Spring 2011 MT IV Portfolio Assessment Plan

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Assessment Plan

Earth Science, The Physical Setting

3/29/2011

Jack Mosel

(EDU-660534-L601-11SP1) Mentored TeachingMaster of Arts in Teaching Portfolio: Hartsdale

M.A.T Graduate Degree Studies Program, SUNY ESC

Dr. AvonneAlzate / Mentor



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In this Assessment Plan portfolio artifact I will demonstrate how specific subject matter covered within a unit of content related material for Earth Science / The Physical Setting isdelivered through pre-assessment and instructional classroom lesson delivery. I will also include

a physical lab specific to the topic ³Sun /Earth Motion¶s / Angle of Insolation´ which meets theNYS Curriculum¶s content requirements as per the NYS Standards as identified. I will indicate

these specific NYS Standards as well as Key Ideas. I will provide a rubric specific to thephysical lab and I will provide artifacts used as teaching artifacts during this instructionallesson¶s delivery. I will follow up with a post assessment as well.

Educational Assessment Philosophy

B oth Informing and understanding instruction given, is an activeprocessthrough which aneducator has meaningful information to give to their students. They are informed as individualsand collectively as a class to the extent that these students have a working knowledge of theconcept and content for which instruction is being delivered. Pre-assessment, Goal orientationand making progressive measures for achieving educational goals are indicated through aneffective assessment philosophy and action plan. This working understanding of assessment inpractice is offered from my own interpretationfrom my academic training as well as through mycollective professional experience.

Pre-assessment from past performances of individual students need to be taken intoaccount from an informed educator when preparing for an all-inclusive classroom setting thataddresses all students learning needs. The informed educator should have a prior knowledge of his/her students¶ academic records and past performances from studying their student¶sacademic records prior to the school year beginning. For example, Individualized EducationPlans ( IEP¶s) are available for teacher¶s to become informed with. These reports are highlypersonal and sensitive and are absolutely mandatory for teacher¶s to understand whenpreparing for their school year planning. Informed educational instruction therefore in my

preparatory activities, first includes reading these academic materials from all of my studentsprior to planning the school year¶s instruction.

Having an informed academic background from my student¶s academic abilities andincluding their special needs for any accommodation in their individualized learning capacities, I form a working platform from which to prepare my approach to construct education with them asa holistic and cohesive group. Successful information transfer can be achieved with a highlydiverse group of differentiated learners. B rain research and alternative assessment techniquesincorporated within daily classroom instruction can accommodate all learners, if such teachingmodalities were planned for and incorporated into the daily lesson. This was evidenced to methrough many artifacts I¶ve studied throughout my formal teacher training during my GraduateStudies Master¶s Degree Program throughout my M.A.T. experience.

³ As teachers, we are practical and idealistic. We believe in the power of learning. Webelieve in our students¶ potential. We work hard to shape lessons that will engage the mindsand bodies of the active learners who enter our classrooms every day. « We stand in awe of students¶ individual characteristics and their commonality. We are challenged by their varied needs ´ (Stuart,2003).

As a professionally minded educator, I want to provide the most authentic andmeaningful educational experience possible for my students. I recognize that the process for transferring information from instructor to a student body has its roots in countless historical



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accounts, firmly established over multiple generations of trial and error in determining the bestway to achieve this.

My consensus is that there are a myriad of ways to teach and to µreach¶ an individualand a class as a whole. My understanding of this leaves me with the task for finding what worksbest for me. I will remain flexible therefore in my personal expectations and seek to becomemore informed as each school year passes. I will remain self-aware of my teaching shortcomings, I will remain professional and seek to remain a lifelong learner of education as an artand as a professionaland I will maintain a positive outlook for I am a role model for making thepursuit of further education more attractive to our next generation of learners.

