Ladnscc_Assignment

______________________________________________________________________________ QUESTION 1 1. What is the difference between a checklist and a rubric' Answer Rubric: A rubric is an instrument that attempt to make subjective measurements as objective, clear, consistent, and as defensible as possible. The objectivity is achieved by clearly defining the criteria on which performance or achievement should be judged. A rubric is designed to differentiate between levels of achievement, or development, by communicating detailed information about what constitutes excellent achievement and what constitutes below achievement. In other words a rubric is a tool to make the teacher’s standards and resulting grading explicit, and on the other hand it gives learners a clear sense of what the expectations are for a high level of performance on a given assignment, and how they can be met. Checklist: A checklist contain a list of behaviors or specific steps, which can be marked as present /absent, yes/ no, complete/ incomplete. A checklist helps to provide structure for learners and works very well if a teacher wants to monitor the completion of a task without the need to assign a rating scale. 2. What is the difference between an investigable question and a researchable question' Answer Investigable question seeks to: 1. Produce qualitative or quantitative description of an object, material or phenomena. Example: What are the characteristics of a physical change' Or does brown sugar dissolve in water' 2. Identify associations between the characteristics of different phenomena. Example: Is it easier to generate static electricity in a dry or humid room' 3. Determine whether one or more variables cause or affect one or more outcome variables. Example: How does temperature affect the rate at which salt dissolves in water' In case 2 and 3, a hypothesis is formulated from the investigable question and the three variables (Independent, dependent and controlled) are identified. Therefore, an investigable question is that question that can be answered through empirical investigations. Researchable question: A research question is a clear, focused, concise, and arguable question around which one centers their research. The question helps the writer to focus their research by providing a path through the research. It determines where and what kind of research the writer will be looking for and identifies the specific objectives the study will address. The writer must first identify the type of study he / she wants to conduct (Qualitative, Quantitative, or Mixed) before the research question is developed. A researchable question can not be answered by a simple yes or no. A researchable question is an uncertainty about a problem that can be challenged, examined, and analyzed to provide useful information. ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. There is a difference between observation and inference. Write a well- argued essay (One typed page) illustrating the differences between the two concepts. Answer Observation involves obtaining scientific knowledge through the sense of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. It involves identifying similarities and differences in objects or phenomena. Observation also entails perceiving characteristic properties of an object or a phenomenon. Besides direct use of the senses, instruments can also be used to make indirect observations. Scientific observation can not be effective without a solid theoretical base. For example during a lesson on electrical conductors and insulators, learners will have to be directed on what to observe during the practical activity in order for them to be able to correctly classify the given materials under the correct classification. Therefore learners should be taught to be observers so that an object or event is observed usefully and productively for purposes of science. Useful scientific observations must be specific and accurate, not relative, so that they mean the same to everyone. There are two types of observations, qualitative, which focuses on description of observed object or phenomenon and qualitative observation which focuses numerical (measurement) of what is observed. Inferring on the other hand is a thinking skill related to explanations or reasons based on observations coupled with previous knowledge or experience. Inferences are not always correct because they are based on incomplete data, limited observations, inaccurate prior knowledge or misconceptions. Inferences are changed when new observation is made. It is the use of logic to make conclusions from observations, to explain and give reasons for observed events. For example, a scientist can use a hypothesis as a chosen inference that he will attempt to confirm or disprove through an empirical investigation. There are two types of inference, Inductive and deductive. Inductive inference is reasoning from particular experiences to general truths and deductive inference is reasoning starting with general knowledge to predict a specific observation. Illustration of the difference between observation and inference: Teacher gives learners in groups these instructions: 1. Place a metal teaspoon and a plastic teaspoon of the same size in a beaker of hot water. 2. Wait five minutes and then touch each spoon. 3. What do you observe when you touch each spoon' 4. Infer why the metal spoon feels warmer than the plastic spoon. *To answer question 3, the learners will use their sense of touch to feel the difference in thermal conductance between a metal and a plastic. (Qualitative observation) *To answer question 4 the learners will use logic and prior knowledge to explain and give reasons (infer) as to why the spoon feels warmer than the plastic. (Inductive inference) ______________________________________________________________________________ 1.4. Discuss four levels of inquiry (One typed page) Answer 1. Confirmation/Verification – learners are provided with the question and procedure (method) where the results are known in advance. Confirmation of the results is the objective of the inquiry. It is useful when teacher wants to reinforce a previously learned idea in learners; when teacher wants learners to experience the investigation processes; or to practice a specific inquiry skill, such as collecting and recording data. For example, the teacher wants his learners to confirm that the less air resistance an object has the quicker it will fall. Learners can be guided by the teacher to make paper planes with wings of different lengths to confirm this idea. They will follow the directions for doing the experiment, record their data, and analyze their results. 2. Structured Inquiry - learners are provided with the question and procedure (method), however the task is for learners to generate an explanation that is supported by the evidence collected during the prescribed procedure. Using the same paper airplane example, the teacher will not tell learners the relationship between air resistance and freefall. The learner’s task will be to use the data collected showing that airplanes with longer wings took longer to fall to come to a conclusion that the longer wings created greater air resistance and slowed down the airplanes. 3. Guided Inquiry - learners are provided with only the research question, and the task is to design the procedure (method) and to test the question and the resulting explanations. It is more open than a confirmation or structured inquiry and is most successful when learners have had numerous opportunities to learn and practice different ways to plan experiments and record data. The teacher acts as a support and resource person giving only enough aid to ensure that the learners do not become too frustrated or experience failure. Teacher asks questions that will direct learners rather than spoon feeding them with answers. 4. Open/ Free Inquiry - learners investigate topic-related questions that are student formulated through student designed/selected procedures and communicate their results. The assumption is that learners are already confident in terms of the processes of science. That is, it most successful when learners know how to attack the problem and when they have sufficient background knowledge about the subject under inquiry. The learners themselves identify what it is they want to study. Summary: |Inquiry level |Question given |Procedure given |solution | |Confirmation inquiry: | | | | |Students confirm a principle through an activity when the results are known in advance. |√ |√ |√ | |Structured Inquiry: | | | | |Students investigate a teacher-presented question through a prescribed procedure |√ |√ |× | |Guided Inquiry: | | | | |Students investigate a teacher-presented question using student designed/selected procedures. |√ |× |× | _________________________________________________________________________________________ 1.5. Scaffolding as a teaching strategy can be used by a teacher for teaching science. Discuss the following: 1.5.1 What is scaffolding' Scaffolding is an instructional technique whereby the teacher models the desired learning strategy or task, then gradually shifts responsibility to the students. The scaffolding technique is associated with Vygotsky’s concept of zone of proximal development (ZPD), in which a teacher provides individualized support by incrementally improving a learner’s ability to build on prior knowledge. During scaffolding, the teachers activate this zone when they teach students concepts that are just above their current skills and knowledge level, which will motivate them to excel beyond their current skills level. Students are guided and supported through learning activities that serve as interactive bridges to get them to the next level. Thus the learner develops or constructs new understandings by elaborating on their prior knowledge through the support provided by more capable others (Raymond, 2000). Scaffolds can promote different types of knowledge like cognitive expertise, inquiry abilities, and content knowledge. How ever scaffolds should not provide too much information, as the learner will not be challenged to learn more. They should provide just enough information that the learner may make progress on his/her own. . Scaffolds are temporary- As the learner’s abilities increase the scaffolding provided by the more knowledgeable other is progressively withdrawn. Finally the learner is able to complete the task independently. 1.5.2 Characteristics of scaffolding: 1. Provides clear direction and reduces students’ confusion – educators anticipate problems that learners might encounter and then develop step by step instructions, which explain what a learner must do to meet expectations. 2. Clarifies purpose – scaffolding helps learners understand why they are doing the work and why it is important. 3. Keeps learners on task – by providing structure, the scaffold lesson or research project, provides pathways for the learners. The learner can make decisions about which path to choose or what things to explore along the path but they cannot wander off of the path, which is the designated task. 4. Clarifies expectations and incorporates assessment and feedback –expectations are clear from the beginning of the activity since examples of exemplary work, rubrics, and standards of excellence are shown to the learners. 5. Point learners to worthy sources – educators provide sources to reduce confusion, frustration, and time. The learners may then decide which of these sources to use. 1.5.3 Advantages and disadvantages of scaffolding: Advantages: 1. .It has the ability to engage most learners because they are constantly building on prior knowledge and forming associations between new information and concepts. 2. Scaffolding presents opportunities for students to be successful before moving into unfamiliar territory. 