prashanth updated resume 2024 for Teaching Profession
Assessed work samples ecosystem project
1. Assessed Samples of Student
Work
5th grade science ecosystem projects
By: Kelley Parsons
2. The Project
In our 5th grade classroom the district was working on re-
designing the science program. At the school I was at the students
science scores have been consecutively low. In our class we were
making sure our lessons were molded around the Montana State
Standards, not the textbook. It was a lot of work to create this
curriculum from often times scratch, but the students understandings
and excitement proved rewarding.
These samples provided are from a final project we
completed after a unit on ecosystems. This was a large project
created in place of a formal test. The students enjoyed the project
and the results were truly amazing. A project is a challenge to create
clear expectations for, and to consistently assess all students. This
is why I have chosen samples from this project to reflect my
understanding of assessment.
3. Starting the Project
To start our project I handed out guidelines to the students. I
provided the students with three pieces of paper. The first page was the
assignment. I told them to take it home and show it to their parents. The
second page was a check list for students to check off as they completed
parts of their project. The third page was a drafting ideas page.
The drafting ideas page was a graphic organizer to help students
when they researched. If the students filled out everything on the drafting
ideas page then they would have all the information they needed to start
their project. This also provided me with the opportunity to check off
students drafting page to decide who was ready to start on the poster or
diorama part of the assignment. I did not formally grade the drafting page.
If they were finished they could go on to another task. If they were not, or
their were many errors I worked with the students to complete the page.
4. FIRST PAGE
This is the
page that I
read with
students
and sent
home with
them on the
first day
6. THIRD PAGE
This page was a
pass fail
assessment type.
If the students
were not done
with this, or if the
information was
inaccurate I could
see where they
needed
assistance. I
could also provide
ideas. Once the
students
completed this
they would move
on to creating
posters, and
essay questions.
7. Assessment of “Drafting”
An example of a student that completed the drafting was a
group doing an ocean ecosystem. The had answered all the blanks
of the drafting accurately. They included over four populations, and
correctly drafted the food chain in their ecosystem. The part that
most students struggled with was a symbiotic relationship. This
group found this relationship between a whale and barnacles by
researching the topic online. They stated the correct relationship and
they were able to move on.
An example of a group that needed extra help was one that did
a Montana ecosystem. The accurately stated four populations, and
their food chain. The area they struggled with was the symbiotic
relationship. The did not plan their ecosystem with populations that
had a symbiotic relationship and they wrote down, “Deer eating elk
sedge,” as a parasite symbiotic relationship. I worked with this group
and we added a tick population to their ecosystem. This gave me the
opportunity to tell them that was a herbivore producer relationship,
and it dealt with interdependence not symbiosis.
8. THE RUBRIC
I handed this out the second day of our
assignment, read it aloud, and told students I
would use this to grade their projects.
12. Project 1 Assessment
These two students received a score of 33/44
giving them an 83% on the overall project. The overall
poster was great, and the questions were answered
neatly, but they forgot to answer question 6. They also
did not show a full understanding of a niche. They
stated one, but not others in their community.. They
showed a good understanding of interdependence,
ecosystem, and environment.
15. Project 2 Assessment
These students showed an outstanding
understanding of the concepts. They received a
40/40 or a 100%. The answers were neatly typed,
well organized, and thoughtful. They show their
understanding of ecosystem by typing up living an
non living things in their ecosystem.
They also gave great examples of a niche, and
symbiosis. Throughout the project these were the
most difficult for students to explain in their written
responses. The poster was also neatly done, and well
organized.
16. PROJECT 3
This is boy did his an Alaskan Ecosystem. There are also some other ecosystem projects displayed
18. Project 3 Assessment
This student received a score of 36/40 or a
90%. The project was well organized and neatly
done. He also did a fantastic job restating his
answers. I liked that it was typed up. He missed a
couple points by adding in the wrong vocabulary
word. For example he wrote ecosystem instead of
environment. He also lost two points on diversity. He
shows some understanding of diversity, but it is not
articulated well. Overall he shows great
understanding of our science concepts, and it really
reflects in his responses.
21. Project 4 Assessment
These two boys received a 44/40 or a 110% on
their project. The students were told they could
receive up to four extra credit points for doing a
diorama. These students made their arctic sea
creatures with play dough. Then they painted them.
They spent a lot of time in their answers and on the
appearance of the project. Many students enjoyed
this aspect of the assignment, but for those that were
not artistic, a poster was required.
There answers were thoughtful and organized.
They researched their topics. The response shows a
strong understanding of difficult concepts such as
niche and symbiosis.
