Earth Materials Assessments
Standards and Benchmarks
(Earth Materials)
Standards:
11-A Know and apply the concepts,
principals and processes of scientific inquiry.
12-E Know and apply concepts that
describe the features and processess of the Earth and its resources.
Benchmarks Assessed:
Identify mineral properties
by conducting a variety of geological tests. (12-E)
Use tools and techniques
of geologists to collect data and discover that rocks are made of different
ingredients called minerals. (11-A)
Observation
I have chosen this means of assessment to have
factual descriptions of meaningful incidents and events that occur during
group work of the science activities. This method will be used mainly
to describe social adjustment, since this is a skill that we are beginning
in third grade group activities. I have developed a class system
of recording information on index cards that are taped to a clip board.
With this system, I can easily walk around the room and jot down anecdotal
notes as I see them. After reviewing the index cards, I can conveniently
see who I still need to observe. This process will help me determine
how and if students are following the scientific procedures which is measured
on our quarterly report cards.
click
here to see Observation sample
Reflective Questions
Sheets/ Earth Materials
The Reflective Question Assessment
is made up of written questions that ask students to recall information
and to process or integrate this information to give answers to a situation.
Students will do the Reflective Question Sheet at their own desk in a time
period of about 20 minutes. If individuals are below grade level
in reading, I would read the test orally. Some students with IEP's
may need additional time or have the alternative to take the test with
the special ed. teacher.
Sample of Reflective Question Assessment:
1. What is a rock? ___________________________________________________
2. Name two kinds of
rocks that we have studied. _____________ _____________
3. What is a mineral?
_________________________________________________
4. Name two kinds of
minerals that we have studied. ______________ __________
5. If an author wrote
that "a rock is like a chocolate chip cookie," what do you think
the author had in mind? __________________________________________________________________________
6. What would be a good
use of a very hard mineral like quartz? _____________________________
7. How would you find
out the hardness of three rocks if you didn't have any tool with which
to scratch them? __________________________________________________________________________
8. Suppose you found
a brick near your school. How could you find out if calcite is an
ingredient in the brick? _________________________________________________________________________
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Scoring Rubric for
Reflective Questions Assessment
| |
4- Advanced
|
3 - Proficient
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2 - Basic
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1- Novice
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Score
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Question 1-2
(recall and knowledge of "rock")
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Correctly completes definition
and identifies two rocks.
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Correctly completes definition,
may have one kind of rock.
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Lists two kinds of rocks,
definition of rock insufficient.
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No attempt is made to
answer, or answer is incorrect.
|
|
Question 3-4
(recall and knowledge of "minerals")
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Correctly completes definition
and identifies two minerals.
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Correctly completes definition,
may have one kind of mineral.
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Lists two kinds of minerals,
definition of mineral insufficient.
|
No attempt is made to
answer, or answer in incorrect.
|
|
Question 5
(concept of composure of rocks)
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Correctly transfers the
analogy that rocks are composed of different ingredients.
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Implies that both are
made up of different materials.
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States that a rock and
a cookie are alike, but has no explanation.
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No attempt is made, or
answer is illogical.
|
|
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Question 6 (Apply
knowledge of usefulness)
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Lists two uses of a hard
mineral, may be creative.
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Lists one use of a hard
mineral.
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Attempts to list an object,
but is not practical.
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No attempt is made.
|
|
Question 7
(Apply knowledge of rock hardness)
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Identifies a possibility
of scratching two rocks together.
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Identifies something in
nature to use to scratch the rocks.
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Identifies a tool that
we used for a scratch test.
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No attempt is made.
|
|
Question 8
(Recall of procedures)
|
Correctly states to use
vinegar to test for calcite.
|
States something is needed
to test for calcite.
|
Incorrectly identifies
something is needed to test for calcite.
|
No attempt is made.
|
|
Total Points ____
22-24 points A
19-21 points
B
16-18 points
C
13-15 points
D
below 13 points Unsatisfactory
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Pictorial Assessment/
Earth Materials
This type of assessment is
made up of tasks different from standard fill-in, multiple choice, or one
word answer tasks. This type of assessment requires students to identify
the properties of different rocks, group sets of rocks based on logical
criteria, and recognize an appropriate test for the hardness of a rock.
This test should take about 15 minutes. If their are individuals
in the class that are well below grade level in reading, I would read the
directions aloud to them. Additional time may be given to those with
IEP's.
Pictorial Assessment of Earth
Materials
Pictures of eight different
rocks would be shown.
1. Use the numbers by
the rocks to show which rocks could be placed in which groups.
| dark-colored rocks |
light-colored rocks |
2. Use the numbers by
the rocks to show which rocks could be placed in which groups.
| sharp-edged rocks |
smooth-edged rocks |
3. Use the numbers by the
rocks to show which rocks could be placed in which groups. Think carefully
where you would put rocks that could go in more than one group.
4. Look at the pictures
showing ways to test the hardness of a rock. Circle all of the pictures
that show a good way to test the hardness of a rock.
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Pictorial Assessment
Checklist
For this Pictorial Assessment
a Checklist can be used to provide a visual summary of individual's and
class's understanding of the properties and hardness of a rock.
The teacher can
use the following numeric
scoring for each category.
Scoring:
3- Correctly
explains or identifies answer.
2- Appropriate,
but not well-stated explanation.
1-
Inappropriate or incorrect response.
0- No response
is given
| Skill Assessed |
Sorts by Shades
|
Sorts by Edges
|
Classifies
|
Classifies
|
Hardness
|
Score
|
|
Question 1
|
Question 2
|
Question 3a
|
Question 3b
|
Question 4
|
|
|
Student name
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dark and light
|
sharp and smooth
|
single properties
|
more than 1
property
|
identifies test
for checking
hardness
|
|
| 1. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
|
|
|
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Total Score ___________
Score:
14-15 points
A
12-13 points
B
10-11 points
C
8-9 points
D
Below 8 points
Unsatisfactory
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Earth Materials/ Hands-on
Assessment
The Hands-on Assessment will
tell how well the students can perform or use his or her knowledge and
skill in a practical way to determine the hardness of rocks and whether
certain rocks contain calcite. This assessment will be conducted
at two stations set up in the room. Students will go to each station
and complete the tasks that are written out on a Hands-on Student Assessment
Sheet. Each station would take about five minutes to complete.
Hands-on Assessment- Scratch
Test
1. Test the minerals
for their hardness with the scratch tools. Use the chart below to
record what you did and what you found out. Write "YES" or "NO" on
the chart.
| |
Paper Clip
|
Penny
|
Fingernail
|
# of YES
|
|
Feldspar
|
|
|
|
|
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Gypsum
|
|
|
|
|
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Calcite
|
|
|
|
|
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Hornblende
|
|
|
|
|
2. Put the minerals in
order of hardness. Draw a circle around the hardest mineral.
_________________
__________________ _____________ ________________
3. Explain what you
did and why you put the minerals in this order.
____________________________________________________________________________
Hands-on Assessment- Vinegar
Test
Directions: Three
earth material samples are in cups of vinegar. Observe what is happening.
1. Write you observations
on the chart below.
| Earth Material A |
| Earth Material B |
| Earth Material C |
2. What are you testing
for when you put an earth material in vinegar? ___________________
3. What did you learn
about:
Earth Material A? ______________________
Earth Material B? ______________________
Earth Material C? ______________________
4. If the results of
the vinegar test are unclear, what else could you do? ___________________
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Scoring Checklist
for the Hands-on Assessments
The teacher can use the following
numeric scoring for each category of the Hands-on Assessment.
Scoring:
3- Correctly
explains or identifies answer.
2- Appropriate,
but not well-stated explanation.
1-
Inappropriate or incorrect response.
0- No response
is given
Scratch Test
Student
Names
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
Score
|
| |
fills in chart correctly
|
puts minerals in order
of hardness
|
explains order
|
|
| 1. |
|
|
|
|
Total Score __________
Vinegar Test
Student
Names
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
Score
|
| |
writes
observations
|
explains
observations
|
writes
conclusions
|
suggests
another
method
|
|
| 1. |
|
|
|
|
|
Total Score ___________
Cumulative Score
for Scratch Test and Vinegar
Test__________
Score:
20-21 Points
A
18-19 Points
B
17-18 Points
C
15-16 Points
D
Below 15 Points
Unsatisfactory
********************************************************************
Assessment for
Written Description of "My Favorite Rock"
After reading, Everybody
Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor, students choose a special rock and bring
it to class. We discuss the properties of the rocks. Each student
is assigned to write a paragraph describing their "special rock."
The following rubric would be shared with the students in advance so they
would know the expectations of their written paragraphs.
| |
4- Exceeds
|
3 - Meets
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2 - Approaching
|
1 - Beginning
|
Score
|
|
Focus
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Begins paragraph with
a topic sentence. All sentences stay on topic, and has a closing.
|
All sentences are on topic,
topic sentence or closing may be missing.
|
Attempted to explain favorite
rocks. Topic may be unclear.
|
Did not attempt paragraph,
or paragraph is not about rocks.
|
|
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Details
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Has enough sentences to
clearly describe all of the properties of the rock.
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Has a few sentences that
describes the properties of the rock.
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Has two sentences that
describe the properties.
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Writing is not sufficient
to describe rock. Writing is illegible.
|
|
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Conventions
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Used a paragraph format
with a topic sentence and closing. Only one or two minor errors.
|
Used a paragraph format
with some sentences. May have three to six errors.
|
Used some facts not in
sentences. Many errors may be present, but paragraph is readable.
|
Writing is not sufficient
to assess, or illegible
|
|
Total Points _________
10-12 Points
A
9-10 Points
B
7-8 Points
C
5-6 Points
D
Below 5 Points Unsatisfactory
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