Surreal Collage and Free Write Activity

      As a pre assessment to gage student writing ability during Summer Prep we asked each learner to create a surreal collage that told a story. Our sixth grade students were invited to collage images and back grounds that fit together but may not be possible in the real world. Next, students were asked to write stories that connected to details from the collage. Each child let us into their imaginary world and developed an explanation of their picture. We used this free write to uncover individual needs of students. Through an examination of sentence structure, length, spelling and grammar we set the parameters for our final performance task- the personal narrative. The collage and writing provided an opportunity for assessment as part of the class’s ongoing work. It also allowed us to reflect on the effectiveness of our own teaching. Did students understand the concepts of collage and surrealism? Were our modeling techniques effective? Did students enjoy writing and the crafting of stories?

            With the free write, an informal method of assessment,  allowed for students to demonstrate what they know using a variety of media. As our first written assignment the collage free write served as a benchmark with which to compare the final narrative. This would allow us to examine, document and compare student growth and achievement over time.