Formative Assessment
Throughout this suggested activity, you will support students in achieving the following skills that are the focuses for assessment:
The following formative assessment opportunities are provided to help students unpack and develop the focus skills for assessment. Feedback prompts are also provided to help students enhance their demonstration of the focus skills for this activity. Formative assessment support is not intended to generate a grade or score.
Formative Assessment: Assessment for Learning Opportunities
Propose a Solution
Involve students in a peer review to examine the effectiveness of the support they have provided for their proposed solution. Use the feedback prompts below to provide structure in guiding students through this formative assessment opportunity.
Feedback Prompts:
- Have I proposed a solution about the actions that need to be taken?
- Are my ideas feasible and respectful?
- Have I provided specific reasons to explain why I believe my ideas will help build a positive future?
These feedback prompts have been incorporated into the Propose a Solution: Peer Coaching Tool 
, which can be copied or adapted for student use. Samples of tools created for a similar skill within a different formative assessment context may be found in the Social Studies 10-4 Formative Assessment Summary 
.
Communicate Information
Involve students in a peer review to provide and receive feedback on the effectiveness of their personal written response or video or multimedia submission for the newspaper editor. Use the feedback prompts below to provide structure in guiding students through this formative assessment opportunity.
Feedback Prompts (for a personal written response):
In my writing, do I:
- organize my information so the reader can understand my message?
- use language that will be easily understood by the reader?
- use respectful language?
- edit my text to make it easier for the reader to understand my message?
Feedback Prompts (for a video or multimedia piece):
In my video or multimedia piece, do I:
- provide written text where appropriate to support the organization of my message?
- use images to support the key points of my message?
- ensure that the images are of good quality?
- ensure that the audio is of good quality and that the volume is at an appropriate level?
These feedback prompts have been incorporated into the Communicate Information (Personal Written Response): Peer Coaching Tool and the Communicate Information (Video or Multimedia Piece): Peer Coaching Tool , which can be copied or adapted for student use. Samples of tools created for a similar skill within a different formative assessment context may be found in the Social Studies 10-4 Formative Assessment Summary .
Linking to the Summative Assessment Task
- As students complete their personal written response, video or multimedia piece, they will have completed the Summative Assessment Task: Building a Positive Future .
- Students should consult the assessment task and the assessment task rubric to ensure that they have provided the information required.
- Encourage students to review the feedback received during the formative assessment opportunities and to consider enhancements they wish to make prior to submitting their final product.
- If necessary, continue to use the feedback prompts from the formative assessment opportunities to coach students toward completion of a quality product.
- If student performance does not yet fall within the three levels described in the summative assessment task rubric, work with the student to formulate a plan to address the student's learning needs.
Students consider what further actions would be appropriate and effective to promote healing and build a positive future for all Canadians. They write a personal response or create a video or multimedia piece in order to share their proposed solutions.
Instructional Support
A number of possible tasks are provided in this suggested activity. It is not intended that you work through all of the tasks, but rather select those tasks and resources that will best meet the learning needs of your students. The focus should be on ensuring that students have the background and support to be successful with the skills that are the focuses for assessment (propose a solution, and communicate information).
Setting the Context for Learning
During this suggested activity, students consolidate their understandings of the residential schools experience in Canada and consider solutions to help all Canadians move forward positively.
- Invite students to ponder the following question:
- Given that the consequences of residential schools still exist for Aboriginal peoples in Canada today, what would be the most appropriate next step to build a positive future among all Canadians?
- Remind students that their response to this question will be the final part of the Summative Assessment Task: Building a Positive Future .
Propose a Solution
- Help students understand the critical role that perspectives play when considering solutions to challenging issues. As students generate their proposed solutions, they should consider the feasibility of what they are proposing and provide the reasons that explain why they believe their solutions are viable. As in all other endeavours, respectful language is essential as students communicate their ideas and consider the ideas of others.
- Assist students in examining contemporary examples of Aboriginal or indigenous leaders to analyze their accomplishments, actions, experiences or points of view about how we can most appropriately address the effects of residential schools as a legacy of historical globalization. Possible leaders include an Elder; a political or community leader; or an accomplished artist, entrepreneur or athlete contributing to his or her community in Canada or globally (e.g., David Bouchard, Chief Dan George, Phil Fontaine, Shawn Atleo, Mary Simon, Clément Chartier, Gladys Evelyn Cook, Maggie Hodgson, Stephen Kakfwi, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Susan Aglukark, Jordin Tootoo or other choices selected by students).
