Investigating eggs in stories and science
Assessment task 1: Information report on an egg-laying animal
The students research the animal of their choice in their teams (the same animal about which they constructed the life cycle) and write an information report on this animal. Allow enough time for them to research from one or two sources. The emphasis will be on organising the information into the relevant paragraph and using appropriate technical language rather than extensive and comprehensive knowledge about the animal.
The students have spent time building the field of knowledge about their animal and learning about the structure and language features of an information report. You will have guided them through jointly constructing an assessment rubric, of which they should have a copy. They can use the rubric to check their progress and to edit their reports.
A rubric is a tool for assessing criteria at varying levels of achievement for a specific task. Rubrics allow students to become aware of the learning outcomes and specific assessment criteria for the task. They also allow students to edit their own work more effectively and takes the guesswork out of how successful they were (or were not) in achieving the task.
Two sample rubrics for writing an information report are shown below, but it is a valuable activity to jointly construct the rubric with your students. The second rubric could be used for teacher marking, but it is important that it reflects the content of the student rubric.
Sample assessment rubric for students
| In my information report I ... | Yes | No |
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wrote a title |
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wrote what group my animal belonged to |
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included information under at least three headings |
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wrote in complete sentences |
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used scientific language |
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Sample assessment rubric for teachers
| Name | Working towards | Satisfactory | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
Wrote a title |
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Included a classification |
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Organised information logically under headings |
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Wrote in complete sentences |
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Used appropriate scientific and/or technical language to name and describe the animal, its features and behaviour |
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