Final Assessment Plan-Unique Abilities of Bees

Name of Lesson Plan: Unique Abilities of Bees

Grade Level: 4-8 grades

Academic Subject: Science

Over the past week my students have been learning about Bees and their unique abilities. At the beginning of the week, my students were asked a series of questions about their prior knowledge of Bees and then had a group discussion about the results. Over this past week our class has covered a great deal of information on the unique abilities that bees possess. Some of those abilities include that bees are found on every continent on Earth except for Antarctica, and in every known habitat, bees are one of nature’s wonders, possessing several abilities that make them unique in the insect world. These abilities, along with the materials they produce, have made them indispensable to the human race for over 3,000 years. We specifically discussed that bees are considered electromagnetic indicators, producers of magical substances, superior weightlifters, and mathematicians, As we draw near to the end of our lesson, student’s will work together with a partner to take a short quiz about the information they have learned.

Learning Outcome & Assessment for lesson plan:

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to identify the unique abilities of bees

Assessment (Multiple Choice): Given the following 10 question quiz, work with a partner to answer the multiple choice questions over the unique abilities of Bess that we discussed this week.

Bee Facts Quiz

1. Up to what number can bees “count”?

a. 2

b. 4

c. 6

2. How far can a bee fly on a full belly of honey?

a. 5 miles

b. 100 miles

c. 40 miles

3. How much weight can a bee carry while walking?

a. 122

b. 315

c. 78

4. Which bee product does NOT help treat cancer?

a. Bee venom

b. Bee saliva

c. Royal Jelly

5. Honey can be described as:

a. Bee pee

b. Bee poop

c. Bee vomit

6. How can bees predict the weather?

a. By feeling the temperature

b. By sensing an electrical charge

c. By using their sense of smell

7. How do bees collect pollen?

a. By using tiny hairs on their bodies

b. By flapping their wings on it

c. By scooping it with an antenna

8. How long does it take for honey to spoil?

a. Never

b. 1,000 years

c. 6 months

9. How many times its body weight can bees carry while flying?

a. Half its body weight

b. 10 times its body weight

c. The same weight as its body

10. Which of the following is NOT a use for honey?

a. Sterilizing medical instruments

b. Improving eyesight

c. Soothing sore throats

The following testing constraints will be applied to the multiple choice quiz given to the students:

1. Time: students will be given 15 minutes (1.5 minutes each question) to finish the quiz, timed by me.

2. Reference material: The students will only have their partner to use for help; no other materials or references should be needed after spending a week on the subject and having prior knowledge of the lesson before the quiz.

3. Other people: Students will have one partner for the quiz that they may choose.

4. Scoring criteria: Students will understand that their quiz performance will be compared to the other student’s in the classroom based on how much information they learned over the last week.

 

Testing & Essay Items Rationale

Testing & Essay Items Rationale

 

Objective 1: Identify major structures of plants (seeds, roots, stems, leaves)

Assessment (Knowledge application/labeling): Using the worksheet provided, look at the plant descriptions and label all of the parts of the plant in the picture.

Because children are hands-on and physical learners, I felt it would be fair assessments to have my students label the parts of a plant. Our text states that "Pictures, drawings, graphs, tables, and so on require the student to think at the application level of the taxonomy of educational objectives and may involve even higher levels of cognitive processes." (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013, pg. 145) I prefer to have the students write and label the plant using the descriptions from the worksheet, rather than cut out the plant and glue the parts together because it helps with memory recall and understanding the function that each part of the plant plays.

Objective 2: Students demonstrate an understanding of common plant names and their scientific name by matching the plant common names with their scientific names

Assessment (Matching): Write the letter of the scientific name on the line next to the common name of the plants in the left column. Use a partner if you need help.

Because my students are younger, I felt it was appropriate to use matching as an assessment for new words that they have acquired throughout the unit on plant growth. In the first objective students were required to label parts of the plant from memory with some assistance, in this assessment, students are required to work together to match up the common and scientific names of plants listed that were discussed in the unit. While matching may be an easier form of assessment, it may be more difficult for children at this age and require more critical thinking because of the scientific names involved. There are exactly 10 common names and 10 scientific names listed in no particular order, therefore making this assessment both accurate and easy to understand, so it will be successful.

Objective 3: Students will compare the various ways that plants grow

Assessment (Performance based/lab): Over a 5 day period, students will plant and document the growth of a plant exposed to different amounts of light. Some students will plant their seeds outside in natural light and some will plant inside the classroom in artificial light. Using your lab journals; describe your observations.

I chose to use a performance based assessment for the lab portion of my objectives because it is the most efficient and appropriate way to assess children while they are actively engaged in learning. "But other skills —particularly those involving independent judgment, critical thinking, and decision making—are best assessed with performance tests." (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013, pg. 185) As our author points out, and as we have learned from previous posts about performance based assessments, they are beneficial for learning about how and what your students are gathering from the information they are being taught. While conducting their lab on plants and light exposure, it would be appropriate to assess them during their actual observation.

Restricted Response Essay Assessment: Because my Unit plan is for K-3 Grade, the essay response will be restricted to 1 page and content specific.

•   What are the four main things that plants need to grow?

•   What happens when plants get too much sun?

•    What happens when plants don’t get enough water?

•    What things can cause a plant to not grow at all?

I chose to use a Restricted Response Essay for my unit plan because my students are younger and require a less complicated explanation of the information they have learned and my students are not able to write elaborate responses. In the text, our authors use an example of students demonstrating the disadvantages and advantages of traveling by wagon train during the Gold Rush. Like the authors, my essay response questions are very specific to the content that my students learned over all in the unit and do not need elaboration. "The instructional objectives require supplying information rather than simply recognizing information. These processes often cannot be measured with objective items.” (Kubiszyn, & Borich, 2013, pg. 161) I believe that the essay questions I have provided cannot be measured with objective items such as true or false or multiple choice questions, but rather can be answered using critical thinking skills and writing.

Thematic Unit Plan on Plant Growth

Thematic Unit Plan on Plant Growth

 

Name of Thematic Unit: Plant life cycle

Grade levels of activity: K-3 grade

Spring is finally here! Over the next 4 weeks my students will discover plants through a Plant Unit covering the life cycle and parts of plants, the history of plants and their scientific and common names, the importance that plants have the planet, the uses of plants for humans and animals as well as how to grow a simple plant and document the progress using the scientific method and journals. There are key ideas in this unit that students should learn and understand by the end of the 4 weeks. Those ideas include that plants are living organisms and share common characteristics with all other living things. Plants have additional characteristics which distinguish them from other organisms. Plants have the ability to manufacture food (photosynthesis); have unlimited or almost unlimited growth; and cell walls made of cellulose (used in making paper). Students should learn that most plants are green, have roots, grow, have flowers, have leaves, live in soil, and drink water. As we move through each area of the plant unit, students will be assessed on their application and understanding of the knowledge. Let’s get started!

Learning Outcomes & Assessments for Unit

Objective 1: Identify major structures of plants (seeds, roots, stems, leaves)

Assessment (Knowledge application/labeling): Using the worksheet provided, look at the plant descriptions and label all of the parts of the plant in the picture.

 

Objective 2: Students demonstrate an understanding of common plant names and their scientific name by matching the plant common names with their scientific names

Assessment (Matching): Write the letter of the scientific name on the line next to the common name of the plants in the left column. Use a partner if you need help.

1.____Butterfly Milkweed                                         A. Myosotis verna

2.____Passion Flower                                                 B. Helianthus annuus

3.____Dandelion (common)                                       C. Taraxacum officinale

4.____Blackeyed Susan                                              D. Asclepias tuberosa

5.____Forget-me-not                                                  E. Ambrosia artemisiifolia

6.____Sunflower (common)                                       F. Xanthium strumarium

7.____Queen Anne’s Lace                                         G. Rudbeckia hirta

8.____Ragweed (common)                                         H. Passiflora incarnata

9.____Cocklebur                                                         I. Oenothera biennis

10.____Evening Primrose (common)                          J. Daucus carota

 

Objective 3: Students will compare the various ways that plants grow

Assessment (Performance based/lab): Over a 5 day period, students will plant and document the growth of a plant exposed to different amounts of light. Some students will plant their seeds outside in natural light and some will plant inside the classroom in artificial light. Using your lab journals; describe your observations.

Days Exposed to Light	Natural Light	Artificial Light
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

 

Restricted Response Essay Assessment: Because my Unit plan is for K-3 Grade, the essay response will be restricted to 1 page and content specific.

·         What are the four main things that plants need to grow?

·         What happens when plants get too much sun?

·         What happens when plants don’t get enough water?

·         What things can cause a plant to not grow at all?

Restricted Response Essay Holistic Rubric

4	EXCELLENT	The student accurately lists the 4 things that plants need to grow. Explains in detail what happens when plants get too much sun or not enough water. Argues what things can cause a plant not to grow. Student fulfilled the 1 page requirement with no spelling or punctuation errors.
3	VERY GOOD	The student lists 4 things that plants need to grow, though not accurately. Explains what happens when plants get too much sun or not enough water, though not in detail. Suggests what things can cause a plant not to grow.  Fulfills the 1 page requirement and has some minor spelling or punctuation errors, though not too distracting.
2	ADEQUATE	The student attempted to list 4 things that plants need to grow but was incomplete. Answers one part of the explanation of what happens to plants with too much sun or not enough water but not the other. Develops some ideas what causes plants not to grow but does not explain fully. Attempts to fulfill the 1 page requirement but has many spelling and punctuation errors.
1	WEAK	The student did not list 4 things that plants need to grow, but did list some. Attempted to answer one portion of the question about water and sun but was confusing. Confuses the reader on explanation of what causes plants not to grow and does not fulfill the 1 page requirement. There are many punctuation and spelling errors, further confusing the reader
0	NON PERFORMANCE	The student failed to list anything that plants need to grow. Failed to mention what happens to plants with too much sun or not enough water. Gave no suggestions for why plants would not grow. Did not even attempt the 1 page requirement and there are no spelling or punctuation mistakes to grade.