- Provide clear research strategies, website or source suggestions, and research organizers to support students with collection and analysis of information.
- Possible sources of video, poetry and prose include the following:
- David Bouchard (e.g., The Elders Are Watching)
- Chief Dan George
- As an additional way to engage in gathering information, you may wish to invite an Elder or a residential school survivor to visit the classroom. Students can create respectful and appropriate interview questions in preparation for this visit. Note: It is recommended that you consult with the FNMI liaison personnel at the school and/or within your community for opportunities to work with Elders and to build awareness regarding appropriate protocols to be followed when making these requests.
- Invite students to use the self-assessment checklist from Modelling the Tools: Asking Powerful Questions to reflect on the quality of their questions and to make any necessary adjustments so that their questions are more effective.
- Involve students in designing their response to the question posed previously:
- Given that the consequences of residential schools still exist for Aboriginal peoples in Canada today, what would be the most appropriate next step to build a positive future among all Canadians?
- Encourage students to reflect on what they have learned and experienced through exploring the topic of residential schools as they determine what they believe could be the most appropriate next step. As they create their plan, students should consider the multiple perspectives that they have examined throughout their inquiry.
Communicate Information
In this suggested activity, the skill of communicating information is placed within a real-life context where certain protocols must be in place to ensure that the editor of the newspaper will even consider publishing or posting the submission. By grounding the task in a real-life context, students have the opportunity to practise a skill that is part of active and responsible citizenship.
- Brainstorm with students a list of qualities for a personal written response and for an effective video or multimedia piece.
- From this list, work with students to select what they believe to be the 3 to 5 most important qualities for each type of format. Depending on the presentation format selected by the student, the corresponding qualities can be placed in the left-hand column of the appropriate Communicate Information: Peer Coaching Tool (see the Formative Assessment section).
- Students can consider these qualities as they prepare their final product for submission to the editor of the local newspaper. Remind students that although the assessment task rubric looks holistically at the effectiveness of the communication to inform and engage the audience, and the technical presentation qualities on the brainstormed list are not graded discretely, as students focus their attention toward these details, the quality of their communication will likely improve.
- You may find that some students require further coaching and support with specific literacy and communication skills. These skills can form the basis for targeted instruction with individual students or a small group of students.
Suggested Supporting Resources
Textbook References
Student Basic Resource—Oxford University Press, Living in a Globalizing World:
- Pages 165–169 Responding to the Legacies
- Page 172 Voices: Two Views of Self-Government
- Page 173 Chapter Summary and Reflection (Apply and Extend Ideas, Question 1)
Teaching Resource—Oxford University Press, Living in a Globalizing World:
- RM 0.2 Venn Diagram (to compare sources)
- RM 0.3 Analyzing & Discussing Issues (comparing perspectives)
- RM 0.4 Recording Information Show more
- RM 0.5 Fact, Opinion, and Bias Graphic Organizer
- RM 0.10 Paragraph Organizer
- RM 0.14 Reading to Find Information
- RM 0.15 Note-Taking Strategy
- RM 0.17 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (S.W.O.T.) Analysis Template
- RM 0.23 One Structure for Presenting a Position in Response to an Issue
- AM 1 Demonstrating Understanding Rubric
- AM 2 Generating & Organizing Ideas Rubric
- AM 4 Considering Multiple Perspectives & Viewpoints Rubric
- AM 15 Discussing Issues Rating Scale
- AM 20 Persuasive Writing Assignment Rubric
Teaching Resource—McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Exploring Globalization:
- Reproducible TOT 4 Practise Identifying and Asking Powerful Questions
- Reproducible 1.1.4 My Presentation Proposal
Teaching Resource—Duval House Publishing, Aboriginal Studies 10: Aboriginal Perspectives:
- Pages 423–429 Protocols
- Pages 433–434 Talking Circles Protocol
- Pages 479–482 Rubrics Show more
- Pages 521–531 Appendix E: Earth Voices Video Series
Web Resources
Web Links for Online Sources:
Knowledge and Employability Studio:
Videos:
Distributed Learning/Tools4Teachers Resources:
Critical Challenges:
Community Resources (e.g., Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Cultural and Community Experts)
- Arrange for interviews with Elders. Contact your area's FNMI liaison (within your school or jurisdiction, or through the community Friendship Centre).
Stories and Other Media (e.g., films, stories/literature, nonfiction, graphic novels)
- Hank Williams First Nation (film, 2005, Peace Country Films, Aaron James Sorensen [Director], 92 minutes)
