Agenda

1. Agenda • Final Assignment reminder • Re-visiting Writing • Other forms of integration: Activity & Art • Assessment • Forms • Designing • Rubrics • Analysis Have a happy thanksgiving!! What are you thankful for… in science? Oh, and lets have fun today since its thanksgiving week.

2. school Final Assignment Reminder • Due Dec 6th by 5:00pm • For your final assignment you need to reflect on your science teaching in a way that reveals your growth as a science teacher this semester and that shows others what you care about. Head on over to the wiki: Assignments.

3. Warm up Activity: Recapping Writing… Expository writing that are helpful in science… • Description: The author describes a topic by listing characteristics, features, and examples • Sequence: The author lists items or events in numerical or chronological order. • Comparison: The author explains how two or more things are alike and/or how they are different. • Cause and Effect: The author lists one or more causes and the resulting effect or effects. • Problem and Solution: The author states a problem and lists one or more solutions for the problem. A variation of this pattern is the question- and-answer format in which the author poses a question and then answers it. Think of a science experience you had this weekend, and write about it from one of these perspectives.

4. Literacy Integration:Writing

5. In groups… • Discuss how your CT has incorporated writing in science (or science into writing). • Think of at least 3 different examples, and be prepared to explain the strategies.

6. Writer's Notebooks - Writing About Science x

7. Reader's Notebooks

8. Writing about Science - Journals/Lab Notebooks

9. Class Blog & Science pages

10. Integration of the Arts & Body • Motion & Bodies • Music • Art

11. Using our bodies in science From the NSTA book: • Emilio: imagining himself into the ant world to describe where and how they live • Using his words and his body to explain and explore the phenomena

12. Using our bodies in science class Using your bodies to explore phenomena • Imagine you are a plant. What happens when you grow? Can two of you act this out for us? • Imagine you are a molecule? What happens when you heat up and cool down? Can 5 of you act this out for us? • Charge cards: Jess • Scientific Soccer: Jenn & Lauren

13. Role playing • Melissa’s story • 23% first marking period • The passing girl • Very social with friends but very quiet in class

14. Melanie Save the Animals Posters on Giraffes • Researched giraffes: Focused on how recycling impacts the health of giraffes • Melanie impersonated the mother giraffe and baby. We drew a tree because not only the giraffes need it but we need it too cos, erm, of the air… Plus the giraffes will starve. We drew the giraffes saying “ I’m hungry! Help us! Help my family! We need trees to eat the leaves!” and the little one, the baby is saying “Help me! And my Mommy! I’m starving!”

15. Animal Project on Gorillas: • Scientist Jane Goodall • Met requirements by reporting on habitat, food and life-cycle of the animal • Enlisted help of Pat and Chantell to act as gorillas while she “taught” them sign language • Received 100% on her report and the presentation.

17. Role playing • When and how might you use role-playing in science class? • Debates • Presentations • Arguing for ideas (in a science talk) • Who might kids role play? • Scientists • Science users and consumers

18. Current Circle/Energy Pass What science concepts and ideas could students explore with an activity like this? When might we want to use an activity like this in our instructional sequence? The class stands in a circle. Each person creates a sound and motion that travels around the circle. When the motion gets back to the one that started it, the next person starts their own motion or movement.

19. Art in Science - Creating Models Text

20. Art and Science - Technical Drawings and Observations A common sketch student technical drawing How might these be used to further student science learning?

21. Science and Music Remember the Bone Song - Students create a group dance performance to help them remember to parts of the skeletal system.

22. Science and Music Raps Health competition

23. “I’m a make a difference expert” Begins to use art to educate othersJanis’ Rap – 3rd placeStatewide competition, age 13-19 Verse 1 Just sit down and take a seat Open your ears and listen to me I gotta tell something that you won’t like Somethin’ you didn’t know ‘bout your lights Incandescent light bulbs help global warming A solution to pollution in this bulb is forming Fluorescent light bulbs they do last longer Fluorescent bulbs are brighter and are stronger So give CFLs a try …. And wave those ugly bulbs goodbye Take aim … at climate change Cut down your bills, it ain’t so strange Chorus: Do as I do Take and unscrew Throw out the old And put in the new One simple thing you all can do Is change to CFLs, & don’t be a fool

24. Clouds (5th grade)

25. You guessed it… • We’ve just finished a unit on life cycles and you are 4th graders. Create a rap to teach this topic to your 1st grade buddies.

26. At what stage in the Instructional Sequence would it make sense to integrate art into science? What other ways can schools integrate science in the school day?

27. Integrating into Science • In your groups you will be assigned a form of integration. • In your groupseither modify your big lesson plan to incorporate your form of integration OR design a new lesson plan • Be prepared to: • Teach the part of the lesson that involves the integration (within reason) • Explain • the integration • what part of the lesson sequence it involves (engage, explore, explain, apply) • how it connects to students’ lives • how it enriches the science lesson

28. Assessment in Science

29. Why do teachers use assessments? Teachers use assessments for various reasons, including: • Monitoring student progress toward learning goals -- How is each student progressing in relation to learning goals? • Making instructional decisions -- how can a teacher use evidence about his students’ progress to make instructional decisions? • Evaluating student achievement -- how does each student’s understanding at this time compare with the goals that student was expected to achieve? • Evaluating programs -- how well is the program working in relation to goals and expectations for the students? Think about what kinds of assessments you have seen used in your mentor teacher’s classrooms. Besides, achievement, what powerful examples can you think of that relate to the other 3 goals?

30. When does assessment take place? Diagnostic assessment or Pre-assessment The purpose of diagnostic assessment is to determine, prior to instruction, student background experiences, skills, attitudes, and conceptions. • Helps the teacher to evaluate each student’s learning needs and relevant connections before instruction begins. • Formative assessment • Formative assessments are often administered during a lesson. They help teachers to figure out how students are progressing in their learning. • Not used for grading purposes, but provide teacher and student with valuable feedback about the student’s progress. • Teachers can use this information to make informed decisions about their teaching, such as adjusting the rate of instruction, assigning remedial activities, and planning alternative experiences. • Summative assessment • Summative assessments are often administered at the conclusion of a lesson, unit, or grading period. They provide a summation of what a student knows at that point in time. • They are often used for reporting student achievement levels to districts and states, or for assigning grades.

31. What kind of information do you need? Target your assessment to gain specific information! • What students know and can do before instruction begins • How well they are progressing toward learning goals during instruction • Which strategies and thinking processes students use to reach answers or conclusions • How well students are integrating new information • What motivates students • How effective are special interventions • Whether a teacher needs to alter his or her teaching

32. How can you use assessment to inform your instruction? • Identifying appropriate content, sequencing, and pacing of lessons • Modifying or extending activities • Choosing effective teaching methods • Examining the effects of the tasks, discourse, and learning environment on students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions • Making instruction more responsive to students’ needs • Ensuring that every student is gaining scientific power

33. How do we identify/create rich and informative assessment tasks? • A ‘rich’ and informative assessment task is: • related to the GLCE/ learning goal. • focused on conceptual understanding rather than information recall • designed to reveal strengths and weaknesses in students’ mastery of the learning goal • designed so that ALL students can respond to the task (possibly with varying degrees of quality and mastery.)

34. Examples of Formative Assessment Opportunities Assessment Rotation Stations: In your groups, you will have 5 minutes at each station to review and discuss the assessment task example. As you visit each station, consider the following: What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

35. Task 1:Physical Science, 4th grade • 4th Grade Performance • Student investigates the effect of different container materials on heat transfer; draws a conclusion about the best insulator; and applies concept to a new, seemingly quite different problem. • Review the task. What specific understanding does the task assess? • Review the sample student work: How would you assess student performance on this task? What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

36. Task 2: Classification, grade 4 • Students will develop a binary classification system using concrete objects. • This task assesses students' abilities to observe properties of objects and classify those objects into two groups. • This task is designed to take students approximately 10 minutes to complete. • Review the task. What specific understanding does the task assess? • Review the sample student work: How would you assess student performance on this task? What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

37. Task 3: Inclined Ladder, grade 3 • Students determine the forces necessary to move a truck on an inclined plane with weight and slope as variables. They then apply their understanding to identify the cheapest way to transport trash to local garbage disposal sites. • The task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, design an experiment, collect and interpret data, and apply their understanding to an additional situation. • This task is designed to take students approximately 45-60 minutes to complete. • Review the task. What specific understanding does the task assess? • Review the sample student work: How would you assess student performance on this task? What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

