With the overhaul of the Junior curriculum to be context based and student-led it is necessary to develop a coherent framework for teachers. Especially those who require aid in planning a unit for their students.
After thinking through the logistics of how to run a unit I put together a flowchart on how to make it happen. When a major change like this is undertaken it can be very easy to slip back into old habits of teaching content not skills in context. A major driver in this revamp is to allow more student direction. In this manner it is imperitive to allow students to do a general plan of what they want to get out of a unit BEFORE we fill them with content. The flowchart allows for teaching content and for teaching skills, both within the flow of student investigation. The hope is that using this format will increase engagement of the student.
The final stage is for students to present their work, then reflect on it. Communication is a vital part of scientific investigation and students need to be prepared for that. Reflection links the inquiry circuit back up to start over again.
The flowchart
Showing posts with label Year 9. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Year 9. Show all posts
Tuesday, 12 December 2017
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.
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.
Friday, 23 June 2017
Creating Assessment- Year 9 Astronomy
This morning I was putting together the assessment for the Year 9 Astronomy unit. The unit needed to be redone in order to ensure that we were effectively assessing at curriculum levels.
The new test has been compiled from the Assessment Resource Bank's resources of properly aligned assessment tasks. I started with a standard from Level 3, many from Level 4, some from Level 5, then I adapted a NCEA Level 1 task for the Level 6 component. This will really make it straightforward to assess the level of thinking that our students are doing.
The Test
The Marking Rubric
The new test has been compiled from the Assessment Resource Bank's resources of properly aligned assessment tasks. I started with a standard from Level 3, many from Level 4, some from Level 5, then I adapted a NCEA Level 1 task for the Level 6 component. This will really make it straightforward to assess the level of thinking that our students are doing.
The Test
The Marking Rubric
Friday, 5 May 2017
Revising assessment tasks
I was responsible for the research task component of the new Year 9 curriculum in the first term. Now that I am marking the task I am adapting it. As it was the first time that we have used it we have discovered some changes that need to be made to be streamlined.
The students have not been very good at picking out the important parts to achieve at a higher level. On reflection I plan to make it clearer in the instructions what they need to do and when it needs to be done.
The post-assessment evaluation and reflection tool does not lend itself to Google Forms in the current format. In the future I will make two documents. One that is all instructions, including a time break-down, and one that they will use as a log and complete. In addition I would put a mostly blank document onto the Google Classroom assignment in order that all the files are in the same place.
The students have not been very good at picking out the important parts to achieve at a higher level. On reflection I plan to make it clearer in the instructions what they need to do and when it needs to be done.
The post-assessment evaluation and reflection tool does not lend itself to Google Forms in the current format. In the future I will make two documents. One that is all instructions, including a time break-down, and one that they will use as a log and complete. In addition I would put a mostly blank document onto the Google Classroom assignment in order that all the files are in the same place.
Thursday, 3 November 2016
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.
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.
Monday, 12 September 2016
Ecology in a New Zealand context
I have been teaching the Ecology unit for Year 9's and the test is approaching. The test is focussed around introduced species and food webs, but the introduced species and food webs in question are based in British ecology.
For next year we should update it to include New Zealand examples. Possums as an introduced species would be relatively straight-forward to substitute I think and be able to keep the questions very similar to keep the task QUALMd
Possum's would also be animals that many of the students have experience with, especially those who are from farming and/or hunting backgrounds.
For next year we should update it to include New Zealand examples. Possums as an introduced species would be relatively straight-forward to substitute I think and be able to keep the questions very similar to keep the task QUALMd
Possum's would also be animals that many of the students have experience with, especially those who are from farming and/or hunting backgrounds.
Thursday, 1 September 2016
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.
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.
Friday, 19 August 2016
New and Improved Rock Cycle
After doing the crayon rock cycle with limited success I had to try a new way of doing things. In a quirk of timing just after teaching it to my Year 10's I had the opportunity to do it as a demonstration lesson on a interview. This time I tried with playdough of different colours and textures. The playdough is less solid and rock like, but it has the advantage of sticking together when the rocks are sedimentary,and it is easy to break pieces off for weathering. The metamorphic rocks are less pronounced, but by working the playdough until all colours merge a satisfactory igneous rock develops. I think I shall work with the playdough version in the future.
Maui and the Sun
I struggle to appropriately incorporate Maori culture in many Science lessons without it being a tokenistic inclusion, rather than a valuable learning tool.
In order to try and get the students to think about how myths were explanations of physical phenomenon I set homework to compare the myth of how Maui slowed the sun with the Scientific explanation.
I was looking for the idea of how the day gets shorter and shorter, but then longer again, could be linked with Maui's reaching of the sun and then slowing it down. So the story would repeat each year.
Google classroom assignment
In order to try and get the students to think about how myths were explanations of physical phenomenon I set homework to compare the myth of how Maui slowed the sun with the Scientific explanation.
I was looking for the idea of how the day gets shorter and shorter, but then longer again, could be linked with Maui's reaching of the sun and then slowing it down. So the story would repeat each year.
Google classroom assignment
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