ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

Stage 1 Desired Results

Established Goals:
Students will be able to identify a piece of John Philip Sousas music, his nationality and the time period in
which he wrote. By performing El Capitan students will be able to make critical comment on one of his
works. Students will meet the outcome of interpretation by performing El Capitan with correct stylistic
performance practices and achieving musical sensitivity. Various rhythms found in the program of studies
for the grade 10-12 levels are found in El Capitan and students will learn them through performance.
By the end of the unit, students will understand how and why nationality or where someone is from affects
how their music is played through exploration of John Philip Sousas El Capitan.
GLO: 1 Performing: To discover, develop and evaluate their talents and abilities in musical performance
through establishing, extending and reinforcing correct technical skills. To recognize, interpret and
perform rhythm melody harmony, form and expression as they appear in musical notation. To develop
and perform a repertoire of quality literature.
SLE/SLO: 1.1 The student will perform phrases achieving musical sensitivity and with correct stylistic
performance practices.
SLE/SLO: 1.2
Students will demonstrate the meaning of dynamic marking.
SLE/SLO: 1.3
Students will demonstrate use of rubato, vibrato, nuances, flexibility of tempo.
GLO: 2 Researching: To develop a knowledge of music history and literature and its relationship to world
history. To make students aware of the applications of music in our society with respect to music careers,
and avocational and leisure uses.
SLE/SLO: 2.1
The student will be able to identify John Philip Sousa according to historical period and nationality.
SLE/SLO: 2.2
The student will listen to and make critical comment on El Capitan.
GLO: 3 Attitudes: Positive attitudes are fostered by success in singing, playing, reading, listening, creating
and valuing music
SLE/SLO: 3.1 Students will be encouraged to apply maximum effort and attain effectiveness in
performance through physical and mental discipline.
SLE/SLO: 3.2 Students will be encouraged to develop an appreciation of the social value of
instrumental participation.
SLE/SLO: 3.3 Value the uniqueness of this communication skill.
Understandings:
Essential Questions:
Students will understand that
How does learning about the context of a piece of music
affect how we play?
John Philip Sousa wrote marches for military In what ways did Sousas military background affect the
bands.
music he wrote?
John Philip Sousa was an American composer How and why do marches portray nationalism?
EDUC 3604 Unit Assessment Plan Template

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

and was in the army.

He wrote most of his music between 18801932.
Students will know

Students will be able to do

That marches have a distinct style.

There are parameters for interpretation of a
march.
Articulation is very important in a march.
Sudden dynamic changes are often found in
marches.

Perform El Capitan by John Philip Sousa with correct

stylistic practices and achieve musical sensitivity.

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks, Projects
The performance of the piece El Capitan by John Philip Sousa at festival and spring concert.
Quizzes, Tests, Assignments
Students will be given a short Sousa quiz at the end of the unit.
Students will be expected to practice their music, especially articulations.
Other Evidence (observations, work samples,
dialogues)
Most of my assessment will be through
observation during rehearsal.

EDUC 3604 Unit Assessment Plan Template

Student self-assessment
During rehearsal students will be asked to listen to a
recording of themselves playing and critically assess
it.

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Learning
Outcomes

Title
Type
(Formative/Summative)

Weighting

Unit
Quiz

S
15%

The student will perform phrases

achieving musical sensitivity and
with correct stylistic performance
practices.
Students will demonstrate the
meaning of dynamic marking.

Students will demonstrate use of

rubato, vibrato, nuances, flexibility
of tempo
The student will be able to identify
John Philip Sousa according to
historical period and nationality.

The student will listen to and make

critical comment on El Capitan.

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

Rehearsals

Final
Performance

Practice

F/S

F/S

F/S

50%

25%

10%

Students will be encouraged to

apply maximum effort and attain
effectiveness in performance
through physical and mental
discipline.

Students will be encouraged to

develop an appreciation of the social
value of instrumental participation.