38. Task 4: Run for your life, Grade 4 • After reading a story about a predatory event between a fox and a rabbit, the student will draw a picture to show the pattern of animal tracks a scientist might find in the area after the event. • The task assesses students' abilities to make generalized inferences from their reading, and apply their understanding. • This task is designed to take students approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. • Review the task. What specific understanding does the task assess? • Review the sample student work: How would you assess student performance on this task? What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

39. Task 5: Mythical Animals, Kinder • Students create an imaginary animal by assembling pictures of body parts from pictures of real animals. Note: This task is one of three linked tasks. The others are "Who's Parts Do I Have?" and "Animals Piece by Piece.” • This task assesses students' abilities to sort organisms and objects into groups according to their parts and describe how the groups are formed; record observations about parts of animals including wings, feet, heads, and tails; and identify parts that, when separated from the whole, may result in the part or the whole not working, such as cars without wheels, and plants without roots. • This task is designed to take 3-4 class periods of 15 minutes each. • Review the task. What specific understanding does the task assess? • Review the sample student work: This task does not have samples of student work. Discuss what an ideal response would look like. What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

40. Task 6: People Interacting with their environment: Grade 4 • Students explore the characteristics of different environments and the ways people and animals live those enviroments. They then apply their understanding to an additional situation. • Review the task. What specific understanding does the task assess? • Review the sample student work: How would you assess student performance on this task? What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

41. Discussion • What evidence of student understanding would you be able to find in student responses to this assessment task? • Which assessment tasks would give you the most information about how students think and understand? • Which would you use in your classroom, and why?

42. Assessment Tasks When planning, tweaking or selecting an assessment task, start with an assessment objective that explains what your students will be able to DO after your lesson. (use Blooms Taxonomy verbs) Assessment Objective Example: The students will be able to identify and describe the parts of a mealworm.

43. Create your own Assessment (Choose a format that can be displayed for peer review) • Work together in groups of 3-4. Select a GLCE appropriate for your placement: • An assessment objective • a statement that explains what your students will be able to DO after your lesson. (Use one of the verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy) • An assessment task • Should reveal strengths and weaknesses in students’ mastery of the overall learning goal. • A list of expected features • Should include the critical points the students should include in their response to demonstrate meeting the GLCE.

44. Assessment Gallery Walk • As you review your classmates’ work, • consider the following questions: • Is the assessment objective related to the GLCE/ • learning goal? • Is the assessment objective focused on conceptual understanding rather than information recall? • Will the assessment task reveal strengths and weaknesses in students’ mastery of the learning goal? (features of student responses) • Is the assessment task age appropriate?

45. Designing Rubrics for Assessment Tasks • Guiding questions • What do I want my students to know and be able to do? • What does this look like? • Alignment with • Task/assignment • Learning goals • Expectations • Analytic or Holistic

46. Designing a Rubric • Step 1: Develop a list of qualities that the learner should demonstrate proficiency in by completing an assessment task • no limit to the number of criteria that can be included in a rubric • Criteria should connect to: learning goals and students’ developmental levels • Step 2: Refine your list so that it is fair, accurate and reasonable • Are you asking for too much or too little? • Are the criteria aligned well with your goals and what you have taught? • Do the criteria really capture what you want to measure? • Step 3: Expand on the dimensions of quality and proficiency • What is high quality versus low quality? • A good way to get started is to think about how the attributes of a truly superb performance • Step 4: The final step toward filling in the grid of the rubric is to benchmark the remaining levels of mastery or gradations of quality.

47. Holistic: Examples from PALS

49. Analytic: Example from BSCS • Ecosystems model project: Students are to model their ecosystem. The model should include appropriate living and non-living organisms present. The paper should include an appropriate description of their ecosystem including the climate, what living and non-living organisms are present, how the living organisms meet their needs for survival, and example of a food chain or web that exists in this environment, what types of changes could take place, what those changes could do to the populations within that ecosystem, and what microbes might be present that may drastically effect the ecosystem.