Every time I try a new unit, it seems like givingformative feedback isa more dauntingtask than usual. There areproblemsthat crop up that I can’t anticipate as well as new activities and assessments to design.Time for prep and feedback are both in short supply. Still, I was energized by Floop’srecent research on holistic feedback systemsand wanted to add a new feedback activity to the mix. Here’s what my lesson planning looked likeon our formative “feedback days.” Entry Task:self-assessment
Learning Activities:peer review, discussion,revision planning
Teacher Task:Select exactly one criterion per student necessitating teacher feedback. Make that selection based on self-assessment and peer review results.

After skimming

“Ms. Matlick, I start to shake when I get on stage. I literally can almost throw up,” one student tells me. We have been knee-deep in a research process for three weeks now asmy students prep for writing their own informative TED talkson topics of their choosing.At the end of the unit, they willeach stand on a red-dotted stage and present their information in front of their peers. Many are excited, but several are naturally apprehensive, or worse. The public speaking element of the project certainly ups the stakes;andgiving the kids many opportunities to test out the stage and their material in front of small groups will do a lot to build confidence. But as we head into the drafting and revision stage of the writing process, I’m reminded of a post by Floop co-founder Christine Witcher. She wrote about howfeedback exchangesthemselvesin any context can be emotionally charged, too. She suggests that by not only preparing kids in the traditional sense for the task at hand, we shouldals…