Taxonomic
Level

Knowledge/Comprehension
Application/Analysis/Synthesis/Evaluation
All Levels

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

Assessment Tool Overview

Assessment Tool
Title

Unit Quiz
(15%)

Rehearsals
(50%)

Final Performance
(25%)

Brief Description
This will be a brief quiz at the end of the Unit on
John Philip Sousa, questions about his life and
aspects of it that affected his music composition. It
is assessment for learning because in the case that
students do not seem to grasp the material as well
as they should, it can be used as a formative
assessment to guide what material needs to be retaught, and another summative assessment can be
given. If it is found that students have a good
grasp on the concepts taught in the unit, the unit
quiz can be used as assessment of learning; a
summative product.
Meets SLOs 1.2,1.3,2.1,2.2,
In rehearsals students will be constantly getting
feedback on their playing as we work together to
make the piece performance ready. I will take
notes on how well students are meeting outcomes
and how they are progressing in their musical
understanding. It is assessment for learning
because I will constantly be adjusting what I am
teaching to how the students are performing, it is
assessment as learning because students will be
adjusting what they are doing to the constant
feedback given from the teacher and their peers, it
is assessment of learning because I can assess
formally where they are in their learning process
through observation.
Meets SLOs 1.1,1.2,1.3,2.2,3.1,3.2,3.3
The performance of the piece will give students
valuable performance experience and culminate
all they have worked on for the past 6 weeks. I will
be assessing how well they have achieved the
overarching goal of the unit to recognize how
and why nationality or where someone is from
affects how their music is played. It is assessment
for learning because I can assess the weak spots in
the students playing in a situation that is not the
norm for them, it is assessment as learning

Assessment
FOR Learning

Assessment
AS Learning

Assessment
OF Learning

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Practice
(10%)

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

because the performance experience is a learning

opportunity for the students, and it is assessment
of learning because I can assess a finish product
that is their performance.
Meets SLOs 1.1,1.2,1.3,3.1,3.2,3.3
Students will keep practice logs/practice journals
that will be signed by their parents. They will
practice 100 minutes/week. This is assessment for
learning because I can see how much students are
practicing and in what areas I need to direct their
practicing, it is assessment as learning because
students will be deciding how to adjust as they
practice and get better on their instruments, it is
assessment for learning because I can
summatively assess how much effort the students
are putting into practicing outside of rehearsal
time.
Meets SLOs 1.1,1.2,1.3,2.2,3.1,3.2,3.3

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

Unit Assessment Plan Defense Paper

Nicola Dottridge

As teachers, evaluation is a big part of what we do. Our main goal, arguably, is to ensure
students meet the learning outcomes in the program of studies while learning in a safe and
nurturing environment. Assessment and evaluation help us do these things. They provide teachers
structure to be able to plan ahead for what they are going to teach, and, in the end, determine
whether or not the students met the desired outcomes. Assessment and evaluation also hold
teachers accountable for what they teach and how well they are teaching the material. In my unit
assessment plan I used a variety of methods and resources to ensure that valid and fair
assessment practices were in use, and that my lesson met the program of studies, enabling
students to learn to the best of their abilities.
It is important to incorporate assessment as, for, and of learning in a unit or lesson plan to
get the best picture of where the student is in his or her learning. Assessment as learning is where
students learn through assessment. One example of how I used assessment as learning is in
rehearsals. In rehearsals students will constantly be getting feedback on their playing as we work
together to make the piece performance ready. Through this constant feedback, I am assessing and
also asking the students to assess their performance, and what they can do to make it better. This
is assessment as learning because the students are learning through the constant feedback from
the teacher and their peers. Assessment as learning also happens through the final performance,
as the performance is a learning experience, and from practice, as the students self evaluate as
they practice to improve on their instrument.

