Here is an example of the type of contract that I used in my physics class. It is a tool that evolved over many years, and utilizes all of the building blocks described above.
The major components found in this contract include:
Learning Goals
The learning goals listed on the second page of this contract are its heart, since they provide the purpose of all the activities listed on the front. I found it useful to divide learning goals into concepts that students should know and skills that they should be able to do. These categories functioned well in this class, but are by no means the only way to organize learning goals.
The conceptual goals are posed as “Essential Questions”, with a set of subquestions to define the goal more specifically. The skills-based learning goals are defined as “Essential Skills”, in this case a set of equations students need to master. The specific types of problems to be solved with those equations are defined in the required problem sets found in the contract.
Clearly defined learning goals serve the important function of informing students what they are responsible for at the end of the contract. If, for instance, a student can answer the essential questions in detail by then, he will have mastered the conceptual basis of this unit. If a student can independently use the listed equations to solve all the problems in the required contract items, he will be prepared to take a test on those skills.
Contract Items
On the front page of this contract is a list of all the activities students might do to master the learning goals. No student will do all of them, but they are all available for every student. The check box in front of each item is there for the student to indicate what work she has completed.
The activities are grouped into classwork/homework and labs. In my physics classes, this division reflected the fact that classwork and homework tended to be abstract (reading assignments, problem sets, etc), and the labs, of course, were hands on experiences (station labs and other lab activities, projects, and so forth).
Required work
The bold items on the contract are essential work that is required of every student. All other items found in regular text are differentiated work, described below. Required items are generally work that has a hard deadline, so that all students are ready to review it together on the same day. On this contract, the required work includes:
Reading homework. HW7A (the first homework of chapter 7) entails reading and taking notes on sections 7.2 through 7.4 in the textbook.
Required Problem sets.
On the energy contract, there are three required problem sets. The first, Energy Set-up I, is designed to practice only the beginning step of energy problems. For many students, this skill is the most difficult hurdle and needs to be practiced separately.
Energy I and Energy II build to a desired level of complexity and represent the most sophisticated level of skill required in this unit.
Required labs. The Stairway Activity and the two station labs were sufficient hands-on experience for most students to master the real world applications of the learning goals.
Current Events. This is a work a student can do at any time in which he reads an article of his choosing and writes a summary of what he learned and how he reacted to the article.
Concept Map. This is an in-class activity that I used for reviewing all the concepts of the unit and discussing how they are all connected. Examples of both current events and concept maps can be found in “Tools for Teachers”.
Class Notes. This item consists of everything the student writes or draws in a journal during introductions, demonstrations and lectures. The ability to take good, well-organized, informative notes is a useful skill, and not just in school. Defining excellent class notes and evaluating them on the contract helps teach students how to take effective notes.
Review/remediation items
Students who don’t master a learning goal while doing the required items need to be able to continue working until they do. For instance, Energy Set-up II is a problem set that provides more practice on the skill introduced in Energy Set-up I.
Another need for remediation occurs when students don’t do well on a unit assessment. They need to be able to continue working on it, even when the class has moved on to the next unit.
For example, the Work Retest Problem Set is designed for students who didn’t do well on the unit that preceded energy.
Finally, Algebra Review Problems is designed to let students practice the basic mathematical skill of rearranging equations using the formulas found in this unit. A version of this kind of basic algebra review was included in every contract to build confidence in students who were struggling mathematically.
Above and Beyond (A&B) items: Energy Problem Sets IV and V are problem sets that require more complex skills than are going to be assessed at the end of the unit.
Other differentiated items. Some items on a contract can allow for students to explore the learning goals in other modes of learning. Sensei Physics is a computer simulation of various energy-related topics, for instance, to allow for a visual, sequential learning style. There are two Concept Development (CD) worksheets that allow for paper-and-pencil, visual work. There are several optional labs that give students a chance to explore the material by tactile-kinesthetic means.
Above and Beyond (A&B) items:
Energy Problem Sets IV and V are problem sets that require more complex skills than are going to be assessed at the end of the unit.
Other differentiated items.
Some items on a contract can allow for students to explore the learning goals in other modes of learning. Sensei Physics was a computer simulation of various energy-related topics, for instance, to allow for a visual, sequential learning style. There are two Concept Development (CD) worksheets that allow for paper-and-pencil, visual work. There are several optional labs that give students a chance to explore the material by tactile-kinesthetic means.
Blank items. In every contract, several spaces were left for the creation of new, unanticipated work. These items can be generated by the teacher in response to a need that arises during the contract. They can also be generated by a student, in consultation with the teacher.
Contract Evaluation
One of the most powerful aspects of the contract structure is its ability to make grading, and in particular student self-evaluation, a more authentic and communicative tool. The evaluation occurs on two levels.
Item evaluation. The dashes found to the left of the check boxes provide a space for the evaluation of every contract item. The system I used was for this evaluation was a simple 1 to 5 scale, where 5 meant excellent work, 3 meant mediocre work, and so forth. Clearly, before a student can evaluate her work, there must be a clear, explicit definition of what is meant by excellent or mediocre. The issue of self-evaluating unit contracts is discussed in depth in the chapter “Grades Reconsidered”.
Contract evaluation. Of course, beyond the evaluation of every item of work the student did is the assessment of how well the whole contract was completed. In essence, this is a grade for how well the student did the process of learning during this contract.
Notice at the bottom of the page that there are two spaces, one for the student and one for the teacher. The purpose here is to make a comparison between the student’s and the teacher’s evaluation of the contract work visible. A minor discrepancy, (a B+ instead of an A-), is not a problem, but if there is a serious disagreement, it means there is either a misunderstanding about what excellence looks like or an intentional misrepresentation on the part of the student. In either case, a conversation between teacher and student is called for to deal with the issue. Such conversations can be very meaningful indeed.
A minimum number of items. Having a required minimum number of items
ensures that every student will do a sufficient number of differentiated items. For example, the energy contract requires fourteen items, ten of which are required. Students are therefore required to do at least four additional contract items. Those who have mastered the learning goals quickly will still need to continue working, preferably by completing enrichment items. Struggling students have a number of ways to continue working. When the desired classroom culture is established, students who need more practice can, and often do, complete more than the minimum.
Calendar
The calendar shows only hard deadlines, including those for all required homework. (Energy Set-up Problems I is required, but was done in class.) It also shows the date of a review of the unit. All differentiated work is due at that time, and the review includes answer keys for every such item. The contracts are turned in on the date of the test to be reviewed by the teacher.
