TITLE: The Most Dangerous Game ECR
TASK DEVELOPER: Mrs. Amy Brooks
GRADE AND CONTENT AREA: Grade 9, English I
TARGET TEACHING DATE:1/26/06 - 1/27/06
SCHOOL: Mergenthaler Vocational Technical Senior High School
STANDARDS:

Maryland Core Learning Goals, Expectations, and Indicators
English: Grades 9-12

Goal 2: The student will demonstrate the ability to compose in a variety of modes by developing content, employing specific forms, and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose.

Expectation 2.1: The student will write compose oral, written, and visual presentations which inform, persuade, and express personal ideas.

Indicator 2.1.4: The student will compose persuasive texts that support, modify, or refute a position and include effective rhetorical strategies.

Assessment Limits:
  1. Composing to state and support, refute, or modify a position:
    - using description to support the writing purpose
    - using personal ideas to support the writing purpose

  2. Composing to meet the criteria of the ECR rubric:
    - fulfilling the writing purpose as stated in the prompt
    - including relevant and complete support of ideas
    - organizing appropriately for the writing purpose
    - using language carefully and correctly
    - demonstrating attention to audience understanding and interest
    - having no errors in usage or conventions that interfere with meaning

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PERFORMANCES:

The students will write...personal letter (message in a bottle)

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SETTING:

Real World Setting: History: Stranded on an Island / Message in a Bottle:

ECR: Extended Constructed Response

(From the short story "The Most Dangerous Game")
You are Sanger Rainsford stranded on “Ship Trap Island” and you have one chance to write a letter asking for help off the island. Be sure that your letter includes details from your experiences that will be convincing enough for a search party to rescue you from the clutches of General Zaroff.

Requirements:
- at least 1 page (3-5 paragraphs)
- 3 vocabulary words used correctly
- 3 + references to the story
- correct spelling and grammar
- visual appeal

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INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

20-60-20 Teaching Model

Objective: Students will…

  • increase understanding of vocabulary by defining and utilizing terms.
  • extend literary themes through creative writing.

Segment One: Mini-Lesson - Estimated Time: 20% of allocated time

During this segment of the lesson:

Drill: Indicate whether the words in each pair are synonyms or antonyms. (5-7 mins.)

  1. scruples: guilt _________ (synonyms)
  2. disarming: scary __________ (antonyms)
  3. palpable: tangible __________ (synonyms)

* Student-led review of drill answers

Activity One: Accountable Talk for “The Most Dangerous Game” (5-10 minutes)

  • Complete short story and note-taking (if needed)
  • Class note-taking/ Plot Discussion/ General Review (if needed)

Activity Two: Reading Review Quiz (5 minutes)

* Quick Answer Questions (on separate sheet of paper to be collected)

  1. How could Rainsford “win” Gen. Zaroff's game?
  2. Describe one trap Rainsford used.
  3. How did the story end?

Activity Three: Creative Project Introduction (10-15 minutes)

  • Students should copy the ECR prompt (* See SETTING for ECR) from the overhead in their notebooks for future reference.
  • Teacher-led brainstorming of format, content, and vocabulary ideas for the "message in a bottle"
  • Students should take independent notes from the class brainstorming that they think they would like to incorporate into their writing

Technology for this segment: overhead projector
Materials for this segment: textbook, notebook, pen/pencil, paper
Student product or performance for this segment: story notes/ brainstorming notes
Scoring tool for this segment: n/a

Activity Two: Practice - Estimated Time: 60% of allocated time

Describe for this segment of the lesson how you will:

  1. Individual Drafting (25 minutes)
  2. Peer Review (5 minutes)
  3. Revision (5 minutes)

Technology for this segment: n/a
Materials for this segment: textbook, notebook, pen/pencil, notebook paper
Student product or performance for this segment: a rough draft
Scoring tool for this segment: Teacher Rubric (modeled after MD HSA ECR Rubric)

Activity Three: Feedback - Estimated Time 20% of allocated time

Describe for this segment of the lesson how you will:

  • Final Draft on plain white paper with visual enhancement (20 minutes)

Reminders:Did you...

  • write the name on the back of your project?
  • write only on the front of the paper?
  • visually enhance your message with "aging" and/or a map?

