Formative Assessment Strategies For Enhanced Learning In Science K 8

Ideal for preservice and inservice teachers, this user-friendly resource demonstrates how to use formative assessments to guide instruction and evaluate student learning in standards-based science.

"Proven to be one of the most powerful tools for promoting effective learning, formative assessment enables teachers to capture evidence of student thinking and learning and use that information to adjust instruction. In this concise resource, science educator Elizabeth Hammerman clearly outlines the formative assessment process and provides practical strategies for embedding assessments into the Kئ8 standards-based science curriculum. This research-based book demonstrates how student-centered assessment helps students assume more responsibility for what they learn and how they learn. Teachers can use the various models of formative assessments to monitor student progress and evaluate learning. The author guides readers through discussions, "thought and reflection" activities, analyses of assessment techniques, and applications to classroom practice. Ideal for teachers and science and curriculum specialists, this user-friendly resource provides all the necessary tools to: assess student understanding using observation checklists, questioning strategies, notebooks, reports, graphic organizers, projects, and performance tasks; differentiate science instruction to reach all learners; use rubrics as a means of discovering student strengths and weaknesses; collect student data to inform instructional decisions. With this easy-to-implement guide, any teacher can effectively use formative assessment strategies to enhance instruction and increase student achievement in science."--Publisher's website.

Formative assessment informs the design of learning opportunities that take students from their existing ideas of science to the scientific ideas and practices that support conceptual understanding. Science Formative Assessment shows K-12 educators how to weave formative assessment into daily instruction. Discover 75 assessment techniques linked to the Next Generation Science Standards and give classroom practices a boost with: Descriptions of how each technique promotes learning Charts linking core concepts at each grade level to scientific practices Implementation guidance, such as required materials and student grouping Modifications for different learning styles Ideas for adapting techniques to other content areas

Unlock the wonder in each of your students through inquiry-based science! Are you both fascinated and baffled by inquiry-based science? Do you want to tap the strength of inquiry-based science to help your students build deeper understandings? Do you want to use inquiry-based science to foster high-quality instruction across the educational board? This guide provides clear and simple explanations for engaging students in meaningful and hands-on, minds-on ways of understanding science. Eight Essentials of Inquiry-Based Science, K-8 breaks each essential into sample lessons that include sample data, discussion questions, and tools such as graphic organizers and analogies. Hammerman draws on more than 20 years experience in the fields of science instruction and professional development to address basic and complex principles related to inquiry, including: How to discuss data, information, models, graphics, and experiences How to interact with one another to strengthen knowledge and skills How to extend learning through guided or open-inquiry investigations and research How to apply new learning and research-based best practices for improving student achievementWhen you harness the immense power of inquiry-based learning, you can fully discover the inquisitive nature of each of your students!

"This book places students center stage in the discussion of how we know what students know. Using formative assessment to understand student learning is a theme grounded in good teaching and good assessment!" —Jo Topps, Regional Directorth K–12 Alliance/WestEd "This book incorporates current research and not only provides an explanation of the necessity of formative assessment, but offers a system for planning lessons and a variety of tools to implement formative assessment in the classroom." —Susan Leeds, Science Department Chair and Gifted Studies Teacher Howard Middle School, Winter Park, FL Use this powerful tool to enhance science teaching and learning! Research has shown that when teachers use formative assessments effectively, they have a clearer understanding of what students know and are better able to design instruction that meets learners′ needs. This practical guide shows teachers how to create and implement formative assessments in their middle and high school science classrooms. Grounded in extensive and solid research, this guide covers all science content areas—physics/physical science, life science/biology, earth and space science, and chemistry—as well as five types of formative assessments: big idea questions, concept maps, evidence-to-explanation, predict-observe-explain, and multiple choice. Teachers will find additional support in: Richly detailed, concrete examples of the five types of assessments In-depth guidelines for implementing the assessments Brief case studies with transcript excerpts that demonstrate how teachers have used formative assessments Easy-to-use templates to help analyze lessons in current units and identify places for inserting formative assessments With this easy-to-use, hands-on guide, any teacher can learn how to use formative assessment strategies to improve student achievement in science!

Deepen scientific understanding with formative assessment! Only by really knowing what your students are thinking can you design learning opportunities that deepen content mastery and meet their individual needs. In this highly engaging resource, internationally respected expert Page Keeley shares 50 new techniques to pinpoint student understanding before, during, and after instruction. In addition to promoting best practices in the classroom, the techniques shared here support learning and link instruction to the Next Generation Science Standards. These flexible assessments can be used with any science curriculum, along with: Practical strategies for use throughout the instruction cycle Considerations for implementation and suggestions for modification An explanation of how each technique promotes learning

′Without question, this book will be of great value to the profession of science teaching. Given today′s educational landscape of standards and high-stakes testing, curriculum topic study is an essential piece of the puzzle′ - Cary Sneider, Vice President for Educator Programs, Museum of Science, Boston Discover the "missing link" between science standards, teacher practice, and improved student achievement! Becoming an accomplished science teacher not only requires a thorough understanding of science content, but also a familiarity with science standards and research on student learning. However, a comprehensive strategy for translating standards and research into instructional, practice has been lacking since the advent of standards-based education reform. Science Curriculum Topic Study provides a systematic professional development strategy that links science standards and research to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Developed by author Page Keeley of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, the Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) process can help teachers align curriculum, instruction, and assessment with specific, research-based ideas and skills. The CTS process will help teachers: - Improve their understanding of science content - Clarify a hierarchy of content and skills in a learning goal from state or local standards - Define formative and summative assessment goals and strategies - Learn to recognize and address learning difficulties - Increase opportunities for students of all backgrounds to achieve science literacy - Design or utilize instructional materials effectively Containing 147 separate curriculum topic study guides arranged in eleven categories that represent the major domains of science, this book provides the tools to both positively impact student learning and develop the knowledge and skills that distinguish expert science teachers from novices.