Student Extended Responses

First period extended responses have been posted. I have added a few to my blogroll for easy viewing. On Friday, we developed a rubric that we will use for the remainder of the year to assess each extended response. Here it is:

Communication

• Is it clearly written?
• Is it sequential?
• Do I repeat myself?

Math Language

• Does it use math terms?
• Does it use them correctly?

Solution

• Did I remember to include my solution?
• Is my solution correct (or does it at least make sense)?

Details

• Did I use information from the problem (tell what I know)?
• Did I give examples (when needed)?

As you will notice, there are no symbols, diagrams, etc. The purpose of these is not to show work, or computations, but to express the process in words, a highly metacognitive process. I cannot express how important this is for my students. They RARELY give any thought as to how or why they do anything in math. These explanations force them to go deeper into the process involved in solving problems.

Completion of the extended responses is followed by another important step, self - evaluation. Before publishing, I ask students to once again look over the checklist, focusing on Communication and Solution. I ask them to make sure they understand their own writing and that they have included their solution with an appropriate unit (two things that students often forget).