As a role model, I must demonstrate how it was that I learned from my perspective andhow I problem solved in my thought processes (as spoken to my class out loud). This is thecommon sense perspective that I have a good ability to describe when speaking to mystudent¶s. I remain open-minded to many requests and inquiries from my students as well. I insist they ask me questions about anything from current, past or related concepts and contentwe explore in Earth Science. There may be an opportunity to connect a thought process thatmay make complete sense in the future or will rehabilitate a concept that was perceivably lostfrom the past as a result. I have fielded some off the wall concepts that turned out from activepeer discussion during expanded thinking sessions, which turned into an unexpectedbreakthrough for many including me and more than once as a result of encouraging minds toµexpand out on their own¶ as it were. I tell my students when I learned something I didn¶t know or something that they taught me. Any teacher can identify with this as being the case as anunintended or unexpected occurrence in teaching. When you learn from those you teach, abond is formed of respect and mutuality that is difficult to describe, yet is evidence thatµsomething¶ is going right.

Assessment is used to identify progress being made for achieving goals. It is in the

methods and the frequency used that varied modes for assessment can be given to determineµwhere¶ the progress or lack thereof is being made or not being made for reaching these goals.

Education as a profession and an industry is µin flux¶ currently with many federal andstate mandates for educational assessment and content/curriculum changes, which aredynamically under review. Teacher compensation and incentives are all simultaneously under re-evaluation. Some teacher compensation models are being suggested to becoming alignedwith positive assessment from formative testing with high stakes results for both teachers andstudents alike. It is therefore highly critical and mutually beneficial for me to have a good actionplan and philosophy for an assessment plan that meets all these needs.

I would like to authenticate my assessment philosophy with an excerpt I took from aposition statement paper taken from www.fairtest.org where Assessment For Learning (AFL)was being supported as a pedagogically advanced philosophy that encourages much of thesentiment I¶ve been describing and which is befitting of AFL which substantiates by definition,my core philosophiesheld from within my teaching rationale.

³ Assessment for Learning is the process of identifying aspects of learning as it isdeveloping, using whatever informal and formal processes best help that identification, primarily so that learning itself can be enhanced. This focuses directly on the learner¶s developing capabilities, while these are in the process of being developed. Assessment for learning seeksout, analyses and reflects on information from students themselves, teachers and the learner¶s



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peers as it is expressed in dialogue, learner responses to tasks and questions, and observation. Assessment for learning is part of everyday teaching, in everyday classrooms. A great deal of it occurs in real time, but some of it is derived through more formal assessment events or

episodes. What is distinctive about assessment for learning is not the form of the information or the circumstances in which it is generated, but the positive effect it has for the learner. Properly embedded into teaching-learning contexts, assessment for learning sets learners up for wide,lifelong learning.´ (Taken from Internet 1/31/2011 from http://www.fairtest.org/position-paper-assessment-learning )

M odel of Assessment in Professional Practice

Day One: Sun/Earth M otions

Pre-Assessment :

While beginning this section of our curriculum I would have a do now as a daily routine inclass and I would ask my class to take the next ten minutes and write down for me, their explanation as to ³why we have seasons´. I would collect this and use it for part of myinformation gathering for content or pre-existing knowledge for understanding what the classhas as a current understanding of or a working knowledge of in terms of the content we areexploring. I would then hand out a practice quiz that would consist of 20 multiple choicequestions (that would not be graded) that would be used for me to gauge further understandingat a more refined level of what our academic goals were going to be in terms of meeting NYS

Standards for the Core Content and Curriculum goals to be addressed for the unit. For theremaining class period I would begin to explain our Earth¶s movements as it orbited the Sunthroughout the year. I would hand out a printed copy of a Power Point presentation packet thatwe would follow and discuss from as I had it displayed on the projector in the front of theclassroom. As part of an alternative assessment technique that I integrate into my classroom, I would use anyone of the following to foster student independent reflection and constructivethought as an exercise from the class, prior to their leaving for the day.

Examples:

M inute paper: During the last few minutes of the class period, ask students to answer on a half-sheet of paper: "What is the most important point you learned today?´ and,"What point remains least clear to you?". The purpose is to elicit data about students'comprehension of a particular class session.

Review responses and note any useful comments. During the next class periods emphasize theissues illuminated by your students' comments.

C hain Notes: Students pass around an envelope on which the teacher has written onequestion about the class. When the envelope reaches a student he/she spends amoment to respond to the question and then places the response in the envelope.



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Go through the student responses and determine the best criteria for categorizing the data withthe goal of detecting response patterns. Discussing the patterns of responses with students canlead to better teaching and learning.

