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Portfolio Assignment
EPSE 448
3/7/2012
1
Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Article #1 – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam ................................................................................................ 2
Article #2 – “Assessment as Learning”.......................................................................................................... 5
Article #3 – “Giving up the Grade” ................................................................................................................ 7
Article #4 – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide ......................................................................................... 9
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 10
Appendix A – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam ........................................................................................... 11
Appendix B – Assessment as Learning Mind MapAppendix C – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide ...... 16
Appendix C – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide .................................................................................... 17
Appendix D - Data Collection from Bloom’s Taxonomy Analysis ................................................................ 23
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 24
2
Introduction
My portfolio contains four articles that examine different aspects of assessment,
including exam creation, assessment as learning, ungraded classrooms and Bloom’s taxonomy.
Although focusing on different topics, the articles are interrelated because they represent my
overall understanding of assessment. As I worked on this assignment I found that reflecting on
one article would raise an idea or issue that would directly relate to one of my other articles. This
was both a useful and troublesome discovery. It was useful because I found myself engaging
more with theory and continuously drawing connections to my internship. At the same time, this
was troublesome because I kept reworking my reflections to include new information and I
ended up running out of time. Nonetheless, it was a process that I enjoyed going through.
Article #1 – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam
Summary
During my internship I was in an English Language Arts classroom. In my ELA 20 class
I planned and implemented a novel study on To Kill a Mockingbird. One thing my co-operating
teacher really wanted me to do was create an exam to finish off the unit. After looking through
exams that she used for other novel studies, I developed the attached exam. It is divided into four
sections. The first section requires students to match a character from the novel with their
corresponding description. The second section has nineteen multiple choice questions that relate
to the novel’s plot and various themes. Next, there are eight short answer questions and the exam
ends with an essay question. Prior to writing this exam the students were told the layout of the
exam as well as an outline that reflected key concepts that were to be tested. The students were
also given two days in class to work through the exam outline in small groups and ask any
questions they may have had in order to maximize the chances for success.
Reflection
After giving the exam to my students, there were definitely things that I wanted to
change. The students had a lot of questions regarding the wording of several multiple choice
questions and nearly all of the students wrote the same essay. This last part suggests to me that
overall student understanding of the novel was not as comprehensive as I had thought. Our
textbook, Classroom Assessment, has several sections that look at general guidelines for creating
an exam, as well as guidelines more specific to creating short answer, multiple choice and essay
questions. After comparing my exam with these guidelines, I have discovered several things that
can be changed in order to make it a more effective exam. As I went through my test, I made a
series of comments that will be taken into consideration if I choose to re-use this exam.
One thing that is problematic with this exam is the lack of written directions. At the
beginning of the exam I verbally explained each of the sections; however it is likely that some
students tuned me out so that they could finish the exam as quick as possible. The addition of
3
written instructions would make this exam more clear for the students who jump right in. Written
instructions would have also benefitted our EAL student. After giving this exam, I noticed that
she did better when the instructions were written down because she found it easier than relying
solely on auditory processes.
When I sat down to put this exam together, it was my intention to arrange the questions
by level of difficulty. That is why matching is the first section and the essay is the final section. I
thought it was interesting that McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger (2011) report that “arranging
items by level of difficulty has little effect on the results” (p. 178). Looking back on my own test
taking experience, I can see this being an accurate statement. If I did not know the answer, I
would just skip the question and come back to it later. It did not matter where in the test that
question was, as my process was still the same. The authors also suggest organizing test sections
so that quickly answered questions are near the beginning. I would suggest that this overall test
organization is ordering the sections, not necessarily the individual questions, from easiest to
more difficult. This is possibly because I usually find binary-choice and multiple choice easier
than short or long answer questions. However, this is not necessarily true for my students.
Looking specifically at the matching section, there are a few changes that can be made to
improve this exam. I should have alphabetized the character names instead of putting them in a
random order. That way there are no subtle hints that lead to the correct answer. McMillan,
Hellsten and Klinger (2011) suggest that eight is the maximum number of premises and I have
eleven. There are definitely a couple of less important characters that I can remove from the list,
like Mr. Gilmer and Mr. Underwood. The ideas that these characters represent are much more
important than the characters themselves.
My set of multiple choice questions could definitely use some work. One of the first areas
of improvement that I noticed was the layout of each question. McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger
(2011) suggest to list items vertically below the stem, which makes a lot of sense. As I reread the
questions I found that my eyes were getting lost trying to locate the correct answer. In addition to
organization, many of the questions are really vague. Not all of the stems are clear, resulting in
some questions having more than one correct answer. One error that was consistent throughout
this section had to do with the location of a blank in a completion item. I often put the blanks in
the centre of a stem; however the authors suggest that the blank is placed at the end of the stem. I
agree that the placement of a blank makes the question clearer, allowing students to move on to
the next question more quickly. The final note I made in this section had to do with the
distribution of correct responses throughout the options. When I made the exam I randomly
selected the order of each answer. At university I have found that the correct answer is always C
and I wanted to randomly order the answers to reflect a more even distribution. Apparently, I
need to readjust the items to achieve this more even distribution.
There are several improvements that I would like to make to the short answer and essay
question sections. Some of the questions are excessively wordy, making them unclear. My word
choice may have also made it difficult for some students to know what knowledge I was seeking.
I found this to be the case when I was correcting the exam written by my EAL student. She did
well on the previous two sections; however her answers in these sections indicate that she did not
fully understand what I was asking. In the process of making the items more succinct and clear, I
4
can also ensure that each question has only one answer that is not too complex. In the directions I
indicated that the students could respond to the short answer questions in point form, but some of
the questions required complex and detailed answers. The essay questions have similar issues,
meaning that some are excessively wordy and possibly unclear. McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger
(2011) recommend having only one choice for an essay question but I am not sure that I agree. I
do not see a problem with allowing students to choose the question that they know the most
about. The curricular outcomes and indicators do not specifically say that ‘students must be able
to explain why Boo Radley symbolizes a mockingbird,’ rather they focus upon skill sets. If our
goal is to develop these skill sets, then I see no problem with letting students choose their own
content.
After reading through the guidelines for developing exams, I am grateful to have a copy
of this textbook as a reference point for developing future exams. There are a lot of
improvements that I can make to this unit exam to clarify the content for my students. However,
the more I think about the purpose of assessment, the more I wonder how it can be done without
having students regurgitate information on exams. When I have my own classroom it is likely
that I will give this exam a couple of more times, at least until I am more familiar and
comfortable with alternative forms of assessment.
5
Article #2 – “Assessment as Learning” Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (2006). Rethinking Classroom Assessment with
Purpose in Mind. Accessed online on February 16, 2012 at:
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/rethinking_assess_mb.pdf
Summary
This article is a chapter from a textbook created by Manitoba Education that focuses on
assessment. The chapter focuses on assessment as learning. To set the purpose of the chapter it
starts off with a quote that I really liked: “We must constantly remind ourselves that the ultimate
purpose of evaluation is to enable students to evaluate themselves” (Manitoba Education 2006, p.
41). From here, the text launches into a definition of assessment as learning and briefly compares
it with assessment for and of learning. Basically, assessment as learning involves teaching
students to be aware of and challenge their own thinking patterns and own learning so that they
can operate more independently. Once the terminology is established, the text examines the role
of a teacher in a classroom that regularly makes use of assessment as learning. In this
environment the teacher is responsible for creating a safe space for students to play with new
ideas, model metacognitive strategies and provide exemplars of quality work. The teacher is also
responsible for creating opportunities for students to self-assess and to provide descriptive
feedback that is useful and relevant to each student. The text then walks through one teacher’s
thought process when using assessment as learning. They start by establishing a purpose of
assessment and identifying as assessment tool. This hypothetical teacher then examines how she
can ensure that the assessment will be reliable and valid. She ends with a list of ways students
could use this assessment to better understand their own style of learning. In addition to this
hypothetical scenario, the text includes several specific, real-world examples that felt more
useful. The examples came from a range of age groups that encompass grades 2 – 12 and from a
variety of subject areas. This chapter ends with a chart that compares assessment as learning with
assessment for learning. The chart compares the purposes of assessment, the skill sets being
assessed, possible methods, ways to ensure quality and the uses of information gathered during
assessment.
