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    The Culminating Performance Task

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    api-487219906
    The document discusses the development of a culminating performance task to assess students at the end of a concept-based unit. It explains that the task should demonstrate students' understanding of the main ideas and content covered during the unit. The author created a "learning menu" assessment for their students that allowed for choice while ensuring all students complete the same required activities. The learning menu included optional "appetizers," two mandatory "main courses," and optional "desserts" that assessed concepts from the unit in an age-appropriate manner for the students.

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    The Culminating Performance Task

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    api-487219906
    285 views4 pages
    The document discusses the development of a culminating performance task to assess students at the end of a concept-based unit. It explains that the task should demonstrate students' understanding of the main ideas and content covered during the unit. The author created a "learning menu" assessment for their students that allowed for choice while ensuring all students complete the same required activities. The learning menu included optional "appetizers," two mandatory "main courses," and optional "desserts" that assessed concepts from the unit in an age-appropriate manner for the students.

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    The document discusses the development of a culminating performance task to assess students at the end of a concept-based unit. It explains that the task should demonstrate students' understanding of the main ideas and content covered during the unit. The author created a "learning menu" assessment for their students that allowed for choice while ensuring all students complete the same required activities. The learning menu included optional "appetizers," two mandatory "main courses," and optional "desserts" that assessed concepts from the unit in an age-appropriate manner for the students.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    285 views4 pages

    The Culminating Performance Task

    Uploaded by

    api-487219906
    The document discusses the development of a culminating performance task to assess students at the end of a concept-based unit. It explains that the task should demonstrate students' understanding of the main ideas and content covered during the unit. The author created a "learning menu" assessment for their students that allowed for choice while ensuring all students complete the same required activities. The learning menu included optional "appetizers," two mandatory "main courses," and optional "desserts" that assessed concepts from the unit in an age-appropriate manner for the students.

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    At a glance
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    The text discusses the importance of designing culminating performance tasks that assess students' understanding of key concepts and ideas from the unit in an authentic way.

    According to the text, the final task in a concept-based unit should assess how well students can relate the unit's main ideas and concepts to the content knowledge covered, demonstrated through an authentic performance.

    The author considered the age and ability level of the students, the short length of the curriculum unit covered, and that the assessment needed to reflect only what was taught during that short period of time.

    The “Why” Behind My Culminating Performance Task

    According to the planning guide outlined in Erickson’s book, the final task in any
    concept-based unit should help you to assess how well students can relate the
    concept(s) at hand to the content knowledge they have been learning at the same time
    (Erickson 2008). The task should assess understanding of main ideas, which are and
    have been supported by the content knowledge also gone over during the unit,
    demonstrated with an authentic performance (Erickson 2008). Erickson also describes a
    process in developing the culminating performance task which was very helpful to me
    as well. Specifically, in addition to the enduring understandings and guiding questions I
    had developed, I had to consider many other things when thinking about how I wanted
    to assess the students in my small group. A lot of the examples of other authentic
    performance tasks were clearly for older students who can work more independently.
    Their age and ability, first of all, was a main factor I had to think about. What could they
    produce on their own that would show me their level of understanding? Another factor I
    thought about that influenced the type and complexity of the task was the fact that my
    curriculum unit was, in comparison to others, very short and only encompassing a
    couple of content areas. The assessment needed to reflect only what I had taught
    students in that short period of time.
    All of the above considered, I decided to assess students at the end of my unit
    using a learning menu. The idea of a learning menu incorporates choice for students
    while still allowing teachers to control which activities students must do. In this learning
    menu, students chose between two “appetizers”, had to complete two tasks for the
    “main course,” and again choose between two smaller tasks for the “dessert.” A blank
    copy of the learning menu is attached. See the following artifacts for the tasks
    themselves and how students performed.

    References

    Erickson, H. L. (2008). ​Stirring the Head, Heart and Soul: Redefining Curriculum,
    Instruction, and Concept-Based Learning​. Thousand
    ​ Oaks, CA: Corwin.
    Change Is Everywhere! Learning Menu
    Appetizer: Choose 1
    ❏ What does it mean for something to change? Why is it important for the world
    around us to change? Draw a picture and write a sentence.
    ❏ Where else do we see change besides science and math? What can you do that
    will change something? Draw a picture and write a sentence.

    ______________________________________________________________________

    ______________________________________________________________________

    ______________________________________________________________________
    Main Course: Do Both
    ❏ Using the materials in the bin, make a vehicle (doesn’t have to be a car) and tell
    a story that can show at least 3 different movements. Show Ms. Sammie when
    you’re done.
    ❏ Types of Energy Hunt: Go back to your regular classroom and write 3 examples
    of each type of energy that we talked about: motion, light, and sound. Turn in
    paper to Ms. Sammie when you’re done.

    Dessert: Choose 1
    ❏ Solve: Bob had 12 muffins. Then, his friend made him 9 more. How many muffins
    does Bob have now?
    ❏ Solve: Sally bought 9 pencils. She gave 4 to her teacher. How many pencils does
    Sally have left?

    **Show Ms. Sammie when you’re done!**


    Energy Hunt

    Motion Light Sound

    1. 1. 1.

    2. 2. 2.

    3. 3. 3.

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