With mid-terms just behind you, and exams looming in the not-too-distant future, you probably feel that you can never escape from evaluation and assessment, and indeed you never do; like it or not, they are integral parts of the teaching and learning process.
If you are like me, you are concerned that your evaluation be fair, and that you have communicated clearly to students and parents what is expected of them - they should not have to second guess what is required to succeed. In this issue, you will find some suggestions to help you achieve this. Scoring rubrics are nothing new - teachers have always carried around a marking scheme in their head when grading work, but too often this scheme is not communicated until after the marking process. How much better to have established the criteria for excellence up front, and better still to have students involved in the development of these criteria. Constructing rubrics can be time-consuming; the benefits in clarifying outcomes and making the marking process more objective make the effort worthwhile. To get you started, we offer a scoring rubric to take the sting out of marking scribblers.
Teachers also want to ensure that their evaluation methods are varied, and take into account the various learning styles of students, as well as reflecting what actually goes on the classroom. To that end, you will find some alternative assessment ideas that may prove useful. If you have others, we'd love to hear from you. If you have been considering Science Fair or Science Olympics as an assessment alternative, you'll want to read about a Web site that can provide a lot of assistance, and the Rube Goldberg challenge that was a real "hit" at this year's Summer Institute.
We hope you will find something of value in this edition. We believe in evaluation too, so how about giving us some feed-back! If you have enjoyed this issue (or not) drop us a line, e-mail or fax, especially if you have some suggestions for improvement!!
The following is an excerpt from an article by Paul G Smith, of Guilford Central School in Guilford, Vermont, that appeared in the September 1995 edition of Science Scope. It provides, we believe, some powerful arguments for the use of student/teacher-generated rubrics in the assessment of students.
Several years ago, I often felt a sense of guilt when I scored through a pile of science writing pieces (research papers, unit summaries, lab reports) to choose one from a "good" student to use as a standard for grading other papers. Nagging questions continually rose in my mind: Is this approach fair? Does it automatically set up a situation where some students cannot possibly be successful? Does it reward those students who play the game and penalize those who have learned the content but still don't know how to determine what the teacher wants? Does it limit the exemplary student by never providing a real challenge?
As a result of my participation in two National Science Foundation-sponsored workshops during the summer of 1993, I decided to change my approach to assessing student writing. My new approach - scoring rubrics - has been very successful in my middle school science program. The twist, though, is that my rubrics are not created by me, but by the students themselves. In this way, students clearly understand what is expected of them, because they have played a role in determining those expectations.
A scoring rubric can be loosely defined as a device (checklist, scale, description) that identifies the criteria by which a particular project will be evaluated. Rubrics can be used to evaluate a wide variety of material, including written work, oral presentations, videos, and science projects. In a broad sense, scoring rubrics are already an integral part of most teaching. Teachers have always used informal rubrics, usually in the form of a set of basic criteria stored in their heads. There is an important difference, however, between teachers having a general idea of what "should" be in a writing piece and the kind of rubric discussed here. Specifically, rubrics provide all parties - teachers, parents and students - with an unequivocal, common understanding of these criteria.
At the end of each unit, all students prepare a written summary of the concepts by which the assignment will be graded. To develop the rubric, the class discusses two questions: "What information should go into the unit summary?" and "How should the information be presented?" Answers to these two questions are incorporated into two scales-content and style -by which the students will be evaluated. Through this discussion, students must reflect on their recent learning and identify important concepts.
I choose a range of zero to four points for the content and style scales. To assign the point values, we start by identifying those concepts all students should include in the summary. These are listed in the rubric as requirements for a score of three. To earn a score of four, a student must meet all of the requirements and go beyond, by including new information, providing a new perspective, or making connections with other units.
To determine how the work should be presented (the style scale), students focus on the mechanics of good writing - limiting misspellings, using complete sentences and appropriate grammar - and on stylistic concerns such as clarity and conciseness. Again we use a range of zero to four points, with three meeting all expectations and four going beyond.
While the actual rubric produced through discussion is important, even more important and exciting is the learning that takes place during the discussion. Just what is clear organization? When my students and I share our answers to this question, we are getting to the heart of what makes good writing and clear understanding.
Not surprisingly, my students appreciate the opportunity to have a voice in how they are evaluated and what is expected of them. As they learn to develop rubrics throughout the year, students become more practiced at identifying important concepts and are more articulate about what they think makes a good writing piece. The value of discussions at this metacognitive level is incalculable.
