Evaluation/Informal Assessment
Throughout my lesson I informally assessed the students to make sure that they were on track and also mentally noted how they were engaging with the material. The first form of informal assessment that I used was the white boards. I had the students write three words that had a long "I" vowel sound. They were to write the words the best they could on their boards. I was able to see who was grasping the concepts and who was struggling. For the students who had trouble writing, they were able to turn and talk to their partners about the words they chose and why they had a long vowel sound. I was able to listen to their conversations and I also asked the students, who I knew had trouble writing, what words they came up with and some of them were able to give me the correct answer while some of them still struggled.
Another area of the lesson that allowed me to informally observe the students' work was during the sorting portion. The students were asked to sort their word or picture sorts, depending on their reading level, in a long i column or a short i column depending on the sound they heard in the word. From this I was able to work with a small group on sorting their pictures. After circulating the room I was easily able to determine who grasped the concepts and who was struggling. I worked with the students who were struggling by having them take their pictures, match them with the corresponding words, and then sort the word accordingly.
Another area of the lesson that allowed me to informally observe the students' work was during the sorting portion. The students were asked to sort their word or picture sorts, depending on their reading level, in a long i column or a short i column depending on the sound they heard in the word. From this I was able to work with a small group on sorting their pictures. After circulating the room I was easily able to determine who grasped the concepts and who was struggling. I worked with the students who were struggling by having them take their pictures, match them with the corresponding words, and then sort the word accordingly.
Finally, I was able to assess the students as I watched them play lotto. I would draw a card and I would say the word. I would then call on different students to tell me if they heard a long "i" or a short "i". I would then ask the students to put their thumbs up if they agreed. If I did not see a thumb raised I asked the student why they disagreed. The students really grasped the concepts of the differences in vowel sounds.