Description of the student demographic and learning context

This assignment is designed for grade 8 to grade 10 students in the tennis summer camp. There will be a two-week session for students to learn the tennis facts and rules in class. This assignment is one part of the sessions of the tennis course.

The learning outcome under evaluation

Students will identify the difference between the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments. They will also attain digital literacy via using the online tools to create an infographic presentation.

A brief overview of the unit of learning that would precede the assignment

The unit of learning that would precede this assignment is the lesson for tennis facts and rules (in class) attached with the tennis course for all beginner level students. The unit involves two weeks and every class introducing different basic tennis knowledge that help students generate interests in playing tennis and becoming a well-rounded tennis learner. This lesson will teach students the general tennis manners, rules for tennis matches, and the scoring system. Most importantly, the lesson will introduce tennis tournaments to students. Student will be exposed to a real-world tennis scenario: tennis tournaments, ranking system, and the most important tournaments — the Four Grand Slams. Students will work on this assignment alongside the lesson. At the beginning of the lesson, the first discussion will be held for students to explore what they already know, what they want to know, and what actions do they need to take. In order to respond to the requirements for student digital literacy (Media Smarts, n.d.), the assignment also provides students an opportunity to develop or reinforce their ability to create digital media to tell a story and present information (based on what they have learned).

The rationale for the media criteria that would be used in the rubric

The assignment is using the jigsaw approach allowing students to work in groups for different projects that contribute to the final class portfolio — a collective infographic for the Four Grand Slams, which includes the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. The activities (steps) respect the learning strategy of KWL (know, wonder and learn).  In the first discussion, students will talk about what they know about the tennis tournaments and share what information they want to know more. In the last section of the project, students will complete a self-assessment form reflecting on what they have learned in this lesson. There are three milestones set to make the work more manageable and accessible for students.

The rubric is based on three main categories for the assessment — knowledge, skills, and process (Boss & Krauss, 2014): (1) the knowledge section is to assess students’ comprehension of the content and the information accuracy; (2) the skills section is to assess student’s skills of using online graphic tools to create media, with the emphasis on the innovation of the design and the visual literacy (using of graphic, fonts, color, and layouts); (3) the process section is to evaluate students’ presentation and team collaboration, expecting for the ability to express and demonstrate the synthesized information via digital creation and oral presentation.

Based on the performance task specification for assessments in project-based learning from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (as cited in Boss & Krauss, 2014), those three categories (knowledge, skills, and process) are used in the rubric because:

  • The knowledge for tennis tournaments and skills for digital media creation are integrated within the project as students will probe the learning content and express their understanding in their media project. The task contains multiple stages and allows for revision during the process (the second discussion and Coffee Talks). The content is meaningful to students as they obtain the relevant knowledge that helps them progress outside the tennis court.
  • The skills required allow for demonstration of research skills, digital literacy and visual literacy. Students will also need to critically analyze and synthesize the gathered information that will be presented in their infographic.
  • The presentation and team collaboration supports the multiple approaches to develop and express students’ ideas. The informal presentation at the second discussion provides chances for peer feedback and the exchange of different opinions that contributes to the success of the final project.

 

References

Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2014). Chapters 5, 6, 7. In Reinventing project-based learning: Your field guide to real-world projects in the digital age (pp. 61–93, 95–126). International Society for Technology in Education. https://ezproxy.tru.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx direct=true&db=cat03106a&AN=tru.a810704&site=eds-live

MediaSmarts. (n.d.). Digital & media literacy fundamentals. Retrieved from http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals