Alternative Assessment: Visible Light

 

Grade(s):  7/8 Number of students:  22-26   Duration of lesson:  Approx. 30 minutes

 

Goals/Objectives:

 

SWBAT:

• Work independently to create a culminating in-class project illustrating the concepts covered during the week; chosen from a list of alternatives (e.g., drawing a detailed picture or comic strip, writing a story, song, or rap)

 

IOT demonstrate an understanding that:

• Visible light is a mixture of many different colors;

• When light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object, depending on the object’s material and the frequency (color) of the light;

• The path that light travels can be traced as straight lines, except at surfaces between different transparent materials (e.g., air and water, air and glass) where the light path bends;

• The behavior of light can be explained through a wave model

 

Standards (and Assessment Anchors, if applicable):

 

[From: PA Standards for Science]

• Demonstrate that visible light is a mixture of many different colors. (3.2.7.B5)

 

[From: NGSS]

• When light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object, depending on the object’s material and the frequency (color) of the light. (MS-PS4-2)

• The path that light travels can be traced as straight lines, except at surfaces between different transparent materials (e.g., air and water, air and glass) where the light path bends. (MS-PS4-2)

• A wave model of light is useful for explaining brightness, color, and the frequency-dependent bending of light at a surface between media. (MS-PS4-2)

• However, because light can travel through space, it cannot be a matter wave, like sound or water waves. (MS-PS4-2)

• A simple wave has a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude. (MS-PS4-1)

• Digitized signals (sent as wave pulses) are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information. (MS-PS4-3)

• A sound wave needs a medium through which it is transmitted. (MS-PS4-2)

 

Materials and preparation:

 

• Assignment worksheet, with choices and instructions

  • One copy per student, provided in the week’s note/material packet

  • Used by students to:

    •  Select a project and record their work

• Materials for the assignment

  • Pencils or pens, one per student

    • Student provided

  • Pencil sharpener

    • Available in the classroom

  • Crayons, colored pencils, and markers

    • Available in the classroom

 

The last two thirds of class on Thursday will be dedicated to this activity.  Following the post-lab discussion, students will work independently to create a culminating in-class project illustrating the concepts covered during the week.  I will provide a list of alternatives for the assignment.

 

Classroom arrangement and management issues:

 

The lesson will take place during the last two thirds of class on Thursday to accommodate the PSSA testing schedule.

 

The lesson will begin with all of the students in their assigned seats and the teacher at the front of the room.  The class will transition to independent work following completion of the whole-class post-lab discussion.  During this time, the teacher will circulate throughout the classroom.

 

The students as a whole exhibit a previously observed tendency to engage in off-topic, personal conversations, as well as to loose focus.  If necessary, I intend to refocus the group by pausing to reset the expectations, stopping or redirecting the conversation as appropriate.

 

Additionally, multiple students exhibit a previously observed tendency to make tangential connections and ask tangential questions about science topics.  I hope to minimize the possibility that the students may get distracted and sidetracked through the establishment of a “question parking lot”.  If necessary, I also intend to refocus the group by redirecting the conversation.

 

The lesson will span the majority of class on the Thursday of the first week of PSSA testing following completion of the post-lab discussion from Wednesday’s lab.  I anticipate that these factors, especially in combination, may make it harder for some students to focus and necessitate frequent resets.

 

I also anticipate that some students may have difficulty completing the assignment in the available time.  However, I will be assessing their work mainly on effort and intention, as opposed to completion.

 

Plan:

 

(Transition to lesson/Introduction: 5 minutes)

 

• Following completion of the post-lab discussion

  • students remain in their assigned seats

  • teacher is positioned in the front of the classroom

• Reestablish expectations for the lesson

  • “One mic”

  • Share/ask questions when prompted

  • “question parking lot”

  • working independently

  • handling materials

  • returning supplies to their initial location, in their original condition

• Teacher reviews choices with class

  • Choices will include:

    • Drawing

      • A picture

      • A detailed comic strip

    • Writing

      • A story

      • A poem

      • A song

      • A rap

• Each student selects an option from the list of alternatives

 

(Work Time: 25-30 minutes)

• Student will work independently on their chosen project

• Teacher will circulate as students work

• Students will be given a five minute warning to begin wrapping up their work and cleaning up any supplies they may be using

 

Assessment:

 

• Students will complete the assignment in their notes packets.

  • This work will be collected at the end of the week and analyzed by the teacher along with the rest of the packet.

• Verbal responses to “Quick Checks for Understanding”

• Observations of students during independent work

• Final product

 

Additional, formative assessment of each student will be recorded by the teacher throughout the course of the lesson, as students ask questions and share their responses and thinking.

 

Anticipating students’ responses and my possible responses:

 

• In planning and teaching this lesson, I will keep in mind that:

  • It is necessary to establish expectations for behavior, working independently, cleaning up supplies etc…

  • Students may ask tangential questions about science topics

  • The students may be distracted after spending the morning—and much of the week—taking standardized tests.

 

Accommodations:

 

• Knowing that physics can be challenging, I have attempted to uncomplicate the material in order to present the content to the students at an appropriate level.

• I have attempted to select a wide variety of alternatives for the assignment in order to tier the assessment and embrace multiple learning modalities

• In planning this assessment, I am able to avoid giving the class a standard exit slip, which I am hesitant to do especially during the first week of PSSA testing.