PriorKnowledgeAssessmentLessonPlanReflection

ThelessonIchoseforthePriorKnowledgeassignmentwasLivingThings.Thefirstday
IfocusedoncharacteristicsandtheseconddayIfocusedonneeds.Itbecameabundantlyclear
whileinterviewingstudentsbeforemylessonthattheyheldmanyincorrectpreconceptions.
Originally,Iaskedafewstudentswhatcharacteristicstheythoughtalllivingthingshadin
common.Student1saidalllivingthingsaremadeupofcellsandcanmoveandbreathe,
Student2saidalllivingthingshavecells,andStudent3saidalllivingthingshavelegsanda
bodyandcaneat.Alreadymisconceptionswerecomingtolight.WhileStudent1seemedtobe
ontrack,terminologysuchasbreathinghintsataconfusionastowhetherplantswouldbe
includedunderlivingthings.Student3ontheotherhandclearlydidnotconsiderplantstobe
livingthingsastheydonotpossesslegsorbodies.Afterthisfirstquestion,Iaskedeachstudent
whatsomecharacteristicsofnonlivingthingswere.Similarly,answersweresomewhatlogical,
butnotcompletelycorrect.Nonlivingthings,accordingtoStudent1cantmove,cantbreathe,
andcanteat,whileStudent3considerednonlivingthingstobeanythingthatdoesntwalkor
talk.Student2couldntthinkofanycharacteristicsthatallnonlivingthingsshared.
Thenextpartoftheprelessoninterviewconsistedoftryingtoseeifthestudentsalready
knewthedistinctionbetweenalivingthingandsomethingthatisalive.WhileStudent1said
therewasadifference,Students2and3didnotbelievetherewasadifferencebetweenaliving
thingandsomethingthatisalive.Ithenaskedafollowupquestionaboutwhethertheythought
therewasadifferencebetweennonlivinganddead.Again,Student1showedagreatergraspon
thetopicbysayingthatthereisadifferencebecausenonlivingneverlivedanddeaddidlive,
butnotanymore.Student2originallysaidtherewasnodifference,butafterconsiderationcame
tothesameconclusionasStudent1.Student3didnotbelievetherewasadifferencebetween
nonlivinganddead.TodelvefurtherintothenuanceswithinthesecategoriesIposedthe
question:Areallthingsthatmovelivingthings?Student1believedallthingsthemoveare
living,whileStudents2and3saidnobecauseofthingsliketoysandtheocean.Another
questionIaskedwas:Areallnonlivingthingsmanmade?Thisquestiondidnotrevealany
misconceptionsaseachstudentcouldcomeupwithanexamplecontrarytothequestion.
ThefinalpartofthepreinterviewwasachartIhadthestudentsfilloutwheretheyhadto
labelwhethertheitemwasalivingthing,alive,dead,nonliving,orsomecombinationofthe
choices.Student1smainmisconceptionthatappearedusingthechartwasthinkinganapplewas
bothliving(whenonthetree)andnonliving(oncepicked)eventhoughearlierStudent1stated
thatanonlivingthingwassomethingthathadneverlived.Contradictionsuchasthiswas
prevalentamongalltheinterviewedstudentsshowingmehowconfusingsomepartsofthis
contentcanbeforthemandthattheirideaswerenotfullysolidified.Anothermisconception
Student1possessedwasthataneggwasbothdeadandnonlivingbecauseitdoesntneedwater
togrow.Thisthoughtprocessalignswithcurrentresearchinlifescienceaslessthanforty
percentofstudentsknowthatlivingthingscomefromotherlivingthingsandabouthalfof
middleschoolersdonotconsideraneggtobealive(Baker&Piburn,1997).
Student2smainmisconceptionwasthathairisnonlivingevenwhenattachedtoabody,
butthisisadifficultconceptformanypeople.Student3hadmultiplemisconceptionsthat
appearedwhilefillingoutthechartincludingfirebeingalivingthingbecauseitmovesanda

computer(whenturnedon)beingalivingthingbecausewhenyouuseit,itdoeswhatyou
want.IntheBakerandPiburnarticle,theauthorsdiscusshoweventhoughPiagetconsidered
anyoneovertheageof11tobeabletodistinguishbetweenlivingandnonliving,otherresearch
hasshownthatmanycollegestudentsandadultsstillholdanimisticideas.Bythis,researchers
meanthatmuchofthepopulationbelievesinanimateobjects,suchascars,possessfeelingsand
arealive.Inaddition,uptofiftypercentof12yearoldsbelievefireisalive.(Baker&Piburn,
1997).
Thisprelessoninterviewworkedwellasapriorknowledgeassessmentandmadeit
mucheasierformetodecidewheretostartcontentwiseandalsowheretoaddclarification
throughoutthelesson.EverymisconceptionInotedwhileinterviewinghelpedmetoshapemy
lessonplantobestaddressandcorrectthesepreconceivednotions.Ievenspecificallyuseditems,
suchasafireandacomputer,fromtheprelessoninterviewsthroughoutthelessontohelp
reinforceconcepts.Duringmyfirstengageactivity,Iposedquestionstothestudentsabout
whethermovingmadesomethingaliveandwhatelsetheythoughtmadesomethingalive.By
addinginopenendedquestionslikethese,Iwasabletoseestudentsthinkinganditprovideda
timetodiscussthecontentasawholeclass.SeeFigure1forexampleofDancingRaisins
ActivitySheet.Themainmisconceptionthatsurfacedduringthisactivitywasthatmanystudents
believeplantsdonotmove,whichIforesawandworkedintolaterpartsofthelessontohelp
correctthisview.Researchhasshownthatevenwhenstudentsconsiderplantstobeliving
things,theydonotidentifythemaspossessingallsixcharacteristics(Baker&Piburn,1997).
Thenextpartofthelessoninvolvedstudentswatchingavideoandrecordinglivingand
nonlivingthingsandthencreatingaclasslistofeachcategory.Whenmakingtheclasslist,one
studentlistedwoodundernonliving.Thisseguedwellintoadiscussionabouthowprocessed
itemsareconsiderednonlivingthingseventhoughtheymayhaveoncebeenliving,a
misconceptionIhadntconsideredwhenoriginallyplanningthelesson.Ithengaveabrief
lectureonthecharacteristicsoflivingthingsandtookspecialcaretoreiteratethedifference
betweenalivingthingandsomethingthatisaliveaswellasanonlivingthingandsomethingthat
isdead.Whilethisconceptoriginallyconfusedmanystudents,afterafewexamplestheyhada
muchbettergrasponthedifferences.
Tomakesurestudentshadgraspedtheconceptsinmylecture,Ihadthemfilloutachart
wheretheywrotedownthingsthatwereeitherliving(andalive),dead,ornonlivinganddecide
which,ifany,ofthesixcharacteristicsthatorganismpossessed.SeeFigure2foranexampleof
theCharacteristicsofLivingThingsChart.Attheendofthefirstlesson,Ihadstudentsusea
SMARTNotebookreviewgameIcreatedwheretheydraggedanddroppeditemsintoeitherthe
livingornonlivingcategory.Thishelpedsumupthelessonandalsogavemeachancetoassess
learnerprogress.
TheseconddayIbeganwithasimplequestion:Doinsectsandlionsneedthesame
things?Thisworkedwellasadiscrepanteventbecausemoststudentsclaimedatthebeginning
thattheyhaddifferentneeds,butbythetimeweweredonemakingachart,theywereabletosee
thattheneedswerethesame,thoughthemethodsofobtainingthemmayvary.Tohelpstudents
graspthisconceptofneeds,Ihadthemrotatearoundthelabtostationswithdifferent
environmentsoranimals.Theywereaskedtoidentifywhichneedwastheeasiestandwhichwas
thehardesttofulfill.Afterchoosingananswer,theydiscussedwithapartnerwhichIthink
helpedthemtosolidifythevocabbutalsoimprovetheircommunicationskillsbybeingableto

defendtheirchoices.Ialsowalkedaroundandaskedstudentswhytheychosetheanswersthey
didtohelpdrawoutanylingeringmisconceptions.Moststudentshadafirmgrasponthefour
needs.Seefigure3foranexampleoftheStationsActivitySheet.
Afterthestationrotations,studentswatchedashortvideoexplainingthefourneedsand
tooknotes.ThevideoIchosewashelpfulbecausenotonlydidithaveallofthewordswritten
out,butthepresenterdiscussedtheneedsintermsofbothplantsandanimals,reinforcingto
studentsthatbotharelivingthings.Finally,Ihadstudentschooseanylivingthingandwritea
poem,createastory,ordrawapictureabouthowitfulfillsitsfourneeds.Thisworkedwellasa
summativeassessmentbecauseIwasabletoseeiftheychosealivingthingsandiftheycould
notonlylistthefourneeds,butactuallythinkabouthowthatspecificorganismachievedthem.
Seefigure4forexamplesofstudentwork.
Duringmypostinterviews,Student1and2couldrecallmost,ifnotall,ofthesix
characteristicsoflivingthings,whileStudent3couldonlyremembercellularorganization.
Thoughthisdoesntseemlikeadrasticimprovement,Student3wasnolongerthinkingabout
livingthingsasonlyanimals,showingthatStudent3hadgainedknowledge,justnotretainedall
thenecessaryvocabulary.Whileallthreestudentssaidtherewasadifferencebetweena
nonlivingthingandsomethingthatisdeadwhenreinterviewed,onlyStudent1maintainedthat
alivingthingandsomethingthatisalivearedifferent.Student2and3stillheldontotheir
preconceivednotionsaboutlivingversusalive.Allthreestudentsnowknewthatnotallthings
thatmovearelivingandtheystillbelievedthenotallnonlivingthingsaremanmade.
Themostsignificantimprovement,inmyopinion,appearedusingthechart.Student1s
onlylingeringmisconceptionusingthechartwasthataseedisnonlivinguntilitisplanted,at
whichtimeitbecomesliving.Researchshowsthatfortypercentofstudentsdonotbelieveseeds
arealive(Baker&Piburn,1997).Student2correctlyidentifiedeachitemandStudent3stillheld
afewmisconceptionswhenfillingoutthechart,butmuchlessdramaticonescomparedtothe
prelessoninterview.Student3believedhairtobenonlivingbecauseitdoesntdrinkwateror
doanyofthelivingthingscharacteristics.Thepostlessoninterviewsprovedextremely
insightfulasIcouldeasilyseewhereafewmisconceptionsstilllingered,butalsoitwasvery
easytoseejusthowmuchimprovementhadoccurredoveratwodaylesson.Interviewsasa
formofassessmenthelpedmetoassesslearnergrowthandalsohelpmedecidewhichareasof
mylessonsshouldbealteredinthefuturetoevenbetteraddressareasofconfusion.

References
Baker,D.,&Piburn,M.(1997).WhatDoPeopleKnowaboutLifeScience?InConstructing
scienceinmiddleandsecondaryschoolclassrooms.Boston:AllynandBacon.

Figures
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Figure2.

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Figure4.