|
Assessment Ideas: Plant Identification
Overview
For assessment of students’ knowledge of the ten plants we’ve studied (see the section "Ten Common Weeds"), each student will identify and be able to tell relevant information about each
plant from the dried and fresh specimens that will be distributed around the lab/room.
Objectives
Students will:
- Observe dried specimens
- Identify each specimen with its scientific and common names
- List areas where the specimen would grow
- Give one historical use/myth for the plant
Materials
- One, each, of the ten dried specimens you’ve been collecting and studying
- One, each, of the ten specimens that has been freshly cut, if available
- For each student: the assessment sheet provided with this curriculum, or your own version, and a pencil.
Background
Assessment is a teachers’ way of knowing how much a child has learned about the subject taught. It is important to combine different types of assessment in your teaching, to ensure you are
getting the fullest picture of a students’ knowledge. This type of assessment is called authentic or performance-based assessment because it mimics what a scientist would do when they find a plant in
nature. Also included in this unit is an assessment that uses writing as research. This paper will allow you to get a full picture of what the student understands about the particular plant they
researched.
Activity
Set up:
Before the students arrive, or while they are working on another activity, place each of the ten specimens (one dried and one fresh) around the room/lab. Place a number by each specimen, which will correlate to the number on the assessment worksheet.
Assessment: Have the students go around the room, looking at each specimen. Make sure that they understand that the number by the specimen correlates to the number on their worksheet. They
will need to fill in the scientific name, common name, areas in which you might find the specimens, and at least one historical use/and or myth about the plant. You might want to divide your class into a few
groups for this activity.
After evaluating the assessments, you will be able to decide what your students still need to learn.
|
