Literature Assessment at Presbyterian High School

For Secondary One Literature which I'm teaching, the assessment consists mostly of summative assessments. Beyond the usual mid- and final year examinations as well as common tests, the school also gives students class tests every term. The difference is in the number of chapters being tested for each test type and also, the choice of chapters. For class tests, chapters taught in class are tested while for examinations, students are being notified that they will be tested on chapters covered in depth in class as well as chapters they were expected to read on their own.

Other than these various formative assessments, the Secondary One Literature department also decided to incorporate drama to test knowledge of the text. Known as the Dramatisation Project to students and teachers, the assessment looks at how groups of students dramatise their assigned chapter from the text. I personally enjoyed this and was a part of the assessment just today. While some students did not take the project seriously, some other groups made the effort to present characters fully and memorize lines from the text. I think the students generally enjoyed it really. They brought in props and were willing to be silly in front of their classmates. We then had a chance to teach them drama/stage concepts like blocking and voice projection as well.