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Formative Assessment Project
Grade level: 5
th
Grade
Subject: Social Studies

I. Literature Review
Grant and Gradwell (2010) define a big idea as a question or generalization that helps
teachers decide what to teach and how by centering their teaching units in meaty, complex
issues that are open to multiple perspectives and interpretations (p. 3). To develop a good
unit of study, a teacher must not only develop a big idea but also have knowledge of subject
matter, knowledge of learners, and knowledge of context (p.9). These types of knowledge are
juxtaposed to the three Learning Principals depicted on the research findings by Darling-
Hammond and Bransford (2005). They summarized their research findings into three
principals: learners need opportunities to activate their prior knowledge, improve expertise in
a field, and develop a foundation of factual knowledge to facilitate retrieval and application.
Lastly, a metacognitive approach to instruction helps the learner take control of his or her own
learning (Nancy Hekkema. Professor, In-class PowerPoint presentation, July 24
th
, 2014). To
create a transcendent unit of study in social studies, I decided to use a big idea and the three
learning principals as the foundation that will support the blue print of my unit.
The big idea for my unit of study (A Study of Native American Regions) is the following: The
components of physical and human geography affect the way people live. The interactions
between those elements (landforms, bodies of water, climate, culture, and basic necessities) shape
the economy of a region and define the way people survive.
These are the essential questions that are linked to the big idea:
1. How does the geography of a region affect peoples lives?
2. How does geography affect culture?
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3. How did geography affect the lives of Native Americans?

4. How does categorizing data helps you organize the main ideas and details of a research
project?

I decided to use geography as the pivotal point of my unit because this concept is interlaced
with many ideas that I teach in 5th grade. Also, the concepts in geography can connect with any
person who has lived in a community. This is important because as described in one of the
three learning principals, triggering background knowledge is an essential element in order to
develop a successful learning environment. In his journal, Rawding (2014) argues that
geography makes it possible for students to understand other disciplines. Additionally,
geography helps students create links between their lives in and outside of the classroom.
In a nutshell, geography is simply the study of earth. However, how we study earth is
complex and it is open to a wide range of interpretations (Rawding 2014). For the Study of
Native American Regions, I decided to break geography into two categories: Physical Geography
and Human Geography. In the area of Physical Geography students will focus on identifying the
regions landforms, bodies of water, and climate. In Human Geography students will study
Native American regions, food, shelter, clothing, weapons, ceremonies, language, and crafts.
The objective is for students to understand that all these terms define a regions culture, and
they furthermore delineate how people survive in a specific geographical location.
Focusing on vocabulary acquisition for this unit is also fundamental. Particularly, it is
critical to guide students to develop their oral language by using the academic vocabulary in
this unit. The Common Core State Standards are raising the bar for language acquisition and
there are now 4 standards related to vocabulary in addition to other standards in the content
areas. In their article, Fisher and Fray (2014) explain that building collaborative conversations
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in which academic vocabulary is frequently used is critical for all learners but especially to
English Language Learners (ELL).
Another goal for this unit is to eventually get students to practice skills that transcend
grade levels. Silver et al. (2001) explain that education cannot solely be about content
knowledge. A large body of research investigating the links between education and
contemporary careers (Resnick, 1987, Reich, 1992, Murnane and Levy, 1996) indicates that
the new world we live in requires students to develop the skills of real-life-world problem
solvers. In addition, new state tests and standards have also placed a premium on skills like
interpreting multiple documents, analyzing visual information, summarizing, and developing
evidence-based arguments (p. 8). One of the first skills that I will be focusing on once students
learn key concepts in the units big idea is to categorize information. After the preliminary
stages of a research project is complete, the Common Core Standards ask students to answer
analytically to literature or informational text. However, prior to teaching the analytical stage
students in the elementary grades should practice planning the blueprint for their research,
which includes organizing and categorizing data. In my unit, these skills will be taught during
guided reading and writers workshop. In these literacy blocks students will learn skills that
are needed in future grade levels. Using geography as the backbone to support their reading
and writing skills, students will learn how to write and organize their ideas for a research
project. Mini lessons during the writing block will focus on sentence fluency, word choice,
voice, organization, and conventions. The book titled 6 + 1 Traits of Writing written by Ruth
Culham (2003) will be the tool used to enhance pedagogical knowledge in teaching writing.
Reading comprehension skills will be developed in guided reading by using nonfiction
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features, and other comprehension skills available in the book titled 99 Ideas and Activities for
Teaching English Learners with the SIOP MODEL (Vogt and Echeverria. 2008).
II. Learning Progression
To better describe the learning progression for this unit of study, please look at the
graphic below. On the next paragraph I will describe its components and how they will be
assessed in the classroom.
FRAMING GRAPHIC: Using the Native American Regions as a Lens to Learn About
Geography
A Study of Native American Regions

Big Idea: The components of physical and human geography affect the way people live.
The interactions between those elements (landforms, bodies of water, climate, culture,
and basic necessities) shape the economy of a region and define the way people survive.

