Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 1

Great Salt Lake Multiple Assessment Report of Student C

Monet Nielsen

Westminster College
Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 2

Great Salt Lake Project Details

For two months I worked with Student C, a fourth grader at Rosepark Elementary

School, as his science buddy. The original purpose of our work was to focus on the fourth

grade core science standards. We were working in Science Standard Five and several of the

Intended Learning Outcomes. We also worked on Science Standard Three Objective One

because of the direction of Student Cs interests and therefore his experiment. I worked to

employ authentic formative and summative assessments of Student Cs process skills,

inquiry skills, and attitude. I used observation notes, pre and post assessments, collection

of student work samples, and Student Cs defense of his experiment in a poster session.

The pre-test was administered to assess Student Cs his interests and prior

knowledge in order to create the best possible experience and learning opportunity for him

at the lake and during the designing and testing of his experiment. The pre-test focused on

Student Cs process skills, inquiry skills, and attitude towards science. I wanted to know if

Student C could make predictions about the Great Salt Lake (process skill), initiates his own

ideas for investigation and was able to relate to his prior knowledge (inquiry skills), and

how he feels about science (attitude). I collected observations notes and filled out a weekly

assessment sheet as a form of formative quantitative and qualitative assessment of process

and inquiry skills to see Student Cs progress. I collected quantitative data from my

assessment of inquiry through assigning a score 1-4. I collected qualitative data by keeping

track of the indicators Student C was able to complete by himself. I wanted to know if

Student C could make predictions and inferences based on his observations. Student Cs

ability to conduct a simple investigation. Student C being able to relate his learning and

investigation to prior knowledge including out of school situations. I also was very
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interested in Student C completing because statements and being able to suggest causes for

what he observes. I administered his post-test as a form of summative assessment to

determine the knowledge and skills he gained from exploring the lake and designing and

completing his rock experiment. During Student Cs poster session I got the opportunity to

watch him respond to both lower-order and higher-order thinking questions from fifth and

sixth graders about his experiment. By collecting Student Cs work during our scientific

exploration I was able to reflect on what indicators Student C completed and what

indicators Student C struggled with. I was also able to see growth in Student Cs inquiry and

process skills.

Student Profile

Student C loves rocks. He loves all colors, sizes, and textures of rocks. He loves

science and math and recess. He was excited to visit the Great Salt Lake and when we

visited he only wanted to collect rocks. He said he wanted to see what was inside of the

rocks. Student C was excited to smash the rocks and did not want to do anything else but

smash rocks. He was a fast learner on experiment day when I explained metamorphic,

sedimentary, and igneous rocks. He identified almost all the rocks correctly. Student C has a

natural curiosity about the world around him and had a very specific set of interests that

got him excited and engaged. He did not particularly enjoy making his poster after his

experiment and instead wanted to smash more rocks.

Ice Experiment

The first time I met with Student C we completed an experiment on the best way to

melt ice. Student C had to go through the steps of a simple investigation and the

investigation gave me the opportunity to ask Student C questions to assess his scientific
Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 4

thinking skills. Student C had to decide on a way to melt ice while staying at his seat.

Student C was great at thinking an idea of how to melt the ice (holding the ice in his hands)

but struggled with how to measure the experiment and why holding the ice in his hands

would melt the ice. We eventually decided to time how long the ice would take to melt. It

took me asking in several different ways why his hands would melt the ice for him to come

up with his hands being warm. It took Student C a little over seven minutes to melt the ice

in his hands. He was great at comparing the investigation to prior experiences with ice. He

said when ice is in the sunshine it melts faster because the sun is very warm. He concluded

that his hands were warm enough to melt the ice and wants to know the fastest way to melt

ice.

Pre-Assessment

I learned about Student C and his knowledge of the Great Salt Lake. Student C loves

science because it is fun and cool. His favorite subject is math and he loves to play soccer

at recess. He had never been to the Great Salt Lake before. He thought there would be fish

and birds at the Great Salt Lake.

Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 5

He said all he knows about the Great Salt Lake is that [it] is [going] to be fun. I

asked him what he wanted to learn about the Great Salt Lake. He wanted to learn how the

water got there.

Weekly Assessments of Inquiry and Evidence of Growth

Every week after meeting with Student C I filled out an Assessment of Inquiry. The

assessment of inquiry is based on the fourth grade Intended Learning Outcomes. I gave

Student C a score 1-4. One being he had not yet mastered the skill and four meaning

Student C was proficient. I also wrote down an explanation for his score on each of the four

categories.

Student C was great at making predictions and inferences based on observations. He

got excited about deciding what birds eat based on what their beaks look like on lake day.

He was great at making predictions during the ice experiment and experiment design days

but always struggled with explaining why he thought something would happen. He was

amazing at determining whether the rock was sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic.

When creating the poster, he decided that the type of rock might affect the number of

pieces which directly contradicts what he original thought. When talking about his poster

during the poster session Student C was great at making inferences about why different

types of rocks split into more or less pieces. He could explain igneous and sedimentary

rocks but got confused when asked about metamorphic rocks

Student C loves coming up with an idea for an experiment and completing the

experiment. He does not like writing or detail oriented tasks. He successfully completed the

ice experiment investigation but struggled with writing down the details such as materials,

hypothesis, and how to conduct the experiment. On lake day he was amazing at going
Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 6

through the steps of testing the water through sight and salinity. When designing the

experiment Student C struggled to decide on one thing to change. He wanted to change the

color of the rock, the size of the rock, and the strength he used to hit the rock. His inability

to understand that he must choose one thing to change showed me that he did not have a

good understanding of how to conduct a simple investigation. On the day we completed his

experiment he quickly picked up a rhythm of filling out his graphic organizer, hitting the

rock ten times, and then collecting the pieces. He loved smashing his rocks and deduced the

correct type of rock almost every time. While we created the poster Student C thought of a

great idea for further directions but did not wish to complete all the writing. However, he

wanted to complete all the writing himself and simply get it over quickly. On poster day

Student C was great at explaining the question, materials, steps, and conclusions of his

experiment. He could not remember the wording of his hypothesis and easily got confused

when asked about it.

Student C was always good at relating the experiment to prior experiences very

specifically. He tended to relate our scientific explorations to out of school experiences.

When we brainstormed what he knew about rocks while designing our experiment he

came up with plenty of ideas about rocks. Some rocks form differently. Some rocks form

from heat and pressure. Some are easy to break and some are hard to break. Some rocks

might split in smaller pieces. The size of the rock effects how small the pieces are. The type

of rock does not effect how small the pieces. All rocks have different names. Student C was

great at talking about his experiment during the poster session and relating it to prior

learning experiences in class. He already had learned about sedimentary, metamorphic,

and igneous rocks but he didnt remember a lot.

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Student C never could suggest causes for what is observed without repeated and

specific prompting from me and plenty of time. He struggled to focus on why questions and

fill out the because statement in hypothesizes. We spent a lot of time focusing on

developing this level of inquiry and towards the end he started to need less and less

scaffolding. To come up with a because statement for our hypothesis during experiment

design he need scaffolding to connect his prior knowledge to a reason why he thought

black rocks would split into less pieces. He eventually connected that harder rocks split

into less pieces with black rocks. When we created our poster he decided the number of

pieces the rocks split into might have to do with the type of rock.

Date 3/24/17 3/31/17 4/7/17 4/21/17 4/28/17 5/5/17

Activity Pre-test and Lake Day Experiment Experiment Poster Poster

Ice Design Day Creation Session
Experiment and
Conclusions
Students is able to 2 3 3 3 4 4
make simple
predictions and
inferences based
upon observations.
Student conducts a 2 4 2 4 3 4
simple
investigation.
Student relates 4 4 4 3 4 4
investigation to
prior experiences.
Student suggests 2 3 1 3 4 4
causes for what is
observed.

