Assessment Of Final Project Solid Liquid Gas


Inquiry is the basis of all science and leads to student driven questions about science. Teach students through inquiry because it allows them to have curiosity and lead to student driven experimentation. Allowing students to explore and question what other substances go through chemical changes will encourage them to question why things change and they will be able to come up with their own answers to their questions. These types of questions will hook the students and engage them in the lesson. They have the authority to generate their own findings and experiments. If the students are wondering if a substance will have a chemical change, then the next experiment would be to try out their hypothesis and actually try to change the substance they come up with. The teacher will take specific questions from students and build lessons on their interests. If the student’s inquiry leads to small, group projects, be sure time is allowed to share with the entire class their discoveries. They can present their findings to the other students in the class.

Alternative Authentic Assessment:

Assessment should take place before teaching, during teaching and after teaching. In order to develop functional and affective units, the teacher must do a pre-unit assessment. This will let the teacher know what the student’s prior knowledge is and what they need to be taught before they can start a new unit. Assessment during an activity is also necessary to monitor the student’s understanding of what they are doing and what they are supposed to be learning. The assessments that can be implemented during a lesson include: classroom talk, understandings, thinking and actions. After teaching a lesson or a unit, it is important to reflect on the information and knowledge the students acquired. Assessment after teaching a unit/lesson allows the teacher to evaluate if the lesson was effective, and the effectiveness of the classroom activity. The students should also be given time to self assess their learning and communicate to the class or teacher what they learned or still needed clarification on. Some options for this type of assessment include: discussions, arguments, written work inquiry and other results the students come up with.

Effective Planning:

The process of planning takes time to complete. As the teacher, be sure to take into consider the students in the class, and how they learn best because each student learns more effectively in different ways. Start with a broad idea, and then step back, re-evaluating the steps in the plan and adjust accordingly. “You should be prepared to modify the course of events and activate at any time during your unit as you uncover new insights into your students’ understandings” (Bloom, 220). It is necessary to be flexible with lessons, even after you start a new one, allow room to change activities, order of events, and experiments.

The Nature of Science:

The nature of science will be more authentic if we look at it from an approach that is deeper than a text book definition. We need to allow for exploring, explanations, theories, and experiments. We can take science out of the classroom and allow for those necessary implications to come into action. Get students to work with each other, and questions their peer’s ideas and theories. Also incorporate other relevant subjects, and relate scientific processes to real life situations.

Systems Thinking, Pattern Thinking and Complex Learning:

Cycle: Inquiry cycle can be implemented by having students write down their findings, questions, explanations, experiences, answers etc. This pattern allows for instruction to have no set order of events, but rather it allows for discussion and instruction to make a full rotation of inquiry. Instruction can have different types of patterns, and as the teacher allow a pattern flow in the class that eliminates teacher driven inquiry and allow a pattern flow of student driven instruction. Incorporating complex learning in the classroom is also important to accomplish. Building knowledge on prior knowledge is one way to incorporate complex learning. Connect concepts to each other, this will allow students to build conceptual understandings rather than random facts they have to memorize.
