Big Idea

For assessment, I want to assess students in a way that requires them to apply their conceptual knowledge into their answers. I don’t want students to just regurgitate knowledge or take numbers and plug into formulas. I want students to find connections and applications between classroom science and the real world and to think like a scientist in areas outside the science classroom.

Instructions

Basically, I ask an open ended, science question at the beginning of the term and then the same question at the end of the term to see how much more detail and skill has been acquired over the term.

One question I gave my Grade 12 Physics students was this: What career to you want in the future? How is physics applicable to your future career? Provide 2 specific examples (and explain your examples) of how physics is present in your future career.

From my student responses, the thing I like most about this question is how it showed me how a lot of students can’t form or aren’t actively forming connections between what they’re learning in science class and the real world. Perhaps, as a science teacher, I need to make an even more focused effort on making this apparent. And, perhaps my students need to actively look for connections too. It needs to be top of mind for them.

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – Full Term Science Question

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