Real Writers: Using Picture Books to Inspire Writing

Michael D. Tomorsky
CIL 604
Dr. Chyllis Scott
University of Nevada Las Vegas

In education today, accountability is a word that is used from grade-level

meetings to the White House. It is not a word to be taken lightly, and is a word that can cause a
seasoned veteran anxiety. The pressure to meet the needs of each individual student can seem
overwhelming with the demands placed on teachers by ever-changing policies. One way to
understand how to meet those demands is clarified by Dr. Peter Afflerbach, Accountability is
judged with high-stakes summative tests, but accountability is created by useful formative
assessments. (Afflerbach, 2013) Creating a toolbox of assessments to use in the classroom is
essential for teachers when writing meaningful lessons, and adapting to what information can be
found in the assessment.
One such formative assessment is a QuickWrite. During the past two years, I have taught
math and science and my use of formative assessments in science has been based on materials
provided by the textbook publisher. The Quick Write activity is simple and can be assessed
quickly to see if students meet the objective. A QuickWrite is a brief, timed writing activity.
Giving students two or three minutes to reflect on and summarize their learning in writing allows
them to make sense of what they have been studying. (Dodge, 2009, p. 15) If I am teaching
Nevada Academic Content Standard (NVACS) RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a
text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text in conjunction with
science standard 5)4.8 Investigate and describe how organisms, including humans, can cause
changes in their environments, the QuickWrite formative assessment will give me an
understanding if students understand the material by summarizing a passage about the changes in
the environment by using content specific vocabulary, and accurately restating what they were to
have learned. Based on this information, I can tailor instruction of the standard to meet
individual the needs of my students. If the students struggle with a summary and understanding
the text/vocabulary, I can find alternative sources, i.e. digital, picture books, and or videos, or use

vocabulary strategies to target what they need to learn. Students who do the QuickWrite and
meet the objective, can continue to an enrichment activity, like researching the positive and
negative changes humans have on an environment of their choice. I can then reassess as need and
keep the summaries for the students to use later on a summative assessment.
Developing summative assessments, when students are assessed on all aspects of a
standard, can be more difficult. A good summative assessment needs to be accessible for students
of all ability levels, yet rigorous enough to meet the objective. Summative assessments can take
on many forms, an end of topic exam, a final project, even a written paper. When planning for
NVACS standard RI.5.2, and science standard 5)4.8, I would have multiple assessments to gauge
student learning. First I would use a standard multiple choice end of the unit exam. This is
limited in its scope to reach all students, so I would modify the questions to pinpoint the
standards and objectives of the unit. The benefit of using a standard end of the unit assessment is
that I can choose what the questions are to test for understanding of the content. The second
aspect of the summative assessment would be project based and utilize a rubric. Prompted with a
question like, Advances in technology can have a positive and negative impact on the
environment. Choose a technology, like natural gas, and explain both the positive and negative
impact it has on the environment. The students would then choose what kind of project they
would like to produce, be it a brochure, foldable, virtual museum, poster, infographic, or a
presentation through digital technology. This type of assessment allows for the student to choose
a media that they feel comfortable producing in a way that allows their ideas and knowledge to
be expressed. Students may need some guidance in the production of their product, but the
information presented will be theirs alone. By allowing students to show their knowledge
through a project, I can see where a student is exceeding or needs more help in meeting the
standard.
As I reflect on this assignment, I feel that I have many tools at my disposal as part of
formative assessments. Making sure I have quality summative assessments is the next step in
making sure I meet my students needs in preparation for their future success.

References
Afflerbach, P. (2013, July 16). Peter Afflerbach: Formative Assessments and the
Common Core. Retrieved August 6, 2015, from https://youtu.be/-cpFLLVfd6A

Dodge, J. (2009). 25 Quick Formative Assesments for a Differentiated Classoom.

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