Peer Feedback: Pre-Assessment

Feedback Partner’s Name: Jane Patrick’s feedback for Michelle Kreamer

Step 1: “Take” the pre-assessment that is copied/pasted below. Do not consult any other
resources except your own adult brain. ☺ Do not “pretend” you are the age of the
student for whom this is designed. It’s okay if you’re not sure about a question. You will
get a chance to comment on the design after you take the pre-assessment. Avoid
commenting on the prompts or format on the actual pre-assessment.

Name: Jane Patrick

Date: 3/01/2018
Hour: ___________________________

General Directions: The following is a pre-assessment to determine your current

knowledge about our upcoming unit, “Argument and Rhetoric: The Art and Craft of
Analysis.” This will not be graded; however, it is important that you do your best so
the results demonstrate an accurate picture of what you already know. Please read all
directions carefully, take your time, and begin.

Part I Directions—Constructed response: Read the following constructed response

items and respond in writing. If there are multiple components or questions to an
item, make sure to answer all parts. If you need additional space to respond to the
item, please do so on the back of the page.

1. Describe what you might say to persuade your parent or a friend of something you
really want to do. Then, consider and record the ways in which you attempted to
persuade your parent of friend.

Most of the time, my parents and friends are receptive to the things I really want to do.
However, if they disagreed with me, I would attempt to find out why. Then, I could
address their specific concerns. I would try to convince them I was right by using logic
and reasoning to persuade them.

2. List differences between an informational text and a literary text.

 Informational text
o Non-fiction
o Does not use literary elements to convey information
o Primary purpose is to give the audience facts/details about a specific topic
 Literary text
o Fiction
o Uses literary elements to tell a story
o Primary purpose is to entertain
 3. List the three different rhetorical appeals and briefly describe or give an example
of each.
 Ethos – The author’s credibility (according to the audience)
 Pathos – The audience’s emotional response to the argument
 Logos – The author’s use of logical arguments to persuade the audience

Part II Directions—Matching: For the following section, you will be matching the
definition in the left column (Column 1) with the corresponding term in the right
column (Column 2). Please write the correct response to #3-9 on the blank following the
definition. Please note that some words may be used more than once or not at all.

Column 1: Column 2:

4. Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis D A. Epistrophe

5. Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas C__ B. Rhetoric
6. Repetition of sounds within words I_ C. Antithesis
7. The art of effective or persuasive D. Hyperbole
speaking or writing B E. Paradox

8. Repetition of the same word(s) at F. Euphemism

the end of successive clauses A G. Consonance

9. A play on the meaning of words H H. Pun

10. Harsh words substituted for milder ones F I. Assonance

Part III Directions—Constructed response: Read the following brief passage titled
“Reasons to Become a Volunteer.” Then, based on the reading, respond to #11-13. If
there are multiple components or questions to an item, make sure to answer all parts.
If you need additional space to respond to the item, please do so on the back of the
page.

*Note: Text sample taken from the following website:

https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/reasons-to-
become-a-volunteer.html

“Reasons to Become a Volunteer”

In our modern, capitalistic world, the idea of doing something for free might sound strange.
Western society has oriented itself on success and profit, people possessing honed
professional skills, and being able to “sell” these skills; therefore, the idea of working for free
does not fit into such an outlook. However, it strongly depends on how you look at it; for
instance, volunteering, which has become popular in recent decades, is one of the greatest
examples of how a job can pay off not with just money. It can be said that everyone should at
least once in their lifetime try volunteering due to a number of reasons.
 Although it may sound paradoxical, volunteering is one of the easiest ways to find a job. After
graduating from a college or university, many get stuck in the situation of trying to find a job,
but needing working experience, you cannot obtain working experience because no one hires
you. Statistics show about 73% of employers would prefer to hire a person with volunteering
experience in the field than a person without one; 94% of employers share the belief that
volunteering helps potential employees obtain new skills and diversifies their qualification,
and thus are more prone to hiring people who volunteer. Respectively, 94% of those people
believe volunteering can add to one’s skills; 94% of people who were hired after a
volunteering experience say such an experience aided them in getting their first job, or
benefited them in other ways, such as quicker promotion, salary increases, or obtaining new
skills (World Volunteer Web). Having relevant work experience obtained during volunteering
and specifying it in your CV can be a kickstarter for your career, because nowadays more and
more employers tend to count volunteering as actual work experience (ReachOut.com).
Besides, volunteering is a great option to explore possible career opportunities if you are
unsure what you would like be doing for living. Through various programs, you can try
yourself in a number of organizations, working on different problems, and in different
positions, without having to do job-hunting, and then job-hopping. Therefore, if you still
think you do not have time to volunteer because you need to look for a job, or because
volunteering could be a nuisance to your duties, you might want to reconsider your opinion.

Also, volunteering is a natural way of socialization and getting to know your surroundings,
meeting new people, and finding useful contacts. Regularly meeting with a group of people
who share the same activities, way of thinking, and goals can make it easier for you to make
friends. Besides, volunteering could make a great example for your children; if you want to
teach them responsibility, compassion, and how one person can make a difference by
personally participating in solving it, you should volunteer; children tend to learn through
observing what adults do, and by your example, they will have a great role model to adopt.
And, of course, through volunteering, you can find a lot of useful contacts, resources, and
activities for your whole family (HelpGuide).

There have been surprising research studies connecting helping other people on a voluntary
basis with mental health; specifically, people who are known to be involved into different
forms of selflessly helping other people, animals, and so on, felt like they were undergoing
some sort of beneficial therapy. In particular, according to CSV, millions of people in the
United Kingdom doing voluntary work started to feel less depressed; about 48% of those who
have been involved in volunteering during the last two years felt relief in terms of depression,
and improvement of their mental condition. Among more than 600 volunteers who were
observed during the experiment, 63% of people aged between 25 and 34 said that
volunteering reduced their stress levels—so did about 62% of volunteers over 65 years old.
According to CSV’s research, volunteering also helps reduce work-related stress, and even
boosts productivity: 31% of people aged between 18 and 24 said they had taken less time off
work since starting to volunteer (The Guardian).

All these facts demonstrate that volunteering is a great alternative to a number of other
activities, since it can help you acquire work experience and get a job; makes you more
sociable, and turns you into a good role model for your children; and besides, it decreases the
levels of stress we are exposed to on a daily basis, and helps people effectively combat
depression. Therefore, you might want to start volunteering as soon as possible.

Works Cited
1. “Benefits of Volunteering.” World Volunteer Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
2. Segal, Jeanne, and Lawrence Robinson. “Volunteering and Its Surprising Benefits: How
Volunteering Makes Us Healthier and Happier.” HelpGuide.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
3. “6 Reasons Why Volunteering is Good for You.” ReachOut.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.
4. “Volunteering Linked to Fall in Depression.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Sept.
2004. Web. 14 Sept. 2016

11. What is the main purpose of the above text? How does the author convey the
purpose?

The main purpose of the text is to persuade the audience that volunteering is a beneficial
and worthwhile experience due to the numerous positive effects it can have on the
person who volunteers. The author conveys that purpose by directly stating their
position and supporting it with facts and emotional appeals.

12. Based on your reading of the text, what is your response to the author’s
stance/stated position? Explain your reasoning.

I agree with the author that the author that volunteering is a worthwhile pastime;
however, I find it interesting that the author’s reasons for volunteering deal with its
benefits for the person doing the volunteering rather than those receiving help. I don’t
think people should volunteer with the primary goal of helping themselves, but rather
due to a desire help others.

13. In your own words, what does it mean to be a “critical consumer of information?”
In what ways, if any, are you a critical consumer of information?

I think being a critical consumer of information means to always be aware of the source
of the information received. This might mean recognizing the bias of a news source or
particular author as well as being sensitive to inflammatory “click bait” headlines. I try
to be a critical consumer of information by identifying and vetting the sources and
purpose of the information I receive.

Step 2: Now that you’ve taken the pre-assessment, please provide specific feedback
relative to these questions:

 Goal Alignment What was this pre-assessment measuring? Write the

Knowledge, Understanding, and Skill Goals that you can induce from looking at

the prompts.

Students will understand:

 Authors use multiple strategies to persuade their audience.

Students will know:

  The definition of common rhetorical devices.

 The difference between an informational and literary text.

 How to identify the main purpose of an informational text.

 How to identify potential bias in an informational text.

Students will be skilled at:

 Describing the difference between an informational and literary text.

 Identifying rhetorical devices used in a persuasive text.

 Describing the main purpose of an informational text.

 Identifying potential bias in an informational text.

 Accessibility How “inviting” did this pre-assessment feel as you were taking it?

Were there any parts that felt more intimidating than inviting? How so?

There is a natural flow to the assessment items that aids the assessment’s accessibility.

The only part that initially felt slightly more intimidating than inviting was the text

sample “Reasons to Become a Volunteer.” The length of the text felt somewhat

unexpected after the brevity of the previous sections’ test items.

 Clarity Which item(s) were the most clear to you? Least clear? How so?

Overall, I feel that clarity is a strength of this pre-assessment. Both directions and test

items were specific and easy to follow. The only question I had to reread for clarification

was question 12. I think the phrase “based on your reading of the text” distracted me

from the main part of the question being asked, but upon rereading it was clear what I

was meant to do.

  Specific Revisions What suggestions do you have for revising specific pre-

assessment prompts? Do you have any suggestions for items that should be

added or removed?

I don’t think you should remove any test items as all will elicit informative responses

from students that can inform future instruction. You may want to consider having

students put a star or question mark next to the matching terms on which they guessed.

Doing so could help you distinguish between students who truly know the terms and

those who simply got lucky.

Other Feedback What else would you like say about the strengths and areas for

improvement on this pre-assessment’s design?

This pre-assessment strikes an effective balance of various test items and incorporates

what we have learned to date about good assessments. Student’s knowledge, skills, and

understandings are all assessed, and there seems to be an emphasis on understanding.

When actually implementing this pre-assessment with students, I might consider

separating the parts into three distinct pre-assessments. Doing so would quicken the

administration process, which can be a concern (particularly for high school classes).

Overall, however, I feel this pre-assessment is strong.