Monday, January 11, 2010

Friday: Day of the Living the Assessment

Friday the 13th is a day when many people run for cover and decide to stay in bed. There are some people that even suffer from triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13. Or more specifically, paraskavedekatriaphobia, fear of Friday the 13th. There are many legends on why 13 is such a bad and scary number from 13 being prime to Judas being the 13th person to sit at the table for the last supper. Nevertheless, all of the fear and superstition seems to be rubbish, to me at lest; which is one of the reasons that I assign the Unit 4 (1750-1914) exam for today. (The main reason may be because it fell on the right day, but who knows.)

This exam is different from the examinations I have given previously, first, this is a take home exam. I have not given a take-home exam...well...ever. At this point in the semester, four weeks until the APWH Exam, I believe it is better to have the students review the material a couple more times then to rake them over the coals to find they do not know a great deal of information. Another change to my examination is the length, since this is a take-home exam and the goal is to learn I have made the examination one-hundred and fifty questions. This is more than double the standard length test and the questions to get a bit specific, but as I said above I would prefer the students read their text and review materials two or three more time to get the correct answers than not know it at all.

(To see a copy of the test please go to my AP World History Homepage.)

It is my hopes that the studnets will take the little pieces of information from this most important unit and internalize them, first from the class lectures and activities and second from the repetition that the exam provides.

If anyone out there (does any one read this stuff??) thinks this is good or bad please let me know. I do enjoy the ideas of other educators.


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