Directed paraphrasing: Ask students to write a layman¶s "translation" of somethingthey have just learned -- geared to a specified individual or audience -- to assess their ability to comprehend and transfer concepts.

Categorize student responses according to characteristics you feel are important. Analyze theresponses both within and across categories, noting ways you could address student needs.

One-sentence summary: Tally the numbers of correct and incorrect responses in eachcell. Analyze differences both between and among the cells. Look for patterns amongthe incorrect responses and decide what might be the cause(s) constructing a singlesentence that answers the questions "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, andwhy?" The purpose is to require students to select only the defining features of an idea.

Evaluate the quality of each summary quickly and holistically. Note whether students haveidentified the essential concepts of the class topic and their interrelationships. Share your observations with your students.

Exam Evaluations: Select a type of test that you are likely to give more than once or that has a significant impact on student performance. Create a few questions thatevaluate the quality of the test. Add these questions to the exam or administer aseparate, follow-up evaluation.

Try to distinguish student comments that address the fairness of your grading from those thataddress the fairness of the test as an assessment instrument. Respond to the general ideasrepresented by student comments.

Application cards: After teaching about an important theory, principle, or procedure,ask students to write down at least one real-world application for what they have justlearned to determine how well they can transfer their learning.

Quickly read once through the applications and categorize them according to their quality. Pickout a broad range of examples and present them to the class.

Student- generated test questions: Allow students to write test questions and modelanswers for specified topics, in a format consistent with course exams. This will givestudents the opportunity to evaluate the course topics, reflect on what they understand,and what good test items are.

Make a rough tally of the questions your students propose and the topics that they cover.Evaluate the questions and use the good ones as prompts for discussion. You may also want torevise the questions and use them on the upcoming exam.

Day Two: Sun/Earth M otions



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Earth Science being a Regents Level, (High Stakes)curriculum has a great amount of previous data to offer from almost 30 years of examinations. These exams provide for a greatresource from which to teach with. I would frequently use these past examinations in class to

familiarize students with what they can expect to see when they take the Regents Examination.In the Earth Science curriculum there are ESRT¶s (Earth Science Reference Tables)

which are a packet of reference information that is 20 pages long. Knowing the ESRT all byitself, one can score above a 75% on the NYS Regents Exam. I use this factoid a lot. I also usethe ESRT a lot; in fact I try to use it every day in my class. An example of this application wouldgo like this:³ Today we are going to use our ESRT¶s, The PowerPoint packet we received yesterday and we are going to try to answer questions from NYS Regents questions from the

past, using all our resources. We will work with lab partners and we will be using colored pencilsto illustrate and highlight where we can find specific information within the ESRT for questionsbeing asked from the Regents exam. ´ I know that from assessing the information I took from theclass the day before, that many aren¶t real sure as to why there are seasons here on Earth. I also know that there are just enough in the class who do know and these students are the onesI want to foster peer teaching opportunities with. While some of the class fumbles, other¶sbecome the bearers of information and resources for finding where to locate the information theclass needs. This environment permits me to select individual students to approach the whiteboard and to co-teach with me as to how and where« and I supply the ³why´ as to the why thefacts are what they are, in terms of this particular class participation exercise as an all-inclusiveclass activity.

Day Three: Sun/Earth M otions

I have a mechanical Orrey model in the classroom. It is electrified and has a workingmotor that drives it around as well as depicts a lit Sun, rotating Earth and rotating Moon.

Iuse this model to illustrate the mechanical operation for why incoming solar radiation(Insolation) is at the root cause for our having seasonal weather changes. I can also explain

climate differences with this educational tool as well as Eclipses and Tidal B ulges andPrecession and Coriolis Effect, Kepler¶s Laws of Heavenly B odies, Newton¶s Law of Gravitationand the formation of the Moon. I activate the model with the lights down and the students are allstanding around the model. I pause the operation and ask about Perigee and Apogee and thePerihelion and Aphelion and Equinox and Solstice as well as dates and rotation direction andspeeds. I also ask about discussion of size and speed of rotation and axial tilt, orientation tocelestial bodies (stars¶ Parallax) in space as well as variational speeds of our orbit duringsummer and winter, amount of daylight during Equinoxes and Solstices.



