What am I Assessing?
Examples
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Level: Advanced (fourth or fifth year in high school)
THEME: Global Issues
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How Can One Person Make a Difference?
Interpretive Task:
Divide the class into groups of five or six students. Assign each group the name of a person or organization from the target culture that works to make the world a better place to live. For example, French students might investigate Mˇdecins Sans Fronti¸res (Doctors Without Borders). Students then research their person or organization on the Internet in order to find out the following information:
- How was this group founded and when and by whom?
- What are the goals for this group?
- Give examples of the work/successes of the group.
- What are the current projects of this group?
Interpersonal Task:
PART ONE: After students have gathered information about their organization,
they will discuss with their group the information that they found
in order to determine which details are the most important to share
with others. When they have determined what information to share,
they will move into a jigsaw activity sharing their information
with others who researched different organizations.
PART TWO: Jigsaw activity: Form new groups of students so that the new groups are composed of representatives from each of the original research groups. In each new group, the students will share the information they learned about their organization. Other students in the group are encouraged to ask questions to gain more information about each organization.
Presentational Task:
Based on the information
presented in the group discussions (interpersonal task), students
are to write an essay stating which organization they would support
either financially or through personal involvement and why. They
may also choose to write why they would not support any of the organizations
financially or through personal involvement. The essay should include
background information on the organization and reasons why the organization
makes (or doesn’t make) a difference in the world.
Integration of the 4Cs
Integration of the 4Cs enriches the learning experience for the students:
- Cultures: Students learn about service organizations based in countries where the target language is spoken.
- Comparisons: Students can compare service organizations to ones in their own country to identify similarities and differences in goals.
- Connections: Students can extend their learning from Social Studies or Global Studies as background knowledge to gain a deeper understanding of the global issues addressed by the organizations they researched.
- Communities: Students can continue monitoring or participating in the activities sponsored by the service organization they researched. They can share information about the organization with others.
See more examples of complete standards-based integrated performance assessment units.
