1. Identify the grade level and subject area for which you will be creating an assessment.
Grade level: 6
Subject Area: Technology
2. Write out the Learning Targets (Standard, objective, goal) that will be assessed.
A. ISTE NETS (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-for-students-2007-profiles.aspx#6-8):
3. Gather data, examine patterns, and apply information for decision making using digital tools and resources. (1,4)
B. District Technology Skills Set
Collect information and display the data in graphical form.
3. Identify the type of performance you will be expecting of your students as the final Performance Assessment for these standards.
a. What performances or products are you expecting from students?
Students will create a graph/chart based on data collected from the experiments they conducted previously as part of their science fair project. They will use the computer and the application Pages to construct the graph/chart. The final product will include:
- A title that states the dependent and independent variables.
- A legend/key that will tell the audience what the colored parts of your graph represent.
- A label for both your x-axis and your y-axis.
- The unit of measurement used to measure the data results.
- The final product must fit on a single page with decisions about font, color, and type of graph that will make the product easy to read and understand by the audience.
b. Consider the knowledge students will have to have to do this performance. List the elements of knowledge this performance task will require.
Students will need to know the following:
- Graph/chart terminology
- A basic understanding of how to use and navigate the application software
- How to enter data into the Chart Data Editor
- How to use the Chart Inspector to apply enhancements such as axis labels, number of measurement steps, and a legend.
c. Provide some information about how will you teach the skills students need to do this performance task.
Prior to the start of this assignment, students will engage in a series of practice exercises where they will practice creating and modifying graphs in order to become familiar with the application tools, comfortable with the vocabulary, and an understanding of what finished product should look like. Students will first create a graph from scratch, using data provided by the teacher, to practice entering data into the Chart Data Editor and then how to apply the list of required components to the graph. Second, students will be given an incomplete graph that has experiment data but is missing key components and must fill in the missing pieces to complete the graph. The experiment data for these exercises will be taken from actual experiments conducted by students from previous science fair projects.
d. Are there conditions that students need to adhere to?
Students may work individually or with a partner on the practice exercises. Students are encouraged to “peer edit” each other’s work to check for understanding and comprehension of how the data is displayed in their graphs.
Part 2 - Description of Assessment Design
1. Describe the assessment procedures you will use:
a. How will you help students understand what it means to create a "good" product or performance?
At the beginning of the lesson the teacher will review with students the checklist of components that need to be present on any graph/chart they construct. For the graph “built from scratch” activity, the checklist will be used to evaluate the quality of the product using several student volunteers. For the “incomplete graph” activity, students will use the checklist to identify the missing components via class discussion. At the end, several student volunteers will submit their chart for evaluation by the class using the checklist.
b. How will you monitor students as they work on this performance assessment to be sure that the work they are doing is turning out "good"?
The chart/graph checklist will be displayed on the screen at the front of the class for students to refer to throughout the period. Students will also be required to download a copy of the checklist to be saved to their folder or portable device for reference later in other classes or other projects.
c. What kind of a scoring document will you use to determine students' final grades on this task?
The chart/graph component checklist will be used and referred to throughout the activity as the criteria for determining the students’ progress. A rubric based on the checklist will be used to evaluate students for their final grade.