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Image taken from Internet 1/31/2011from http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/DK007915.html

I have the students try to conceptualize the heat and light from the Sun referenced bythis physical model and try to relate this to our present activities within the unit of study. We turnthe lights on, I have markers in the classroom that indicate N,S,E,W I ask students to faceSouth. While standing and repeat after me ³ I see the sun rising in the East (they are followingmy movements) I am pointing with arms outstretched to my left (indicating East). ³As the Sunrises in the sky, we are in winter; the sun rises South of East in winter and remains low in thesky. I am now tracing a low altitude in the air and pointing with both hands to Solar Noon beinglow altitude in the sky indicating winter. As luck would have it the Sun was just at the point wewere pointing at and we continued with our physical tracing of the Sun. ³as the Sun continuesfrom Noon, it sets South of West in the winter. We continue through the floor as if to penetratethe Earth and follow through until we come back to South of East, as it was at sunrise where webegan. We do the same for the equinox and the Summer Solstice when the Sun is high in thesky and rises North of East and sets North of West. This is amazing actually I have them do thisa few times and they feel awkwardly self-conscious, but it really works, they get it and they allreally understand and retain the understanding from this Mnemonic event. I assess this as beingso, when I hear ³Ah ha´ and ³oh I get it´.

Day 4: Sun/Earth M otion¶sWe are back to reviewing and completing the PowerPoint presentation and I am now

asking the students who weren¶t on target in the beginning to try their hand at co-teaching withme and they are directing the line of questioning and providing answers and graphic drawingson the board, explaining the process we were describing and where to find all the referencedmaterials within the PowerPoint packet, their notes and within the ESRT. This is a great activityto enable Peer-interaction and Peer Learning and teaching opportunities. With adequatepreparation and classroom management and in being on-task, I assess from this that there are



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many opportunities for me to understand where individual and class-wide growth and learninghas taken place. As well, I understand from this where re-teaching can be applied and finelytuned to meet individual needs.

Day 5: Sun/Earth M otion¶s

Physical Lab:

TEA CH ER: M OSEL 10 Grade Earth Science

C ontent: SUN / EART H M OTION¶S DURATION: 4 days Instruction,

1 day physical lab

NYS Standards & Key Ideas addressed for Earth Science, The Physical Setting:

NYS Learning Standards addressed: 1,2,4,6 & 7, Std.4 KI 1, Std. 4 KI 1.1, Std. 4 KI 1.1g,Std.4 KI 1.1e, Std. 4 KI1.1f, Std. 4 KI1.1h, Std.4 KI1.1d, Std. 4 KI 1.1c, Std. 4 KI1.1b, Std. 4

KI 1.1aSUN / EART H M OTION¶S

Enduring understanding: Students will understand that the Earth is spherical in shape (anoblate spheroid) and our angular face to the Sun is tilted(offset to the solar ecliptic) at an angleof 23.5 degrees. Earth has a rotation on its¶ axis as well as an orbit around its star The Sun.Having gained knowledge of this, students will understand how and why we experienceseasonal variations in climate and localized weather as well as variations in length of daylightand its intensity. They will understand why changesin season they observe on Earth, occur as aresult from our planet¶s journey around its star (the Sun) and from the energy we receive fromthe Sun as a direct and causal relation to this.

Physical Lab:

Students will utilize a lab worksheet and a Vernier digital temperature probe and a globeand a light / heat source, to measure temperature variants in our simulation of reproducing theSun¶s Insolation properties as this is differentiated in different parts on the Earth. A globe, a 150Watt light on a stand, a digital electronic temperature probe, a paper protractor (cut in half),string and tape will be used in collecting this data and performing this lab.



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Students will understand that in carrying out this lab experiment, that the reason for our having seasons is based on our ³Angle of Insolation´ as a direct result of this. Students willunderstand that our location on our planet, based on these findings from this lab experiment, will

determine why we have ³Climate Zones´ as well. Students will understand that daylight durationas well as sunlight intensity is dependent on our ³Angle of Insolation´. Students will understandwhere the ³Tropic of Cancer´ is on our planet as well as our ³Tropic of Capricorn´ and our Equator.

Essential questions:

Students will understand why we have seasons. Students will understand why daylightand sunlight intensity is different during different times of the year. Students will understandwhythe equator is always the same (to a great extent) in temperature, daylight intensity and daylightduration.

Background knowledge needed:

Prior knowledge of our Earth as it is categorized measurably into Lines of Longitude andLatitude, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of cancer.

Narrative Lesson plan artifact

Considerations: Activity Name - (? minutes) Ongoing Assessment:

Level of Bloom¶staxonomy:

Synthesis,Evaluation,Analysis

Type of questioningstrategies to beused (if appropriate):

Deductive /Inductive

/Disruptive

M osel 10 th grade ES

Solar Insolation Lab: 90 M inutes

Opening launch : (10 M inutes ) Do it now

(I say) C lass, the Sun is very hot. The radiation provided by the Sun isimmense. If the Sun is so hot, as we know that it is« Why is it so cold inspace? Why is it that we have heat on some parts of our planet and frigid coldtemperatures on other parts? Why do we have seasons on Earth and why arethere no season or daylight changes in some parts of our world? I want you tothink about this for a moment. While I take attendance, there is a globe up herein the front of the class; we are going to be doing the lab assignment we spokeabout yesterday. I want you to think about the questions I just asked you whileyou observe the globe, Why is it tilted? Would that have anything to do inanswering any or all of the questions I just asked of you? I want you to take outthe lab worksheets I gave you yesterday, on the back I want you to come upwith some free thinking and for discussion when the lab is over we will bediscussing what you have learned from the freethinking you did before itstarted« Write down your best guess at the question I just asked you when youfirst walked today.

What evidence will youneed to ensure thatstudents have gainedthe requiredexpectations for thisactivity?

Questions fromstudents, studentsanswering their ownquestions

Utilizing wait time

Watching studentsmanipulate the globeand the heat source

The Students have made a reference to the globe in the classroom. They havebeen asked a question that was meant to create disequilibrium in them from meas soon as they walked in. They are currently thinking freely and dealing withtheir understanding of the globe as they know the lab we are about to be doing



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(disequilibrium) will measure the Sun¶s temperature on different parts of our world. They are probably wondering why it¶s so cold in space and why it¶s so warm here onEarth. Questions they might

have, lookingattentively at the globe,pondering, writing«

Level of B loom¶staxonomy:

C omprehension, Knowledge,Application,Analysis,Synthesis,Evaluation

Type of questioningstrategies to beused (if appropriate):

Engagement: ( 5 M inutes )

(I say) Okay , let¶s begin our experiment. Please take out your lab worksheets andeverybody please come up to the front of the class where we have the globe, the lightsource which we are using to represent the Sun and our Vernier temperature probe,which we will be using to record our temperature findings. Let¶s begin with orientatingourselves to be in a position where we can all see and be ready to set up our experiment.

B egin Lab: Duration for lab assignment ( 30 M inutes )

(I say) As you can see from the worksheet, we are going to be determining the Angleof Insolation from the Sun as it has distinct effects on our planet and provides for differences in how we receive sunlight and therefore temperature and daylightduration on our planet throughout the year and this is why we have seasons.

From this angle of insolation = ( Incoming Solar Radiation ) we will be takingtemperature recordings to show evidence for these findings. Let¶s orientate our globeto the light source (which will be our Sun) and let¶s see, who can tell me where theEquator is, Where the Tropic of Cancer is? And where the Tropic of Capricorn is onour globe? We¶ll need to establish that as we orientate ourselves to engaging in thisexperiment.

( I ask a non-willing victim to come up to the front so I can tutor he or she along thelab, It¶ll be a great way to establish a bond of trust with a student who I know is timid or falling behind or who just needs some limelight, I have my victim and we determinewhere these points are .)

Okay , now that we have determined these three points on the globe I am going tohave you guide (Student who I picked earlier) to place the temperature probe on theglobe with scotch tape in the northern hemisphere¶s summer position for our globeand that would be the Tropic of Cancer and we are going to be facing the Sun so our tilt from our axis is going to orientate the globe to be leaning forward into the Sun.Let¶s do that« Please follow along on your worksheet, so that we are all clear onwhat we are doing.

Okay , now that we have done this, let¶s turn the Sun on and give the temperatureprobe a go and see what the recorded temperature is going to be set up like this. ( I turn the 150 Watt light bulb on which has been pre-set at the lab¶s required fixedheight and distance from the globe, we wait for a moment letting thing s heat up)

Okay , now that the Sun is in full shine on the globe and temperature probe, let¶s get atemperature reading. ( I take the reading from the laptop software from the probe andrecord the reading).

