Creating an Assessment Unit

Process: The step-by-step process for creating an assessment unit

Step 1: Review the Standards

We recommend that teachers begin every unit by reading through the 5C’s of the National Standards so the standards are clearly in mind as they plan. To review the National Standards, you can go to the National Standards module on the CoBaLTT web site, or review the summary on the ACTFL web site.

Step 2: Choose a Theme

Imagine that this unit is for an intermediate level class. The topic is famous people. When I think of this topic in terms of a “big idea”, a topic that will interest my teenage students, I decide to focus on “famous”: “How long does fame last?”

Step 3: Identify goals and objectives

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Name some famous people from the target cultures and the reason for their fame.
• Give examples of different kinds of fame.
• Discuss the positive and negative aspects of being famous.
• Describe people who are famous.

You can download the Unit Plan Inventory for use in creating an integrated performance assessment unit.