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Student Work 1      

ELA

Performance Task

8-1 final

(Content Area)

 

(Grade Level-Task Number)

 

 

Standard(s):

 

Reading

 

E1a  The student reads at least twenty-five books or book equivalents each year. The quality and complexity of materials to be read are illustrated in the sample reading list. The materials should include traditional and contemporary literature (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as magazines, newspapers, textbooks, and on-line material. Such reading should represent a diverse collection of material from at least three different literary forms and from at least five different writers.

 

E1b The student reads and comprehends at least four books (or book equivalents) about one issue or subject, or four books by a single writer, or four books in one genre, and produces evidence of reading that:

E1b.1  makes and supports warranted and responsible assertions about the texts

E1b.2  supports assertions with elaborated and convincing evidence

E1b.3  draws the text together to compare and contrast themes, characters, and

            ideas

E1b.4  makes perceptive and well-developed connections.

 

Performance Task:

 

 

Some of you may have read books that have received awards for excellence such as the Caldecott Medal and Honor Books (http://www.ala.org/alsc/caldecott_terms.html), Newberry Medal and Honor Books (http://www.ala.org/alsc/newbery_terms.html), The Coretta Scott King Award, or Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. Review the criteria used to select books that receive these prestigious awards.  Develop a set of criteria that you would use to select or nominate a book for the newly established Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Eight Star Award. 

 

It has been suggested that books from a variety of subjects be included in the nominations for the Eight Star Award. You are to read four books about a subject of your choice.  As a member of the Eight Star Award Committee you will:

1.  Develop criteria for selecting the books.

2.  Read the four books.

3.  Rate each book according to the criteria.

4.  Prepare a written nomination for one of the four books for the Eight Star Award based on the established criteria.    

5.  Have at least two other individuals (one must be an adult) read your book review and provide feedback.

6.  Revise and refine your work based upon that feedback.

7.  Post your final copy on the school’s web site.

 

The book review will include:

q       descriptive statements about the text read

q       direct quotes that will support conclusions

q       comparisons and contrasts regarding characters and ideas

q       connections between books read, highlighting those promoted in the book you are nominating for the Eight Star Award.

(Please remember to include the four titles of the books read in your book log or record keeping tool.)

 

Circumstances of Performance:

 

The student work is produced under the following conditions:

___X___ alone                                                _______ in a group

___X___ in class                                              ___X__  as homework

_______  with teacher feedback                       ___X__  with peer feedback

_______  timed                                                ___X__  opportunity for revision

 

Criteria for Success:

 

1.      Entry made in record keeping tool.

2.      Development of criteria based on references.  Criteria needs to address theme, characters, style, setting, plot and interest to age group.

3.      The book review will include:

q       descriptive statements

q       direct quotes

q       comparisons and contrasts

q       connections between other books read

q       evidence of revision.

 

Related Standard(s):

 

Speaking, Listening and Viewing

 

E3a The student participates in one-to-one conferences with a teacher, a paraprofessional, or adult volunteer, in which the student:

                E3a.1  initiates new topics in addition to responding to adult-initiated topics

                E3a.2  asks relevant questions

                E3a.3  responds to questions with appropriate elaboration

E3a.4  uses language cues to indicate different levels of certainty or hypothesizing, e.g., “what

            if….” “very likely…” “I’m unsure whether…”

 

E3c The student prepares and delivers an individual presentation in which the student:

E3c.1 shapes information to achieve a particular purpose and to appeal to the interests and 

          background knowledge of audience members

E3c.2 shapes content and organization according to criteria for importance and impact rather

          according to availability of information in resource materials

E3c.3 uses notes or other memory aids to structure the presentation

E3c4  develops several main points relating to a single thesis

E3c.6 projects a sense of individuality and personality in selecting and organizing

          content, and in delivery.

E4a  The student demonstrates a basic understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work, and selects the structures and features of language appropriate to the purpose, audience, and context of the work.  The student demonstrates control of:

       E4a.1  grammar

       E4a.2  paragraph structure

E4a.3  punctuation

E4a.4  sentence construction

E4a.5  spelling

E4a.6  usage.