Facilitated by Kristin Edlund Issaquah, 2015 Teaching with Performance Tasks

Our Learning Plan  Welcome! Sharing a Point of View  Research Skills and the New Assessments  Reviewing Performance Assessments  Structure  Examples  Designing Performance Tasks for Your Curriculum: A Tool Kit!

Consider this Point of View “Performance tasks are really only mini-research projects that can build background knowledge for the content I teach. Furthermore, performance tasks can focus on real world issues that build relevancy for my students and may motivate their learning. ” Let’s review the origin and attributes of a performance task!

ELA Standards  English Language Arts:  Reading  Writing  Speaking and Listening  Language Skills What students should know and be able to do at each grade level in order to be college and career ready

Claims That Prove Mastery of the Standards: Career, College and Citizenship Ready Claim #1: Read CriticallyClaim #2: Write EffectivelyClaim #3: Speaking and ListeningClaim #4: Conduct Research

Anchor Standards for Writing  Text Types and Purposes: Standards 1,2, and 3  Production and Distribution of Writing: Standards 4, 5, 6  Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Anchor Standards 7, 8 and 9 Conduct Research Projects (7) Gather Relevant Information (8) Provide Evidence to Support Ideas and Opinions (9)  Range of Writing (Standard 10)

Performance Tasks: What are the embedded Skills?

The Three Research Skills  Skill #1: Locating Information within or among sources  Skill #2: Selecting the best information: Most relevant, factual, accurate, and reliable  Skill #3: Providing sufficient information to support a position or explain an idea or concept Locate Select the Best Find Enough

How is conducting quality research like grocery shopping for a dinner party?

Locate the Produce Department Select the Best Find Enough Shopping for Tomatoes!

Anatomy of a Performance Task  Two Days:  Day One: Conduct Research  Day Two: Write an Essay or a Speech  Research Materials are provided:  Text Materials: Articles, Blog Entry, Websites  Charts/Graphs/ Photos  Video  Essay: Narrative or Informational or Opinion

Anatomy of a Performance Task  Scenario Based: Real World Connections  Research Questions:  Locating Information  Finding the best information  Providing sufficient information  Essay Topic linked to the scenario We can use any content we like to teach to these skills! So why not choose content that is part of our curriculum?

Check in with a near neighbor. How did you both do?

Let’s Explore a Task! With a partner, find evidence of all of the components of a performance task. Use the checklist provided. How might you adapt this task for your grade level or content area?

A Check List! 1. Day One and Day Two Activities 2. Scenario that connects to life experience 3. A mix of print and video resources 4. Three research questions:  Locating Information  Selecting the Best Information  Having Sufficient Information to defend a statement or explain a concept 5. A Writing Prompt with Topic, Audience, and Purpose

What are your take aways from reviewing the structure of a performance task? Validations? New Insights? Questions?

Kindergarten Example Riverview School District Reading A to Z Source Material

Note Taking Tool

Your Parents are planning a trip. Tell about one way you can go and how it travels. Use your book and notes to help you. Use pictures, labels and sentences in your writing.

More Tasks to Explore!  Form groups of 4 or 5  Each member selects a task.  Read the task you select (3 min. SSR)  Share a brief 60 second summary of your task with the others.  What idea can you take away for your grade level?

Grade 2 Performance Task Jigsaw! 4/5 Stormwater Pollution Vegetable Gardens Grade 3 Migrating Geese Grade 2 4/5 Forest Management 4/5 Marine Debris Rain Gardens Grade 5 Fairy Tales Grade 4

More Tasks to Explore!  Form groups of 4  Each member selects a task.  Read the task you select (5 min. SSR)  Share a brief summary of your task with the others.  What idea can you take away for your grade level?

Tool Kit for Writing Performance Tasks Elementary Content Areas  Check List for Task Development  Graphic Organizer Planning Tool  Annotated Template for Writing the Task  Example Research Questions  Sources for Reading and Viewing Materials  General Directions for Task Administration  Research, Writing, and Speech Rubrics

Turn and Talk: Clear or Confusing? Comments? Questions?

A visual design Tool

An annotated design tool

Example Research Questions: Locating Information Selecting the Best Information Having Enough Information How might you use these questions?

Locating appropriate text and media materials Text: Reading Level Diversity: Articles, Charts, Websites, Graphs, Web Sites, Pictures, Illustrations

Locating appropriate text and media materials Media: Appropriate Content: View many options and keep notes! Length: Try to keep at five minutes or less

Generic Teacher Directions: Consider pre- teaching vocabulary and/or adding an introductory piece to help build basic background knowledge.

Reflecting on the Tool Kit!  Pluses:  Minuses:  Interesting Possibilities:  Turn and Talk!

Exit Task Please discuss with your table partners: What’s a task you may want to create that would enhance one of your units? What resources come to mind to use with this task? What questions might you want the students to explore?

Benefits of a Performance Task  Integrate knowledge and skills  Build background knowledge for content areas  Measure understanding, research skills, analysis, and the ability to provide relevant evidence  Require student to plan, write, revise, and edit  Reflect a real-world task  Demonstrate critical and creative thinking  Represent reading, writing, research and reasoning skills students do and will use in their everyday lives Which are most meaningful for you?

Free Powerpoint Templates The greatest natural resource for the 21st Century lies in the capacity of the human mind for critical and creative thinking.

For Their Future, Not Our Past