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Assessment Ideas
Poster Presentation & Culmination of Project
Overview:
A major part of learning is being able to communicate what you have learned. As a part of the assessment for this project, the students are asked to create a scientific poster to present
what they have learned to their peers. This poster will be created after the students have created their herbarium, researched a specific weed, and carried out an inquiry project based on a hypothesis and
experiment they’ve design. The poster should highlight each of these topics.
Materials:
Each student needs:
- Poster Board
- Craft supplies such as: construction paper, scissors, tape, glue, and writing utensils, etc.
- Drawing of plant studied
- Pressed plant
- Brief description of inquiry project
- Brief description of plant
Creating the Poster:
Before beginning the poster, each student needs to write a brief description of his/her plant. You can set the guidelines for what this should include. An example might be:
- Common Name
- Scientific Name
- Short Description
- Habitat
- One known use or myth
Also, each student should write a brief description of his/her inquiry project. This could include:
- Hypothesis
- Brief description of procedure
- Brief synopsis of results
- Something unexpected that was learned
The students should edit these brief descriptions and either type or write them neatly. Once they’ve done this, it’s time to design the posters. Have each student get out a piece of blank paper and decide
which way he/she would like to orient the poster (vertical or horizontal). They should orient the paper accordingly, and then sketch an outline of their poster. Once they are satisfied with their design,
being sure to include spaces for the title, the dried specimen, the drawing, the brief descriptions, and anything else they feel (or you deem) necessary, they may begin creating their posters.
The Presentation:
Once the posters are finished, the students should prepare an informal presentation, using the poster as a visual reference. Some students may find it helpful to create note-cards to
help collect their thoughts. Once they have prepared a 5-10 minute presentation, have the students get into groups of 2-4 and practice delivering their presentations to one another. When the actual
presentation day arrives, they should feel more confident.
Culmination/Wrap-up:
Plan a one or two class period block dedicated to presentations. This would be a great time to invite guest speakers you may have brought in during the unit, parents, community
members, and other students and faculty. Choose a spot to hold the “festival”. If space allows, it could be in your classroom. Alternatively, the school library or auditorium would work nicely if
you have access to them. Give each student a space to set up their poster, display their herbarium, and share the cultural or family tradition they found.
A nice way to structure this time would be to have each student present their poster and share their tradition. Then allow the guests to observe the projects up close and mingle with the students about their
tradition and project. During this time, you could serve various foods and drinks derived from plants; making special note of what each food or drink is made from.
This culminating activity will not only give the student a feeling of success and pride in their abilities and knowledge, it will give you a clear picture of their knowledge for assessment.
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