One of the things I LOVE about teaching with comprehensible input (TCI) is that I can start each class with the same prompt (a question, a story script, etc.) and no two classes are the same. We focus on similar language but the additional language we add is unique to each class depending on their interests.
For me, a problem that arises is that then not all classes have the same vocabulary, so creating a reading assessment based on what we’ve done in class can be cumbersome. Do I create something unique for each class, or do I try to create something that all classes can use?
I’m a big believer in work smarter not harder. I can do an assessment for each class based on what the class has come up with during write and discuss. In the past, I have even used first period’s class reading as an assessment for second period, and so on. But I’m not sure if that was completely fair, even with glossing words that were unique to each class.
So last night I was thinking about this and came up with a solution, I think.
I usually type (and this year will DEFINITELY type) write and discusses. Which makes it easier for me to do what I’m about to explain.
The first step is do copy your class text and put it into a word list maker: https://design215.com/toolbox/wordlist.php
Do this with each text you create so you have a list of items that appear in your texts.
Then, take two of your lists and shoot them through a list comparison.
http://www.molbiotools.com/listcompare.html
When you put your lists in the list comparison tool it creates a new list of common words from the lists.
Then we’re going to use the NEW list generated by the comparison tool and one of the remaining lists from the other texts, and repeat until you get a list of common words from all of your texts.
We compare:
List A/List B=List AB
List C/List AB= List ABC
List ABC/List D= List ABCD
and so on.
So now you have a list of words that were common in all of your classes write and discuss writings. From that we can now create a new reading that uses the common words that EVERYONE has seen, and we should be able to create a fair assessment for all students.
Languageley 