The end result of switching to scoring rubrics has been a significant increase in the quality of students' writing and in their level of understanding of science concepts. Teachers often make the mistake of thinking that if a student has successfully completed an activity, then learning has taken place. Students, and all of us need to have opportunities to assimilate our experiences to make learning meaningful.
Sherrye Valenti is department head in a small Middle School in St Louis. She has been involved in teaching workshops on assessment, and has been responsible for the adoption of the SP text in her school. She wrote to us about her experiences with journals.
I advise teachers to start the journal the first day of school - it is an EXPECTATION. I find out who is new to the district, and know that I will need to monitor them closely until they catch on. I think a teacher is asking for frustration if they start a journal during the school year.
A table of contents is glued into the front of the journal (Sherrye uses a 90-page spiral notebook). This lists topics, dates and page numbers. After activities or lessons, we first debrief and discuss. When they have no more questions, I then ask them to write about what they found out. I walk around and stop to chat if they are not being clear or if they are stuck. I am able, in this way, to see their progress even in the larger classes, though I was skeptical before I tried.
After the first week of school, I put the names of two students from each of my classes on the board (total of 12 students), and I collect their journals that day. I check them in school, and put a sticker on the last page completed and a Post-it note with comments. I do give a score, based on whether it is set up properly, understandable and useful to the student. I write comments if I have major concerns or may ask the student to conference with me. I only collect journals when I can correct and return them the next day.
About December, I have students trade journals, check two others and write comments on a form. They then return to the owner, who takes the journal home for a parent's review and signature. I keep a journal as well following the same form. This is out and available for students who have missed class. I allow them to photocopy long entries. We only have one class set of books, so the journal IS their book. They are proud of them, and the feedback from parents has been very positive.
We don't know who wrote this, but it appeared in papers brought back from a Summer Institute! It offers some useful suggestions.
A text such as SciencePlus, whose principal purpose is not to convey information but to develop understandings, can present some problems for students and parents. The closure for activities and readings is often not found in the text, and so the keeping of a neat and orderly scribbler becomes even more important.
The scribbler or journal become a bridge between the learning activity and the conclusions arrived at by the student. The journal is also a bridge between what happens in the classroom, and the parent, whose concern is knowing what is going on and how he or she can help the learner. Students, then, should be responsible for what they record, and if we consider the journal of value, then the assessment of the journal must be a part of the evaluation of the student. The journal can be evaluated once or several times during each unit covered. [editor's note: you will find a checklist, as a model of one you could use, in this issue].
Some helpful Tips:
It is often valuable to have students write what they think they know about a topic before the teaching process on one page, and on the opposite page, after teaching, have them go back and write what they now know.
We have been "plugging" rubrics in this issue. Chuck McMillan, of Truro Junior High, uses them extensively and increasingly in all aspects of assessment He has offered this student-negotiated rubric on journal assessment that he uses with his Grade sevens. We think it will serve as a great model for any grade level, and we offer it on page 8 as a black-line master. It is important to stress that the students had a say in the construction of this rubric, thereby making it much more meaningful to them.
As a result of our discussions in class, we will be using the following guide for marking scribblers. The descriptions below tell what an Excellent Scribbler would look like. You will be asked to do a self assessment of your scribbler before you pass it in. You should assign marks based on how well you think your scribbler matches the guidelines.
| Student | Teacher |
Notes |
| Title page (coloured pictures, "Living Things," Name, Class | ||
| Marble Description | ||
| Seed POE (Worksheet & Observations on looseleaf | ||
| Living/Non Living/Dead (observations of things in three kits | ||
| Living/Non Living/Dead (definitions) | ||
| Signs of Life (list - moving, growing, etc.) | ||
| Do You Agree? (Statements about L/N-L/D things) | ||
| Motion and Locomotion (definitions) | ||
| Exploration 1 Observing Locomotion (observations & questions) | ||
| Locomotion Studies (Earthworm) | ||
| Locomotion Studies (Insects) | ||
| Locomotion Studies (Snakes) | ||
| Mark for Completion (out of 10) | ||
| Mark for Organization (out of 4) | ||
| Mark for Neatness (out of 2) | ||
| TOTAL MARK (out of 20) |
Guidelines:
All notes and handouts are included. All notes are complete, not simply partially done. All notes are in order so that they can easily be found. Work missed during absences has been caught up and corrected. Marks will be deducted for notes, handouts etc...which are not included.