Research: After learning about one Native American region, each student will choose
another region and write a research project about its geography.
Novice:
Defining CONCEPT(S)

Landforms
Bodies of Water
Climate
Culture
Basic Necessities
Region
Geography
Prefix: Geo
Suffix: Graph
Practitioner:
Defining CONCEPT(S)

Categorize
Human Geography
Physical Geography
Map Features
Non Fiction Features
Economy





Independent/Expert:
Defining CONCEPT(S)

Editing writing
using the 6 + 1
Writing Traits
(Focus on
organization, ideas,
and conventions)
Research Paper vs.
Essay
Categorization
Main Idea and
Details
Essential DETAILS

Landforms, bodies of
water, climate, culture, and
basic necessities make up
the features that define
geography.

Regions are defined by
Essential DETAILS

Geography can be divided
into two categories:
Physical geography and
human geography. Those
two make up the essential
components of a region.

Essential DETAILS

After the preliminary stages
of a research project is
completed, the Common
Core Standards ask students
to answer analytically to
literature or informational
text. However, prior to
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their geographical make-
ups. Hence, learning about
the features of geography
will help students
understand why the United
States is divided into 5
regions.




The interactions between
human and physical
geography define the
economy of a region.

Nonfiction features act as a
life raft for students to use
in order to comprehend
dense text.

Use map features to identify
the structure of a region.
teaching the analytical
stage, students in the
elementary grades should
practice planning the
blueprint for their research.
Through learning about
geography students will
learn to organize the
beginning stages of a
research project.
Enduring Understandings What are the overarching enduring understandings for the
unit/lesson? (Big ideas that transcend the unit)
Students will understand the impact of geography on peoples way of life.
Students will understand how to categorize information in order to write a
research projects.

A novice for this unit of study will be able to identify a regions landforms, bodies of
water, climate, culture, and its basic necessities. It is important that students understand that
basic necessities and culture include: food, shelter, clothing, weapons, ceremonies, language,
and crafts. Learning these terms will help students understand why countries like the United
State are divided into regions. Also, this knowledge will help them explain the definition of a
region and geography. When students become practitioners, they will begin to place new
vocabulary into Human Geography and Physical Geography categories. The interactions
between these two categories help practitioners infer the nature of a regions economy. In
regards to reading comprehension, practitioners use nonfiction features to comprehend
difficult text. In addition, they use map features to recognize the physical geography of a
region. Like practitioners, experts in this unit understand the nature of a regions economy.
Similarly, experts can organize information into categories, and use this skill to write main
ideas with details in order to complete a research project. Experts are able to understand the
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difference between a research paper and an essay and proof read and edit their writing by
using the 6 + 1 writing traits.
III. Formative Assessment Tool Design
To assess learning progression in the novice stage, students will have to complete two
graphic organizers. In the first organizer students will read a selection (six paragraphs or less)
from the social studies textbook. The reading will be about the geography of the Midwest.
Students will extract information about the regions physical geography and jot down notes in
a graphic organizer. In the second graphic organizer students will complete information about
the human geography of a Native American Region. Students with IEPs and RTI documentation
will read a selection at their grade level. If necessary, some students will read the selection
with the assistance of the teacher. To find at grade level reading materials that explore the
targeted social studies concepts, I will use the following web resources: Reading A-Z, Read
Write Think, MyOn Reading, Scholastic, as well as the school library.
The assessments for learning progression will be given to students during writers
workshop. According to Solley (2000), writers workshop is a place where children are given
extended periods of time to read and write. They are also given freedom to take
responsibilities over the literacy tasks. Consequently, writers workshop gives the teacher the
liberty to conference with students individually or in groups. Due to the nature of my
formative assessments, it is important that the teacher is flexible with the schedule and gives
students the opportunity to retake the assessment without feeling humiliated. Writers
workshop is the perfect time to help students with IEPs and to differentiate assessments
according to reading level. Other minor assessments will be given during guided reading.

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Graphic Organizer 1 (Novice)

Physical Geography
Landforms


Bodies of
Water


Climate

Evaluation (Graphic Organizer 1)
Checklist
Physical Geography 2pts per criteria
Student included at least 3 landforms


Student include at least 3 bodies of water


Student described the climate by using the vocabulary
presented in the reading selection.


