A challenging video game
4. A great story
Students identify the criteria for their judgments.
Assessment: Quality of involvement and contributions.
Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:
4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge
Objective: To teach the evaluative process of thinking.
Activity: Using overhead transparencies, the teacher introduces and models the steps in the evaluative thinking process, as taken from Thinking Strategies and Skills by Barry Beyer:
• Determining the trait to be evaluated.
• Identifying the criteria to be applied.
• Defining the criteria in terms of exemplars.
• Examining the data to find evidence of exemplars.
• Judging the extent to which evidence matched the criteria.
• Stating a judgment.
The students are encouraged to analyze the process as modeled by the teacher. Examples modeled by the teacher might include, "What is a good essay?" and/or "What is a good pet?"
Assessment: Quality of attentiveness, especially student responses to teacher questions.
Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:
5. Practice: Developing Skills
Objective: To practice making choices based on criteria. To select good criteria.
Activity: Students complete a teacher-prepared worksheet relating to the personal selection of criteria, good vs. questionable criteria, reliable support for criteria, and making choices based on given criteria and information. A sample worksheet contains the following:
1. Think of three reasons (criteria) you would use to decide what kind of car you would take on a motor trip across the United States.
2. Decide which are good criteria and which are questionable criteria for choosing a good board game:
• The cost of the game.
• The amount of time needed to play.
• The color of the box.
• The number of rules.
3. If you were looking for information to support your reasons (criteria) for choosing a balanced meal, which sources would you feel you could trust:
• Health book?
• Your best friend?
• Diet book?
• Yellow pages?
4. Given the following reasons (criteria) and information, who do you feel is the best batter: A, B, or C?
Criteria
• Most hits.
• Fewest strikeouts.
• Most homeruns.
Information
Hits SO HR BB
Player A 20 6 2 5
Player B 25 3 5 9
Player C 15 10 4 7
Assessment: Quality of student worksheets.
Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:
6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World
Objective: To have students develop their own criteria.
Activity: Students work in groups to identify real choices in their lives which involve selecting appropriate criteria. Students interview parents and other adults to identify additional examples of daily decisions involving evaluative thinking processes.
Assessment: Quality of effort put into assignment.
7. Refine: Refining the Extension
Objective: To critique criteria selected by students.
Activity: Working in teams of two or three, students will select one real life choice that has particular importance to them in their lives. They will create a display of their criteria and share it with the class. The teacher and students will critique each display. Displays may include acting out the process in a skit; an original poem; illustrated poster; etc.
Assessment: Ability to work with peers and refine and improve one's work. Ability to honor the work of others.
8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned
Objective: To complete and share projects. To enjoy each other's work.
Activity: Team projects are shared with class. Poster displays are shared with the school.
Assessment: Quality of completed projects, presentation, participation, and enjoyment of the learning.
Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned:
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