Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

In Standards Based Grading, teachers assess student mastery of skills using a proficiency scale (ie. rubric). But, one thing teachers struggle with is how to convert an overall percentage – which they get from assignments and tests – to a rubric. In other words, what would a student’s proficiency be across multiple science skills if they have an overall mark of 80%? Answer: overall percentages can’t be converted to communicate mastery of individual skills (ie. standards).

Episode Notes

Here are a couple of big ideas from the episode:

1. An overall percentage – which is traditionally determined by averaging assignments and tests – don’t communicate how well a student performs on individual skills.
2. Instead, we should change our marks books to record proficiency of skills. Then, we align our assignments or tests to assess one or two skills. As we collect and mark more assignments and tests aligned to these standards, then we’ll know how each student is doing for each standard.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep91 Handouts – Can we Use Percentages in Standards Based Grading to Find Proficiencies?

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

Do you watch science videos in class? Of course you do. But, what do you do after watching the video? How do you get students to respond to it? In this post (and video – see above), I share three activities I use to get my students to connect and respond to the video they just watched.

Episode Notes

Here are a couple of big ideas from the episode:

1. Strategy #1. I use this for longer videos and documentaries – for example, Planet Earth or Bill Nye videos. On a separate sheet of paper, students draw a t-chart with the heading on one side, “what I know” and on the other side, “what I learned”. During the video, students take down 10-20 notes from the video in total on either side. At the end of the video, students tally up their points and hand it in. I’ll take a few minutes to look over what students wrote down. I find this strategy good for having students connect the video with their previous knowledge.
2. Strategy #2 – I use this with my classes after watching a science news video – for example, I used this with one class after watching a video on how crispr is being used to cure sickle cell disease. After the video, I show students a list of top tens – for example, top ten topics where science is being used to solve the problem. And then I ask students to rank these topics and also include the topic from the video – for example, sickle cell research – on that list. Where would sickle cell research place on that list? Students write down the rankings on a separate half sheet of paper and we discuss their rankings. I find this strategy good for having students connect the video with other science concepts.
3. Strategy #3 – I have students write out statements to 1 to 3 prompts that I post – and these 3 prompts are always the same. Prompt 1 – “what I watched reminds me of something I learned in….because…”. Prompt 2 – “what I watched reminds me of the time I…because…”. Prompt 3 – “what I watched reminds me about the future because…” I’ll collect these responses and share a few – anonymously, of course. I find this strategy a good way to connect the video with something else in their lives.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep90 Handouts – Three Activities for Students After Watching a Science Video

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

How can we help students practice writing arguments (like CER) while also evaluating the reliability of sources? Answer: use argument mapping and the CRAAP test.

Episode Notes

Here are a couple of big ideas from the episode:

1. The CRAAP Test (stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. It’s used to evaluate how reliable a source is. To prepare for their debate question that would show up on their test, students needed to read and evaluate the reliability of 4 different sources. For each source, they go through the CRAAP test worksheet, giving a score from 0-3 for each category – and then tallying it up to see what the overall reliability of that resource is.
2. Argument mapping gets students to analyze how an argument is structured so that they can – hopefully – be able to structure a similar argument themselves. In the resources section below, there’s a handout showing students the model of a basic argument as well as three scenarios labeled the “Good” Model, the “Better” Model, and the “Best” Model. After I go over this briefly, I get students to map out a resource related to their research topic – either one they’ve already done or a new one.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep89 Handouts – You Need to Try CRAAP, Argument Mapping With Your Science Class

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

How can the “cell is like” project be infused with more creativity? I share my updated version of the classic cell analogy project: an animation of the cell that students need to add a symphony of sounds to. It’s all meant to stretch the critical AND creative thinking skills of my students…even more.

Episode Notes

Here’s a brief run down of my updated “Cell is Like” Project:

1. Have students identify what each organelle in a cell does and then come up with an analogy of the cell and its organelles.
2. Show students the cell animation.
3. Students need to find sound effects that represent each organelle in the analogy and mix these sounds together into a symphony – sounds that blend well with one another – for the animation.

I provide handouts to students to help them with their research and storyboarding. The animation can be found here.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep88 Handouts – The Updated “Cell is Like” Project (2024 ed.)

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

One topic that comes up again and again at my workshops is this: what does extending (aka exceeding or excelling) on a proficiency scale mean?According to one proficiency scale, extending is where students demonstrate a sophisticated understanding. Unfortunately, many colleagues misinterpret sophisticated understanding as going “above and beyond” the course material. This is absolutely false. Sophisticated does not mean above and beyond grade level. It means that students can use the information at grade level in a sophisticated way.

Episode Notes

To assess all levels of the proficiency scale on my tests, these are a few best practices I tend to follow:

1. I properly define what I’m looking for at each grade level. This means crafting questions that fit an initial, partial, complete, and sophisticated understanding of course material.
2. I ask questions of increasing complexity (questions asked earlier in the test are “emerging” level questions, while later questions are “extending” level questions).
3. I ask fewer questions, but those questions I ask are rich in detail.

With regards to test questions:

1. Emerging level questions assess the simplest ideas students need to grasp in a unit in order to navigate problems.
2. Developing level questions assess the most basic problem a student is likely to encounter on the topic (ie. refer to homework questions).
3. Proficient level questions assess the most basic problems but with an added level of advanced details (ie. the homework questions that tend to be on the difficult side that have more advanced concepts built in).
4. Extending level questions require students to take the ideas learned in the chapter and apply them to unfamiliar or new contexts. This may require me to craft new questions students have not seen before but are able to answer with the knowledge they’ve acquired.