Scoring:
If your scribbler contains all the required material - give yourself 10 If
it is about « complete - give yourself 5, etc....
Organization (marked out of 4)
Notes are firmly attached (not loose) in a 1" binder. Notes are dated and have a title which is underlined or highlighted. Notes from one day are separated from the next day with a line, several spaces or started on the next page. Notes are in the correct order by date. Related work is kept together. Scribbler contains only science notes.
Scoring:
If all your notes are well-organized, titled, in sequence, separated etc...give
yourself 4 If a few notes are missing or out of order etc...give yourself
3 If several notes are disorganized...2 etc...
Corrections (marked out of 2)
Space left between questions for additions or corrections. Scribbler contains evidence of corrections. Corrections are done in coloured pencil or pen different from normal notes. Incomplete homework has been finished and checked.
Scoring:
If there is evidence of corrections on most work, where required, give yourself
a 2. If corrections are difficult to find because a coloured pencil was not
used, give yourself a 1 If there is little or no evidence of corrections,
give yourself a 0.
Use the following as a Blackline Master:
Name:_______________________ Class:________________
Use the "Student" column for your self evaluation. I will check off the "teacher" column. Assign marks based on the descriptions below the form.
|
Student |
Teacher |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mark for Completion (out of 10) | ||
| Mark for Organization (out of 4) | ||
| Mark for Neatness (out of 2) | ||
| TOTAL MARK (out of 20) |
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Something I could do to improve my scribbler is
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Signature______________________________ Date: _______________________
Teacher's Comments:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
One of the organizations you'll have access to through the Science Hotline is Innovators in the Schools. This group accesses the professionals in engineering and technology fields in Nova Scotia to provide educators with specialists who can provide:
For more information on the Discovery Centre, you might try their website
at
The SciencePlus Teachers Network (SPTN) is part of the Atlantic Science Curriculum Project (ASCP), linking teaching, curriculum development and research in science education. INTERACTIONS is the newsletter of the SPTN, produced twice a year. The SPTN committee, teachers working with members of the ASCP Board of Directors, are active in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Send correspondence to:
In early July, 43 teachers and authors gathered again on the beautiful Mount Allison campus in Sackville, New Brunswick, to participate in the 6th Annual SciencePlus Teachers Network Summer Institute. By general consensus, this was the best one yet! Here's what Paula Parks, of New Germany Rural High has to say about her experience:
I first attended the SSI in July of 1996, and enjoyed myself so much that I decided to return this year. I wasn't the only one! Upon arriving, I saw many familiar faces, as well as many new ones.
I viewed the program as an enrichment opportunity; a chance to learn more about science teaching and open myself to some new learning activities; I was anxious to find out how portfolios, scoring rubrics, test specs and constructivist theory could enhance my teaching and my students' learning. I also wanted to meet with other SciencePlus teachers to share ideas and resources; I wasn't disappointed.
Upon arrival, after a tour of the campus, we were placed into groups to design a [Rube Goldberg] device (with as many steps as possible) that required only one human-initiated step and finished with the device successfully cracking an egg. [Editor's note: the instructions and materials for this activity can be found in this newsletter] What a fantastic learning experience! We got to know each others in our group as we got caught up in the excitement of the challenge. With such varied backgrounds, and such a variety of raw materials, each team rose to the occasion and the final products were truly amazing. Thus the tone for the week was set - fun, cooperation, energy, sharing and learning.
For the next four days, we had the opportunity to attend sessions in large and then smaller groups according to our needs. Depending on years of experience teaching SciencePlus, each participant chose one or two working groups from focus areas such as Student Projects, Test and Exam Questions, Performance Assessment, Student Record-Keeping, New to SP, and French Immersion. Being in smaller groups gave more chance for discussion and sharing of ideas, and we had the time to follow ideas through to an end-product that we could actually incorporate into our classrooms.
Upon leaving this conference, I felt invigorated, challenged, inspired and affirmed. There were many ideas and techniques that I had heard about in the past but felt reluctant to introduce in my classroom, where my routine was so "comfortable". However, meeting with other classroom teachers who had used portfolios or had tried student-generated rubrics was reassuring. Questions and concerns were addressed and discussed. I now feel confident about incorporating these innovative techniques into my classroom.
