The presentation on the document-based questioning was so interesting! I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the DBQ from such experienced teachers. Outside of special education, my biggest passion has always been to teach kindergarten. Just hearing their thought processes about being a pilgrim or a native-american, really demonstrated their ability to make decisions using critical thinking. There were 10-12 standards that were addressed in the DBQ and across curricular areas that made the entire assessment really strong. I thought that it was a very well-thought-out lesson overall. I liked that they are already thinking about ways to improve the assessment for the next year, including the rubric. I wonder what the process is like to introduce the DBQ to administration or if there is approval needed before implementation. I also think it would be cool to have these same students replicate this DBQ in the fourth-grade when Virginia history is introduced to see how their thought process has grown with this content.
Looking toward the assessment project, I think that we have had a lot of opportunities in class to observe bad examples of assessment. I wish that we had reviewed examples of what a great assessment looks like, outside of the expectations of the rubric. I did like working through bad examples of the rubric itself. It was a good way for me apply my knowledge of assessment.
I love your idea of revisiting this DBQ in 4th grade to see how student ideas have changed!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about assessment. It didn’t occur to me that the only examples we shared were poor ones. We will definitely correct this for the next time. Perhaps we can even add one in before the semester is over.
Hi Stephanie, I am glad you found value in the DBQ presentation for kindergarten students. These two teachers engaged a strategy typically seen in upper grades and scaffolded to fit the K-2 age. I wonder if you have ever considered other strategies we have presented in class that felt more suited for upper elementary and thought about how to scaffold them for K-2. This will be a good discussion to have in class.