Okay , now let¶s determine the angle of insolation, by following the instructions fromthe worksheet. The instructions are to hold a string perpendicular from the Tropic of Cancer to the middle of the light bulb, using a paper protractor cut in half we will bedetermining and recording the angle of insolation for this measurement.

Okay , now let¶s record for Winter insolation for the Southern Hemisphere by changingour temperature probe¶s location from being on the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn; let¶s do that, okay then. Now we¶ll repeat the experiment and record our findings the same way we did in the first experiment. Does anyone have anyquestions so far and are you collecting you data on the worksheet?... Alright« Now

What evidence will youneed to ensure thatstudents have gained therequired expectations for this activity?

Students should beactively participating inthe group setting as aclass in orderly fashionand have their worksheets with themas we begin the labexperiment. Evidence of them being in-synchwith the activities willbe that they arecollaborating,

cooperating, offeringquestions and generallyparticipating in theactivity.



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Direct &Indirect,Disequilibrium

Discussion:Guideddiscussion,ReflectiveDiscussion andRecitation

let¶s take that temperature recording«

Okay , now let¶s measure the winter in southern hemisphere¶s angle of insolation«

Now I want you as a class to figure out how to complete the rest of theexperiment on your own, that is without my help« I want you to orientate theglobe to represent Winter in the Northern H emisphere and collect data fromtemperature and angle of insolation in both the Northern and SouthernH emisphere¶s. You¶ll need to face the globe with the axis facing away now, fromthe Sun, making sure your distance is the same as when we did the experimentfor the Summer in the Northern H emisphere and repeating the steps by placingthe probe on the Tropic of cancer and then the Tropic of C apricorn, do thisnow.

(I watch closely and offer very little in terms of guidance, I allow for periods of silence or contemplation or frustration or for incorrect procedure and will interrupt for safety reasons or if they are really stuck I ¶ll offer leading questions,as is with life, group participation and group learning is encouraged here and I want them to figure things out on their own, as much as possible )

They have completed the lab, all questions are answered which were provided in theworksheet. We then take some readings from different parts on the globe well abovethe Tropic of Cancer and well below the Tropic of Capricorn. We measure and record our angles of insolation and we find that the less of an angle of insolation, the greater the temperature and likewise the greater the angle of insolation, the lesser thetemperature. The change for Summer is larger than the change in winter .

In the Northern Hemisphere, the sunlight is more direct in the summer because theEarth is tilted toward the Sun. A greater amount of solar radiation is directed at asmaller area. Unanticipated learning

(from inquiry andstudent centeredapproach) is desired.This is where the Zoneof ProximalDevelopment offers thepotential for self-regulated learning.

(5 minutes )

I ask the students to return to their seats. I ask them to think about what we justdetermined from our physical lab experiment. I point to the poster on the wall whichshows the graphic of the Earths¶ movements around the Sun and re-affirm visually tothe students that as we orbit the sun, our fixed position of our planet doesn¶t change;our tilted axis always faces in one direction. This is why we have found thetemperature differences that we have found. It is a dynamic (ever present) variablethat we can rely on in determining the amount of incoming solar radiation (insolation)to our planet and explains directly why we have seasons. This is going to be alaunching point for us to move forward into our next unit of study, which will beMeteorology and Weather.

The dynamics of our atmosphere (Weather) is as simply understood from our experiment today, as water responding to variations of heat and these dynamic (ever present) reactions create systematic responses called weather patterns. We¶ll belooking at the atmosphere, humidity, relative humidity, wind, meteorological datainstruments and symbols used by meteorologists to convey weather components aswell.



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Lab Report : Solar Insolation / Rubric assessment

Teacher Name: M r. M osel 10 th Grade Earth Science

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Scientific

C oncepts

Illustrates anaccurate andthoroughunderstanding of scientific conceptsunderlying the lab.

Illustrates an accurateunderstanding of mostscientific conceptsunderlying the lab.

Illustrates a limitedunderstanding of scientific conceptsunderlying the lab.

