EDU101NotebookJustificationExamples

__How justification statements are assessed:__ >> • are 2-5 sentences long >> • reflect student's learning in that section >> • explain how artifact represents learning >> • tie the learning to the essential question
 * Outstanding (4):
 * Justification statements meet proficient AND reflect deep insights
 * Proficient (3):
 * Justification statements ...
 * Approaching Proficient (2):
 * Justification statements only meet 3 of the 4 required components
 * Limited Proficiency (1):
 * Justification statements only meet 1 or 2 of the 4 required components

__Example:__ Perhaps you really "got a lot" out of the Build-A-School Activity and you choose to print out the photo of your team from the class wiki as your artifact.

A justification statement like this: "This artifact shows that I learned that you need to know how to work well in a team" meets one of the 4 criteria:
 * the statement is not 2-5 sentences long, it's only 1 sentence long
 * //it does reflect the student's learning//
 * it does not make any connection between the artifact and the learning
 * it doesn't tie the learning to the essential question. This could be the answer to "How do I become a teacher" or "How can diversity help me be a better teacher," but it's not clear at all from what is written which question is being answered.

A statement like this: "This photo of our Build-A-School team represents the importance of working well in a team" meets two of the 4 criteria:
 * the statement is only 1 sentence long (not 2-5)
 * //it reflects the student's learning (a little bit anyway)//
 * //it makes a connection between the artifact and the learning//
 * it doesn't tie the learning to any of the essential questions

A statement like this: "Working on the Build-A-School team taught me that being a good team member is really important. This picture of our team has everyone smiling and that shows that we all enjoyed the product of our team work" meets three of the 4 criteria:
 * //it is 2-5 sentences long//
 * //it reflects the student's learning (in a much stronger way than the 2-point answer above)//
 * //it explains how the artifact represents the learning//
 * it does not tie the learning to the essential question
 * nor does it reflect deep insights necessary for an outstanding

A statement like this: "In order to be a successful teacher, you need to know how to work well in a team. In the Build-A-School activity, my team and I worked really well together to create a new kind of school. From the good dynamics on our team, I learned that having a sense of humor helps a team to be creative and accomplish a lot. This photo of our Build-A-School team shows us after our presentation, which was fun and fabulous because we worked together really well from start to finish" meets all four of the criteria AND reflects some deep insights
 * //it is 2-5 sentences long//
 * //it reflects the student's learning//
 * //it connects the artifact to the learning//
 * //it ties the learning to the essential question//
 * //it reflects some deeper thoughts on the learning (more than just stating what was learned).//

__What to Avoid:__
 * Avoid justification statements that sound more like a book report or a movie trailer. The purpose of the justification statement isn't to try to coerce the reader to read the artifact. Don't write this:
 * "In my blog entry, I tell of some new information I learned on how to become a teacher. This is important information for me to remember."
 * "After reading chapter 1 in The Joy of Teaching, we wrote a blog about what things will bring us joy and what will not bring us joy. The two lists that I made are important. These are ideas that I have learned that will help me become a teacher."
 * Avoid referencing the artifact but not explaining what's in it. If you think of this notebook as a test with four essay questions, would this be an acceptable essay question answer: "The answer to this question is found on page 385 of the textbook"? No. So avoid sounding like that in your justification statements. Don't write this:
 * "In chapter 2, we read about diversity in the classroom. Here are some notes that I took when I was reading the chapter. These notes represent what I learned."
 * Avoid clichés and long-winded phrases that don't say anything or just restate the question:
 * "We can use diversity to learn in the classroom. If it is not used, it's a waste of a tool."
 * Avoid writing in third person. This project is about what YOU learned, so write in first person. Avoid sounding stuffy or preachy:
 * "All teachers must be able to pass a background check and be fingerprinted. This is to ensure that the students are safe with their teachers. This form is what a teacher must fill out in order to give permission and have the criminal background check done."

__When Using the Same Artifact Twice:__ Make sure your statements are very different and reflect that specific essential question. The two rationale statements shouldn't have anything in common except for a mention of what the artifact is.