I know that I for one will be spending another week next summer at the SciencePlus Summer Institute...I wouldn't miss it!
If you would like to have information about the 1998 Summer Institute, write to:
or contact Frances Wallace by EMail at : wallaceh@fox.nstn.ca
Though numbers were down from last year, (as they were for the AST generally), there was an enthusiastic group of teachers on hand at Saint Pat's High School to hear presentations form SciencePlus teachers, former teachers and even an author. As last year, the sessions for teachers new to SciencePlus proved popular; there seem to be increasing numbers of teachers being assigned to teaching one or two courses in science, and little in-servicing seems to be available for them, so our presence at AST continues to be important.
Our Trading post, as last year, did a brisk business. Teachers were again able, for only the cost of disk, postage and handling, to order curriculum materials in the desired format from among the approximately 150 files donated by various teachers. Some files arrived too late for use this year, and have been added to our library for next year. Many thanks to the following contributors: Susan Forsythe, Kathy Silverstein, Heather Aucoin, Ken MacDonald, Richard Dirible, Joanne DesRoches, Kevin Julien, Calvin Nicholson, Deb Regan, and Jonathan Grady.
Many thanks also to our presenters: Nan Armour, Don Rice, John MacLennan, Chuck McMillan, Paula Parks and Deb Regan.
Just in! - Important news regarding Trading Post materials:
You have probably noticed the "New Look" of our home page
(http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Education/SPTN/ascphmpg.html).
One of the important additions will be the inclusion of curriculum materials from the Trading Post. Check under "What's New" on our site for lesson plans and teaching strategies for download in the near future.
Those of you who have been teaching science for a few years will probably remember Project Wild workshops - I remember a memorable two days at Lake Mush-a-Mush!! One of the bonuses with these workshops is a comprehensive activity guide. We'd like to pass along to you the following information, sent to us by Sarah Feeley, which will be of interest to Junior High teachers.
Project WILD is an environmental and conservation education program for teachers and other educators. It is a way for educators to incorporate concepts related to people, wildlife and the environment into all major school subjects and skill areas, and for all levels K-12. The program centres around an activity guide with over 120 activities, focusing on both aquatic and terrestrial ecology topics. These range from topics such as habitat, migration and survival, to acid rain, litter and pollution, to name a few. Each activity is complete with background information, learning objectives, skills involved, age level etc., and all come in an easy-to-use format. Project WILD offers workshops and the next one in the Halifax area will be on January 24, 1998. The workshop and the activity guide, which every participant will receive, are free of charge, provided by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. Project WILD is sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
To register: contact Julie Towers at 424-5796
or e-mail Sarah Feeley at:
as081chebucto.ns.ca
Heather Aucoin teaches science at Prince Arthur Junior High in Dartmouth, in the French Immersion program. In this article, she argues that there needn't be a battle - why not try both?
With the ever-changing science classroom of today, we as teachers are continually looking for that ever-elusive "hook" that will grab the interest of each and every student. This year, I used both Science Fair and Science Olympics as tools to help me achieve this goal. From my perspective, both have a place in helping provide a balanced science program that is able to challenge and reach the needs of our multi-leveled classrooms.
Each provides a view of science from a different perspective. With Science Fair, the students are allowed to explore, expand and research a topic of their choice - a topic that they find interesting. They follow a step by step scientific process that allows them to find the answers to their questions. The students get a feel for the scientific process and have a chance to try their hand at running their own controlled experiment. The key I've found to a successful science fair, for both students and teacher, is long-term planning, organization and hard work. The students get a three to four time-line that guides them through the main steps to completing their project successfully. Every month, there is a report that is passed in to make sure they are on track. This provides them with feedback as they work towards the next stage. I've had many students who go on to Regionals, and, for the first time, three students are going to the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Regina.
I don't pretend that science fair is for everyone. For some students, it is just too overwhelming. So everyone in my class last year had an alternative - Science Olympics. For some, this offers the challenge of solving a pre-determined problem using a specified list of materials; for example, creating a bridge made of straws and tape able to support 500g and span two metres. Each grade level has a choice of two challenges. Having a specific challenge placed before them allows the students to brainstorm solutions, test and evaluate their ideas and, for some, redesign their solutions. All of these are important science and life skills. The students are also required to keep a detailed log of their progress over the two months as they work towards the completion date. They and I have found that Science Olympics is a fun way of exploring scientific principles.
