1. USING SCIENCE JOURNALS TO GUIDE STUDENT LEARNING Part 1: How to create a student science journal Part 2: How to assess student journals for learning

2. What is a science journal? Benefits of using science journals Structure of a science journal Pre-investigation phase Investigation phase Post-investigation phase Communication phase Part 1: Creating a Student Science Journal

3. What is a science journal? (Koch)  A science journal is “a personal account of science experiences.”  A structured guide that allows students to explore the scientific process and language while also integrating their personal ideas and experiences into the activity.

4. Benefits of Using Science Journals Writing about science in a structured way enables students to (Shepardson, Koch):  Reflect on their learning – identifying what they already know about the material and integrating new knowledge gained through scienctific investigation.  Reveal any alternative conceptions they have about the material.  Link procedural knowledge with conceptual knowledge.  Explore their own ideas and learning processes.

5. Structure of a Science Journal A good science journal will have four sections (Shepardson): 1. Pre-investigation phase: students examine their prior knowledge on material, formulate questions, and make predictions. 2. Investigation phase: students carry out investigation, record observations, and organize data. 3. Post-investigation phase: students transform data in order to answer their question, reflect on their findings and compare them to pre-investigation ideas 4. Communication phase: students use their journals to communicate and share their findings.

6. Pre-Investigation Phase (Shepardson) During the pre-investigation phase, students:  Write/draw in journals to express their prior knowledge about the material.  Explain the purpose of the investigation, present the questions, and make predictions.  Solidify their prior understanding of material, providing a foundation that the investigation may confirm or challenge.

7. Pre-investigation Phase Sample questions (Koch): These may be written in students´journals to guide their learning in each phase.  What do I know about _____________?  Helps students process their prior knowledge on a subject.  What am I trying to find out?  Allows students to define the problem they would like to solve. Here, students may formulate questions they have about the material.  What do I think I will find out?  Students make predictions based on prior knowledge.  What am I going to do, and what materials do I need?  Encourages students to make a plan and begin thinking about how they will investigate their question.

8. Investigation Phase (Shepardson) During the investigation phase, students:  Carry out the investigation to answer their question.  Record observations, measurements, and ideas.  Use charts, tables, and drawings to express observations and organize data.

9. Investigation Phase Sample questions (Koch):  What did I do?  This question is like the materials and methods. Students keep a log of their activities during the experiment.  What happened?  Students document their obervations.  Older students may use graphs or charts to organize data.  Younger students may draw pictures or take notes of their observations during a demonstration.

10. Post-Investigation Phase (Shepardson) During the post-investigation phase, students:  Answer the question based on thier observations and data.  May use data and other resources, such as science books, to interpret and explain their results.  Transform data into graphs or charts and use data to support their interpretations.  Reflect on whether or not their investigation confirmed their predictions and aligns with their prior knowledge.  Identify ways to improve the investigation and propose new questions.  Explain how their investigation relates to the everyday world.

11. Post-Investigation Phase Sample questions (Koch):  What did I find out?  Students make conclusions using their own interpretation of the data.  What do I think about this experiment (or investigation or activity)?  Allows students to share their opinions and ideas about the activity. They may make connections to their everyday life in this section.  If I did this over again, what would I do differently?  Students analyze the investigation and plan for modifications. Leads students to see problems with their first investigation and share their ideas of how they could improve it.

12. Communication Phase (Shepardson) During the communication phase, students:  Create a final synthesis of their data to communicate their findings to the class.  Summarize and apply the information in their journal to a communicative context.

13. Communication Phase (Shepardson) Examples of communication projects:  Peer science conference – students orally present their findings to the class.  Science magazine – students write an article explaining their investigation and findings and put them together to create a class science magazine.  Science poster – students create a poster demonstrating their investigation and findings.  Poem, story, or song – students write a poem, story, or song to communicate their investigations using a different genre.

14. Why are journals a good assessment tool? Indicators to evaluate: Factual and conceptual knowledge Knowledge of the scientific process Creating a rubric Scoring methods for rubrics Sample rubric Part 2: Evaluating student journals

15. Why are science journals a good assessment tool? Science journals are a good assessment tool because they (Shepardson, Koch):  Demonstrate students´understanding of multiple facets of scientific learning:  Conceptual and factual knowledge  Knowledge of scientific processes  Allow the teacher to analyze students´ learning over time, including prior knowledge and changes in this knowledge based on experience.  Show how each student constructs meaning from their experiences.  Reveal alternative conceptions that should be addressed in following lessons.

16. Assessing for conceptual and factual knowledge (Shepardson) Indicators of conceptual and factual knowledge:  Evidence of conceptual understanding  Use of information, facts, and vocabulary  Expression of prior knowledge and ideas  Use of words/language in:  Labeling and describing (demonstrates factual knowledge)  Interpreting and explaining (demonstrates conceptual knowledge)  Changes in understanding

17. Assessing for understanding of scientific processes (Shepardson) Indicators of understanding of the scientific process:  Statement of question or activity  Description of procedures and materials used  Identification of variables  Data organization and presentation  Conclusions based on data

18. Creating a rubric (Koch)  In order to properly evaluate student journals, we must create a scoring rubric for the previously mentioned indicators.  Steps for creating a scoring rubric: 1. Identify instructional goals for the activity 2. Identify indicators that demonstrate each instructional goal 3. Create a scoring method for assessing students´performance for each indicator

19. Scoring methods for rubrics (Koch)  Scoring can be quantitative or qualitative.  Assign a point value to each indicator.  For example, each of 10 indicators is worth 10 points, so each student could earn a maximum score of 100.  For qualitative scoring assign words that describe the students´performance in each indicator.  For example, “Excellent”, “Good”, “Acceptable”, “Unacceptable”  Younger grades may benefit from assigning qualitative scores such as “Budding scientist”, “Scientist”, and “Super scientist”

20. Sample Rubric (Koch) Instructional goalIndicatorsScore The student demonstrates an understanding of concepts and facts relating to the material. The student demonstrates understanding of scientific processes involved in the activity/investigation.

21. Sample Rubric (Koch) Instructional goalIndicators The student demonstrates an understanding of concepts and facts relating to the material. Evidence of conceptual understanding Use of information, facts, and appropriate vocabulary Evidence of changes in understanding Drawings represent a realistic model The student demonstrates understanding of scientific processes involved in the activity/investigation. Clearly states question or activity Describes procedure and materials Varied types of observations recorded (qualitative, quantitative) Variables identified (where applicable) Ideas and inferences based on observations and data Analyzes the investigation with possibilities for change

22. Resources  Koch, Chapter 14  Shepardson and Britsch http://www.tusd1.org/contents/depart/science/Do cuments/journals.pdf http://www.tusd1.org/contents/depart/science/Do cuments/journals.pdf

23. Questions?