Great Thinkers

At a Glance

Things You Need

Assessing Projects (CD)

Assessing Projects* (online)

• Essential Question
  What does it take to change our world?
• Focus Questions
  Which people have positively impacted our world?
• Content Questions
  How did these “Great Thinkers” change the world?
  Who did their work impact?
  What obstacles did they overcome to change the world?

Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline
This timeline shows in chronological order the different types of formal and informal assessments that occur during the project. The table below explains how each assessment is used and who uses it for what purpose.

Assessment Timeline

Before project work begins

Learners work on projects and complete tasks

After project work is completed




K-W-L Chart List

K-W-L Chart

Research Quiz Journal Questioning K-W-L Chart Anecdotal Notes

Peer Feedback Diary Scoring Guide Oral Content Scoring Guide Oral Presentation

K-W-L Chart Questioning Oral Content Scoring Guide

Oral Presentation Scoring Guide Reflection

Assessment	Process and Purpose of Assessment
K-W-L Chart	Learners develop classroom and individual Know-Wonder-Learn Charts about Great Thinkers. Learners use these to access prior understanding, brainstorm ideas, think about questions to research, and reflect on their learning. The teacher uses the K-W-L initially to gauge readiness and interest in the topic and then during the project to promote metacognitive skills as learners revisit the charts and reflect on their learning.
List	Learners generate a list of famous people and choose five that they think have made a positive impact on the world. This helps learners tap prior knowledge and start to organize their thinking. The teacher uses the information to assess what types of people learners think have made positive impacts on the world. This can then lead to a discussion highlighting the important characteristics in Great Thinkers
Journal	Learners use journals to write down research notes and to answer reflective questions. The teacher reviews journals during conferences to provide feedback, clarify misunderstandings, and provide additional lessons if necessary. The teacher reviews journals at the end of the project to assess analysis and synthesis skills.
Questioning	Teachers use questioning strategies to monitor learner progress, probe for understanding, and engage learners in higher-order thinking. Teachers question learners when circulating during group and individual work time as well as during conferences. Teachers also return to Curriculum-aligned Questions throughout the project to analyze learner understanding.
Research Quiz	Learners are given a short answer research quiz to check on their progress. This quiz provides the teacher with a snapshot of the research up to this point. Most importantly, this quiz serves as a guide to learners about what they still need to find regarding the life and work of their Great Thinker.
Anecdotal Notes	In this informal assessment, notes from observations and interactions with individuals and groups and from the conferences provide documentation for final assessment.
Poem Scoring Guide	Learners use the poem scoring guide to monitor the quality of their work and to provide peer feedback during the writing, editing, and revising of the “I AM” poems. The teacher uses it to assess the final poems.
Peer Feedback	Learners use the poem scoring guide to give feedback to their peers about their poems. They do not score each other, but rather highlight the descriptions in the scoring guide that correspond to the poem, citing evidence from the poem. The focus on peer feedback is on improvement, not judgment.
Diary Scoring Guide	Learners use the diary scoring guide to monitor the quality of their work during diary writing. Teachers use the scoring guide to assess final entries.
Oral Presentation Content Scoring Guide	Learners write and deliver a speech as their Great Thinker, using the Speech Content Scoring Guide  to help prepare for the content of the speech as well as to clarify questions during the practice sessions. This is the first of two scoring guides for the learners’ speeches. The content scoring guide assesses the substance of the speech, while the oral presentation scoring guide assesses the enactment of the speech. The teacher uses this scoring guide to assess the content of the oral presentation.
Oral Presentation Scoring Guide	Learners write and deliver a speech as their Great Thinker, using the Oral Presentation Scoring Guide to help prepare for the presentation or production portion of the speech as well as to clarify questions during the practice sessions. The teacher uses it to assess the oral presentation.
Reflection	Learners reflect upon what they have learned in the unit, returning to the Essential and Focus Questions, “What does it take to change our world?”, and “Which people have positively impacted our world?” Learners cite evidence from their research and their peers’ presentations. The teacher uses these reflections to assess learners’ growth throughout the project.


Credits
Joel Lang participated in the Intel^® Teach Program, which resulted in this idea for an assessment plan. A team of teachers expanded the plan into the example you see here.