Colton Hope, ECUR 325.

3,
Assessment Piece
Dr. Jay Wilson, Monday February 6th, 2017
Justification and Reflection:
For my assessment creation, I chose to develop an assessment OF learning

model that emulated the most important aspects of the science classroom. The

above laboratory inquiry outline was designed to; first engage students prior

knowledge in the Things to Know section, followed by an application of their

understanding of laboratory safety practises and instructional coherence in the

experimental Observations section completed whilst executing the five reactions,

before testing their knowledge of chemical computations in the Reactions and

Calculations section, and finally pushing for a deeper understanding of the

chemical processes in Things to Consider. During their Foundations of

Chemistry unit in Physical Science 20, students will be exposed most importantly

to the WHIMIS safety system that they must adhere to while practising their skills in

a laboratory environment. That being said two of these five stages were specifically

designated as demonstrated by myself (Stages 1 and 5) due to the dangerous

nature of the chemicals and apparatus involved. This is done to give students a

look at all five types of reactions while at the same time developing their

understanding that chemical reactions can be very vigorous and must be handled

with care to adequately ensure their own safety in the lab.

Regarding the grading outcomes that we were to achieve for the Assessment

Piece assignment the following is where I think I achieved. Outcome 1; planning of

lessons and assessment based on the provincial curriculum (4). I believe my

assessment piece integrated indicators from each of the three outcomes in the

Foundations of Chemistry unit that showing student knowledge and

comprehension. I could improve in responding to formative assessment of students

as at this point I have not constructed additional means of assessment FOR

learning though I do implore the use of scientific journaling in my unit plan.

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 Colton Hope, ECUR 325.3,
Assessment Piece
Dr. Jay Wilson, Monday February 6th, 2017
Outcome 6; creation of summative assessment (4). I feel I did very well in the

construction of this inquiry piece as a means of summative assessment used to

evaluate student understanding and piece together all concepts of the unit into a

single, detailed, and easily followed instructional booklet. This was done without the

need for students to develop their own materials (i.e. doing a formal lab write=up). I

will have the chance to improve here by including future students in the discussion

of possibly which experiments we would like to complete in a similar inquiry activity

to best keep their interest and appropriately differentiate to students understanding

if comprehension of a specific reaction type is limited. Outcome 14; understanding

of how to plan for differentiation and adaptation (5). My planned instruction for this

activity takes place using flexible grouping, an adaptation that allows for the

inclusion of students that may naturally struggle in the science classroom with

higher achieving peers for the betterment of their own learning. In my unit plan I

allow for multiple days to complete this inquiry activity so students dont feel

rushed, and use multiple means by which they can communicate their scientific

literacy understanding (i.e. calculation, full sentence, single word, and point form

answers). Outcome 15; create engaging learning activities and tasks (4). Students

will engage as groups during this activity, while the creation of student interest falls

to the application of their classroom knowledge if a different and new setting. Some

students perceive physical science to be nothing but math or something that comes

straight from a textbook. By giving students a chance to work hands on with the

chemicals and various types of reactions showing actual physical change I am

hoping to elicit the want for deeper understanding. Outcome 16; the planned

activities would improve the discipline specific literacy skills of my students (5).

Several literacies are broached through the completion of this inquiry activity

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 Colton Hope, ECUR 325.3,
Assessment Piece
Dr. Jay Wilson, Monday February 6th, 2017
including; physical (working in a lab), mathematical (calculations), written,

cognitive, and oral/communicative (working as a group). These all relate back to the

process of self-assessment by the students in their journaling. Their chance to

improve on these literacies is given at the end of the Foundations of Chemistry

unit with the culminating unit test and furthered inquiry in Chemistry 30. Outcome

18; the final task in my unit elicits evidence of application in a new situation (5). By

incorporating the students into a lab based activity containing multiple forms of

chemical reactivity, I am giving them their first chance to work in a new

environment. What they have learned in the classroom will be practically translated

into the methods of inquiry work relevant to their success in the completion of all

five stages. If student later peruse university/college, this is the type of work they

will encounter in post-secondary STEM lab settings.

In order for the students to complete this assessment, they will have to draw

on several lessons from the unit including; the review lesson (2), five types of

chemical reactions and how to balance their equations (6), units, conversions, and

calculations (8), limiting reagent and theoretical/percent yield calculations (10),

concentration, dilution, and solubility (11), and WHIMIS, MSDS, and lab safety (12).

The review lesson begins with students working with the periodic table, reviewing

IUPAC naming, and basic principles of chemical formula writing needed for all

sections of this assessment. The five types of reactions lesson, introduces students

to the physical and chemical characteristics of each of the five reactions and how to

properly represent each as a written formula. Lessons eight, ten, and eleven all

have relevancy in the Reactions and Calculations section of this assessment.

Without knowledge from these lessons students may be unable to complete the

necessary mathematical computations. The twelfth lesson introduces students to

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 Colton Hope, ECUR 325.3,
Assessment Piece
Dr. Jay Wilson, Monday February 6th, 2017
how they are expected to act and react in a lab environment while providing them

with all the safety information they need for the completion of the stages.
As for the outcomes that identify with my professional learning and growth,

the following is how I perceive myself as having preformed. Outcome 7; I set and

use goals for enhancing my professional development (4). My goal in completing

this assignment was to create an effective assessment OF learning that could be

easily relayed to students for their understanding and practical application. I feel I

accomplished this and throughout the course of the unit will receive feedback on

the processes of the inquiry by how quickly and safely the assessment was

executed as well as through student reflection by journaling. Outcome 8; my

portfolio reflects growth in my planning (3). At this point in the early stages of my

portfolio building I have some evidence of planning in all relevant categories and my

insight and understanding of the processes of planning are depicted in detail. Some

further organization and supplementing of entries with resources is required. My

professionalism is evident in my in-class activities for ECUR 325 (4). I am constantly

coming on-time, and actively contributing to class discussion both in our larger

lecture segment as well as in the small group seminars. I have used our time to

actively work on the creation f not only this assessment piece but also all other

relevant assignments with both my lesson and unit plans being near completed at

this time.