Teaching Science with Summative Labs

Teaching Science with Summative Labs

fashion style    11:22 PM   

Summative labs are the epitome of creativity, innovation and application of science. In short, they connect "Learning to Life" In an era where many education reforms are piloting multiple layers of standardized testing, summative labs are skills-based demonstrations of how students might approach a question using the scientific method. Despite these assessments being "tests" students really enjoy them. What they learn to appreciate is that:

1. In science, it's OK to be wrong. That's how we learn!
2. There are many ways to design an experiment. There is no one "right" way.
3. A constructivist approach to learning allows students to create and find their own meaning.

Our summative labs for our biology this year allowed students to focus on one of three questions related to living things. The offering of three questions gives students to challenge themselves based on their current level of understanding. Such options provide opportunities for all students to meet the curriculum but also provide an opportunity for gifted and accelerated learners. Our three questions that students got to choose from this unit were:

Green: Are protists more active in bright or low light conditions?

Blue: Do fish respond to music?

Black: Do snails prefer to eat meat or vegetables?

The labs are administered like a test. Students don't know what the questions are until they come to class so they cannot design an experiment with help from others. They have one period to do their experiment which is graded on the following rubric based around experimental design. The students had used a similar rubric for their group project on amphibians to help students get use to designing experiments on their own by scaffolding it's practice. Summative Lab Rubric-Diversity of Life

I love the open-endedness of summative labs and like that students seem to enjoy them. Through providing the opportunity to investigate intriguing questions, students start to develop a love of science as a practice rather than simply memorizing a series of unrelated facts. Although understanding basic underlying science content is essential, students must be give the chance to "be scientists". Only then will we produce learners that are intrigued by curiosity, ask essential questions, take risks, and stretch the forefront of our understanding.

I'm trying to blend some elements of summative labs with more content standards to replace the traditional test that I normally supplement with these labs. However, I'm working out the details as to implement them so there is no academic dishonesty or grade inflation. 

Any suggestions? Comments?

Using Student Blogs for Authentic Science Assessments

Using Student Blogs for Authentic Science Assessments

fashion style    10:11 PM   

We've come to the end of our unit on Biology in grade 6 science. In addition to learning about diversity of life, students have been discussing and debating moral ethics in science, such as why some forms of life seem to have precedence over others to live. For example, why do we abhor when a Panda bear population is pushed to the brink of extinction and we don't give second thoughts to stepping on insects? Students have debated the ethics of zoos as a tool of preservation and entrapment. Such essential questions make for fun discussions.



Our final investigation is an experiment centered around living things. Students design an investigation around a question and ultimately develop their scientific laboratory skills in preparation for their individual summative lab. Here is the outline:
Culminating Project Investigating Amphibians


I developed this rubric around the scientific method which I apply to all my end of unit summative labs. I think the language is pretty middle school friendly and hits the benchmarks well within the scientific method:

Investigating Amphibians Rubric-Diversity of Life

This is the second year that we've been 1:1 in the middle school. As our teaching staff learns how to best use student netbooks as learning tools, we are also looking for ways to incorporate them into authentic assessments that students will have in their digital portfolios. Such uses allow for keeping these artifacts rather than tossing them away after grading and sharing research with the greater world. Instead of giving a paper copy to the students, the students simply make a copy of the prompts and paste it in their blog for less paper output. See some examples below:

1. Does being in groups affect tadpole behavior?
2. Do tadpoles react differently to dirty or clear water?
3. Do dark or bright environments affect tadpole behavior?
4. How does population size affect tadpole respiration?

I think this connects "learning to life" which is in fact one of our mission statements. We cannot resign to having students produce work that is done in isolation. Scientists share their work with the world, invite peer review and know that the process of science is a collaborative one. There are so many collaborative projects that have developed online wherein students can share data from their home environment and laboratory with others on the side of the planet. If we want to develop scientists of the future, shouldn't this be a goal?

Lunch in the Park with Rational Numbers

Lunch in the Park with Rational Numbers

fashion style    7:39 AM   

The seventh graders have just had lunch in the park. This was our culminating project in our rational numbers unit in math. Math has so many practical applications and it's great when students have the opportunity to practice their skills in real world settings. I love it when students ask me: "What will we use this for? " and "Why do we have to learn this?" This is the hardest question that a teacher gets asked, but I like it, as it is important to always have relevance in mind when undertaking all educational objectives. As we have come to the end of our unit on "rational numbers" I designed an investigation with Ms. Cuthbertson and Mr. Elshoff to integrate some strands from health class into ones with math class to develop a rational numbers project involving shopping, the food pyramid, and of course, rational numbers. Students have to plan a meal around a healthy eating %, shop for a meal and stay within their budget and calculate differences involving rational numbers. See a project overview below:   Rational Numbers Project Rubric

We took all 66 seventh graders over to "Citimart" during "D Block" on Monday. The students planned a meal around the food pyramid and tried to proportionally build this meal around a group budget of 300,00 dong. Afterwards, students put their creation together and had lunch in the park.  
   

The kids had such a great time and the experience really brings learning to life. Where do we use math in our daily lives? Every time we go shopping! Some testimonials: Noah: "It was fun to learn and see how our budget added up."

MK: "It was inspiring to share and work with other people."

David: "It was fun discussing what we had to buy with our friends."

Doanh: "It was fun because our class got our and experienced a different style of learning."

Adam: "It was good to have a budget and it taught me how to use money and a budget better."

Seo Yoon: "It was fun, but the food was not that tasty. I will appreciate my mother so much more when she makes me lunch in the morning."

Soo Mi: "It was fun. It was fun shopping with others around."