The teacher provides students with a collection of rocks to classify, encouraging close observation using various senses. The teacher introduces the three rock classifications that scientists use, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, and provides example rocks so the students can discover rock characteristics that match each classification. The students return to their charts, classify each rock and record whether they think it is igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic. They demonstrate their scientific skills and processes when they conduct simple tests to record and classify. Skills and processes The teacher uses a station approach to formally assess a variety of performance and traditional tasks.
Students go through the stations in pairs.
The teacher could include an observation component in the assessment as well as evidence obtained through the stations. The teacher may wish to use a checklist with an appropriate rating scale to record student progress at each station. Self-assessment Students draw pictures of themselves at the station where they learned the most. The picture could show what they were thinking and doing at that time. They write a caption describing what they learned while doing the activity.