Making the Junior curriculum concept driven and student-led

LEM and I have been chatting about how we could make the junior curriculum more relevant to the students and the world they live in. We started thinking about all the ways climate change could be used to hook into the science junior curriculum. How it could be used as a context for multiple content needs in science.

We threw around some ideas at morning tea time, then while my class were doing an assessment I started to pull them into a mindmap using Coggle to link the ideas of climate change, to the Science content, and on to the type of assessments or investigations that could be done.

The goal would be for students to investigate their own interests within a larger framework. When I started to link the content that is essential to Year 9 and 10 it turned out the whole two years could be investigated within the context of Climate Change in Year 9 or Sustainability in Year 10.

The intention is to allow teachers some fluidity in what and how they teach allowing them to follow the students interests. The assessments can be chosen by the teacher to be either a research investigation, using secondary sources; or a practical investigation collating primary data.
Each class would be constrained by having to do at least 6 assessments to report back on, at least 3 research and 3 practical investigations, and for each content strand in the Science curriculum to be assessed at least once. Students who are really into biology can do 3 Living World  themed projects, as long as they still do once each for Physical World, Material World, and Planet Earth and Beyond.

The teacher can follow the students enthusiasms anywhere on the mind map, or beyond if the students are so inclined. As the assessments are Nature of Science based they are comparable.

SNC has developed some good assessment tools, assessing skills not content, so they can be used across different assessment contexts, but still be comparable. The repeated use of these assessment rubrics, coupled with their explicit teaching in class will allow students to both identify what they need to do within an assessment, and identify what their next goals will be to attain the next level in their progression.

Class differentiation in Level 2 Chemistry

For Term 3 I have split each Chemistry class into two groups. One group of the academically focussed students, and another of the students who are happy to just get their 14 credits. The academic kids are going to work on both remaining externals, and the others on one external.

Parents have been contacted to ensure that it is clear what their child is doing, and have been asked to respond to me to acknowledge that they are in agreement with the choice that they are making.



<Date>


<Parents>
<Postal Address>


Dear <Salutation>

Re : <First Name> <Last Name> <Class>

From this term in Chemistry, and for the remainder of the year the classes within the course has been split into two working groups. One group comprises the students who are planning to take Level 3 Chemistry in 2018, and may be planning a career or further study in which they may use Chemistry ("The L3/Career" group). The second group are students who have decided that Chemistry does not feature in their future plans, and are aiming to get enough credits at Level 2 to pass the course, but do not plan to take their study of Chemistry any further (dubbed the "I just want my credits" group). So far the students are self-selecting the group they want to be in.

The L3/Career group will be working at a quick pace through two Externally assessed Achievement Standards, 2.6 Chemical Reactivity, and 2.5 Organic Chemistry. It is necessary that this group is diligent about keeping up with the work, and this will require regular homework.

 The "I just want my credits" group will be spending their time learning Organic Chemistry and revising the 2.4 Atomic Structure and Bonding standard we covered last term.

All learning for externals should be completed in time for the school exams in Week 9 of Term 3. After the school exams we will tackle the final internally assessed standard 2.7 Oxidation and Reduction.

<First> has yet to choose a group. Please discuss with <First Name> which group <he> will select to be in to ensure that you and <he> are comfortable with his choice.  I also ask that you confirm that you are aware of <his> choice in a response to this email.

Yours faithfully,


<Teacher>
<TeacherEmail>

Solubility

Teaching solubility to L2Chem a student asked to see an example of an experiment I was telling them about. With consultation with SGSS we found an example of a non-polar substance requiring a non-polar solute to dissolve it.

The students were happy to be able to see all the range of polar and non-polar subtances acting as solvents and solutes as it rounded out their learning experience.

Student Led learning

During the topic on Acids and Bases one of the content pieces to focus on was Acid Rain. One student was curious about the topic. He did some research on his own, and found a practical to do. He sent me the details and asked if we could do it in class.

The practical was straightforward and was a good illustration of the point. The colour changes using indicators reinforced the idea of indicators while it showed how gases can make neutral solutions acidic.

The rest of the class had greater engagement for this lesson. I had seen this practical before and dismissed it as not very interesting, so it was a timely reminder that our life experiences shape what we think is interesting .


Hi Miss Trewin

I was looking up acid rain recipes because i was bored and found one
that my class could possibly do?

Bromothymol blue
Small clear bowl with a lid
Big glass bowl
Water (10 ml)
Matches (that have a high sulfur content?)

1. Pour around about 10ml of water into the big glass bowl. Add
Bromothymol blue until it makes a light blueish colour.

2. Burn matches and put them into the small glass bowl with lid. Cover
the bowl and let the matches burn out. Collect their emissions and
leave the lid sealed tightly shut.

3. Open the jar and quickly pour in the water/Bromothymol blue
solution. Quickly shut the lid to stop any more of the Carbon dioxide
from getting out. Shake the jar and watch the solution turn a beer
colour!

So yeah. A possible acid rain recipe. I also found some more that
involved spraying plants with acid but that isn't environmentally
friendly and I like my garden so my plants aren't going to die today!

Peer Assessment

I tried  a new style of assessment and marking with my Year 9 class.

For the end of astronomy unit they had to research astronomical cycles and their effects on the earth. There was a limited scope for personal choice, as there was a number of cycles they could choose from. The real difference was for them to do the marking of each others assignments.

For this I gave the students copies of the marking rubric and explained how to use it. The students worked in groups to mark each other and to feedback and feedforward to each other. The purpose of this exercise was to get the students to link the intructions of an assessment with the marking of it, to start showing them how the two are together so that in the future they can better tailor their efforts to where it will make the most difference.

Students took to the exercise and were very positive in their feedback to each other. The marking was accurate.

Some students didn't submit their work, but the exercise will have shown them the work that goes into marking regardless and hopefully will encourage them to respect deadlines.

Year 9 Astronomy Assessment

The Astronomy unit has frequently not been completed for a number of years so there is no standard assessment for them.

I have decided to run an NCEA style assessment with my year 9's to introduce them to the style of research assignment they will have to contend with in the senior school, and I will use a comparitive mark schedule as well.
The students may choose the aspects of astronomy that appeal, and present in ways that suit them, within reason for both options.

Different assessment

Since there is no department wide assessment used for the Earth Science I have decided to to use as assessment a research project. They can research a natural disaster of their choosing, then present information about it in their own way be that a song or rap, an animation, a poster or a presentation.
Assessment