Differentiated Assessment

The unit I am doing with my students is persuasive writing.  To relate this to their real lives, I have created a resume and cover letter writing unit incorporating persuasive writing.  My student outcomes is for students to learn what information is compiled in a resume and how to translate that information into a cover letter in which s/he is persuading someone why they should be hired.  Students will understand that polishing a piece of work is necessary, the order and format of a document is important, and how to use persuasive language.  Students will know the order of information in a resume and what information to include in a resume and how to write a strong cover letter.  Student will be able to gather information to display in a resume and write a cover letter.  Other than the final product, I check in with students about their understanding and knowledge however, would like to develop a more formative assessment for the lesson plan.  I was thinking that after showing and explaining a "good resume", I would provide students with samples of "good resumes" and "not so good resumes" as a way for students to compare and contrast the differences.  Or I would provide students with a "not so good resume" and ask students to provide feedback on what information is missing or what would make the resume or cover letter stronger.  These are ideas and I have yet to expand or explore them.

Self-Assessment

My current level of understanding, knowledge and skills is at an emerging and applying level.  I feel like I do a very good job of identify strengths and needs of my students.  I feel like I am able to determine where my students are performing.  However, it has been challenging for me to know HOW to differentiate the instruction and work for each group level.  I have attempted to provide lessons that address the different learning styles of students and even attempted to break students up based on skill level, however I have not done it consistently.  I also try and integrate art, drawing or pictures to provide visuals.  I still feel like I am not moving "fast enough" or challenged enough my high skilled students, and I "leave behind" or don't give enough attention to my low skilled students.

The evidence in my growth lies in my ability to feel confident in what I do.  I also know that feedback from my coach and my student sample work shows that I am improving.