Reflection
I decided to include an article on assessment as learning because I was unsure of how it
differs from assessment for learning. Several of the workshops given by my peers have
mentioned that assessment for learning is better than assessment of learning, but I do not recall
any workshop mentioning assessment as learning. I have had a couple other professors mention
assessment as learning but it was more in passing. Our textbook has a rather small section to
highlight the key points of assessment as learning but I wanted more information.
I really liked the quote that started off this article because it set the tone for the entire
article. Often, when teachers sit around and talk about assessment, I feel that their purpose of
assessment varies. The power of assessment and evaluation can get to some teachers and make
6
them thrive off of controlling students. I like the idea of teaching students how to have this sort
of power over themselves and allowing them to practice self-assessment in my classroom. I
remember struggling when I first got into the College of Education because I was not used to
reflecting and evaluating my own ideas in a classroom setting. I wanted the professors to tell me
what to learn so that I could move on to the next class. However, I now find these tools to be
important and useful in the classes I am currently taking. I have been applying reflection and
self-evaluation to my open elective, a 400 level History class, and am finding that I have learned
more information as a result. I guess what I am trying to say is that being aware of my
metacognitive strategies has been beneficial to me; therefore I want my students to have the
same opportunity to develop self-evaluation skills.
There were two parts of this article that I will most likely refer to in the future. The first is
the chart at the very end of the article that examines the differences between assessment for
learning and assessment as learning. Classroom Assessment has a chart that adds in a column to
outline assessment of learning; however I found this chart to be rather vague. Sometimes I need
more than one word to understand the message an author is trying to convey and several of the
columns contained the same information. Overall I felt that McMillan, Hellsten and Klinger
focus a lot on assessment for learning, instead of explaining all three. What I like about the chart
in this article is that it is clearer. I am able to look at the provided chart and understand how the
purpose, content and methods of assessment are different.
The other part of the article that I found useful was the section on the role of a teacher in
facilitating assessment as learning. This role is greatly different than in a classroom where other
forms of assessment dominate. In this role, the teacher surrenders some of their power in order to
empower students and guides students through learning instead of telling student what to learn. I
think it would be difficult, at least initially, for me to occupy this facilitative role because of how
alien it is to me. However, it is a role I would like to acquire. I have included a mind map that I
created when thinking about how I could occupy the roles suggested by this article. It is
reflecting on how to occupy this role on a hypothetical assignment - a project based upon a novel
study.
As I created my mind map, I had one of those “a ha” moments. It clicked in my brain that
teachers will always take on many roles and that it is okay to combine assessment as learning
with assessment for learning. I still wonder which form of assessment students would benefit the
most from. I think there are positives to both assessment as and for learning, but personally
would like to move towards a pedagogy that approaches education from the assessment as
learning mind frame.
7
Article #3 – “Giving up the Grade” Noble, David F. (2007). Giving Up the Grade. Our Schools, Our Selves, 16 (3), 29 – 31.
Summary
To continue with the theme of more progressive ways of marking, my next article is
about getting rid of grade altogether within a classroom setting. This article is written from the
perspective a university professor, David F. Noble, who spent thirty years avoiding the
distribution of traditional grades. Noble suggests that many of his colleagues do not agree with
traditional grading models, yet they make use of them due to a fear of administrative reprisal and
as way to focus on student inadequacies. In addition to these reasons, Noble (2007) suggests that
grades exist to function as “publically-subsidized pre-employment screening” (p. 29).
Essentially, grades are one way for prospective employers to determine your ability to complete
a specific task. By eliminating grades all together, this invisible third party disappears from the
classroom and students are able to focus more on truly learning something. Students in this
environment spend less time worrying about being evaluated and more time being engaged in the
content and in the classroom community. Instead of evaluation, Noble suggests that teachers
provide students with encouragement and descriptive feedback. By doing this, “students no long
depend on others for a sense of their own worth,” (Noble 2007, p. 30) and an intellectual
environment replaces an atmosphere of anxiety. Overall, Noble suggests that a system with no
grades allows for increased student learning, engagement and development. The article ends with
a brief description of Noble’s no-grade university classes and a statement encouraging his
colleagues to try out this method.
Reflection
One thing that immediately stood out in this article is that it was written within the
context of post-secondary education. As a future high school teacher, I found myself wondering
how I could apply this information within my classroom. I like the idea of letting students learn
for the sake of learning and the idea of removing the anxiety often associated with receiving a
grade. However, there are external parties that require students to receive grades. Students who
want to continue on to post-secondary education need to have certain grades in order qualify for
some university programs and they are definitely required when applying for scholarships.
I definitely think that assessment as learning and an ungraded classroom would work well
together. Since the grade that matters most is the end-grade, I could set up my classroom so that
students self-assess throughout the entire semester and choose their own grade at the end of the
semester. At the beginning of the term we would could define the goals of our class and post
them somewhere visible. Students would have to complete a certain number of projects in order
to cover the curricular outcomes. Perhaps they could compile their work into a portfolio. At the
beginning of the term, when defining our goals, we could also create some sort of self-
assessment tool for the students to use throughout the semester and at the very end. As a result, I
think that students really would learn how to learn instead of learning how to get good grades.
8
After reading this article, I was reluctant to think an ungraded classroom would work.
However the more I have thought about what this sort of classroom would look like, the more the
idea is growing on me. In order to have a completely ungraded classroom I would definitely need
the support of my school board and of my students. I thought it was interesting that Noble
mentions never having a student beg him for a grade. Thinking back to my own high school
experience, I think I would have really benefitted from this sort of program. The most important
thing I learned in high school was telling teachers the information that they were looking for. As
a result, I did really well in my first couple years of university because professors loved it when
students accurately regurgitated content. It was not until I found myself in the College of
Education that I stopped caring about grades and focused on my own learning.
9
Article #4 – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide Summary
In a conversation with my internship facilitator, my co-op remarked that she was
impressed with my use of Bloom’s taxonomy within the classroom and especially within the To
Kill a Mockingbird Unit. At the time I had a very vague idea of what Bloom’s taxonomy was,
however I was unsure of how I was using it in the classroom. For this article, I have taken a
reading guide created for the novel and compared it with Bloom’s taxonomy to see which levels
of thinking I elicited most often.
The guide I have chosen to look at is for chapters 9 – 18 of To Kill a Mockingbird. Each
student was given a copy of this reading guide and was given the opportunity to complete it in
small groups during class time. This guide is divided into six different parts to help students
understand the main characters, plot and theme. This basic understanding of the novel was used
by the students to prepare for the unit exam. The first section of this reading guide asks students
to write a short sentence to describe several of the characters introduced in these chapters. The
next section has students identify examples of themes that we had discussed earlier in class.
Many of my students struggled to find examples of these larger ideas. As a result, this section
was completed as a class. The next section asks the students to visually represent their
knowledge of the novel’s setting by drawing a map of Maycomb County. The next three sections
were included because my co-operating teacher wanted to have me grade more traditional
assignments. This includes comprehension questions, a journal entry and a set of definitions. I
encouraged students to keep up with the questions as we read the novel because the entire
assessment package was due three days after we finished reading chapter 18.
Reflection
I used the chart handed out by the workshop group to classify my questions. The list of
verbs was incredibly useful and overall the chart was straight forward. I found that the textbook
kept redefining Bloom’s taxonomy and I was getting lost. I do plan to read further into the
various ‘new’ structure of Bloom’s taxonomy, however for now I will compare my assignment
with the original levels of thinking.
After going through this assignment I compiled the data collected into a table and later
made it more visual by representing the total number of questions for each level of thinking on a
pie chart. This visual representation of my reflection is useful for my own learning because I can
clearly see the levels of thinking I elicited most often. An overwhelming 58% of questions on the
assignment had students expressing knowledge, as they were required to recall or retell a specific
part of the novel. If I use this assignment again, I would like to reduce the number of knowledge
questions to no more than 50%. I would also like to increase the frequency of questions that elicit
application, analysis and synthesis. I didn’t feel that any of my questions used synthesis thinking
skills, so I would like to include these in my revised assignment.
10
I think it is important to know how I am using Bloom’s taxonomy in my classroom and
on assignments. It would be interesting to have a co-worker sit in on a couple of my classes to
see which levels of thinking are elicited through oral questioning and class discussion.
Conclusion
Despite issues with time management, I have found the creation of this portfolio
incredibly useful. I extracted ‘real world’ uses from each of my articles that will be beneficial
when I am in my own classroom. It was incredibly useful to compare assignments that I created
with theory from the textbook. It would be interesting to see how secondary students would react
to a similar assignment, where they would write a story or an essay and then compare it with
theory. I think it would be a great way for students to learn more about their areas of strengths
and weaknesses, as well as a good activity to allow students to use self-assessment strategies.
11
Appendix A – To Kill a Mockingbird Unit Exam ELA 20 - To Kill a Mockingbird Final Exam Name: _____________________
Character Matching (11[B1][B2])
______ Aunt Alexandra
______ Link Deas
______ Tom Robinson
______ Bob Ewell
______ Mayella Ewell
______ Mr. Walter Cunningham
______ Mr. Dolphus Raymond
______ Heck Tate[B3]
______ Mr. Underwood
______ Mr. Gilmer
______ Cecil Jacobs[B4]
1. The sheriff of Maycomb and a major witness
at Tom’s trial. He is a decent man who tries to
protect the innocent from danger.
2. A poor farmer and part of the mob that wants
to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail. He displays
his human goodness when Scout’s politeness
compels him to disperse the men at the jail.
3. The lawyer that worked against Atticus at
Tom’s trial.
4. A strong-willed woman with a commitment to
tradition and proper behaviour.
5. A drunken, mostly unemployed member of
Maycomb’s poorest family. He represents
ignorance, poverty, squalor and hate-filled racial
prejudice.
6. A wealthy white man who lives with his black
mistress. He is unhappy with the hypocrisy of
white society.
7. Tom Robinson’s employer. In his willingness
to look past race and praise the integrity of Tom’s
character, he represents the opposite of prejudice.
8. The publisher of Maycomb’s newspaper. He
respects Atticus and keeps a gun aimed at the
mob that gathers on the steps of the jail.
9. Bob Ewell’s abused, lonely, unhappy daughter.
10. A classmate of Scout. He enjoys playing
tricks on other children.
11. A black field hand accused of rape. He is one
of the novel’s ‘mockingbirds,’ an important
symbol of innocence destroyed by evil[B5].
Multiple Choice (38[B6])
Circle the best answer for each of the following questions
1. One fact that Atticus establishes about the case is[B7]...
a. Bob is right handed b. Tom has one good hand c. Mayella’s left eye was bruised
2. What was Scout’s pageant costume?
a. Turkey b. an apple c. a ham d. piece of bacon
3. Who did Scout find under her bed?
a. Boo Radley b. Bob Ewell c. Dill d. a snake[B8]
4. Who is sure during the whole trial that Atticus and Tom will win the case?
a. Jem b. Scout c. Tom Robinson d. Calpurnia
5. What was the name of the mad dog Atticus shot?
a. Tim Johnson b. Tom Robinson c. Rover d. Scout
6. Who saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell?
a. Nathan Radley b. Atticus c. Tom Robinson d. Arthur Radley
7. Scout and ______, went through the house of horrors on Halloween.
a. Jacob b. Cecil c. Arthur d. Dill
8. Who did Atticus think killed Bob Ewell?
a. Boo Radley b. Scout c. Jem d. Tom Robinson
9. How did Bob Ewell die[B9]?
a. Hit his head on the ground b. Boo squeezed him to death
c. Boo stabbed him d. He stumbled, fell and landed on a knife.
10. When Jem and Scout made a snowman who did they first intend to make it look like[B10]?
Gartner Portfolio 13
a. Calpurnia b. Miss Maudie c. Mr. Avery d. Stephanie Crawford
11. Who said it was a sin to kill a mockingbird?
a. Uncle Jack b. Calpurnia c. Aunt Alexandra d. Atticus[B11]
12. Who was the man that sat with Jem and Scout in the court room?
a. Reverend Sykes b. Mr. Underwood c. Atticus d. Mr. Tate
13. How did Jem break his arm?
a. fell out of a tree b. fell out of two story window c. a man broke his arm
14. Mayella Ewell said that Tom Robinson[B12]
a. raped her b. strangled her c. beat her d. all of the above[B13]
15. Atticus said that in ________all men are treated equally[B14].
a. your own house b. a court c. school d. society
16. How did Mr. Tom Robinson's injure his left arm?
a. He was thrown out of a tractor. b. He got it stuck in a cotton gin.
c. It was cut during a street fight. d. He was born with a muscle deficiency.
17. Atticus always said, "to understand someone, you had to ____."
a. live with them b. know their mother c. walk in their shoes for awhile d. talk to them
18. Who was Mr. Tate talking about when he said "taking the one man who's done you and this
town a great service an' draggin' him with his shy ways into the limelight to me, that is a sin."
a. Atticus b. Arthur c. Bob d. Jem.
19. What is the verdict of Tom’s trial?
a. Guilty b. Not guilty c. Hung Jury[B15]
Gartner Portfolio 14
Short Answer
Answer the following questions in point form[B16].
19. Who is the author of this novel? (1[B17])
20. What is the setting of this novel? (1[B18])
21. Scout comments of Bob Ewell, “All the little man on the witness stand had that made him
any better than his nearest neighbors (the Negroes) was, that if scrubbed with lye soap in very
hot water, his skin was white.” Does she mean that he is better than his neighbours? What is she
really saying? (2[B19])
22.When asked whether he can get a change of venue for Tom Robinson – that is, a change in
the location of the trial – the sheriff says, “Not much point in that, now is it?” What is the sheriff
implying and what does this reveal about his personality? (2[B20])
23. When Atticus asks Mayella if she loves her father, her response is, “Love him, whatcha
mean?” Considering the kind of life that she leads, do you think she has any idea what love is?
Explain. (2[B21])
Gartner Portfolio 15
24. Scout states that Boo Radley had given them things, including their lives. Explain how he
gives the children their lives. (2[B22])
32. Literary devices were used extensively in this novel[B23]. Provide an example for each of the
following[B24]: (3)
- Dialect[B25]
- Foreshadowing
- Symbolism
33. Explain briefly how Tom was killed. What is Atticus's explanation for Tom's attempted
escape? (3[B26])
Essay Response (20 pts)
Using multiple paragraphs (at least 2), answer one of the following questions on a separate piece
of[B27] paper. Remember, a proper paragraph has between 8 and 12 sentences[B28].
A. In the novel, the mockingbird is a symbol for good, innocent people that are destroyed by
evil. Choose two characters and explain why you think that they are to be considered the
‘mockingbirds’ of the novel.
B. Jem and Scout are dynamic characters. How do both Jem and Scout change over the
course of the novel? How do they stay the same?
C. Compare and contrast the different types of courage shown by both Atticus and Mrs.
Dubose in the novel[B29].
Gartner Portfolio 16
Teacher’s role in assessment as learning
Provide exemplars of quality work
Guide students through goal setting &
monitoring
Provide regular opportunity for students to
self-assess
Create a safe environment
Monitor students’ metacognitive processes
and provide descriptive feedback
Model & teach self-assessment
Show students a variety of examples from
past students – different styles and different
levels of quality
Have students set their own timeline to read
chosen novel and complete assignment
Check in with students on a regular basis to
see how they are progressing toward their
goal
I wouldn’t want this assignment to be the
first time students get to self-assess
Give feedback in a teacher/student
conference
Explicitly teach self-assessment strategies Model self-assessment by assessing explicit
teaching
Start off the year by establishing a
community on our classroom
Ensure use of anti-racist, anti-oppressive
language
Appendix B – Assessment as Learning Mind Map
Gartner Portfolio 17
Appendix C – To Kill a Mockingbird Reading Guide Main Characters[B30]
Write a brief sentence to describe each of the following characters:
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose
Tom Robinson
Mayella Ewell
Aunt Alexandra
Uncle Jack
Heck Tate
Reverend Sykes
Judge Taylor
Bob Ewell
Mr. Gilmer
Gartner Portfolio 18
Themes[B31]
As we read the novel, write down examples for each of the following themes. If you choose to
include quotes, explain how they are an example of a certain theme.
Theme Examples of this theme from the novel
Coexistence of Good and
Evil
Transition from
Innocence to Experience
Social Inequality
Education and
Perspective
Heroism and Bravery
Gartner Portfolio 19
Map of Maycomb[B32]
Draw a map of Maycomb. Marks will be given for accuracy and neatness. Be sure to include all
of the following locations: The Finch house, the Radleys, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose’s, Miss
Rachel Haverford’s, the Ewells, Miss Caroline Fisher, Miss Stephanie Crawford’s, the
courthouse, the jail and the school.
Chapter Questions
After we read each chapter, answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper. If you
want full marks, use proper sentence structure and accurate spelling.
Chapter 9
How well does Atticus feel he should defend Tom Robinson[B33]? Is it usual for (white)
lawyers to do their best for black clients in Alabama at this time[B34]?
Uncle Jack Finch tells Scout that she is growing out of her pants. What does this mean
and why might he say it[B35]?
Does Scout learn anything from overhearing Atticus's conversation with Uncle Jack?
What might this be[B36]?
Chapter 10
Scout says that “Atticus was feeble”. Do you think that this is her view as she tells the
story or her view when she was younger? Does she still think this after the events
recorded in this chapter[B37]?
In this chapter Atticus tells his children that “it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”. What
reason does he give for saying this[B38]?
Jem and Scout have different views about telling people at school how well Atticus can
shoot. Explain this difference[B39]. Which view is closer to your own[B40]?
Chapter 11
How does Atticus advise Jem to react to Mrs. Dubose's taunts[B41]?
What request does Mrs. Dubose make of Jem[B42]? Is this a fair punishment for his
“crime[B43]”?
Explain in your own words what Atticus thinks of insults like “nigger-lover” [sic[B44]].
How far do you agree with him[B45]?
Chapter 12
Comment on Jem's and Scout's visit to First Purchase church[B46].
What new things does Scout learn here about how the black people live[B47]?
Explain why Calpurnia speaks differently in the Finch household, and among her
neighbours at church[B48].
Chapter 13
Gartner Portfolio 20
Why does Aunt Alexandra come to stay with Atticus and his family? What is she
like[B49]?
Alexandra thinks Scout is “dull” (not clever). Why does she think this, and is she
right[B50]? Are all adults good at knowing how clever young people are[B51]?
How does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Maycomb's social life[B52]?
What are Aunt Alexandra's ideas about breeding and family? Why does Atticus tell them
to forget it? Who is right, do you think[B53]?
Chapter 14
Reread Atticus's explanation of rape. How suitable is this as an answer to Scout[B54]?
Why does Alexandra think Atticus should dismiss Calpurnia? How does Atticus respond
to the suggestion[B55]?
What do we learn from Dill's account of his running away[B56]?
Chapter 15
What is the “nightmare” that now descends upon the children[B57]?
What was (and is) the Ku Klux Klan[B58]? What do you think of Atticus's comment about
it[B59]?
How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home, and why[B60]?
What persuades the lynching-party to give up their attempt on Tom's life[B61]?
Chapter 16
What “subtle change” does Scout notice in her father[B62]?
What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond[B63]?
How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial[B64]?
Comment on Judge Taylor's attitude to his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not[B65]?
Chapter 17
What are the main points in Heck Tate's evidence? What does Atticus show in his cross-
examination of Sheriff Tate[B66]?
What do we learn indirectly of the home life of the Ewell family in this chapter[B67]?
Why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to write out his name? What does the jury see when he
does this[B68]?
Chapter 18
Is Mayella like her father or different from him? In what ways[B69]?
How does Mayella react to Atticus's politeness[B70]? Is she used to people being
polite[B71]?
How well does Mr. Gilmer prove Tom's guilt in the eyes of the reader (you) and in the
eyes of the jury? Can you suggest why these might be different[B72]?
Journal Entries
Complete three of the following questions in your journal.
Gartner Portfolio 21
Read the final sentence of chapter 9. Explain in your own words what it means and why it might
be important in the story. How does this sentence relate to the ‘real’ world? Provide an example
from your own life[B73].
When Atticus shoots the mad dog, Scout begins to see her father in a different light. Can you
remember a time when one of your parents did something (either negative or positive) that made
you see them differently[B74]?
There are several examples of courage and heroism in these chapters. Atticus becomes a hero to
his children when he shoots the rapid dog, and Mrs. Dubose becomes a hero to Atticus when she
decides to die free of her morphine addiction. Which character do you believe is more heroic?
Why? How does your chosen character relate to one of your personal heroes[B75]?
The Ewells are very low in Maycomb society; they are uneducated, and people don’t want to
associate with them. Can you think of any people like that in our own society? Do you have
people in your own life that you really would rather not associate with[B76]?
Vocabulary[B77]
I. Define each of the following words. This will help you gain a better understanding of the
events in the novel.
Ingenuous
Obstreperous
Feeble
Apoplectic
Tirade
Frivolous
Habiliments
Tactful
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Curtness
Manacles
Ominous
Acquiescence
Elucidate
Ruddy
Gullet
Dictum
Ambidextrous
Mollified
Arid
Begrudge
Gartner Portfolio 23
Appendix D - Data Collection from Bloom’s Taxonomy Analysis Table 1: Number of Questions on Assignment in Each Level of Thinking
Section of
Assignment
Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation
Main
Characters
10
Themes 5
Map 1
Chapter
Questions
17 11 3 10
Journal
Entries
1 3 1
Vocabulary 20
Total 48 17 3 3 0 11
Chart 1: Bloom's taxonomy analysis of an
assignment
58%
21% 4%
4%
0%
13%
Knowledge
Comprehensio
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Gartner Portfolio 24
Bibliography
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (2006). Rethinking Classroom Assessment with
Purpose in Mind. Accessed online on February 16, 2012 at:
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/rethinking_assess_mb.pdf
McMillan, James H., Hellsten, Laurie-Ann M., & Klinger, Don A. (2011). Classroom
Assessment: Principles and Practice for Effective Standards-Based Instruction. Toronto: Pearson
Canada.
Noble, David F. (2007). Giving Up the Grade. Our Schools, Our Selves, 16 (3), 29 – 31.