Illustrates inaccurateunderstanding of scientific conceptsunderlying the lab.

Question/Purpose

The purpose of thelab or the question tobe answered duringthe lab is clearlyidentified and stated.

The purpose of the labor the question to beanswered during thelab is identified, but isstated in a somewhatunclear manner.

The purpose of the labor the question to beanswered during thelab is partiallyidentified, and is statedin a somewhat unclear manner.

The purpose of the labor the question to beanswered during thelab is erroneous or irrelevant.

Drawings/Diagrams

Clear, accurate

diagrams areincluded and makethe experimenteasier to understand.Diagrams arelabeled neatly andaccurately.

Diagrams are included

and are labeled neatlyand accurately.

Diagrams are included

and are labeled.

Needed diagrams are

missing OR aremissing importantlabels.

Procedures Procedures are listedin clear steps. Eachstep is numberedand is a completesentence.

Procedures are listedin a logical order, butsteps are notnumbered and/or arenot in completesentences.

Procedures are listedbut are not in a logicalorder or are difficult tofollow.

Procedures do notaccurately list the stepsof the experiment.

Analysis The relationshipbetween thevariables isdiscussed andtrends/patternslogically analyzed.Predictions are madeabout what mighthappen if part of thelab were changed or

The relationshipbetween the variablesis discussed andtrends/patternslogically analyzed.

The relationshipbetween the variablesis discussed but nopatterns, trends or predictions are madebased on the data.

The relationshipbetween the variablesis not discussed.



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how theexperimental designcould be changed.

C onclusion Conclusion includeswhether the findingssupported thehypothesis, possiblesources of error, andwhat was learnedfrom the experiment.

Conclusion includeswhether the findingssupported thehypothesis and whatwas learned from theexperiment.

Conclusion includeswhat was learned fromthe experiment.

No conclusion wasincluded in the reportOR shows little effortand reflection.

ScientificC oncepts

Report illustrates anaccurate andthorough

understanding of scientific conceptsunderlying the lab.

Report illustrates anaccurate understandingof most scientific

concepts underlyingthe lab.

Report illustrates alimited understandingof scientific concepts

underlying the lab.

Report illustratesinaccurateunderstanding of

scientific conceptsunderlying the lab.

Safety Lab is carried outwith full attention torelevant safetyprocedures. The set-up, experiment, andtear-down posed nosafety threat to anyindividual.

Lab is generally carriedout with attention torelevant safetyprocedures. The set-up, experiment, andtear-down posed nosafety threat to anyindividual, but onesafety procedure needsto be reviewed.

Lab is carried out withsome attention torelevant safetyprocedures. The set-up, experiment, andtear-down posed nosafety threat to anyindividual, but severalsafety procedures needto be reviewed.

Safety procedureswere ignored and/or some aspect of theexperiment posed athreat to the safety of the student or others.

ExperimentalH ypothesis

Hypothesizedrelationship betweenthe variables and thepredicted results isclear and reasonablebased on what hasbeen studied.

Hypothesizedrelationship betweenthe variables and thepredicted results isreasonable based ongeneral knowledge andobservations.

Hypothesizedrelationship betweenthe variables and thepredicted results hasbeen stated, butappears to be basedon flawed logic.

No hypothesis hasbeen stated.



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Images taken from Internet 1/31/2011 from: http://www.vernier.com/labquest/

Above: Example of hand held digital microcomputer used in lab. Display read out graphicsexemplifies using technology in the classroom as it is applied to everyday learning activities.

Post assessment of the Solar Insolation lesson/lab:

In keeping with alternative assessment methodologies encouraged throughout thislesson/lab, there were considerable opportunities for achieving semantic and episodic learningduring the hands on applications within the lab component. High intrinsic motivation wasencouraged through experiential usage of the heat source lamp (the Sun) and the relation to theglobe as the differences in angle of insolation, which made significant differences in not justheat but in light reaching the visible surface of the planet. This visual reference made for asignificantly remarkable µhook for the brain¶ to assimilate these associations. In using the laptopand digital temperature probe to record the data for the lab, the students were exposed to



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technology interface as well as in the practical application of recording scientific data through asoftware interface which also showed results of temperature differential graphically and withvisually different graphic models such as graphs and charts to choose from, they were exposed

to varying enduring understanding to a visual representation of temperature differences fromboth an analog and a digital as well as in a spacial and real world application, as the Sun wasmanipulated to light and heat the Earth at different proximities of angles of insolation and indemonstrating the eccentricity of the Earth¶s orbit around the sun as well.

The peer scaffolding from the class as a whole made for limited guidance from me toneed to teach the instruction in terms of taking full control and the guiding of the lab. Theoutcome of this was that the class explored for themselves in the lab and I merely guided their inquiry and exploration. I was able to make a rubric for gradingand observation evaluations as aresult. My assessment for the class was more definitive in my estimate from this. I had made upa 10 part rubric with a possibility of 40 points total for the lab.

My overall interpretation from this lab was that there was very little stress involved in thecarrying out of the entire lab component. In fact the students were intrigued and engagedthroughout the entire block for the lab. I believe that when the regents exam is taken, that therewill be more than just solar insolation proficiency to be adequately answered for from this andpossibly due to the physical references the students made to the Sun Earth and Moonreferences that Moon Cycles, Eclipses, tides, coriolis and latitude and Longitude informationmay be enhanced as well. The overall teaching, learning and performance tasks (as evidencedfrom this metacognitive assessment) were in-depth and easy tounderstand as well as to assessfor.

y F ormal Assessment: Teacher made test artifact ( see attachment )

Summary Statement

In keeping with best practices of formalized academic teacher training modalities,indicative of embracing learning and teaching methods which are effective, I feel I haveembraced and supported the active use in practice and in theory which encourage and fostersthe applied pedagogy of Formal and Informal assessment and AlternativeAssessment inteaching and learning in practice.

I structure my professional practicefor delivering this pedagogical belief through aConstructivist, Student-Centered and Inquiry based model approach. I employ B rain B asedresearch (as evidenced from Gardener¶s Multiple Intelligences and B looms Taxonomy).Inductive and deductive reasoning and questioning as well as tactile, mnemonic and hands onlearning opportunities and peer-scaffolding activities are intermingled as a work in practice. I offer these teaching and learning tenets as they are integrated and understood by me as aprofessional practioner (in the transition to becoming an effective teacher) as evidence for beingadequately prepared to begin to teach.



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I reference for support of these statement¶s, tangible and relevant artifacts andprofessional practice as exemplified through a cogent and tenable (sensible connection) tosupport documentation that interlace seamlessly, with artifacts from my Teaching Rationale,

Unit Plan and Self-Selected artifact from my Portfolio as being an all-inclusive repertoire for exemplarity in demonstrating these connected theories.

Professional practice, all means for varied and all-inclusive assessment methods,professionalism in education, and mastery of content, advancing self-regulated learning throughmotivation, collegial collaboration, and community based learning and continuing education as alifelong practice and technology integration are all key elements that were addressed throughoutmy teaching preparedness artifacts found within my culminating portfolio artifacts collectively.

It is in this Assessment artifact that I rely on the reader (as my evaluator) to summarilyassess my having a connected and over-arching understanding of the main teaching andlearning tenets offered from personal and professional example. I submit therefore, that I have agood working base and knowledge from which I provide my personal understanding for what itmeans to be a teacher and a learner (in professional practice) to effectively deliver SecondaryEarth Science curriculum, core content with confidence in the public 7-12 Secondary Levelschool setting.

B ased on my professional training and teacher training preparation through my SUNY,ESC M.A.T. experience and through Mentorship (through actively practicing Earth Scienceteaching within a public school setting with professional charge as Teacher of Record) and inkeeping with the school district¶s internal professional development encumbrance¶s and specificprofessional policies, I believe I am well prepared to begin my professional journey as a NYSeducator.



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Bibliography

y Taken from Internet 1/31/2011 from http://www.fairtest.org/position-paper-

assessment-learning

y Stuart, L., (2003).Assessment in Practice: a view from the school . Teachers 21

Inc. Newton Lower Falls, MA.

y Images taken from Internet 1/31/2011 from : http://www.vernier.com/labquest/

y Image taken from Internet 1/31/2011

from: http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/DK007915.html

Spring 2011 MT IV Portfolio Assessment Plan

Documents

Transcript of Spring 2011 MT IV Portfolio Assessment Plan