Assessment Plan Details

Assessment Process and Purpose of Assessment

In-class Kahoot.it In this assessment, when I open the link to the Kahoot.it survey I created and press, “play game”, all students will
survey join the room with a room code and will begin a 10-question survey. Students will have 20 seconds to click which
option describes them best or what they think the answer will be. This survey checks prior general knowledge
about energy and matter in ecosystems and will gauge the level of prior understanding. Two of the questions
require a bit of extra free write that will be done on a half-sheet of paper to be turned in at the end of class.

Worksheet on food Students will fill out a worksheet on food chains and food webs. This will be a quick in-class activity to review the
chains/webs
 lecture that was just given and will be used as a quick check for understanding.

Short essay on Students will reflect and review both their lecture notes and the readings from the book. They will then write a
photosynthesis
 brief essay on what photosynthesis is and what role it plays in regards to energy in ecosystems. Through this
process, students will have to examine and analyze what they have learned and develop their own explanations,
thus better clarifying what they know about photosynthesis’ role in ecosystems.

Short essay on Students will reflect and review both their lecture notes and the readings from the book. They will then write a
cellular respiration
 brief essay on what cellular respiration is and what role it plays in regards to energy in ecosystems. Through this
process, students will have to examine and analyze what they have learned and develop their own explanations,
thus better clarifying what they know about cellular respiration’s role in ecosystems.
Webercise Students will complete a guided activity on the Internet with four to five given websites. They must answer a set
questions
 of questions after visiting each website. The first portion of the worksheet deals with biomagnification in relation
to energy, a topic not covered in the lecture but one that builds on the lecture and also gauges understanding of
how energy moves up the food web. Students will create their own diagram tracking energy flow through a given
ecosystem (see below assessment). The second portion of the worksheet reviews the biogeochemical cycles more
in depth. Students then create their own diagram tracking carbon cycling through the Earth (see below
assessment).
Individual diagram of In this activity, students will review all given resources on the flow of energy in ecosystems. They must pick which
energy flow
 sources to use and what material to build their own diagram with. They then must organize all the information
they have learned about energy into a layout they understand. This diagram will help them clarify to both
themselves and the teacher any areas of confusion about the process they may have.
Individual diagram of In this activity, students will review all given resources on the carbon cycle on Earth. They must pick which
carbon cycle
 sources to use and what material to build their own diagram with. They then must organize all the information
they have learned about carbon into a layout they understand. This diagram will help them clarify to both
themselves and the teacher any areas of confusion about the process they may have.

Final group diagrams Students will work in groups of four to create two final group diagrams: one for energy and one for carbon. The
graphic organizers have a set of requirements students will have to meet. Group diagrams will be evaluated per
the rubric in Lesson 3. This assessment expands students’ way of viewing the same topic when they see the
variety of perspectives other students have. It addresses SLO 3 and builds the 21st century skills, collaboration and
communication. Students must decide together how or even if the work will be divided. Additionally, before
beginning any work, students must collaborate to decide what the overall plan for and layout of the diagram will
be.
Group evaluation Students fill out two evaluation forms on how and what they contributed to the final group project, as well as
forms evaluate the contribution of their group members. These forms allow students to evaluate how much they actually
contributed to the project by listing the actions they did. They also allow students to report group members’
& contributions honestly to the teacher. The form provides accountability for the project and gives the teacher more
insight on an individual’s work. Another form will be from all students to their group members, so that students
mini-presentation can provide constructive criticism to their peers. This provides students with the experience of written
communication giving critiques to peers. The quality of students’ responses will then be evaluated according the
extended rubric for teacher evaluation.

After completing their diagrams, students will give a brief presentation to the class explaining their diagram (how
it works, what they wrote about each term, and why they feel that their new designs are the best representation of
energy flow and carbon in ecosystems. The mini-presentation will be assessed along with the group evaluation
forms, as it deals with the growth of students’ communication skills.
Unit test Students will take an exam on all topics covered in the unit, in Lessons 1, 2, and 3. In order to test different skills,
the test will include various types of questions: multiple choice and essay questions with simple diagramming.
This is the ultimate summative assessment, as it will include questions checking knowledge and comprehension
on all the topics we have covered.