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

Assessment for learning happens during rehearsals, the final performance, and practicing.
In rehearsals I am assessing them as they are playing and constantly adjusting my conducting and
what I teach explicitly based on how they are playing. In the final performance the students get
one chance to perform the piece and it will give me a better idea of what weaknesses show up in
their playing and what I will need to work on more for the next concert. Students practice time is
assessment for learning because I will be able to see which students are and are not practicing as
much and adjust what I do in class based on the strengths and weaknesses of the group to make it
better as a whole. It can also happen in the case of the unit quiz; by seeing the results of what the
students know about the given topic, I can determine if they are ready to move on or if we need to
review the subject more and test again.
Assessment of learning happens during the unit quiz on John Phillip Sousa because the
students will be expected to explicitly show what they know on the written test. Rehearsals are
assessment of learning because I can assess how much students are improving throughout the
year and even over the course of a few days by hearing them rehearse their pieces. The final
performance is also assessment of learning because it the culminating product of the work that the
students have done over the past semester. Practice time is also assessment of learning because it
shows me how much effort the students are putting into their own learning outside of the group
rehearsal time.
I decided to use these four assessment tools; unit quiz, rehearsals, final performance, and
practice because they help me accurately assess outcomes for the program of studies. For example
the GLO To discover, develop and evaluate their talents and abilities in musical performance
through establishing, extending and reinforcing correct technical sills. To recognize, interpret and
perform rhythm melody harmony, form and expression as they appear in musical notation. To

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

develop and perform a repertoire of quality literature. is met through rehearsals, final
performance and practice. The GLO To develop a knowledge of music history and literature and
its relationship to world history. To make students aware of the applications of music in our
society with respect to music careers, and avocational and leisure uses. is met through the unit
quiz, and discussions that will be had during rehearsals. And finally, the GLO Positive attitudes
are fostered by success in singing, playing, reading, listening, creating and valuing music. is met
through all four assessment tools by ensuring that students will finds some level of success in all
of these areas.
I believe that these are all effective assessment practices because they reflect what Anne
Davies said about reliability and validity of assessment. Reliability: think repeatability
reliability refers to students producing the same kind of result at different times. Validity: think
valid the extent to which the evidence from multiple sources matches the quality levels expected
in light of the standards or learning outcomes (Davies, 2011). Davies further explains how
reliability and validity can be met through triangulation of observation of process, conversations,
and collection of products. Through rehearsals, the students will be doing the same thing over and
over again that will produce the same kinds of results, or hopefully improving ones. Nevertheless,
the assessment will be reliable because of the nature of the rehearsal. The students will have many
opportunities to show their achievement on their instruments in many ways, through rehearsals
and through different types of pieces, through practice logs and the unit quiz. This improves the
validity of the assessment because the information is brought in through multiple sources. I will be
using observation of process through rehearsals and the performance for the majority of my
lessons. Conversations between students and myself will happen during rehearsals as we problem
solve together to make the pieces better. I will collect products physically, through the unit quiz

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan Nicola Dottridge

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 10
John Philip Sousa
12

and practice logs and journal and also through the final performance; the final performance can be
considered a finished product. Using these assessment practices has given me insight into how
to formulate my assessment plan to get the most accurate representation of my students work.
A lot of the evidence that I have suggested is based on what I will see in a rehearsal time
with the students. I understand that this can be seen as ambiguous, but as a musician and as a
musical director I have the background knowledge and expertise to make judgments on how well
a student is making musical outcomes and the advantage of having access to constant examples of
student work through rehearsal times. I recognize, though, that not all assessment can happen
through impressions and will be extremely disciplined in taking notes on students and their
learning after each rehearsal in order to gather valid evidence.
I believe that my unit assessment plan provides students with a variety of opportunities to
display their learning and that the evidence received will display a fair and accurate
representation of what they know. The assessment is continuous and ongoing throughout the unit,
and I think that having constant assessment in any unit in any subject is the way in which teachers
will get the best evidence of learning.

Davies, A, (2011). Making Classroom Assessment Work. 3rd ed. Canada: Hignell Book
Printing.
Chappuis, J, Stiggins, R, Chappuis, S, Arter, J, (2012). Classroom Assessment for Student
Learning: Doing It Right - Using It Well. 2nd ed. United States of America: Person
Education, Inc.