Assessment Strategies
Students work in pairs and individually throughout this lesson. There are several opportunities for teachers to assess student progress. Student work on Student Worksheet 1-Understanding the Story and Pictures requires critical thinking based on students reading of Student Handout 1-Mr. Coal's Story. During the debriefing, students will refine what they learn about coal mining jobs for boys; any thoughts they write or discuss prior to teacher input should only be assessed in light of how reasonably they apply critical thinking skills. The teacher should observe students cooperative work and group discussion to informally assess their analytical thinking. On the second day of the lesson, students will write a persuasive letter to a state legislator urging the creation of a law that would improve conditions in mines or prevent boys from working there in the first place. The letter can be assessed using the Grading Rubric.