Both Science Fair and Olympics can be very competitive, but I have found that this drive brings out my students' best work. They have the chance to demonstrate their skills and ingenuity, and their parents are given the chance to see what others in the school are doing. Ultimately, though, it's about students having fun while learning and USING science.
If you have decided to go ahead with a science fair
this year, one place you really should check out is the STANet home page
at
There is a whole section of the Teacher Resources devoted to science fair; you can get a complete set of guidelines for students, all the way from "what a science fair project is" to the display set-up. There is an extensive list of project topics; a few of those that caught my attention are listed here, for those of you who don't yet have access to the Internet, and are receiving us in paper format!
Courtesy of Chuck McMillan, of Truro Junior High, this activity caused quite a stir at this year's Summer Institute, and kept our participants busy for over an hour. We suggest it would make an excellent Science Olympics activity.
Students were given the following and told they could bring their own additional supplies to add to the list:
| 1 mouse trap | 20 dominoes | 1 universal clamp |
| 1 metal ball pendulum | several pieces of wood | 2 pulleys |
| 1 piece of Hot Wheels track | 1 plastic ruler | unlimited tape |
| plasticene | 1 wooden ruler | string etc... |
| 20 straws | 1 ring clamp and stand |
List may vary depending on available items. Students were instructed not to break or take apart any of the materials provided.
Karen Carter of John Martin Junior High gave us the recipe for "Gak", one of these disgusting gooey substances that kids find so interesting. It actually is quite clean, and not sticky. Since it has some properties of both solid and liquid, it might be a different way of introducing forms of matter, or just use as an observation exercise!
< Stored in an air-tight jar, this will keep for a long time.
This was site recognized two years ago by "Nexxus On line" as the first "working" site of its kind in Canada. Since then, others have developed much fancier sites, many using theirs as a jump off point. The basic premise is, fancy or not,....submit a science related question and they will find an answer and email it back. This is a great way to get students working with the internet. All they ask is that teachers give them some advance warning if their whole class is going to ask questions. Sometimes they have a tremendous backlog and need to let teachers know to hold off for awhile.
Nadine Tanner, the STANet coordinator, will be happy to answer your questions. You can reach her by
Next. Have the student teams design and build boats using the plastic 1L pop bottles available at any convenience store. The boats they design and build should be capable of racing the length of an eight-foot rain gutter filled with water, powered only by the carbon dioxide reaction.
(This extension comes to us from "The Communicator", the U.S. newsletter for SciencePlus teachers.)
This eye-opener comes from a series of GEMS, obtained from GEMS, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720. There are teachers' Guides available in such diverse topics as density, astronomy, bubbles, animals, paper towel testing etc. You can contact GEMS for a descriptive brochure and ordering information. Meantime, try this one for free!! This was sent to us by Paula Parks, from New Germany Rural High.
A) Into a ziplock bag, put:
B) Measure out 10 ml of Phenol Red solution, and pour into
a small vial.
C) Put the vial into the bag (standing upright) and make sure the bag is
well sealed.
D) Tip the vial of Phenol Red solution.
Several signs of chemical change will be apparent: heat given off, bubbles, colour change, to name three! (Paula uses this as a starter for the chemical changes unit, but it could be used at any time as a neat observation and inference activity.)
If you have taught the Life Processes unit in SP3, you will remember the "Osmosis in Vegetables" lab where potato slices are placed in water, air, dilute and concentrated salt solutions, in order to determine the effect of osmosis on the potato. Don Rice of Bridgewater High, decided to take a more quantitative approach, and give his students some practice in measuring mass. They had to carefully weigh the potato slices before and after the experiment, to determine whether the slice had gained or lost mass, and thereby infer in which direction osmosis had taken place. This has the advantage of being more objective and precise - sometimes it was hard for students to determine which slice was "crisper". It works particularly well if you have an electronic balance.
This practice question from the SAIP tests given last year was sent to us by Jodi Robinson of Eastern Passage Junior High. We think it would make an interesting activity for the Force & Motion unit, or you could use it as a small group performance assessment item.