Technology for this segment: n/a
Materials for this segment: white paper, pen/marker/colored pencils, water, scissors
Student product or performance for this segment: a final draft
Scoring tool for this segment: Teacher Rubric (modeled after MD HSA ECR Rubric)

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SCORING:

Note: A modified version of the following rubric was used to score the student work. Specifically, additional criteria were added to the rubric involving vocabulary, peer review process, and details from the text.

Maryland High School English Rubric: Extended Constructed Response

LEVEL 4

The response is a well-developed essay that fulfills the writing purpose.

  • Develops ideas using relevant and complete support and elaboration
  • Uses an effective organizational structure
  • Uses purposeful word choice
  • Demonstrates attention to audience's understanding and interest
  • Has no errors in usage or conventions that interfere with meaning

LEVEL 3

The response is a complete essay that addresses the writing purpose.

  • Develops ideas using adequate support and elaboration
  • Uses an organizational structure that supports the writing purpose
  • Uses clear word choice
  • Demonstrates an awareness of audience's understanding and interest
  • Has few, if any, errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning

Proficient Performance = Level 3 and above

LEVEL 2

The response is an incomplete or oversimplified attempt to address the writing purpose.

  • Has incomplete or unclear support and elaboration
  • Attempts to use an organizational structure
  • Demonstrates little awareness of audience's understanding and interest
  • May have errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning

LEVEL 1

The response provides evidence of an attempt to address the prompt.

  • Has minimal or no support or elaboration
  • May be too brief to demonstrate an organizational structure
  • Demonstrates little or no awareness of audience
  • May have errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning

LEVEL 0

The response is completely irrelevant or incorrect.

NOTE: The rubric for ECRs was last edited and approved July, 2004. The rubric for BCRs was last edited
and approved July, 2004.

Source: http://mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/hsa/language_arts/instructional.html

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RESULTS:

Organize: In the future, I will develop a chart to show the following data for each time that I assess and score the same learning standard(s):

  • Currently the number of students who performed at or above the proficient level on my scoring tool: 58 students

  • 74% of the students performed at or above the proficient level on my scoring tool.

Analyze: In the future, I will examine the data in the chart to look for trends, contributing factors, and implications of student performance over a series of assessments of the same learning standard.

  • Contributing factors: A fire in the building interrupted our class time during the drafting and revision stages of the writing process. We lost the second half of one class and the first twenty minutes of an afternoon class.

Reflect: I noticed that the students who had the most uninterrupted class time to work on their drafts, peer review, and revisions acheived the highest scores. These students focused on the requirements of the assignment more than the students who may have felt rushed through the assignment.

Summarize: This was the second semester that I taught this task in English I. The letters were evaluated based on a 0-7 point scale (modeled after the Maryland ECR Rubric shown above). A 5-7 represented a proficient/passing score. Students were able to receive an extra point if they read their letter to the rest of the class from the podium in the front of the room. Some students also received extra credit because their letter was considered exceptional and was selected for the bulletin board.

Act: Because the task or lesson went well and the standards-based instructional activities are promising, I will prevent drift to previous practices and adopt the improvements as new instruction and assessment activities to improve upon.

My new standards-based task is an improvement over previous lessons because my expectations were clear and supported by the Maryland Writing Rubric.

Time Needed for Data-Driven Instruction:

  • Lesson planning: 40 minutes to plan the lesson -- 10 minutes to set-up the lesson framework and 30 minutes to copy/paste/type specific lesson criteria with TaskBuilderOnline
  • Teaching: Two 90-minute class periods
  • Scoring: 65 minutes to score/grade writing projects for 90 students for three classes.
  • Analyzing: 25 minutes to calculate and write the results/reflection
  • Summary: 40 minutes to plan, 180 minutes for teaching, 65 minutes of scoring/grading time, and 25 minutes to analyze results and reflect. This lesson extended over two days and included an Extended Constructed Response (ECR) so a shorter lesson or assignment would have required less time for planning and grading.

Action Plan: I completed the following TaskBuilder Figure 8 Strategy Action Plan to prepare for my next standards-based task.

1. Plan - My next standards-based task will focus on:

Title: "The Colomber " Resolution Rewrite

Content Area: English I

Learning Standard(s):Indicator 1.2.1

Intent: Assessment of Plot Development and Literary Content