Total Points ___ / 6

Graphic Organizer 2 (Novice)

Human Geography
Shelter


Clothing
Food
Weapons, Tools, and Crafts
Ceremonies
Language





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Evaluation (Graphic Organizer 2)
Checklist
Human Geography 2pts per criteria
Student included 1 type of shelter that Native Americans
made in that region


Student included the elements Native Americans used to
make clothes


Student included at least 1 weapon, tool, or craft used in the
Native American region


Student named 1 ceremony conducted by the Native
Americans from that region


Student named 1 language spoken in the Native American
region



Total Points
___ / 10

To assess learning progression in the practitioner stage, students will complete a
concept map, which will show that a student is able to categorize the geography terms into the
following categories: Human Geography and Physical Geography. The linking words will be
provided in this concept map. However, students will write words from the word bank and
reading selections inside the bubbles on the concept map. The vocabulary in the reading
selections will be used to fill out the outer bubbles of the concept map. I will meet with
students during writers workshop to conference about their concept maps. During this time
students will provide a rationale about their word selection and word location. Students that
successfully complete the concept map will begin to infer about the regions economy and why
it is important for peoples survival.
During guided reading students learning progressions will be focused on nonfiction
features and how students use them to improve their reading comprehension of difficult texts.
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During social studies the learning progression will focus on maps and how students can use
them to locate the physical geography of a region.
Concept Map (Practitioner)

Word Bank
Physical Geography / Landforms / Basic Necessities / Shelter / Clothing / Food
Human Geography / Bodies of Water / Culture / Climate / Weapons / Ceremonies
Crafts / Language





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Nonfiction Features Graphic Organizer (Practitioner)
Students will show me this graphic organizer during guided reading.

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Map Features (Practitioner)
Map Title



Compass Direction


Key or Legend
(Describe the
information it provides)


Scale


Bodies of Water


Landforms



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Evaluation (Map Features)
Checklist
Map Features

2pts per criteria
Student included the map title


Student included the compass direction


Student described the key or legend


Student described the scale


Student located at least 2 bodies of water


Student located at least 1 landform


Total Points ___ / 12

In the expert stage, students will create an interactive educational magazine (research
project) using the Book Creator application on the iPads. The magazine will inform readers
about one Native American region and it will depict its physical and human geography.
Students will be able to select the following regions: Northwest Coastal, Southwest, Northeast
Woodlands, Southeast Woodlands, and the Arctic. They will complete this project during a
learning center in the literacy block. It is important to note that students must first write their
projects during the writers workshop block in order to get access to the iPads. On the next
page you can find the rubrics I will use to assess the learning progression of their writing
project. The rubrics were obtained from the book written by Ruth Culham (2003), 6 + 1 Traits
of Writing. I wont be teaching and modeling all the writing traits during writers workshop;
instead, students will focus on strengthening their ideas, organization, and conventions during
this time.

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6 + 1 Traits Rubrics (Experts)


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Rubric for Research Project (Expert)


3 2 1 0
Basic
Necessities
(Human
Geography)
The student included
the following
information:
1) Shelter
2) Food
3) Clothing
4) Weapons
The student only
included 3 out of
the 4 requisites.
The student only
included 2 out of
the 4 requisites
The student only
included 1 out of the
4 requisites
Culture
(Human
Geography)
The student included
the following
information:
1) Ceremonies
2) Language
3) Crafts

The student only
included 2 out of
the 3 requisites
The student only
included 1 out of
the 3 requisites
The student only
included 0 out of the
3 requisites
Physical
Geography
The student included
the following
information:
1) Landforms
2) Bodies of Water
3) Climate

The student only
included 2 out of
the 3 requisites
The student only
included 1 out of
the 3 requisites
The student only
included 0 out of
the 3 requisites
Book
Creator
Layout

Includes an introduction
with an interactive table
of contents. Sources
page included.

The table of
contents is not
interactive.

Missing the
Sources page in
the introduction

Missing the sources
page in the
introduction

Grammar

No spelling mistakes. 1 3 spelling
mistakes.
4 6 Spelling
mistakes.
6 + spelling
mistakes.








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References
Chapter 2 Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, (1999). How people learn. Brain, mind, experience,
and school. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.
Culham, R. (2003). 6 + 1 traits of writing: the complete guide, grades 3 and up. New York:
Scholastic Professional Books.
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014). Content Area Vocabulary Learning. Reading Teacher, 67(8), 594-
599. doi:10.1002/trtr.1258
Grant, S. G. (2010). Teaching history with big ideas: cases of ambitious teachers. Lanham, Md.:
Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Rawding, C. (2014). The importance of teaching 'holistic' geographies. Teaching Geography,
39(1), 10-13.
Solley, B. (2000). Writer's Workshop (Revised/Expanded ed., p. 143). Needham Heights:
Pearson.
Vogt, M., & a, J. (2008). 99 ideas and activities for teaching English learners with the SIOP model.
Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon.