ParaSummativeAssessment

I definitely would like my summative assessment to connect back to the character within the Bell Jar. It would also be nice for students to research and understand what a mental illness actually is. I plan on incorporating this kind of information within one of my lessons, but I would like students to further research individual mental illnesses. In the book, we see the main character struggle with Depression. It would be a good idea for students to better understand the characteristic of this particular mental illness and make connections back to the novel. It would also be an option for students to choose any mental illness, and perhaps convey what the character would have gone through if they had had that specific illness. Would the book be any different?

For the first idea, I am leaning towards some kind of final paper. In this case, students will be encouraged to either a) write a research paper or b) create a memoir. Students will have the option of choosing one of these papers. Although they seem completely different, they will both encompass the topic of mental health. For the research paper, students will choose a mental illness of their liking and identify the characteristics of that illness. In the memoir, students will discuss a possible struggle they have had to overcome or will likely face again. The memoir does not require students to identify any type of mental illness, but it instead helps students connect themselves to those who suffer from mental illness. Was there a time in their life when they had witnessed mental illness? Did this affect them? Were they ever in a position which lead them to think they were struggling?

Another idea for a summative assessment is for students to create a project. This project will involve multiple means of media. Students will be allowed the option of creating a poster board, a power point, a collage, etc. In this assessment, students will be required to choose a mental illness (just as stated above) and conduct research on it. They will present (or rather "teach") this mental illness to the class. This project will be informational and will require students to contact possible experts, refer to scholarly articles, and use library resources.

Students will relate material to contents of the novel. Students will be able to apply themes and symbols from the novel to their findings. Students will identify their prior knowledge of mental illness and compare it to their findings. Students will predict possible outcomes of the novel if the novel had been focused on a different mental illness (other than Depression.)

I am wondering, though, if students will be mature enough to handle the content they will find on each mental illness. We know that the Bell Jar was a "tough" read, but can students grasp the reality of mental illness once it is applied to the outside world?

Good work on these assessment ideas! Here are some questions to think about as you move forward:

RELEVANCE: How might you include choices for students that 1) relate to their own lives and/or 2) connect to something of clear value to society or to gaining competence in the discipline of ELA (like what dialogue reveals about a character, as in our CUnit)? Do they need the text for this assignment?

ALIGNMENT: How might you more clearly connect this assessment to the goals/BQ? Is this the best way to know what students have learned in that area? I love the idea of the second project in which you might get them to consider whether the narrator is really mentally ill or just a victim of societal pressure. :)

SCAFFOLDING: How might you break down this assignment into manageable parts that students can complete (and see their own progress? How might you teach them the criteria you will use to evaluate?

DIVERSITY: How might you include choices that appeal to different backgrounds and to different styles of learning? I think your two options here begin to consider this, and the second one especially seems promising in this area: what are our ideas of what counts as sane or insane? How is that represented in the modern media? How can we be critical of it? How can we turn that critical eye on what happens to the narrator in the Bell Jar?

CONVENTIONS: How might you create a handout or assignment sheet that spells out clearly what the steps, requirements, and criteria are for this assignment (and that makes them look feasible, rather than intimidating)?

I look forward to reading your next draft! J