ABSTRACT
Activities include the full range of learning tasks, activities, and assignmentsanything that students are expected to do in order to learn, apply, practice, evaluate, or any other way respond to curricular content. We do not make clear distinctions between activities and assessments (and we treat them together in this chapter) because any worthwhile activity can serve both learning and assessment functions. Activities may call for speech (answering questions, participating in discussion, debate, or role play), writing (short answers, longer compositions, research reports), or goal-directed action (conduct an inquiry, solve problems, construct models or displays). They may be done either in or out of the classroom (i.e., as homework); in whole-class, small-group, or individual settings; and under close and continuing supervision or largely independently (on one’s own or in collaboration with peers).