3. This type of instruction minimizes failure, which decreases frustration, especially for students with special learning needs. 4. Scaffolding can be modified to meet the learning needs of all students. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Disadvantages of scaffolding: 1. The biggest disadvantage for the teacher is developing the supports and scaffold lessons to meet the needs of each individual which is extremely time-consuming. 2. Implementation of individualized scaffolds in a classroom with a large number of students is challenging. 3. Unless properly trained, a teacher may not properly implement scaffolding instruction and therefore not see the full effect. 4. Scaffolding requires that the teacher give up some of the control and allow the students to make errors. This may be difficult for teachers to do. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Question 2- Write a complete lesson plan in which the 3E or 5E learning cycle is used to teach a new concept. SUBJECT – Natural Science GRADE – 9 | Curriculum Topic: |Matter and materials | |Lesson topic : Chemical reactions | |Lesson Objectives: |Upon completion of the lesson, students will be able to: | | |Define a chemical reaction | | |State the descriptors of a chemical reaction. | |Different phases of the |1. Engagement: show learners the two pictures and ask them to discuss in small groups what type of changes are taking place in each | |learning cycle |picture. Then teacher and learner discuss answers from different groups. Teacher informs learners of the objective of the lesson. | | | | | | | | | | | |A [pic] B. [pic] | | | | | |2. Exploration. Teacher gives each group leader a set of chemicals and a worksheet and explains to each group how to proceed with the | | |activity. ( see annexure 2.1 for worksheet) | | | | | |3. Explanation. Teacher gives each group a chance to explain their findings to the class, and the teacher write the observations for | | |each group on the board. | | | | | |4. Elaboration-Teacher assists learners to use the combination of results on the board for all activities to come up with a definition | | |of a chemical reaction and to list indicators (descriptors) of a chemical reaction. | | | | | |5. Evaluation –Teacher give learners 5 true or false questions on chemical reactions which students answer individually to individually | | |assessment level of understanding of the concept chemical reaction. | | | | | | | | | | |Assessment | Memoranda will be used for class activity 1 and for the homework task. | |Teaching strategies |Scaffolding , guided inquiry; differentiation, | |involved in the learning | | |cycle | | | |Teacher highlights the objectives of the lessons and draw learners’ attention to the board where the definition and characteristics of a| |Conclusion |chemical reaction have been written as a result of different groups input. | | |Teacher explains homework and gives it to learners | Annexure 2 (Example of a Work sheet for group activities. questions and answers) Part 1 1. Mix sulfur and black iron filings in a watch glass. [pic](a) 11. What color/s do you see in the mixture' – Yellow and black. 1.2 What happens when a magnet is brought into the mixture' -The mixture is easily separated again as the magnet attracts the iron leaving Sulphur in the watch glass. 1.3. Has a new substance formed' – No. 1.4. What type of change is this' – Physical. [pic](b) Part 2, carefully heat the mixture. 2.1. What do you observe as the mixture is heated' - It glows brightly; the yellow specks of sulfur disappear. 2.2. What happens when a magnet is brought into the mixture' - It is not affected by a magnet. 2.2. Has a new substance formed' – Yes, a black solid forms. 2.3 What type of change is this' - Chemical [pic](c) d) [pic] Summary Questions a) Define a chemical Change- It is a change that produces a new chemical substance. 4 Annexure 3 (work sheet & memorandum for activity1A & 1B) Activity1.A: Classify the following changes as Chemical or Physical Changes, and provide a reason for your answer: |Change |Chemical or Physical |Expected answer (Reason) | |Mixing sugar and water |Physical |Even if sugar is dissolved in water, it’s still the same substance.| | | |No new substance is created. | |Making a peanut, pretzel and cereal mixture |Physical |Still peanuts, pretzels and cereal | |Baking soda reacts with vinegar and forms a gas |Chemical |Difficult to reverse, gas is formed | |A piece of metal is bent in half |Physical |Able to bend it back to its original form | |An aspirin is crushed into fine powder |Physical |Changing from solid into powder but still aspirin | |Copper turns green when exposed to the environment |Chemical |Color change, new substance is formed | |Two clear liquids are mixed and a yellow color forms|Chemical |Color change | | | | | |A tree burns to form ashes |Chemical |Can’t reverse this, new substance is formed (soot) | |Water freezes to form ice |Physical |Can reverse by melting | |Water evaporates into steam |Physical |Reverse by condensation, still water | Activity 1.B: Indicate if each statement is true or false. If false, correct the underlined portion of the statement so that it is true. 1. A chemical reaction a change of matter from one form to another with a change in chemical properties. True 2. A physical change is a change that occurs when a substance changes composition by forming one or more new substances. False-Chemical change 3. Color change is evidence that a chemical reaction may have occurred. TRUE 4. Fizzing or foaming is evidence that a chemical reaction may have occurred. TRUE 5. Production of light is evidence that a physical change may have occurred. False- chemical reaction 5 Annexure 4 (Home work & memorandum [pic] |Exercise 13-1. | | | |1 –Physical change. | |2- Chemical change. | |3- Chemical change. | |4- Physical change. | |5- Physical change. |