4. Life Cycle Formative Assessment

(Modified from “Uncovering Student Ideas in Science: Another 25 Formative Assessment Probes” Keeley, Eberle and Dorsey)

Lesson at a glance: Students will identify their prior knowledge and understanding of life cycles.

Goal: The teacher will better understand his/her students’ prior knowledge about life cycles.

Oregon Content Standards:

Science

• 3.2 Interactions and Change: Living and non-living things interact with energy and forces.
  • 3.2L.1 Compare and contrast the life cycles of plants and animals.

Ocean Literacy: Essential Principals and Fundamental Concepts

• 5. The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.
  • 5.d. Ocean biology provides many unique examples of life cycles, adaptations and important relationships among organisms (symbiosis, predator-prey dynamics and energy transfer) that do not occur on land.

Materials:

• Formative Assessment Prompt
• Popsicle sticks with students names on them
• Bucket/bin/baskets with prompt choices written on it

Time: 20 minutes

Activity:

1. Give each student a formative assessment prompt.

2. Have the students complete the prompt and write their explanations for their thinking

3. Have students place their Popsicle stick in one of three containers: all of the organisms have a life cycle; some of the organisms have a life cycle; none of the organisms have a life cycle.

4. Have the students gather in groups based on their responses.

5. Have them discuss their thinking and report out to the rest of the class.

Conclusions:

All of the organisms go through a life cycle. Life cycles typically includes fertilization, growth/development through death of the adult. Stages of the life cycle vary among different organisms. Studying the life cycle of an organism assists students’ understanding of the continuity of life.

Formative Assessment Prompt

Does it Have a Life Cycle?

How do you decide if an organism goes through a life cycle? Put an X next to the organisms that have a life cycle.

Explain your thinking. Describe the rule or reason you used to decide if an organism has a life cycle.