Download Ep87 handouts below to see sample test questions (based on the genetics unit) that align with the proficiency levels above.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep87 Handouts – What is Extending on a Proficiency Scale?

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

Standards-Based Grading (SBG) is a better way of assessing learning because it focuses on mastery of skills and not just regurgitation of textbook knowledge. But, do the students feel the same way? Is SBG – as communicated to parents in BC – accomplishing its goals? I thought I’d ask my students.

Episode Notes

About the survey:

1. Its prompts are based on some of the goals outlined in digital materials created for and distributed to BC parents.
2. Students in Grades 9-12 were asked to either agree or disagree with each statement.

About the results:

1. Some goals are being achieved (according to student responses).
2. Feedback is important. Students is more likely to see the benefits of standards-based grading if it is consistently communicated to it.
3. Teachers are all at different points of their SBG journey – and that’s okay.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep86 Handouts – Is Standards-Based Grading Accomplishing Its Goals?

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

What happens when we ask both MagicSchool AI and ChatGPT to create a 5E science lesson while incorporating Black History Month into a science lesson? Which AI program does it better? I decided to find out.

Episode Notes

A few observations while I was using ChatGPT or MagicSchool:

1. Prompts matter. When using ChatGPT, provide more detail for your search.
2. Similarly, with MagicSchool, click on “exemplar” to see how you might structure a search.
3. Both ChatGPT and MagicSchool produce solid lesson plans in a short amount of time. 
4. However, don’t expect a huge amount of detail in the lesson plans.
5. ChatGPT has the ability to ask more and more questions during a chat. Use it. This is an invaluable way to generate rubrics and additional activities for a specific lesson.
6. If you’re running on the free version of MagicSchool, then you will not have the ability to ask follow up queries in your chat. This is the downside to using MagicSchool.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep85 Handouts – MagicSchool vs ChatGPT (Black History Month 5E Lesson Plan)

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

I love a good multiple choice question: one that asks something out of the ordinary. One that isn’t based on straight memorization. And, one that includes thoughtful distractors (ie. doesn’t say “all of the above”). I don’t use multiple choice questions on my tests anymore because I haven’t found a good set that provides a range of questions that assesses different levels of proficiency. However, I was wondering if ChatGPT might be able to help craft good MC questions for me.

Episode Notes

Findings from my ChatGPT queries:

• The Good:
  • ChatGPT can differentiate between levels.
  • ChatGPT is very consistent as to the types of questions asked at each level of proficiency. For example, a beginner level of proficiency for atomic structure would consist of questions regarding differences between protons, neutrons, and electrons
  • ChatGPT can connect questions to the NGSS.
  • ChatGPT can provide an answer key with explanations for each distractor.
  • ChatGPT can provide some variety of questions at each proficiency level – however, the variety still tends to focus on the same question style.
• The Bad:
  • Questions could have wrong answers.
  • Questions for different grade levels may not be all that different. For example, a proficient level question for atomic structure at the middle school level is essentially the same as a proficient level question at the high school level – even though what is considered proficient at middle school and high school should be different.
• The Verdict:
  • Yes, I would use ChatGPT to craft some multiple choice questions. BUT, I would still need to put in the work to make sure answers are correct and that differentiation fits what I am expecting from my students at each grade level. Still, it is a good starting point.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep84 Handouts – Can ChatGPT Write a Better Range of Multiple Choice Questions?

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

One question that comes up about Standards Based Grading time and again is this: how do we get a percentage out of it? For my students, I use a scale to convert proficiency scales to a percentage. This conversion comes up with roughly the same percentage a student would achieve through a traditional system. But, there is a faster way of getting this percentage – and it works great: have students determine their own percentages. 

Episode Notes

My conversion scale for proficiencies to percentages is as follows:

• All Extending for standards translates to ~96%
• All Proficient for standards translates to ~84%
• All Developing for standards translates to ~70%
• All Emerging for standards translates to <60%
  • Note: a student who has a combination of Proficient and Extending for standards would have a percentage between 84 and 96%. Teachers can use their professional judgment to decide.

When having students determine their own percentages:

1. Go over how a teacher would come up with their percentage (see above)
2. Give students a self-reflection sheet and have them determine their own proficiencies for each standard assessed throughout the term
3. Have students determine their own percentages.
   • To help them with step 2, hand back their tests from throughout the term.
4. Double check what each student has determined. If you agree, enter that percentage for the student. If not, enter a percentage you decide.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep83 Handouts – Convert Proficiencies to Percentages More Quickly

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Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

Compared to traditional grading, Standards Based Grading (SBG) is a better way of assessing student learning. But, doing SBG takes more time – especially at the beginning. Recently, a colleague showed me how they set up their marking rubric, and one small change has helped me determine a student’s level of proficiency more efficiently while also giving students a bit more information on where they stand.

Episode Notes

To get started using Standards Based Grading on science tests:

1. Restructure your tests to have sections that corresponded to a specific standard.
   • For example, my tests generally have 2 (no more than 3) sections that correspond to specific standards (like “Questioning and Predicting” or “Applying” or “Processing and Analyzing”).
2. Provide a proficiency scale at the top of page/test.
   • After marking each section, go back to indicate what level of proficiency the student achieved for given section.

Regarding the Proficiency scale:

1. Check off the level of proficiency instead of highlighting or circling
   • Giving a check mark is faster.
   • If space is provided, a check mark can show progression within a level of proficiency. This way, a student can see how far they are from the next level of proficiency.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep82 Handouts – A Small Change that Helps Me Do SBG Efficiently

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