Student Assessment
Formative assessment for the unit will be performed through daily monitoring of student comprehension through the activities that they will complete or printed out and staple inside their science journals. The science journals are designed to act as a research log throughout the activities that will help students to pull the big ideas together and record information that they learn in each activity. These logs will aide students in completing the final summative assessment, where they will create a presentation and visual to give to the class and the teacher. As the teacher you will monitor student progress and comprehension of the activities by collecting student journals at the end of each day. Evaluate student journals to make sure that students are completing the activities and answering the accompanying questions. If students accurately record the activities in their log for that day, then they will receive a “stamp” on that page for the activity.
The activities fall into one of the following categories based upon the type of assessment; building a model and recording observations and conclusions, answering comprehension questions, filling out a graphic organizer, taking an online quiz, creating a craft that displays student research, act out a scene, conducting an interview. Each activity will require students to clearly label the activity and share any accompanying work in their science journals. Let’s take a closer look at the activities and assessments.
The team activities begin with activity 1, in which students will complete a mathematical model comparing the global ocean to the size of the continents. Students will complete the model and show the math calculations in their science journals. They will also complete the accompanying comprehension questions. The activities continue with team activity 2, requiring students to build a model of a jetty and record observations and conclusions based on what they see in their science journals. They will then research more about jetties and how they function and write a 2-paragraph summary in their journals.
The students will be asked to fill out graphic organizers in the individual activities 1 and 3, and to include these in their science journals. For activity 1, students will watch a video giving an overview of the oceans, and be asked to fill out a KWL chart. For activity 3, students will create a two-part foldable and record the causes and effects of big ocean waves on the appropriate labels. They must then include these inside their science journals.
While the formative assessments rely heavily on writing, the activities have been designed with many pictures and videos to aide in student comprehension. For struggling readers or writers, or ELL students, the media will help them to envision the concepts and be able to better record in their science journals. Also the journals will be graded for completion not accuracy. While it is essential to check for student accuracy to see if they are comprehending the material, the amount of writing recorded will vary greatly based on the student. If students are not completing the journal pages then a meeting should be set up to discuss with the student alternative options, such as allowing the student to draw pictures/ diagrams instead of writing.
In order to expand to include multiple forms of assessment, two of the optional assignments have been designed to cater to kinesthetic and artistic students. Team activity 4 asks students to research a marine animal or organism and to create an adaptation wheel. These wheels can be colored and decorated to add interest and appeal. Also team activity 6 directs students to “act out” the moon and the tides. Through this scenario, students who like to perform or who are kinesthetic learners are able to move around and see how the moon affects the tides.
The culmination of the formative assessments recorded from each activity in the students’ science journals will end in a final summative assessment. For this assessment they will draw upon the research from the activities and notes recorded in their science journals and create a final presentation (with visual) to give to the science teachers at their school. Students will work in their teams to compile their information from the activities and do more research as needed. They will create a final presentation 10-15 minutes in length that summarizes what they learned about the ocean, why learning about the ocean is important and relevant to them, and how they science teachers could create a curriculum to teach about the ocean. Remind students to plan the presentation and visual with the audience in mind. The visual can be a poster, powerpoint, or other form, but must include relevant photos and explanations. Remind students that the principle selected their research team with the purpose of bringing back information to show their rural school that is far from the ocean why it is important to learn about it. They want to “sell” the ocean to the teachers so that they see the importance and necessity of teaching about the ocean in their science classrooms!
Formative Assessment: (*denotes required activities)
~Team Activities~ ~Individual Activities~
Activity 1: How Large are the Oceans* Activity 1: Video*
Activity 2: Ocean Waves. Build a Jetty* Activity 2: Waves*
Activity 3: Ocean Currents Activity 3: Surfing
Activity 4: Marine Habitats Activity 4: Action
Activity 5: Climate Change Activity 5: Mystery
Activity 6: Tides Activity 6: Currents
The activities fall into one of the following categories based upon the type of assessment; building a model and recording observations and conclusions, answering comprehension questions, filling out a graphic organizer, taking an online quiz, creating a craft that displays student research, act out a scene, conducting an interview. Each activity will require students to clearly label the activity and share any accompanying work in their science journals. Let’s take a closer look at the activities and assessments.
The team activities begin with activity 1, in which students will complete a mathematical model comparing the global ocean to the size of the continents. Students will complete the model and show the math calculations in their science journals. They will also complete the accompanying comprehension questions. The activities continue with team activity 2, requiring students to build a model of a jetty and record observations and conclusions based on what they see in their science journals. They will then research more about jetties and how they function and write a 2-paragraph summary in their journals.
The students will be asked to fill out graphic organizers in the individual activities 1 and 3, and to include these in their science journals. For activity 1, students will watch a video giving an overview of the oceans, and be asked to fill out a KWL chart. For activity 3, students will create a two-part foldable and record the causes and effects of big ocean waves on the appropriate labels. They must then include these inside their science journals.
While the formative assessments rely heavily on writing, the activities have been designed with many pictures and videos to aide in student comprehension. For struggling readers or writers, or ELL students, the media will help them to envision the concepts and be able to better record in their science journals. Also the journals will be graded for completion not accuracy. While it is essential to check for student accuracy to see if they are comprehending the material, the amount of writing recorded will vary greatly based on the student. If students are not completing the journal pages then a meeting should be set up to discuss with the student alternative options, such as allowing the student to draw pictures/ diagrams instead of writing.
In order to expand to include multiple forms of assessment, two of the optional assignments have been designed to cater to kinesthetic and artistic students. Team activity 4 asks students to research a marine animal or organism and to create an adaptation wheel. These wheels can be colored and decorated to add interest and appeal. Also team activity 6 directs students to “act out” the moon and the tides. Through this scenario, students who like to perform or who are kinesthetic learners are able to move around and see how the moon affects the tides.
The culmination of the formative assessments recorded from each activity in the students’ science journals will end in a final summative assessment. For this assessment they will draw upon the research from the activities and notes recorded in their science journals and create a final presentation (with visual) to give to the science teachers at their school. Students will work in their teams to compile their information from the activities and do more research as needed. They will create a final presentation 10-15 minutes in length that summarizes what they learned about the ocean, why learning about the ocean is important and relevant to them, and how they science teachers could create a curriculum to teach about the ocean. Remind students to plan the presentation and visual with the audience in mind. The visual can be a poster, powerpoint, or other form, but must include relevant photos and explanations. Remind students that the principle selected their research team with the purpose of bringing back information to show their rural school that is far from the ocean why it is important to learn about it. They want to “sell” the ocean to the teachers so that they see the importance and necessity of teaching about the ocean in their science classrooms!
Formative Assessment: (*denotes required activities)
~Team Activities~ ~Individual Activities~
Activity 1: How Large are the Oceans* Activity 1: Video*
Activity 2: Ocean Waves. Build a Jetty* Activity 2: Waves*
Activity 3: Ocean Currents Activity 3: Surfing
Activity 4: Marine Habitats Activity 4: Action
Activity 5: Climate Change Activity 5: Mystery
Activity 6: Tides Activity 6: Currents