Applying the Three-Part Type 1 Test to our Unit

I plan on implement the three-part type 1 test for homework throughout the course of my unit, for I find it to be extremely valuable and insightful.

The three questions to ask for a homework assignment (or I believe for any assignment) are:
1.) Am I offering students any autonomy over how and when to do this work?
2.) Does this assignment promote mastery by offering a novel, engaging task (as opposed to rote reformulation of something already covered in class)?
3.) Do my students understand the purpose of this assignment? That is, can they see how doing this additional activity at home contribute to the larger enterprise which the class is engaged?

The first question shows the importance of allowing students to have some control over their work. This conveyance of power, as we discussed in class, gives the ability to feel as though they have a say in what goes on in the classroom. This can be extremely beneficial when promoting student engagement and the even student-teacher relationship. Also, this is a great way to slightly incorporate the differentiated instruction, for it is allowing student choice.

The second question essentially promotes creativity by asking students to not only take what they’ve learned in class but extend above and beyond it. An example of this can be our Unit Plan in this class. We all helped construct and examine a model unit that uses Macbeth. We then were asked to create our own individual/partner unit plans, in which we would follow the template of our class model but would then branch off in unique and various ways. Thus, we use the model as a sort of springboard into creating something new and different. I hope to incorporate this technique of modeling and extension within my poetry unit by having students examine poetry and its elements but then be able to create their own unique poems.

The final question shows the importance of students understanding the purpose and goal of an assignment. This can fall under the category of relevancy, for students must see the value of the assignment and how it can be applied to their own lives. If they cannot, they will be likely not to see it as meaning or purposeful. Differentiated Instruction can help achieve this by allowing students’ interest to come into the picture. Once the assignment becomes relevant to the students it will become purposeful to them.

Overall, by answering each of these three questions for my lessons and assignments, I can have a constant awareness of the goals, level of creativity, and student understanding.