ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS

Science for 4th grade learners in elementary school (SEP book) Grading criteria: Final Tests Portfolio tasks Experiments in classroom Self-Reflections Final project 40 25 15 5 15 100%

Module 1 How to keep our health? Learning outcome to identify sexual characters in both men and women and to figure out the relationship between these and human reproduction Assessment criteria Can define in his/her own words what reproduction is Can explain why reproduction is important for humans Can identify physical differences in the body of men and women to explain the importance of promoting and implementing healthy habits to recognise the importance of vaccines and its role at preventing diseases to identify some causes of poisoning so as to promote prevention and control measures Can understand the meaning of equality between men and women Can work in small groups and make contributions to a discussion Can suggest ways of promoting same opportunities for both women and men Can recognise the importance of the nerve system in human body Can explain the importance that the nerve system has in relation to the human body Can use various sources to gather information Can transfer information to a chart Can identify muscles, bones and joints in his/her own body Can contribute with ideas on how to promote positive healthy habits Can distinguish the food groups and know how to integrate them into a healthy diet Can explain the importance of vaccines as a way to protect us from diseases Can work in groups effectively and design a poster Can contribute with ideas on how to take action in order to prevent poisoning Can express clear ideas orally and in written

to understand that physical and intellectual differences between men and women work to complement each other to learn some functions the human body performs and its relationship with health

Module 2 Characteristics of living organisms to explain some ways in which reproduction in plants take place and how they interact with other living organisms and the environment to describe some ways in which reproduction in animals take place as part of their adaptation to the environment to identify the characteristics of fungi and bacteria which allow them to be classified as living organisms to appreciate the importance of fungi and bacteria in their interaction with other living organisms and the environment to explain, considering the different physical and biological factors, what is the dynamic of an ecosystem to recognise human influences on the ecosystems, this in order to propose actions to maintain ecosystems stability Can mention ways in which reproduction in plants take place Can identify how plants interact with other living organisms Can identify how plants interact with the environment Can name different ways in which animals reproduce Can explain why animals need to adapt to the environment Can classify the different characteristics of fungi and bacteria Can recognise fungi and bacteria as living organisms Can find the relationship between fungi and bacteria with other living organisms Can find the relationship between fungi and bacteria with the environment Can identify the different physical and biological factors in an ecosystem Can define in his/her own words what the dynamic of an ecosystem is Can find and propose solutions to a problem Can predict what would happen if human activity continue harming ecosystems

Module 3 Objects and their interactions to classify most common used objects according to their physical states characteristics to make connections between the different states of objects and variation in temperature to describe the water cycle and how vital is for living to recognise the factors that influence the cooking and decomposition of food Can recognise a wide variety of objects made of different materials

Can find similarities and differences among different types of materials Can defend his/her point of view by giving solid arguments Can report results in a clear and detailed way Can identify each of the steps in the water cycle Can contribute with ideas to reduce the impact of human activities on the ecosystems Can name some factors that influence the cooking and decomposition of food Can relate what he/she learned to real life

to describe some technological contributions and their development through years in the preparation and preservation of food

Can describe some technological contributions made in the preparation and preservation of food Can express his/her opinion about the different technological contributions to the preparation and preservation of food

Module 4 What are the effects of object interactions? to draw conclusions in relation to the change of direction of light as it refracts or reflects to explain some phenomena in the environment considering light reflection and refraction to describe some methods for electrifying materials Module 5 How people know? To explain the formation of eclipses and the sequence of day and night as a result of the motion of the earth and the moon to recognise some theories made in the past about Earth rotation in relation to the Sun Can define what an eclipse is Can explain what happens in an eclipse Can explain the sequence of day and night Can retell some popular theories of the past about Earth rotation Can create a model in scale showing the rotation of the Earth, Sun and Moon Can work in small groups effectively Can construct a periscope Can explain how a periscope works Can give enough evidence to support his/her conclusions Can find different examples of light reflection and refraction in everyday life items Can explain some phenomena in the environment of light reflection and refraction Can describe the three main ways of electrifying materials of common use Can experiment how a balloon attracts bodies and sticks to a wall when rubbing it against his/her hair Can explain the reasons of why this happens Can organize objects according to the type of materials they are made of Can explain how electricity works in objects Can complete a chart of advantages and disadvantages of friction between two surfaces Can discuss and explain why such phenomena take place Can work collaboratively to carry out an experiment Can recognise some of the effects of heat energy on materials Can explain how people use heat energy and why

to discover how electricity works in objects considering the effect produced and the materials they are made of to learn some methods of producing heat energy as well as its importance in everyday life to discover some of the effects of heat energy on materials and its use in various activities

Cognitive skills in science describe and compare the properties of materials effectively? hypothesize about why particular materials are used for particular purposes? predict what will happen during an experiment? Can the learner describe what they observe in a experiment? notice similarities and differences? compare results? draw conclusions?

Communicative skills in science use a range of vocabulary to describe parts of the body? use vocabulary to describe how the nerve system works? use appropriate language to describe the sequence of day and night? produce simple sentences to define concepts? use appropriate language to compare and contrast? use appropriate language to take in part in discussions? agree on three solutions about reducing the impact of human activity in ecosystems? Practical skills in science carry out simple investigations? do experiments? Can the learner. plan an oral presentation carefully? transfer key information onto a chart? decide how to carry out a fair test? use simple tools while doing an experiment?

Can the learner

Attitudes to learning Can the learner concentrate show curiosity for what happens in nature interact with nature work autonomously ask for help and clarification cooperate with others Not often Sometimes Often

Science final project Assessment criteria project planning creativity oral presentation to class - concepts explained clearly and accurately suggestions from improvements from another learner reflection Grade (15 points) 3 points 5 points 3 points 2 points 2 points

LAB REPORT Name. Materials

Directions: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

What Happened? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Your conclusions:

The following evaluation criteria should be used to determine how well students have achieved to elaborate answers that show high order thinking skills. It shows levels from 1 being low to level 3 being high. Below some example answers for each level are detailed. Level 1 Evaluation criteria gives a factual statement Example answer The nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and a large network of nerves that covers all parts of the body. The nervous system helps different parts of our body communicate. The nervous system helps different parts of our body communicate and allows our brain to control what is going on, without it our brain wouldnt be able to control our body.

2 3

gives a simple explanation gives a detailed explanation

Support strategies Support strategy Use a glossary Allow extra time Design a range of different task types Add visuals and simplify language Reasons The vocabulary used in articles is very scientific and difficult to understand The experiment requires more time to be carried out because the steps take long The task only required too much memorizing and completion activities The content and language were very too demanding and difficult to understand

We would use the before mentioned support strategies mostly during the course and we would encourage learners to progress and if they are progressing fast in their knowledge and understanding of the subject some of the support strategies would not be longer necessary. These strategies can work well when working with any type of interaction. They can be effective for students to work in small groups, with the whole group or individually.