Assessment Strategies

Here are a number of strategies and activities you might use to help uncover student misconceptions, the level of student learning and areas students might need further instruction. Note: Down and Dirty Science episodes “Gas from Biomass: from Poop to Power” and “Cooking with Compost” complement each other: One deals with anaerobic digestions of manure and the other deals with aerobic digestion of manure. It is recommended that students view both episodes. The pre- and post-assessment strategies suggested below are to be used after students view both episodes: “Gas from Biomass” and “Cooking with Compost”.

Pre-Assessment

Pre-Assessment and Embedded Assessment Activity

Give One, Get One Instructions

Give One, Get One is a strategy to help students look for details.  The tables are passed out to the students before the video is shown.  As the students watch the video, they need to fill in three boxes with information from the video.  At the conclusion of the video, the students get up from their seats and fill in the remaining boxes with information that has not yet been recorded on the table.  Each classmate may add only one fact to another classmate’s table, but may add facts to as many tables as they wish.  At the conclusion of the activity, the students should have a good collection of the facts found in the video.

Give One, Get One Worksheet

This pre-assessment and post-assessment strategy is used after students have viewed Down and Dirty Science episodes “Gas from Biomass: From Poop to Power” and “Cooking with Compost”.
Students use the Give One, Get One tables they completed for both Down and Dirty Science episodes and complete a Compare & Contrast Chart. Below there is a link to the Venn Diagram Chart students can use for this assessment.

Venn Diagram Chart

Post- Assessment:

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Three Truths and a Lie
Teachers are encouraged to add more questions to this post-assessment strategy. Three Truths and a Lie is an adaptation of the typical multiple-choice questions, which ask the student ‘which answer is NOT correct’.

  1. Which of the following statements is a LIE?
    1. Sunlight is the energy source that plants use to produce carbohydrates.
    2. A plant can store energy in the form of chemical energy.
    3. Burning a plant releases light energy and thermal energy.
    4. Photosynthesis releases the light energy from a plant.
  2. Which o the following statements is a LIE?
    1. A compost pile produces high amounts of methane.
    2. A compost pile needs a source of carbohydrates, such as sawdust.
    3. A hot compost pile needs a source of nitrogen, such as manure.
    4. A compost pile needs a supply of water.
  3. Which of the following statements is a LIE?
    1. A compost pile can be used to cook food.
    2. The high temperatures in a compost pile will kill the bacteria in the pile.
    3. Too much water in a compost pile will slow down composition.
    4. A compost pile needs a source of oxygen.

ANSWERS: 1D, 2A, 3B

Origami Answer Sheet for Students