Assessments & Grading

Instructional goals and student skills will be assessed
in the areas of science process skills,
communication of ideas and understanding of science content presented.

 

Process Skills for learning in the Lab

all students will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their thinking abilities by:

  • applying techniques of observation to investigate real-world puzzles

    and phenomena

  • looking for patterns

  • discovering connections between structures and function

  • comparing categorizing classifying

  • identifying cause and effect relationships

  • predicting and testing reasonable outcomes

older students will also be assessed when

  • applying decision-making skills within a collaborative team

  • sequencing ideas and activities

  • gathering organizing recording and interpreting data

 

Communication

All students will be given the opportunity to practice communication skills by:

  • participating orally in discussions of ideas

  • making conjectures

  • formulating convincing arguments and negotiating toward some agreements within a group

  • Teaching others new skills

  • Constructing diagrams and illustrations that document their experiences and lead others to understand the significance of their observation.


Process Skills for Learning in a Lab Setting

  •  Attending to the point of instruction. Sometimes this is the lead-in to the investigation and sometimes it is the hands-on portion of the session...the actual lab work anticipated in the lesson. The point of instruction can include students who are speaking to the group as well as small group activity at the lab tables. Attending to the science content includes conversations that students engage in with their lab partner as they investigate.

  • Working cooperatively to complete tasks by participating positively within the group process. Sharing materials and tools as needed or simply assisting one another with the sequence of activity presented is an example of cooperative work habits that are assessed.

  • Fluency in a variety of modes includes skills when working on individual tasks, in partnership and within whole group discussions.