Assessment Tools:

Pre and Post-Instruction

The pre and post-instruction assessment (pre-test and final exam) for this unit, although
different, were designed to be parallel to one another in regards to their ability to assess student
knowledge/understanding of the form and structure of the modern short story rather than to
simply be able to memorize and reproduce a series of facts and definitions. It should be noted
however, that the final exam that was used covers both the first and second units of the semester.
The pre-test was initially drafted under the conceptualization of a longer single unit for the
quarter where the final exam would have consisted of both a re-issuing of the pre-test as well as a
creative project and written reflection. Soon after the beginning of the quarter, it became evident
that the bulk of the class was lacking in basic background knowledge and skills which required a
re-configuring of the course for the quarter. Too, it must be made clear that I was significantly
under-informed prior to the beginning of the semester as to when I would be delivering the unit I
was assigned to develop. Only upon arrival to the school for the teacher work day on the
Monday before the start of the quarter was I made aware that I would be leading the introductory
unit for the short fiction course and that I had to prepare a pre-test that day to be issued the first
day of class. As a result, the pre-test was created hurriedly and without a complete concept of
the course. While it contains the major ideas the class would cover, it is not complete in its
scope and, due to the need to re-align the course, it represents only a portion of the concepts that
were covered in the actual final. However, the final exam was created with this knowledge and
despite not being identical it addresses the same key concepts and knowledge assessed in the pretest.

Formative Assessments
Student assessment for this unit will be conducted through several methods including
formal and informal as well as formative and summative assessment. The assessments are
designed so to scaffold student learning, building upon one another to provide students the skills
and understandings necessary to complete the culminating summative assessment. All materials
will be included with the daily lesson plans.

Discussion: On a regular, nearly daily basis, student understanding will be assessed informally
through teacher observation during whole-class discussion of the texts we will be reading and the
concepts we will be studying. In addition to checking on student understanding, discussions will
also serve as an opportunity to assess students on their speaking and listening skills as well as
their ability to contribute to the learning and understanding of the class as a group.
Written responses / exit tickets: Students will regularly be required to submit written
responses to inquiry questions posed by the teacher at the end of the lesson/class period. The
specific questions posed will be listed in on the appropriate daily lesson plans. The questions
have been composed to be able to assess students in their ability to synthesize information and
demonstrate upper-level thinking skills rather than just measure rote memorization. The
responses will also allow students who are hesitant to speak in class the opportunity to voice
their thoughts and earn participation points for the day.
Post-reading question sheets: Students will complete post-reading question sheets for their
reading of William Wilson and The Lottery. The questions for the activities are designed to
assess student understanding of the major elements of the form of the short story as well as to
gauge reading comprehension and the ability to think critically about the texts. Additionally,
they will serve as evidence of student engagement in that they have actively read the texts.
Students will have the option to work independently or with partners on these activities, allowing
me to observe their ability to cooperate and function effectively as a team to achieve success.
Web Quest: Following their reading of Poes story William Wilson, students will complete a
web quest based on a Prezi presentation providing an analysis of the text. Students will respond
to a series of questions requiring them to think critically about the text and agree or disagree with
the presented analysis while providing evidence from the text to support their claims. The
students will be assessed on their ability to reference critical elements of form and how they
relate to the analysis of the work. They will also be assessed for their ability to provide
complete, well-reasoned responses, use appropriate academic language, and provide strong,
meaningful evidence to support their claims. Students will have the option of working with
partners on this activity allowing for me to assess their ability to work cooperatively as well.
TWIST Analysis At the close of the unit, students will be given handouts describing the
TWIST analysis format. As a class we will apply this method of analysis to our reading of

Shirley Jacksons The Lottery. This is actually a preliminary assessment for the work they will
be doing in the following unit where we will work closely with each element (Tone, Word
Choice, Imagery, Style, and Theme), defining each element, finding textual evidence
representative of each, and ultimately exploring them in reference to the major aspects of form
covered in this unit. This activity will serve to allow me to assess students understanding of the
components of the analysis model and adjust my teaching accordingly for the following unit.

Summative Assessment
Independent Short Story Analysis and Presentation: This will serve as the culminating text
for the unit and will require students to utilize all the information and skills they have been
working with over the course of the unit. Students will, using a free online resource for short
stories, explore, select and read a story of their own choosing (with minor requirements
pertaining to story length). They will then conduct a thorough analysis of the story and produce
a formal academic paper where they will comment on how the story does and does not meet the
short story form. Additionally they will analyze the story as per the TWIST model and provide a
summary of the story. Once completed, the students will formally present their work to the class.
Along with assessing student understanding of the major material covered in the unit, it will also
serve as an assessment of their development in academic writing and oral presentation. From
this assessment, it is anticipated that I will be able to accurately gauge student understanding and
use this information to guide and refine the direction of the following unit. Areas where students
demonstrate a lack of proficiency will be readdressed in the next unit.