comp day

My results are in! There are so many different ways that you could evaluate this little study. I suppose the quickest easiest way to do it is to look at a class average. This would seem to work well enough if it weren’t for the makeup of my classes.

The difference in class averages for all six periods was only 7 points. One of my non-posted objectives groups average was -3 points from group average. The other without objectives was -2. Classes with objectives were at +4, +2, -2, and +0 from the total average of all classes.

My lowest grade average does come from a class with the largest number of kids with a special ed and inclusion label. They did not have the advantage(?) of written TEKS objectives. My highest group average has a very high number of “accelerated” kids. They did have posted TEKS objectives. Does the makeup of the class have any bearing on the average, or is the posting of objectives?

My other class without posted objectives did score higher than a class with posted objectives.

I think that for the next six weeks I’ll not post the objective in what was my highest and will post in what was my lowest average and see what the results are for the next six weeks. The other four classes I will continue doing what I have been doing.

I think I need more data.

I am going to try and review a couple of labs/activities/methods of covering objectives each six weeks.

Here’s my results from the first six weeks:

TEK objectives 7AB

physical and chemical changes/properties, observations, inferences

IS: Clever Kitchen Chemist

C-Scope: “Mystery” powders

PH: Sharpen your skills pg 31
and Try This pg 26

The IS and C-Scope had very similar labs involving observations and inferences made from physical and chemical changes. The major difference (and it isn’t really a major one) being in the lab sheets with grids for the different powders. The IS had larger boxes in which the kids would place the different powders in to complete the lab.

The Prentice Hall book involved a combination of two labs to do the same thing. One of which was a small part of the labs from the other groups. The second part was designed to demonstrate chemical changes. I was going to use that as a demonstration, but the results were difficult to see/read for me so I didn’t use it in class.

I will give the slight edge to IS here if for nothing else the “user friendliness” of the IS paperwork.

TEK objectives 6 A,B

Motion/forces

IS: Show of Force

C-Scope: Walking Lab

PH: Inclined to Roll

IS: kids build a race car from a meat tray, a balloon, and a straw. They race the cars and record distance, time, calculate speed, and graph results

C-Scope: kids walk on a track at different speeds and are timed. They then calculate speed and graph results.

PH: an inclined plane is created and kids roll a skateboard down the plane while recording time and measuring distance. They then calculate speed and graph results.

If you are pressed for time C-Scope gets it covered pretty quickly. If you have a day or two extra to spare the show of force is much more enjoyable to all and allows for some design discussion by the teams and then a re-visit to the cars and discussion of pros and cons of different designs. PH; I have never tried and probably never will try.