Evaluate- To study carefully and judge
an idea or situation. To make a value judgment, to give the pluses and minuses
backed up with evidence (facts, figures, instances, etc) Similar to
criticize, it means to assess; to show the worth or lack of worth of a
particular thing or idea. Evaluation activities could include listing
items in order of importance. Useful action verbs associated with
evaluate are: judge, select, choose, decide, justify, argue, recommend, assess,
discuss, rate, prioritize, determine. Additional synonyms for
evaluate are: classify, rate, rank, grade, estimate, measure, gauge,
TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
TIPS:
1) Just for Fun! Evaluate the Super Bowl ads and vote for the best and
worst! Click here to go to USA
Today and rate the 55 ads that appeared during the broadcast watched by over
100 million people. Explain why the ad was best/worst and list what
qualities make an ad memorable. List possible goals of the ads and have a class
discussion on whether or not these ads actually reach their goals and explain
why or why not.
2) Open Response Questions- include these tasks/words to encourage evaluation: Is there a better solution to... Judge the value of.....Can you defend your position about....Do you think _____ is a good or bad thing.... How would you have handled.....What change would you recommend.... Do you believe...How effective are....?
3) Current Events - WAR! Have students research and debate the pros and cons of an invasion of Iraq. Ask how they feel about the growing anti-war protest movement. Ask them to justify their positions. Make a recommendation for action if they were President Bush. Research at CNN Student News , Yahooligan's The Big Picture , Surfing the Net with Kids "Conflict with Iraq"
4)E-mail - Students write an editorial ( persuasive argument) on a topic of interest and e-mail it to appropriate officials. Topics could include state education funding, war in Iraq, homeland security, terrorism, school rules, value of technology in education, anything about the environment, etc. Try Kidtimes as a location to post opinions and read reactions from other students. If needed contact a TRT for help on email addresses to experts and government officials
5) Hold A Mock Trial- See instructions, how-to at this excellent web site. Evaluate the evidence and form a verdict! These cases and topics from the Washington State Court system are easy to use and very topical. Elementary Mock Trial Resources , Middle School Mock Trial Resources , High School Mock Trial Resources
6) Forensics in The Classroom - Focus on the CSI television show popularity with these free comprehensive units from Court TV. Evaluate the crime scene evidence and decide who is guilty. Cases range from easy implementation ( just print and use) to difficulty ( classroom lab experiments) and titles include - "The Celebration", "The Car that Swims"," The Backpack Mystery", and "Renters Beware". You must register to get the free units Click here: Forensics in the Classroom
7) Mathmatics- Evaluate word problems on Math Forum's Problem of the Week...free services found at : Problems of the Week
8) Online Dictionaries-
Look up the word on online dictionaries as a whole class activity to introduce and brainstorm ideas and activities about the word. Use the PC to TV device or other projection system if possible. Here are some good online dictionaries:
-Miriam Webster seems to be the easiest and most concise http://www.m-w.com/home.htm
-Your Dictionary.com at http://www.yourdictionary.com/ Similar to above
-Wordsmyth http://www.wordsmyth.net/live/home.php This one is interesting... when you click on the word to see the definitions, more sections automatically appear, which could give ideas for instruction or activities - such as synonyms, similar words, examples in a sentence, etc.
-One Look ( searches for the word in a multitude of different online dictionaries) http://www.onelook.com
For more ideas or help using any of these computer programs or websites, please contact your technology resource teachers: