Naena Bland

26 November 2017

Kalani Eggington

Science Methods

Report

Multiple Assessment Report

Introduction

My buddys name is Cielo. He is a third grade student, whereas most of the buddies were

in 4th grade. He has two older brothers, one whom already did the whole 4th grade Great Salt

Lake experience. He came into this experience with a lot of background knowledge because his

older brother told him about everything he did with his own experiment. Cielo, however, didnt

know all of the different animals that would be at the lake. His intro assessment showed that he

thought there would be very few animals that lived there other than the brine shrimp. He had a

great relationship with his brother, and he talked a lot about all of the things they did together.

Before the experiment, he thought a lot about the experiment he wanted to do because of all of

the things he learned from his brother. He will be involved in this experience again next year, so

he talked about wanting to do another experiment, but with the sand instead.

Skills Assessed

Each week I met with my buddy, I would assess him and some science skills being used.

Some of these skills were: making simple predictions, conduct a simple investigation, use prior

experiences, show causes, communicating, and he relates learning to out of school situations.

Cielo portrayed each of these skills well throughout the course of the experience. The

first was using prior knowledge and experiences. Cielo would talk non-stop about what he had
learned from his older brother. He also told me about all of the times when he had gone to the

Great Salt Lake with his family. It told me that he was connecting what we were doing with what

he had already experienced.

Next, Cielo demonstrated how to make simple predictions, showing a cause, and

conducting a simple investigation. Cielo was very interested in the brine shrimp from the lake.

Using his likes, he came up with his experiment- Which Food will Work Best?. He had first

made the prediction that all foods we were testing would work because they were vegetables

which are needed nutrients. He gave a great explanation to go along with his prediction proving

he could show a cause while making a prediction. He carried out his experiment with little help

from me. He showed me that everything used in the experiment was going to be the same except

for what the brine shrimp were being fed. This told me he understood the overall process of an

experiment and how it is carried out.

Finally, throughout the whole process, Cielo was communicating his learning with me.

The more time I spent with him, the more he could explain about the experiment. He figured out

what some of the food was unable to keep the brine shrimp alive, and why others worked. By

speaking with me personally, and him presenting his findings at the poster session, he

communicated his learning and findings about the conducted experiment.

Assessments

Through working with Cielo, I was able to utilize the two types of assessments: formative

and summative. Formative assessments are informal assessments of the learner, whereas

summative assessments are formal and summarize the overall learning.

The first type of assessment I used with Cielo was formative assessments. I began to get

his background knowledge through a pre-test I had written, This was only to tell me where his
background knowledge was of the Great Salt Lake and of what he know of experimenting. The

next type of formative assessment used was the observations I did each week while working with

Cielo. Observations tell a lot about the student and their learning. By observing him I was able to

see which parts of the activities he enjoyed and what was working immediately. Over time, I was

able to see his progression of learning through observation worksheets I filled out. These

worksheets told me how Cielo was working with experimenting and certain aspects of

becoming a scientist.

The other type of assessment used was summative. I utilized the formal assessing through

the given post-test and poster session we participated in. These assessments showed a lot from

the overall aspect of what he was learning. I was able to see the growth from the beginning to the

very end. The pre-test told me that Cielo was guessing at what a lot of experimenting was,

whereas by the post-test, he showed great improvement. He was able to explain the entire

experiment process, what was out at the lake, and how he could further his experimenting. By

being able to teach his experiment to others, I was able to assess his actual knowledge of what

we had done.

Changed Interactions

From the first day to the last, my interactions with Cielo didnt change too much. He

showed great knowledge and interest from the first minute we spoke about the Lake. One thing I

did change, however, was that I had to make the learning more challenging. I had to try and use

more scientific vocabulary versus asking simple questions such as what do you think will

happen?. This then became, What is your prediction for this variable. And the other

variables?. It was a great experience to forward my own skills while forwarding his knowledge.

The more time we spent together, the more comfortable he was speaking his ideas with me. This
was great because he opened up to me and shared his knowledge and growth more than writing

could have. He struggled to write, so our personal and verbal communications gave me a lot of

information about his learning.

Student Progress

Cielo started off with a great knowledge of experimenting and the Great Salt Lake,

however, he couldnt explain what he was learning verbally. He had a hard time finding

vocabulary to explain what he knew, but through simple explanations, I could figure out

meanings. Although the assessed skills chart below doesnt show a leap of growth or

diminishment, his scientific knowledge became more thorough and academic. The chart below is

the bubble sheets filled out each week from observations I made. He stayed at an upper level of

knowledge throughout the whole process, but as stated before, his background knowledge

became more accessible.

Skills Assessed
5

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Simple Predictions Simple Investigations Investigations to Prior Exerpiences

Suggest Causes Relates to Out of School

As Cielo worked through the sticky note worksheet, his experiment became more and

clearer from just an idea about brine shrimp. His previous knowledge about experiments had

grown, which showed in this activity. He was the one moving the sticky notes and explaining

what each step of the experiment process was. His learning had become evident at this point.
 The final strong evidence I used to see his growth was observing him and his interactions

at the final poster session. The first person who came to hear about his experiment, he struggled

and didnt know what to say. I would prompt him and he would take over. As more and more

people came to our poster, he would explain his experiment and how things connected. He

needed no more prompting from me. He was using the academic knowledge we had been talking

about hypothesis, prediction, variable, and reject or accept. This told me Cielo had learned

about the experiment process along with what he learned from the experiment itself.

Concerns and Suggestions

I would not be concerned about Cielo and his learning. He is very interested in science

and math (he talked with me about this on the first day- getting to know you). The only concern I

have with Cielo is when he is bored or gets with his friends. On Lake Day, his friend would talk

him into running away from me and our group onto something more fun they would want to do.

He also has a problem when he is bored into the classroom; he quits participating and will sit

defiantly in his chair. As his teacher, I would make sure to have extended learning activities

prepared for Cielo to participate in. This would keep him productive and on task. To deal with

his running off, I would make sure he is grouped in with other students who are great

behaviorally in the classroom, they would keep him on task.