Post-Assessment

The post-test included the some of the same questions about the Great Salt Lake and

questions about rocks. He understands what lives at the Great Salt Lake and loves talking
Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 8

about the tools we used to test the salinity of the water. He knows that brine shrimp, birds,

and bugs live at the Great Salt Lake. He knows the water is salty. He also loves to talk about

the smell at the Great Salt Lake. Student C understands that sedimentary rocks are formed

by sand, small rocks, and the pressure of the water. He sometimes also describes

sedimentary rocks as being made up of different minerals. He understands that igneous

rocks are made from lava from volcanoes. He sometimes adds that igneous rocks are

formed by heat and pressure and forgets about metamorphic rocks. He does not know how

metamorphic rocks are formed. Student C went from not knowing anything about the Lake

to being excited about all he had learned including the water cycle bracelet, bird beak

activity, and water testing.

Poster Session

Student C was asked a variety of questions ranging from reciting part of his

experiment that were on the poster to hypothetical higher-order thinking questions. Below

are some of the questions Student C was asked during the poster session by fellow

students. I took notes on Student Cs answers and his attitude during the poster session. I

asked Student C what his favorite question and put it at the top of the table.

Question Student Cs Answer

If you broke two random rocks or two Igneous rocks would be much harder to
igneous rocks which ones would be harder break.
to break?
Where did you get the rocks? The Great Salt Lake
How did you break the rocks? With a hammer
Why are igneous rocks harder to break? Because they are formed by lava and
pressure.
What was your hypothesis? The red rocks.
Did you accept or reject your hypothesis? Accepted.
How easy are the rocks to break? Some were harder and some were easier.
Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 9

Whats happening in that picture?
The student is pointing to a picture of
Student C participating in the bird beak
activity at the Great Salt Lake.
What rocks are the easiest to break?
What is your hypothesis?
Which would be easier to break
metamorphic or sedimentary rocks?
Were any of the rocks hard to break?
Me Which ones?
If you could change one thing about your
project, what would you change and why?
What did you enjoy the most?
What is your hypothesis?
Student C loved answering questions but became uncomfortable when he didnt know the
It was an activity about bird beaks. Some
bird beaks get in the water and grab things.
Sedimentary rocks they are made of
because sand, little rocks, and pressure of
the water.
Black rocks will break into bigger pieces.
Sedimentary would break in the most
pieces because the sand, little rocks, and
pressure of the water.
Some.
Igneous are the hardest especially seven.
I dont know. I would smash more rocks.
Smashing the rocks.
Student C turns to poster and reads it
quietly facing the poster board.

answer to a question and would turn to his poster and murmur the answer quietly. He was

amazing and describing igneous and sedimentary rocks but struggled when I asked him

about metamorphic rocks. He could not remember his hypothesis but could describe his

experiment in detail. Student C loved talking about smashing rocks and he loved showing

off his favorite rock. Student Cs favorite rock was rock seven, an igneous rock that only

broke into four pieces after ten hits (each rock was hit ten times with the hammer).

Conclusion

Assessing Student C effected my relationship with Student C more for my behavior

then his. I was able to understand where Student C needed help. He needed a lot of support

when he had to write and therefore during the experiment design and poster creation days.

I tried to make the experiment design and poster creation days fun for Student C but he

said multiple times that he would rather be smashing rocks.

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When Student C is interested and engaged in a topic he remembers every detail and

when he does not care about the the topic he does not remember it. I am concerned that

Student C would fall behind without help to engage him in all learning a thorough

understanding of his funds of knowledge. When testing Student C, I would focus on verbal

assessments including interactions with his peers. Student C did not write a lot on his post-

test partly because of time constraints but also because he simply preferred to talk to me.

Student C is a bright student with a curiosity and love of learning that will serve him well in

science and his academic career.

Running head: GREAT SALT LAKE MULTIPLE ASSESSMENT REPORT OF STUDENT C 11

References:

Martin, D.J. (2012). Elementary Science Methods: A Constructivist Approach (6th ed.).

Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.