Respiratory and Circulatory Unit Assessment Plan
In this unit, students will be assessed based on their lab work, homework sheets, a quiz and a test. This is a journal-based science class, so all of the assignments will be completed as part of their science journal. Every lab in the unit, along with the reading worksheets, will be taped into their journal and counted as daily work. Each assignment will have a due date, and on that date each journal entry will be individually reviewed. Students will receive immediate feedback about any misconceptions they have, and given the opportunity to correct any answers that are not correct. When completed (has to be done on the day due), the student will receive a stamp in their journal. After every 11 assignments, journals will be collected and work reviewed. During this process, each journal will be double checked for accuracy on stamping sign-offs, and any work the students completed that was not stamped will be reviewed for completion and accuracy. The journal will be worth 4 points, but will be entered into the gradebook 3 times, so will carry much of the weight of the students’ scores. All of the daily work is based off of the objectives, so by providing the instant feedback, I will also be able to determine if the students are meeting the learning objectives of the individual lessons, and the unit.
In addition to the daily stamped labs and assignments, there will be a few separately graded labs, the quiz, and the test. The quiz will be assessed for understanding and any lack of information will be determined. The quiz will also be worth 4 points, and will be entered into the gradebook 2 times. The final unit exam will be a combination of multiple choice, diagrams and fill-ins, and will cover lab concepts, vocabulary, and structures and functions. The test will also be worth 4 points and entered into the gradebook 2 times. Towards the end of the unit, there will be 2 inquiry-based labs that are less structured than the daily work of the students, and these will be graded individually, and worth 4 points each.
One of the key concepts in this unit is cellular respiration. In order to determine what students understand prior to having formal definitions and concept instruction, a formative assessment will be conducted during the What a Gas activity, where students are asked to check what organisms they believe carry out cellular respiration. These will be collected, and preconceptions will be determined. Later in the unit, the same assessment will be conducted, giving the students a chance to modify any of the organisms they selected, along with their explanation. Comparing the two will provide insight into any new learning by the students.
At the very beginning of the unit, the students will be asked to share what they think they know about breathing. The class will make a group list, which will be stored by me. Throughout the unit, as a class we will return to the list, and the students will be given the option to make any modifications or add any knowledge to the list. This will also allow me to see if the students have met the learning objectives.