Evaluation / Lesson Plan Review
(This plan will cover 5 days of teaching,
including a test.)
Standard 4.6
| Objectives | Comments |
1. The student will investigate
and understand how weather conditions and phenomena occur and can be predicted.
Key concepts include 2. I will focus on weather conditions and a more technical understanding of the tools and methods used to forecast future atmospheric conditions. It is intended that students will learn about science investigation, reasoning, and logic skills (4.1) in the context of the key concepts presented in this standard. |
The first objective is not acceptable because it is a copy of the SOL and is not specific enough to guide the lesson. The curriculum framework under this SOL give specific knowledge, etc. in the form of bullets that can serve as specific daily objectives to guid the lesson. The second objective is unacceptable because it describes what the teacher will do, not the students. It only infers what students will do. Look in the curriculum framework for this SOL and use the bulleted statements in the essential knowledge for the objectives. |
| Strategies | Comments |
Day 1. Watch live telecast
of the Weather Channel—20 minutes, followed by my explanation of
what was seen. Homework- Watch weather report on 6 o’clock news
Channel 17, and then read chapter on weather. Day 3. Field trip to Channel 17. Day 4. Class discussion of field trip. |
This strategy, while it looks like it would be fun and interesting, does not have the students doing any investigating as the SOL and the essential knowledge, skills and process require. It is a classic example of how a misaligned lesson can go astray, and demonstrates how important it is to check lesson plan objectives against the VADOE curriculum frameworks. In this case students should be very active as they do the scientific investigations called for in the essential knowledge, skill, and process statements.use a thermometer to compare air temperatures over a period of time. |
| Assessments | Comments |
Day 5. Textbook test for Chapter on Weather.
|
Chances are that the textbook was not written for the VASOL in science. Even if the test in the text is valid for the text content, which is unlikely since most textbook tests are not valid, the fact that the text was not written for VASOL almost guarantees the text test will not measure the SOL. A good, valid test has items where the students are required to do what the objectives that flow from the SOL state the student will be able to do. |
| Extra Credit - | Comments |
Collage on pictures of weather.
|
Be careful with extra credit. First of all extra credit may allow a student to get points which raises a grade which implies he or she met a standard, when in fact the student did not. Also, does the extra credit relate directly to the SOL? Chances are that the grade in this case will be based on collage constructing and not the science called for in the SOL. |