Context: You are a researcher for a toy company that
is developing a game involving a bouncing ball. Problem: to test some
balls to compare their ability to bounce Materials: 5 balls in a tray,
1 metre stick, safety goggles (MUST be worn throughout this task)
1. Examine the balls but do not drop them. Predict which will bounce the
highest when dropped from a height of 1m on to the floor.
2. Test your prediction by bouncing each ball from a height of 1m and measuring the height of the first bounce for all trials in the chart below.
| Type of Ball |
Height of first bounce (cm) |
|||
|
Trial 1 |
Trial 2 |
Trial 3 |
Average |
|
Average = (trial 1 + trial 2 + trial 3)
3
3. What are the two sources of error in this task?
4. How could you improve your experiment in order to make the data more reliable? Justify your answer.
5. Identify one factor, other than the material that it is made of, that affects the height to which a ball will bounce. Design an experiment to test the effect of that factor on the height to which a ball will bounce.
Factor:
Problem:
Hypothesis:
Material:
Procedure:
Thoughts of SciencePlus from the Other Coast
by Tom Harding
Those of you who attended Summer Institutes in the past two years, and many of you who didn't, will remember Tom Harding, who taught at Musquodoboit Rural High and has taken a very active leadership role in the SPTN. Sadly for us, Tom heeded the call to "Go West" - in fact about as west as you can go! He is presently studying at U.B.C., but contacted us to offer us these....
There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of Nova Scotia in some way. And as I am immersed in an environment of learning and teaching about how to teach adolescent science, my thoughts often return to the SciencePlus Teachers Network (SPTN).
Due to a large amount of foresight, there is a strong commitment to work with teachers who are interested in learning about how to teach in a way that is more meaningful to students. That, in my opinion, is the essence of why the SPTN is still an active force in developing workshops and inservices for Junior High science teachers - they are committed to meaningful learning. If you have ever attended any of the workshops either at the Fall AST Conference in Halifax, or the Summer Institute in Sackville, New Brunswick, you would agree that it really helps a classroom teacher and it is a lot of fun!
This year, as I spend time looking at other (non-SP) textbooks being used in Grade 8 and 9 classrooms on the other coast of Canada, I am struck with a sense of disappointment. How do teachers here overcome the battle of creating or co-constructing a sense of understanding in science when the textbooks are so content driven? I am not inferring that the teaching here is any weaker (or better for that matter); my point is that if the textbooks are primarily based on presenting the facts (hence, key words in bold print), then how does this take into consideration what the students already know or believe to be true scientifically?
One of the strengths of the SciencePlus textbook series is in having students develop their understanding of scientific ideas or facts. It stimulates curiosity and encourages students to learn by exploring, instead of by following a prescribed recipe for doing something scientific that has a known outcome. However, this may come as a huge surprise because the format of the textbook chapters are very different than the type of learning in science that we were probably accustomed to. Yet, by the end of teaching a unit in SciencePlus, it would be surprising to find a student's vocabulary list any shorter than if they were exposed to a more traditional style of teaching. More importantly, the student's definition would hold more personal meaning and understanding if taught in a way that mirrors how they learn science.
As I write and reflect while studying about science teaching, I am continually struck with an idea. We need to answer the "call for creativity" in student's learning and discovery of science. A teacher needs to find and develop ways to assess student's creative work in a way that is meaningful to them and gives them the important message that being creative and expressive in language is just as important than the many other skills in science. A possible solution of having students and teachers develop "scoring rubrics for creative writing" seems quite valid. The students will not be fearful of being assessed; they will learn that this type of activity is very important to their learning and they will develop some responsibility as a result of participating in making the scoring rubric.
On a final note, I knew a great thing when I was back in Nova Scotia, but I have come to appreciate even more now, the vision that the SciencePlus Teachers Network has at helping teachers construct their own meaning of what it means to teach science in a very "real" way for the students of Nova Scotia.
Having trouble coming up with different assessment ideas? -How many of these have you tried?
If you have an innovative assessment idea please SHARE IT - send it to Frances Wallace at
and we will publish it in the next issue!!
If you have students with an interest in space exploration, have access to the WWW, and are looking for a project that is a bit out of the ordinary, you may want to check out the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space website.
Each year they have a contest requiring students to examine some aspect of space exploration on the Web. A decision regarding whether the contest will be held this year will be made in November, 1997, so should be available by the time you read this. The contest web page can be found at:
Even if the contest doesn't interest you, you may still want to check our
their Homepage: