Toni+M.+Fields+Assessment+Journal+2


 * Assessment Journal 2**


 * Context and Structure:** In class students were given thirty minutes to answer a short essay question.  This question asked students to reflect on what they had learned in their previous science unit on energy resources.  Students were given a real-life scenario in which their town was debating on whether to use windmills or fossil fuels to generate electrical power.  Using their knowledge students had to weigh the pros and cons of using each energy resource to make their decision.


 * Implementation and Results:** Students were given this question at the beginning of class and told it was expected of them to finish by the end of the period.  Students could use their notes and book if needed.  This was an individual assignment and they were not allowed to talk to their neighbors.  All students completed this assignment by the end of the period as expected.  While assessing their work the teacher was disappointed with a number of responses.  Although all students gave an opinion on what energy resource the town was better off using, most students did not give reasons to back up their response.  A lot of the papers lacked details about using windmills and fossil fuels to generate electric power.


 * Reflection:** This was a good assessment in that the question was based on a real-life situation and something that could very well be brought up in many towns.  This issue has become more prominent with the decrease in fossil fuels.  I think that more students would provide details about each energy resource if the rubric used for grading was provided to them.  They could see that not only the presence of their opinion mattered, but also an explanation of why they chose that was expected.  This assessment would show the students understanding better if students were asked to respond as if they were citizens writing to city council with their opinion and issues concerning this current debate.  Afterwards students would have to explain to city council why they thought this energy resource was a better choice for their town than the other.  This slight change in the assignment would allow students to use their knowledge on the subject in a realistic situation.  Students could then make a connection of what they learned to the larger picture and real life.

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