High quality Work Claim Three
Students consistently produce quality work through critique, reflection, and revision.
Introduction
At Meadow Glen Middle we believe that students can produce quality work when they are given regular opportunities to participate in the reflection process. As part of this process, we build in times for revision and critique so that children can refine their work over time to produce the highest quality product possible. Feedback does not come from teachers alone. Through the use of protocols and procedures, students also give their peers feedback through the peer critique process as often as possible. Revision and critique do not live in academic courses alone. Students experience opportunities to revise and critique their work and the work of their peers in all classes, from the arts and Outdoor Education to English Language Arts. In fact, revision and critique are a vital part of our work with students at Meadow Glen Middle. It simply is part of our academic DNA. |
Evidence Block One: Art Portfolios
At MGMS art students participate in the revision and critique process for every single piece of work they produce. In fact, students actively and proudly engage in the revision, reflection, and critique so that they are able to produce the best quality art work possible. In addition, students document their revision process through the digital portfolio creation process. Art students at all levels collect evidence for their portfolios throughout the semester or year long class. The evidence they collect includes images of their revision process, which highlights their work process along the way in order to show growth over time, as well as pictures of their final product. In addition to the pictures, students write reflections about the process, or they produce an informative writing around the featured artist’s style for each piece of work they produce. Students include the writings and process images in their end of course portfolio to show their progress to their peers. In addition to the portfolio process, students also participate in multiple rounds of peer critique of their work. The critiques allow our students to help their fellow classmates revise their work for quality. Students often give each other feedback through a variety of protocols including written stars and stairs on sticky notes or note catchers.
At MGMS art students participate in the revision and critique process for every single piece of work they produce. In fact, students actively and proudly engage in the revision, reflection, and critique so that they are able to produce the best quality art work possible. In addition, students document their revision process through the digital portfolio creation process. Art students at all levels collect evidence for their portfolios throughout the semester or year long class. The evidence they collect includes images of their revision process, which highlights their work process along the way in order to show growth over time, as well as pictures of their final product. In addition to the pictures, students write reflections about the process, or they produce an informative writing around the featured artist’s style for each piece of work they produce. Students include the writings and process images in their end of course portfolio to show their progress to their peers. In addition to the portfolio process, students also participate in multiple rounds of peer critique of their work. The critiques allow our students to help their fellow classmates revise their work for quality. Students often give each other feedback through a variety of protocols including written stars and stairs on sticky notes or note catchers.
Art Portfolio Samples
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Evidence Block Two: Frederick Douglaas Children’s Books
Students at MGMS have opportunities each nine-weeks to produce writing as part of their participation in the EL Education ELA curriculum. We are highlighting the Frederick Douglaas Children’s books performance task from the 7th grade ELA curriculum because of the complexity in the writing and the craftsmanship shown due to multiple revisions. For this task, students wrote their own book through a series of structured lessons, which were designed to help all students produce quality work. To begin students selected an episode on which to focus and wrote a general plan for their story. Then they took those plans to a Writer’s Roundtable, where they discuss their plans and participate in a peer critique. During the 2017-2018 school year, our students have used the Lucy Calkins writing mini-lessons and rubrics to guide their revision process to ensure high levels of craftsmanship. As part of this process, students participated in a series of writer’s workshops. During the workshop lessons, the students created various drafts of their storyboards as part of their story planning. At various points students revised their writing based on teacher feedback, peer review, and self-assessment. Students also reflected on how they addressed audience and purpose in their stories during the workshop lessons. After receiving feedback from a variety of sources, the students created their illustrated children’s books. As a way to differentiate during the 2017-2018 school year, accelerated students had the option of choosing another powerful figure in history as the subject of their stories. The only caveat was that these students must select someone in history who had also overcome adversity to achieve greatness. Students were asked to choose a single event from a chosen person’s life and turn it into a powerful children’s narrative by incorporating the characteristics we had studied throughout the unit. The evidence below includes final products from each year of our EL Education ELA curriculum implementation. In addition, we included images of student feedback sessions where our seventh graders received feedback from their sixth grade peers.
Students at MGMS have opportunities each nine-weeks to produce writing as part of their participation in the EL Education ELA curriculum. We are highlighting the Frederick Douglaas Children’s books performance task from the 7th grade ELA curriculum because of the complexity in the writing and the craftsmanship shown due to multiple revisions. For this task, students wrote their own book through a series of structured lessons, which were designed to help all students produce quality work. To begin students selected an episode on which to focus and wrote a general plan for their story. Then they took those plans to a Writer’s Roundtable, where they discuss their plans and participate in a peer critique. During the 2017-2018 school year, our students have used the Lucy Calkins writing mini-lessons and rubrics to guide their revision process to ensure high levels of craftsmanship. As part of this process, students participated in a series of writer’s workshops. During the workshop lessons, the students created various drafts of their storyboards as part of their story planning. At various points students revised their writing based on teacher feedback, peer review, and self-assessment. Students also reflected on how they addressed audience and purpose in their stories during the workshop lessons. After receiving feedback from a variety of sources, the students created their illustrated children’s books. As a way to differentiate during the 2017-2018 school year, accelerated students had the option of choosing another powerful figure in history as the subject of their stories. The only caveat was that these students must select someone in history who had also overcome adversity to achieve greatness. Students were asked to choose a single event from a chosen person’s life and turn it into a powerful children’s narrative by incorporating the characteristics we had studied throughout the unit. The evidence below includes final products from each year of our EL Education ELA curriculum implementation. In addition, we included images of student feedback sessions where our seventh graders received feedback from their sixth grade peers.
2015 - 2016 Sample
2016-2017 Samples
2017 - 2018 Samples
2017 - 2018 Critique and feedback from peers and younger students
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Archery Student Receiving & Using Feedback to Improve Skill
Video of 6th Grade Archery Practice
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Evidence Block Three: Growth in Archery
At MGMS revision, practice, and reflection are an integral part of any performance task. In the case of outdoor education, students go through the entire revision process from start to finish through the archery unit. As students obtain feedback from their teacher and peers, they progressively see and feel how revision leads to a better crafted shot. We are highlighting archery because students have the opportunity to see revision and craftsmanship in a new and kinesthetic way. In addition to a focus on revision, the teachers have incorporated an intentional focus on growth mindset to help engender a stronger sense of persistence in the revision process. The evidence below includes videos, pictures, and written reflections from students around the their journey towards the “Bull’s Eye.”
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Student Reflections from the Archery Unit
"In the beginning I had experience from 6th and 7th grade, but I still wasn’t that good. I tried my best to hit the bullseye, but I was struggling. Usually I went through the eleven steps, but I...forgot some part or did it backwards. I finally pushed myself to study the material, and that helped me a little bit but not enough to hit the bullseye and get good at shooting. I had no idea what I was doing wrong. So when Coach Thomas let us use the laser arrow for feedback, I saw what I was doing wrong. I was shooting in the wrong place and also aiming in the wrong place as well. So the day after, I remembered about where to shoot and where to aim. Now I can hit the bullseye." ~ 8th Grade Student |
"In archery we used a program called Brainology that helped us learn...how messages travel in the brain. We also learned about how our thoughts and actions are controlled. Also in that program, there are many techniques like square breathing that we can use in archery...The process we used helped me hit a bull's eye. I can get better by being more persistent and keeping steady on the bow. I also think that I can get better by following the steps before letting the arrow go. It is important to calm yourself, settle your breathing, and aim before shooting your arrow. I think that it is important to go through those steps mentally each time you go to shoot." |