ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

Assessment #1

PART A:
Assessment in science:
Within science education, there are many assessment strategies that are for diagnostic,
formative and summative purposes, to unearth students prior learning, alternative conceptions
and base future teaching. Diagnostic assessment strategies are used in science education to
identify prior knowledge and understanding as well as existing alternative conceptions that
students have before any teaching and learning occurs (Northern Illinois University, 2015).
Applicable diagnostic assessment strategies include questioning, comparative drawings, KWL
charts, concept maps and brainstorming (Skamp, 2012). These will reveal prior knowledge and
alternative conceptions by allowing students to explain their initial understanding, determining
how to structure content and pedagogy of an investigation for conceptual understanding in future
experiences. These assessment strategies could also be used as formative assessment, in order to
acquire information on which to base future teaching, allowing the teacher to make informed
decisions about ongoing learning. Summative assessment strategies occurring at the end of the
learning experiences include rubrics, rating scales, portfolios and checklists (Brady & Kennedy,
2012). This form of assessment provides as a successful indication to demonstrate the new
understanding developed, determining student progression over the course of a learning
experience.

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ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

Assessment #1

PART B:
Level of Learning: Foundation year level
Curriculum Focus Area(s):
Science- Science Understanding- Earth and Space Science: (ACSSU004)
Science- Science Inquiry- Questioning and Predicting: (ACSIS014)
Science- Science Inquiry- Planning and Conducting: (ACSIS011)
Science- Science Inquiry- Communicating: (ACSIS012)
(ACARA, 2015 a)
Outline:
The subject of this investigation requires students to undertake a range of learning experiences in which they will develop
understanding on the concept of weather, based on how weather affects the types of clothing that they wear. Students will participate in
a class survey to investigate the most common types of clothes that align with a specific weather type. During this learning experience
students will predict what they think will be the most common clothing for certain weather types, gather and record data as a class,
discuss the results as class to make meaning from them. This is the beginning of an investigation that will continue across a unit of
work, where students will move into how weather affects them in other aspects such as activities they may do.

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ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

Overall

Learning Learning Experience (including

Outcomes

stage of 5Es)

Students will:

Determine
observable
characteristics

of

purpose (justification)
different Assessment strategies:
Class brainstorming (diagnostic)
clothing and ask students to
Questioning (diagnostic/formative)
stand up if they are wearing any
Drawings (formative)
The
entire investigation is soundly based around a constructivist
listed.
List

range

of

windy,

Identify 3-4 items

wearing similar clothing? Is questioning and brainstorming. This will allow students to develop
there anything that helps us to their own understandings based on guidance from the teacher, as they

raining,
cloudy)
of

appropriate

clothing
with

aligned
a

certain

weather type.

Assessment
Assessment strategies (undertaken by teacher and/or student) &

Prompting questions: Why do approach, as students construct new ideas rather than absorbing them
you think most of us are (Fraser, 2015) with guidance from assessment strategies such as

weather (e.g. sunny,

Assessment #1

Provide

an

explanation for why

an item of clothing
is appropriate to a
certain
type.

weather

decide what to wear? Would we make their own conclusions about their initial ideas surrounding
wear jumpers on really hot weather. The investigation sustains student engagement by including
days? Guide students to the strategies such as physical movement, to create motivation in order to
promote deep learning and understanding (Brady & Scully, 2005).
concept of weather.
Brainstorm on the white board This along with visual representation utilised throughout the
investigation will accommodate Howard Gardners Multiple
students current knowledge of
Intelligences of spatial-visual intelligence and the bodily-kinaesthetic
weather: what do you know
intelligence (Northern Illinois University Faculty Development and
about the weather? What
Instructional Design Center, no date). This will be particularly
different types of weather are
applicable to students who excel in a range of different learning
there? Does the weather
modalities and struggle with language barriers. With this interactive
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ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

Assessment #1

change? When does the weather approach to learning, students will be able participate in a way that
change? Is the weather the they can effectively respond to stimuli and be successful in, without
same everywhere?

any social difficulties or language barriers hindering them from

Brainstorm as a class about success. This allows the teacher use this positive reinforcement to
different types of weather. The redirect the focus of undesirable behaviour caused by lack of social
teacher can write these on a skills, to more desired behaviours (Cliver, 2015), therefore allowing

large sheet of paper as a them to be successful in their learning.

In relation to assessment, questioning and class brainstorming will be
concept map to be displayed in
used as diagnostic assessment to elicit students prior knowledge
the classroom.
and/or any alternative conceptions. This will provide insight into their
Students will be required to
level of understanding of weather and demonstrate their initial content
draw what they know about the
knowledge (Skamp, 2012 p. 281). As this will be the first formal
weather.
experience that students will have with science education and weather,
Students must illustrate:
this form of assessment is relevant as requires students to articulate
- A weather type.
their knowledge of weather from first hand experiences and begin to
- Two pieces of clothing they
think scientifically about the world around them. This means of
would wear for the weather
assessment will successfully acquire its purpose by diagnosing the
type: do you wear a hat
current knowledge and understanding of students, determining what
when it is sunny? Do you
content needs to be addressed in learning experiences to follow.
wear a raincoat when it is Students will be formatively assessed based on their drawings to
raining?

determine how students have responded to the engagement in the first

learning experience. This will allow students to create visual
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ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

Assessment #1

Students will share and explain representations of their understanding of the concept of weather
their drawings with teacher (Skamp, 2012) and will allow information to be required for future
questioning as guidance: what teaching (Brady & Kennedy, 2012). Using visual representations as a
kinds of clothing are you means of assessment is relevant in science education as it provides a
wearing in this drawing? Why different form of communication other than writing to demonstrate
are you wearing these? Do you student understanding (Skamp 2012 p. 236) and continues to promote
think most people would wear use of different learning modalities. Including visual representations as
these on a cloudy day? What a form of assessment is also due to students being at a stage where
are some other clothes that they are learning to produce simple handwriting movements
might be worn on a cloudy (ACARA, 2015 b) and will potentially struggle with communicating in
day?

a written format. Visual representations as an assessment strategy in

ENGAGE stage of the 5 Es model science education will also assist for future decision making in
(Skamp, 2012 p. 117).

teaching as it will be effective for challenging and developing all

students understandings (Skamp, 2012 p. 263).

Students will predict what they Assessment Strategies:

think will be the one most

Questioning (formative/summative)

common items of clothing to be

Checklist (summative)

worn on different weather types During the learning experience students will encounter an attempt at
on a worksheet provided (see predicting the most popular item of clothing for each weather type (see
appendix A): sunny, raining, appendix A). This will demonstrate student conceptions about how
windy, and cloudy.
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ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

Assessment #1

On the mat, brainstorm ideas of weather affects them through testing their hypotheses and predictions
common clothes to be worn for (Skamp, 2012). Questioning will be used to discuss the results of the
different weather types to be survey, guiding students through the data collected. The second
worksheet (see appendix B) will provide evidence as it will

recorded.

Say each clothing item on the demonstrate the change that has occurred in students thinking as well
list and ask students to stand up as comparative information about what has been learnt over the
when that get to the one most investigation (Skamp, 2012 p. 119) allowing the work be assessable
important item that they would against a marking system of a checklist (see appendix C). This will
wear for that weather type: for provide information on how students have developed understanding by
a sunny day, who would wear a being a baseline of data for comparison (Brady & Kennedy, 2012) and
hat? Who would wear a t-shirt? the potential of how students will continue to develop in future
learning experiences surrounding weather concepts. This means of
Who would wear shorts?

Discuss results: what was the assessment can act formative strategy as it can dictate future learning
most popular piece of clothing? experiences when students begin to address how the weather affects
What was the least popular the activities they do. Each of the assessment strategies utilised
piece of clothing? Why do you throughout the investigation developed, along with an overall
constructivist approach and understanding of alternative conceptions

think this?

Provide students with another

worksheet to be filled in to
summarise

the

lesson

(see

regarding weather, all contribute to pedagogical content knowledge for

teaching the concept of weather, in order for students to have success
in their learning (Gess-Newsome & Lederman, 1999).
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ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

Assessment #1

appendix B).
EXPLORE stage of the 5 Es
model (Skamp, 2012 p. 117).

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ESH350 Planning and Assessing in Primary and Early Childhood Science

Laine Paulsen

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Assessment #1