1. Paidea 2014 Eleanor Dougherty edthink.ecd@gmail.com Eleanor Dougherty 2014 A SSIGNMENTS M ATTER : W RITE A Q UALITY T ASK

2. W HAT IS AN ASSIGNMENT ? A task consisting of a prompt that specifies what students are to do in clear, unambiguous terms States a product as evidence of understanding and learning Provides a rubric to describe “how well” Supported by an instructional plan An assignment is TAUGHT ! Eleanor Dougherty, Assignments Matter (2005, ASCD) Eleanor Dougherty 2014

3. A QUALITY A SSIGNMENT TEACHES T HINKING Immediate answer not known to students The procedure for arriving at answer not given; teachers facilitate and guide Skills involved with task are key to discipline Failure is as much a part of the learning process as success (Sokol 2014) Eleanor Dougherty 2014

4. W HAT T HINKING ? W HAT SKILLS ? How does language structure shape meaning? After reading “Birches,” “Trees,” ‘Thirteen Ways with Figs” and the Fig Butter Recipe, write an essay that compares the effects of different language structures on meaning. Support your discussion with evidence from the texts. (LDC/Paideia) Eleanor Dougherty 2014

5. What Thinking? What Skills? After reading Corduroy, write or draw a retelling of the story in which you describe the key events of the story. Support your response with evidence from the text. D 2 Include at least 3 examples from the text in your response. Eleanor Dougherty 2014

6. Q UALITY Quality text/s Content worth spending time on Prompts that make sense and are doable Skills that build on each other Products relevant to academic and workplace Eleanor Dougherty 2014

7. FROM TEMPLATE TO TEACHING TASK : WRITING IN RESPONSE TO READING Insert optional question After researching/reading______( text ), write _________( product ) in which you explain _________( content related to standards ). Support your discussion with evidence from the text. LDC Collection 2.0 www.ldc.org Eleanor Dougherty 2014

8. C ONTENT + R2, W2 1. identify content 2. identify focus standards for R & W 3. identify a text/s 4. fill in the template by connecting standards to text to content Eleanor Dougherty 2014

9. FROM TEMPLATE TO...... After reading ___ ( text ),write an ____ (product) in which you explain ____( content ). Support your discussion with evidence from the text Eleanor Dougherty 2014

10. A SSIGNMENT (LDC T EACHING T ASK ) After reading Billy Budd,write an essay in which you explain how Melville develops the theme of good and evil through Budd, Vere, and Claggart. Support your discussion with evidence from the text. Eleanor Dougherty 2014

11. A FTER RESEARCHING …. Insert optional question After researching_____(texts) on___(content) write ______(product) in which you explain _______(content). Support your discussion with evidence from your research. LDC Collection 2.0 www.ldc.org Eleanor Dougherty 2014

12. S AMPLE In what ways did the African American troops contribute to the Civil War? After researching primary sources on the role of African American soldiers in the Civil War, write a report in which you explain their roles and challenges. Support your discussion with evidence from your research. D2: What conclusion can you draw? Eleanor Dougherty 2014

13. YOUR TURN 1. identify content 2. identify focus standards for R & W 3. identify a text 4. identify a template 5. fill in the template by connecting standards to text to content Eleanor Dougherty 2014

14. TEMPLATES FOR NON - WRITTEN PRODUCTS (Insert optional question) After reading\listening/viewing______(text), _________(verb & product) in which you _________(content). After reading the text about Egypt and participating in a seminar, construct a ”learning” board game in which you include artifacts and questions relevant to this ancient civilization. Eleanor Dougherty 2014

15. N ON - WRITTEN PRODUCTS After reading and listening to the three poems about “love”, perform a read aloud in which you orally c ompare how language and structure change the meaning of “love” in each work. Support your position with evidence from the texts. Focus: Literature RL2 & 5, SL1 Eleanor Dougherty 2014

16. YOUR TURN R7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. After reading/listening/viewing ______(text), _________(verb & product) in which you _________(content). Support your ____with evidence from_____. (participate, conduct, demonstrate, give, build, perform) Eleanor Dougherty 2014

17. W HAT T EACHERS NEED TO KNOW Comfortable with ambiguity, uncertainty Know difference between knowledge and competence Start with aim, not resources Use an evidence-based approach See limitations and uses of an approach or strategy See what occurs during learning of a task (Sokol 2014) Eleanor Dougherty 2014

18. S EMINAR + A SSIGNMENT Learning to think, however, takes consistent practice, and growth in the ability to think is usually a long journey rather than a quick fix. Billings and Roberts (2012) Eleanor Dougherty 2014

19. P AIDEIA T ASKS How does Shirley Jackson's choice of words and phrases in "The Lottery" impact the tone of the story? After reading "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, write an essay in which you analyze the impact of word choice on the story's tone, providing examples to clarify your analysis. Eleanor Dougherty 2014

20. RESOURCES Template Task Collections (in Resources) Literacy Design Collaborative www.ldc.org Eleanor Dougherty edthink.ecd@gmail.com Eleanor Dougherty 2014