Science Happenings: Final Life Science Assessments
Students have completed the life science unit. Over the course of the past week, students completed three different unit assessments. The first was a claims, evidence, and reasoning assessment based on graphs and data provided. Students needed to clearly state their position, provide evidence from the graphs to support their ideas, and finally address any counterclaims. The second assessment focused on graphings and the TAILS strategy. Students needed to construct a graph with all labeled parts to successfully show proficiency. Students had a checklist (TAILS) of everything they needed to include on their graphs. Finally, students completed a content knowledge comprehension multiple choice assessment. The multiple choice assessment focused on the information student read about in the various readings, developed in labs or found in various activities. Students needed to complete three sections, each focused on a specific grade level proficiency. All three of sets of results will be posted on For All Rubrics and will show up on students science continuums.
Next Steps: The Launch of Inquiry (Science Solutions)
The coming weeks will be critical for the start of the inquiry unit. Students will be guided through a brainstorming process designed to help them design a project that will interest them for the next two months. Students need to take their time and complete each phase to ensure that they will be prepared for all of the coming steps.
Since this unit requires previous steps to be mastered before moving the next, students will have to make sure that they are monitoring their work completion. We use the analogy of a snowball rolling down a hill and it continues to get bigger as it rolls, so the students understand what will happen when steps are not completed. Please review the checklists on For All Rubrics as a way to understand how the students are doing in submitting their work.
Students have completed the life science unit. Over the course of the past week, students completed three different unit assessments. The first was a claims, evidence, and reasoning assessment based on graphs and data provided. Students needed to clearly state their position, provide evidence from the graphs to support their ideas, and finally address any counterclaims. The second assessment focused on graphings and the TAILS strategy. Students needed to construct a graph with all labeled parts to successfully show proficiency. Students had a checklist (TAILS) of everything they needed to include on their graphs. Finally, students completed a content knowledge comprehension multiple choice assessment. The multiple choice assessment focused on the information student read about in the various readings, developed in labs or found in various activities. Students needed to complete three sections, each focused on a specific grade level proficiency. All three of sets of results will be posted on For All Rubrics and will show up on students science continuums.
Next Steps: The Launch of Inquiry (Science Solutions)
The coming weeks will be critical for the start of the inquiry unit. Students will be guided through a brainstorming process designed to help them design a project that will interest them for the next two months. Students need to take their time and complete each phase to ensure that they will be prepared for all of the coming steps.
Since this unit requires previous steps to be mastered before moving the next, students will have to make sure that they are monitoring their work completion. We use the analogy of a snowball rolling down a hill and it continues to get bigger as it rolls, so the students understand what will happen when steps are not completed. Please review the checklists on For All Rubrics as a way to understand how the students are doing in submitting their work.