Demonstrating a Rain Shadow

• Take a hose with a spray attachment and spray water at one side of a short wall.
• 2/3 of the water should fall on the hose side of the wall.
• The other 1/3 will fly over the top of the wall.
• Close to the wall on the side away from the hose will stay dry because the water is shooting far over the wall.
• The dry area is just like a rain shadow.

Questioning for Inquiry

Science Questioning

Guide Students to Use Process Skills
what do you notice? Observation
What do you think will happen

Questions to Focus Students
how would you describe the effect?

Questions to Challenge
what do you think is going on here?
what did you find out from this experiment?

Draw a line of learning and chose a question from above to help your students.

Wait time: give it to them, but don't OVERLY
What to do when they are waiting you out:
repeat the question
ask if they understand
would you like me to come back when you have had a chance to think about the question
Allow students to write the answer in their science notebook.

Science PCA Training

October 3, 2007
Powerful Classroom Assessment

22 months for one question/assessment to before assessment go live. After that time the question could still be thrown out.

Systems (science scenarios) --> inquiry/applicable scenarios

once a scenario is used twice on a exam it is then released.

it rule= when there is one it that is associated with a noun, any further "it"s will refer to the original noun unless otherwise specified. Grader CANNOT infer or interpret any other meaning.

Investigation
must include materials (must list timer even if classroom has a clock)
Teach students to look back at previous scenario to

what manipulate or change
what stays the same
record measurements
repeat trials (three conditions tested three times)

Application
solve human problems with science
multiple solutions
ask kids to collect comparable data
Gather information
scientific data and research
data can come from research but must be specific "book about food birds eat"
Explore Ideas
must have more then one
cannot be a list of objects
Plan Summary
try to add scientific information to explain choices ie--"birds need protection from the weather, so add more bird houses in the yard"
Steps to do plan
how to progress with the plan
not procedure for investigation
Test solution
provide specific information amount of time and comparable data
watch AND record data
Unless a student tells us something we cannot assume they know it.


Reflection:
impressed by checks of the assessment creation and grading, value point range so its not you do it or you don't
make sure classroom assessments match wasl rubrics, don't be afraid to ask
it rule
teach specificity, assess for specificity! Students need to practice this!
Diagrams
MUST be labeled to be scored
Grader cannot interpret
Teach drawing and labeling
Each model assessment/unit should include
1. Read and Interpret data representation
2. Content Vocabulary
identifying parts of the experiment
students are understanding what they are doing and why
3. Problem solve
write a conclusive statement about the hypothesis or research question
include accurate data
4. plan an investigation
5. application
multiple solutions
Importance of specificity!
Need to be sure that I am not implementing misconceptions by being sure I understand the rubrics. Don't be afraid to clarify with the OSPI