Microsoft Word language assessment theory with practice

Example 7: Extensive Writing: Portfolios related to Educational Material Creation 
Level: 
B2 (Grade 8) [Note: This exercise was designed for Grade 8 students, 
but it can be modified to fit the needs of students at all levels. ] 
Topic: 
Natural Disasters 
Natural Disasters is Unit 10 in the book, followed in Grade 8. Here, 
students are learning about natural disasters (e.g., avalanche, droughts, 
earthquakes, flood, forest fire, landslide, tornado, tsunami, volcanic 
eruption), the damage they cause to the environment and people, and 
their causes (e.g., overpopulation, overconsumption, deforestation, 
waste of water, industries polluting the environment) 
Sub-topics: 
*Giving reasons and explaining events 
*Making comparisons 
*Creating chart, graphs, maps, tables 
*Making predictions 
*Making simple inquiries and suggestions 
*Stating personal opinions 
*Correctly citing reference/used materials 
Aim(s): 
This formative assessment task aims to help students create educational 
materials entitled “How to Survive a natural disaster.”
*In the earlier parts of the term, Sts covered topics such as The Internet, 
Adventures, Tourism, and Science. Now they are focusing on Natural 
Disasters. The goal is to encourage Sts to combine and use all the 
vocabulary, grammar and discourse structures taught throughout the 
year while researching and creating their materials. 
*After reading some texts related to natural disasters in class, students 
will research and create educational materials (e.g., reports, pamphlets, 
PowerPoint presentations, videos) informing the general public about 
different natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes vs avalanches vs 
tornadoes), their causes and how to survive them.
*By allowing students to choose a natural disaster they would like to 
focus on and create different educational materials after extensive 
research, students are given a chance to take responsibility for their own 
learning. 
*All research documents, initial drafts, notes and completed materials 
prepared by the Sts will be placed in the portfolio so that the Sts are 
able to reflect on their progress and achievements. 
 
Why 
portfolios? 
*When Sts are guided to reflect on their progress by teachers with 
checklist or writing assessment criteria, portfolio assessment 
encourages learners to be self-directed (Mak & Wong, 2018).
*Sts who know how to monitor their progress become more aware of 
their strengths and weaknesses and are more successful in finding ways 

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Language Assessment - Theory with Practice
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to improve their writing. 
*Portfolios develop Sts’ capacity to investigate, analyse, synthesise and 
organise various types of materials. Developing these skills is important 
as Sts will depend on them both in their academic and everyday lives.
*As formative assessment tools, portfolios enable teachers to provide 
feedback on learners’ progress (Lam & Lee, 2010).
Success 
criteria: 
Sts’ progress and success will be judged based on the following criteria:
*After selecting a natural disaster and a type of informative/educational 
material they would like to create, students explain in 100 words the 
reasons for their choices. Sts are free to do this using lists, tables, 
concept maps or written texts.
*Create a “Natural Disaster World Map” including factually and 
grammatically correct information. 
*Create a pamphlet, poster, PowerPoint Presentation, video etc., 
informing the general public about the procedures to be followed to 
survive a specific natural disaster. 
*Ask the right questions, research and demonstrate that they can find 
the most suitable and most relevant materials/sources (e.g., books, 
articles, newspapers, websites, films etc.) for their projects. 
*Analyse, synthesise and evaluate the information presented in the 
materials they scrutinise. 
*Organise and present the information in the educational material in an 
orderly and comprehensible manner and in a language suitable for the 
intended audience. 
*Use correct vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and 
capitalisation. 
Background 
and 
Procedures: