Earth & Space Science Standard 6 Describe and give examples of ways in which the Earth’s surface is built up and torn down by natural processes, including deposition of sediments, rock formation, erosion, and weathering.

Students Forest Park Middle School Grade 6 Bilingual Inclusion Grade 6.4 Special Education These groups were combined into one class on January 26 th for the remainder of the school year.

Interest Scale Science Formative Assessment, Page Keeley #26 Interest Scale Description: The Interest Scale is a way to gauge student interest in the topic being taught. The technique uses a chart with a marked scale in which students place Post-it notes on a scale of low to high to indicate their level of interest in the topic being studied.

How This FACT Promotes Learning Student interest is a strong, contributing factor to student learning. Providing an opportunity to express their interest level shows students that you value knowing their level of engagement in the learning process.

How This FACT Informs Instruction This simple strategy can be used to identify the level of interest before instruction, or during certain points in a unit when student interest in a topic may be waning. The teacher uses the feedback to modify lessons as appropriate in order to make the content more relevant and engaging to students.

How This FACT Informs Instruction The strategy helps spot particular students or groups of students who may be disengaged and need differentiated strategies for motivating and interesting them in learning about the topic.

Design and Administration Start with having students identify their interest level before you begin instruction in the topic (E&SS Earth’s History Standard 6) Give them a few minutes to discuss what they think the topic is about. Give students Post-it notes and ask them to place them by the range value that matches their current level of interest.

Design and Administration Encourage students to be thoughtful and honest. Encourage students to think about why the topic interests or does not interest them. Revisit during different points – reposition Post-it notes – discuss drop in interest or interest level rises to find out why.

Probe Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2, Page Keeley, Francis Eberle, and Joyce Tugel. Is it a Rock?Is it a Rock? (Version 1) Probe 20, p. 151

Is It a Rock? Which things on this list could be rocks? How do you decide if something is a rock? Put a X next to the things you think could be a rock.

Is It a Rock? _____ jagged boulder_____ smooth boulder _____ small stone_____ large stone _____ pebble_____ piece of gravel _____ piece of sand_____ dust from two stones rubbed together

Is It a Rock? Explain your thinking? What “rule” or reasoning did you use to decide if something is a rock?

Is It a Rock? DATA N= 21 students 9 jagged boulder10 smooth boulder 15 small stone17 large stone 17 pebble 6 piece of gravel 11 piece of sand 5 dust from two stones rubbed together

Is It a Rock? Student Responses I think it is a rock because: boulder means large rock: stone is basically a rock: I think it is because it is not easy to break a rock. I think a piece of sand is a rock because it is very small but tough and can be melted into glass. A small stone is a rock because a stone we all know is kind of a rock. These are rock because rocks are many shape (jagged boulder, smooth bolder, small stone, large stone, piece of sand)

Is It a Rock? Student Responses I think it is a rock because: not all rocks are smooth (jagged boulder) I think that large stones are rocks cause it a piece of rock and a pebble is from a rock and piece of sand is very very small piece of rock and I know lots of things on the ground is part of rocks. Pebbles are considered a rock because as pebble is when one rock overpowered by a boulder. A pebble is a rock because it is little and is shaped like a rock. Jagged boulder it’s a rock because its hard and smooth. Smooth boulder is a rock because its smooth.

Is It a Rock? Student Responses I think it is a rock because: a large stone is a rock because it is hard and it has to be black or some color only three could be a rock (small stone, large stone, pebble) because I saw one before (I think) I know what is a pebble, small stone, large stone, piece of sand, and dust from two stones rubbed together My rule for a rock everything needs to be hard and big. (jagged boulder, smooth boulder, and large stone) rocks = hard object made of minerals (did not select piece of gravel or dust)

Is It a Rock? Student Responses I think it is a rock because: A small stone is a rock because when a big rock brakes it’s a small stone. Piece of sand is a rock because when you go to the beach and you put your feet in it ther always a rock in it. A pebble is a rock its just small because a big rock brakes it in to a pebble. A pebble is a small piece of rock and a jagged bolder is a big or large rock that could be biger than a human. A smooth bolder is the samething but smoother. I don’t know what a smooth boulder, jagged boulder.

Rock   I have never heard of this before.   I have heard of this but I’m not sure what it means.   I have some idea what it means: __________________ ____________________________________________   I clearly know what it means and can describe it. ____________________________________________ Rock Metamorphic Rock Igneous Rock Sedimentary Rock Minerals Weathering Runoff Sediment Soil Melting Cementing Rock Cycle STIP-Scientific Terminology Inventory Probe

Scientific Terminology Inventory Probe Science Formative Assessment, Page Keeley #56- Scientific Terminology Inventory Probe Description: STIPs are short, simple questionnaires that ascertain students’ familiarity with a scientific term. Students select a response based on their level of familiarity. If students claim to be familiar with the term, they are asked to provide a description to reveal the extend to which they connect conceptual understanding to terminology.

How This FACT Promotes Student Learning This FACT provides a metacognitive opportunity for students to determine how familiar they are with the scientific terminology used in an instructional unit. Students may recall a scientific term but have minimal conceptual understanding as to what it means.

How This FACT Promotes Student Learning Conversely, some students may realize they not only recall a term from prior experiences but understand it well enough to explain it to another student.

How This FACT Informs Instruction STIPs are used at the beginning of a sequence of lessons to determine how familiar students are with the scientific terminology they will encounter in the topic they will study. The results are used to consider ways to effectively introduce terminology into an instructional unit so that students can hang conceptual meaning onto a scientific term.

Design and Administration Select no more that 12 words from the key scientific terminology that students will learn and use during the topic of instruction or encounter in their instructional materials. Leave space for students who know the term to be able to describe it using formal or operational definitions, descriptions, or examples. Collect and save student responses to provide students opportunity to reflect on their pre- and postfamiliarity with scientific terminology and conceptual understanding of the words used during the unit of instruction.

STIP Modifications With younger students (I will use with my ELL, SPED), consider using only a few key scientific terms, providing an opportunity for them to explain their understanding of the word orally or in drawings. Science Formative Assessment #20: Frayer Model Graphic Organizer: Define the term, Describe its essential characteristics, Provide examples of the idea, and Offer non-examples of the idea.

Frayer Model DEFINEDRAW EXAMPLES WORD IN NATIVE LANGUAGE ROCK

Frayer Model DEFINECARACTERISTICS EXAMPLES NON-EXAMPLES ROCK

Frayer Model DEFINEDRAW EXAMPLES NON-EXAMPLES ROCK

Biography of the Earth Grade Six: Unit 5: Inquiry #10: Rocks Activity One: “Characteristics of Rocks” * Activity Two: “Rock Classification” * Activity Three: “The Rock Cycle” Wrap-up/summarizer: Activity Four: “Focus Questions on Rocks” question 1. Homework: Activity Four: “Focus Questions on Rocks” questions

Next Steps Is It a Rock (Version 2) Readminister Rock STIP Revisit How Hot is the Topic? Self assessment and reflection: FACT #28: I Used to Think … But Now I Know… (With Modification) And This Is How I Learned It

Next Steps Earth Science, Chapter 8, Erosion and Weathering Biography of the Earth, Inquiry #8: Destructive Forces- Weathering, Inquiry #9: Erosion Weathering and Erosion STIP Everyday Science Mysteries, Richard Konicek- Moran, “Master Gardener” Assessment: Grade 6 Earth and Space Science District Mid-year Exam OR Question 44