Science Quiz

I try to conduct informal assessments with my students as often as I can. Usually I do this through discussion, questions and answers, and reflections. I gave my first formal assessment on my science unit in the form of a quiz. A number of days had passed (due to cultural week) since we actually touched on our science unit so I gave my students a review of Weathering and Erosion before the actual quiz. I went over all the questions on the quiz (7 questions total), without actually letting the students know that they were the quiz questions.

Many times after I have gone over some material, I would ask the students, "Does anybody have any questions? Does everybody understand the material?" Hardly anybody will say anything so I just assume (I know you're never supposed to assume!) that they understand. But it's amazing that when I announce, "We're having a quiz!" students start asking questions. This in itself helps me to assess which students are still having problems with the material.

I did ask the students if they were ready for the quiz, but many of them said they weren't. In fact many of them were afraid they would fail. I, however, felt that they were more than ready. I was proven right - 16 out of 19 students got 100%! The other three only missed one or two questions. I had the students correct their own tests and I really felt that they had mastered the concepts. Needless to say, it was a very good day for me! Here are a few samples of the quiz I gave my students. Click on the images for a closer look.