Build Your Dream Home

by Itzel Suarez, Jennifer Titterington, and Anthony Rubio

Assignment	Points Possible	Grade Received
Preliminary Floor Plan	10
Architect Presentation	15
Budget	10
Model	10
Pro & Con Grid	10
Minute Paper	10
Concept Map	10
Final Presentation	25

FOCUSED AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
I really like this assessment, though it's time consuming to read and grade, because I get a very good idea of what's going on with the students. They have to write a one- or two-page autobiographical sketch that focuses on a successful learning experience they've had and how that is relevant to what they're learning in the project. I could use it in my project by asking them to write freely for about 15 minutes and describe their experiences once we wrap up the project.

CONCEPT MAPS
Just as we've done in a lot of UTeach classes concept maps to gather our thoughts, I think this assessment technique would be really useful for me to find out how students connect different concepts that deal with the project and how they relate them. I will have them do a pre-assessment concept map at the beginning to see what they actually know about the project and the kind of math they know, and then another one at the end to see what they have learned and how they connect the concepts in the project together.

PRO AND CON GRID
I think a pro and con grid would be helpful when comparing different concepts and it's quick and easy. They will compare the different forms of powering a house (electricity vs. solar panels) as well as the water supply (well vs. septic tank vs. others) because it helps students think of the pros and cons of each in helping them decide on one for their home.

MINUTE PAPER
I feel the "minute paper" because it asks what the most important thing that you learned during the lesson/class was, and also asks for something that remains unanswered for them. We could use this for some of the benchmark lessons we have on top of other things, since this assessment is a small one that doesn't really assess critical thinking.

FOCUSED LISTING
I would use focused listing before and after the lesson to make connections for how to use energy effectively and the different types available for use when designing the houses. Since there are only so many forms of energy covered, this should be a fast way to assess which ones the students know.