Assessment
- Use the class discussion to interpret how successful your students are at identifying patterns in the class data. Use the 3.4PT Grading the Observing Plants’ Mass Changes, Part 2 Worksheet to determine if your students had any trouble with data collection.
- During this activity, note students’ success in measuring changes in mass. Also note students’ ability to reach a consensus about patterns in data and how they interpret results.
- The discussions in steps 4 and 5 can be helpful for informal assessment in two ways: 1) It can help you assess your students’ skills in identifying sources of error and finding patterns in data, and 2) it can help you assess how well students identify the limits of the evidence. Do they recognize that the investigation does not fully answer the Matter Change Question?
Tips
- Be sure to collect results from the different groups and compare their measurements. Discuss threats to accuracy of measurement.
- Check to see if students can identify unanswered questions from the investigation.