An "out of the box" final exam that is enjoyable to take and grade

 I am at a new (amazing) school this year, so I am still learning about the school's culture, my students' abilities and how to best teach and assess here in my new setting. This year I am teaching Spanish 1 and Spanish 3. We have trimesters, so I am giving final exams this week. 

One of  Spanish 3 class took their Final yesterday and the other will take it today. I feel really good about the assessment and how the first class did (I have graded all of the speaking sections and 1/3 of the listening/writing/intercultural section for ).

I thought I would share the assessment here because it could be used for a variety of classes.

The first part was a Caja de Identidad (thanks Arianne Dowd for introducing this to me). Click here to see the details and the rubric. Here is what is being assessed in this part:

• Presentational Speaking: Present basic information on familiar topics using language that you have practiced using phrases and simple sentences.
• Interpretive Listening: Understand words, phrases, and simple sentences related to a familiar topic. Recognize pieces of information and understand the main topic of what is being said.
• Interpersonal Speaking: Communicate and exchange information about familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences. Ask and answer simple questions.

Here are some examples of what students came up with. Students presented in groups of 3 and recorded on Flipgrid (where I watch later). I was so impressed with what they came up with, in particular the 5 symbols and the gift. As you can see, all the students chose a character from Encanto because we just finished that unit. However, they could have chosen a character from our Lotería de Navidad unit or from the book Robo en la noche.

Before starting to create their caja, I presented an example (see sides of box below and click here to see text) to my students. It was about Edna Liliana Valencia. So, not only was I demonstrating to them what they would do, but I was also teaching them something about the Afro-Colombian research that Disney did and the Afro-Colombian representation in the movie Encanto, so win-win! 

The second part was choosing a Duolingo podcast (of 3 that I give them), listening to it, filling in the blanks and then writing a series of things about the podcast. Click here to see the details and the rubric. Here is what is being assessed in this part:

• Interpretive Listening: Understand the main idea and some pieces of information on familiar topics from sentences and series of connected sentences within texts that are spoken or  written.
• Presentational Writing: Communicate information, make presentations, and express my thoughts about familiar topics, using sentences and series of connected sentences through spoken or written language.
• Intercultural Competence: In one's own and other cultures, make comparisons between products and practices to help me understand perspectives.

Note: If you have not used Duolingo podcasts in class, I highly recommend using them! They are an excellent "bridge" to authentic audio and they are chock full of culture! They are in Spanish and English, but the English compliments the Spanish. It is not a translation of the Spanish. The bits of English give students a "mental break" while listening. If you are interested, previous posts are here and here.

All of the podcast were related to Colombia, so one of the questions was how does this podcast connect to Encanto. Below are the choices of podcasts. I love that students had a choice and I love grading these because there is variety and a lot of open ended answers. 

• Episode 10: Los guerrilleros: María Clara Calle grew up hearing about the atrocities committed by the FARC rebels in Colombia. She never imagined that one day she would not only meet them, but eat and sleep among them, deep in their territory, as they thought about their role in the future of peace in their country.
• Episode 27: Leímos y cantamos juntos: Laura Ortiz thought she could change the lives of children in Colombia’s most remote region by giving them books. But a trip there teaches her that she was the one who had much to learn from those communities. 
• Episode 37: La reina del pelo bueno: All her life, Cirle Tatis Arzuza had been taught to think her curly hair was something to hide. But after years of harsh chemical treatments, Cirle learned to love her hair, and taught other women to do the same.

This what students had to do:

As you listen/read or after, fill in the blanks, answer the questions and write the following things on a separate piece of paper:

1. El nombre del episodio
2. Un resumen breve (brief summary) de 8-10 frases de lo que escuchas/lees  
3. Vocabulario nuevo y/o importante, por lo menos (at least) 10 palabras
1. El inglés y el español
4. Si te gustó el episodio y por qué sí o no
5. Identifica 2 a 3 Productos, Prácticas y/o Perspectivas Culturales del episodio y escribe una comparación y/o un contraste con algo de tu cultura
6. ¿Cómo conecta este episodio con la película "Encanto"? 
7. Escribe 3 preguntas, comentarios y/o predicciones sobre lo que escuchas/lees

What are some of your favorite assessments to give and grade?