“Formative assessment involves getting the best possible evidence about what students have learned and then using this information to decide what to do next.” - Dylan Wiliam
Prior to beginning the assignment, students will be given the opportunity to share what they already know using an updated K-W-L chart. Students will create an online representation of what they currently know and what they would like to know using the online platform, Padlet. This will allow students to activate prior knowledge, and provide the teacher an understanding of their student’s current knowledge about wetlands and ecosystems.
Students will engage in Think-Pair-Share activities that will encourage peer feedback, and will allow the teacher to circulate, and listen to student’s conversations. The teacher will be able to correct any misconceptions, or gaps in knowledge which formulating their class’s current understanding of the concept of interdependence. The conversations will be scaffolded by the teacher to elicit evidence of learning. Peer coaching will be encouraged through collaborative notes, such as K-W-L, Think-Pair-Share, and the species list, activating learners as resources for one another. At the end of the day, students will select red, green or yellow indicators to show other students their understanding of the day’s concepts. Students who have indicated red will be able to ask questions and receive feedback from a student who has indicated a green level of understanding.
Students will reflect and record any observations throughout the unit, including the planning stages of the final project, in their Interdependence Journal. Students will be given prompting questions to help deepen their understanding of interdependence throughout the unit. The teacher will be able to review the journal each day and support student learning by providing formative feedback and extension questions to the students each day.
Students will be given time for self-reflection, to think about what they have learned that days and how it shapes their understanding.
Summative
Students will be assessed on the information provided on their Phylomon cards. They will need to show a deep understanding of the organism they have represented on their card, showing the organisms' adaptations to wetlands, their connection to other organisms in the ecosystem, and the potential events that could impact the wetlands ecosystem.
A sample rubric for the art portion of the Phylomon cards can be found here.
Teachers and students will collaboratively create a rubric for the final website project. This will clarify the learning objectives and the criteria the students will need for success. Students will be able to self-assess their projects by comparing their work to their rubric and continuing to challenge themselves to improve their final project. A sample rubric showing the desired criteria for the summative assessment can be found here.