1. Seamless Assessment in Science
Deborah Hanuscin
Science Education Center, University of Missouri-Columbia
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2. Workshop Goals
To help you understand and apply the 5E model to your science teaching
To help you understand and apply seamless assessment techniques within the 5E model
To make you aware of the resources in the book you have been provided
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3. Workshop Agenda
Interactive presentation—5E Learning Cycle and Seamless Assessment
Seamless Assessment workshop—planning a 5E sequence
Wrapping it up
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4. Sequencing Instruction
Work with a partner to select and sequence FIVE of the learning activities in the envelope you’ve been provided
Why did you choose these activities?
Why did you place them in this particular order?
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5. The 5E Model (p. 13)
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6. A Learning Cycle
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7. A Sound Example Engage Explore Teacher reads The Very Quiet Cricket
Students feel their lips, throat, and nose while making sounds and use words to describe what they feel
Sound stations: whistles; rubber bands; rulers instruments
Tuning fork explorations and demonstrations
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8. A Sound Example Explain Elaborate Evaluate
Model of sound and the human ear using students to represent parts of the system
Write 3 sentences about sound that you agree with
Choose between 2 sound theories
Pairs of students make and try out tin can phones and then draw pictures of what is happening to the sound
Individual sound test—explanations and justifications required
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9. Revisit (and Resequence)
How does your initial sequence fit the 5E Learning Cycle model?
Resequence your activities (or choose alternate activities) to fit this model
NOTE: There are multiple options!
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10. Examining Your Current Practice
Write 3 things you did in your last unit to find out students’ science ideas.
When did you do these things?
How did you use students’ ideas once you learned them?
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11. The 5E Model and Assessment (p. 15)
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12. Assessment Strategies by Phase
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13. Engage: Identifying Existing Ideas
Card sort (p. 17)
Sort the following statements as representative of melting or dissolving:
Ice in water
Ice cream on a hot day
Salt in water
Licking a lollipop
Heating butter on the stove
Bar of soap in the bathtub
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14. Engage: Identifying Existing Ideas
Memoir (p. 17)
Think back about what you know about magnets. What are some claims you can make about magnets? Where/how did you come to learn this about magnets?
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15. Explore: How are students building their ideas?
Daily Reflection in Science Notebook (p. 18)
Today we investigated pitch with 3 different kinds of objects: nails, bottles, and rubber bands. Think back on all of your observations. What patterns do you notice? Write a rule about pitch that takes your observations into account.
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16. Explore: How are students building their ideas?
Conceptual Cartoon (p. 19)
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17. Explore: How are students building their ideas?
Minute Papers
What is one thing you learned from today’s discussion?
What is one question that you still have?
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18. Explain: Demonstrating Current Understanding
ConcepTest (Mazur) (p. 21)
A boat carrying a large boulder is floating on a lake. The boulder is thrown overboard and sinks to the bottom of the lake. Will the level of the water in the lake (with respect to the shore) go (a) up (b) down, or (c) stay the same? (correct choice is b)
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19. Explain: Demonstrating Current Understanding
Make a Claim (2nd graders—shadows) (p. 22)
A shadow is the same shape as the thing in front of it.
The shadow’s shape is from the object’s shape. And the way you shine the light.
Light is getting blocked by the object.
It matters what the object is, not the shadow.
That is the way the object is shaped.
It is the same shape because it won’t get any bigger than the object.
Because it copies things and the light makes the object make a shadow.
The part that blocks the light makes a shadow.
The object is blocking the light so it traces the object, so it makes a black spot, so it makes a shadow.
Because the light is going on the sides and on top and bottom.
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20. Explain: Demonstrating Current Understanding
Make a Claim (4th graders—sink and float) (p. 22)
Idea
Agree?
Reason
Things that are heavy sink. Things that are light float.
Some things that are big can float and some really small things can sink.
It depends on the material the object is made of whether it will sink or float.
Things that are small and heavy sink. Things that are big and heavy float.
Things that sink weigh more than water. Things that float weigh less than water.
Water pressure keeps things up.
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21. Elaborate: Transferring to New Contexts
Design Activity (p. 25)
Welcome to the Acme Toy Company. You have been hired as members of a research and development (R & D) team assigned to the Water Toys Division. Using what you know about sinking and floating, your job is to make a water toy out of floater materials that will sink OR to make a water toy out of sinker materials that will float.
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22. Elaborate: Transferring to New Contexts
Thought Experiment (p. 24)
This bottle has 2 divers in it.
One diver has a lot of water and
the other has a little water.
Draw 3 pictures:
Draw what will happen when you squeeze lightly.
Draw what will happen when you squeeze harder.
Draw what will happen when you let go. 
Explain why you think this will happen.
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23. Elaborate: Transferring to New Contexts
Thought Experiment (p. 24)
Fixing the backyard swing. In what ways could I make this crooked swing go straight?
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24. Evaluate: Determining What Students Learned
Memo Writing (p. 27)
Now that your investigation has been completed, it is time to report to your boss at Acme Chemicals. Your boss is a busy woman, and does not have time to read a 10-page laboratory report. Instead, she requires you to write a 1-page memo in which you highlight your research question, procedures, findings, conclusions, and implications for Acme Chemicals.
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25. A Sound Example Engage Group discussion Explore
Team station worksheets
Team tuning fork presentation
Explain
Making a claim
Theory choice
Elaborate
Tin-can phone drawing
Evaluate
Sound test of constructed response items
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26. Designing an Assessment Task
Identify the LEARNING GOAL for your 5E lesson sequence.
Select ONE phase of the lesson sequence and decide on the PURPOSE OF THE ASSESSMENT task for that particular phase.
Create an ASSESSMENT TASK using one of the strategies from Seamless Assessment.
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27. Closure
What are 3 new ideas about finding out student ideas that you gained from today’s session?
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28. Next Activity
Choose a group in which to design a 5E plan with Seamless Assessment
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29. Sharing Share your group’s 5E and assessment strategies
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30. Lessons Learned Finding the focus is critical to success.
5E is useful for planning and assessing.
Planning for assessment simultaneously with planning for instruction improves both.
Seamless assessment is valuable to teachers.
Seamless assessment is valuable to students.
Collaborating and reflecting with other teachers makes us better teachers.
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31. Closure What questions do you have? What ideas have you used?
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