H. Miller

PLC-METS

Lesson Plan Rubric

20 Oct 2008

Rubric for Lesson Plan Design of Inquiry Activities

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Desired Results
Learning Objectives / Learning objectives are defined prior to the inquiry activity and are based on education standards,constructing knowledge, knowledge refinement, enduring understanding, &/or skill development / Learning objectives are defined prior to the inquiry activity, but do not align with the inquiry lesson appropriately or are not connected to the education standards / Learning objectives are not defined.
Assessment
Assessment –
Formative &/or summative, assessment of knowledge understanding, content or skill proficiency / Teacher uses 2 or more types of assessment to observe skills/student understanding. Assessment is aligned with learning objectives / Teacher uses only one type of assessment to observe skills/student understanding. Assessment is not aligned with all of the learning objectives / Assessment is not used during the inquiry lesson
Rubric / Rubric is used to judge the quality of student answer/performance & is provided to students prior to inquiry activity / Rubric was used for student assessment but was not provided prior to the inquiry activity / Rubric was not used for student assessment
Lesson Planning
Introduction to major concepts/immersion experience – short investigation, staging event, benchmark lesson, discrepant event, attention grabber / Inquiry activity uses an immersion experience or motivating event that introduces the student to the major concepts & area being investigated / Inquiry activity uses an immersion experience or motivating event but does not connect well to the major concepts &/or area of investigation / Inquiry activity uses does not use an immersion experience or motivating event. There is no connection of the activity to the major concepts being investigated.
Scientific Inquiry Tasks / Focus on one of the following key features of scientific inquiry
Generation of identifying questions & concepts that guide scientific investigation / Inquiry activity allows students to generate their own researchable questions within the confines of the system / Allows students to choose among questions generated by the teacher / Research question(s) provided to students
Design & conduct scientific investigations / Inquiry activity allows students to develop & conduct their own scientific investigations as dictated by the type of simulated research activity used / Students conduct scientific research designed by both the teacher and the students / Teacher designs the scientific investigations for the students to complete
Simulated Research Activities – data set analysis, hands-on activity, evidence evaluation, simulation, verbal design / Inquiry activity is based on one of the 5 Simulated Research Activities / Inquiry activity is not based on one of the 5 Simulated Research Activities
Confirming hypotheses/answers / Students arrive at least two alternative explanations after review of their investigation / Students revise answers found during investigation / Students do not revise or review answers found during investigation
Recognize & analyze alternative explanations & models / Students use scientific criteria to examine other evidence/models & determine which are best, including evaluating their own work / Students use scientific criteria to examine other evidence/models, or their own work, but not both, to determine which is best / Students do not have the opportunity to examine additional evidence/models, nor their own work
Communicate/defend scientific argument – opportunity for students to show what they have learned through discussions, predictions, presentations, or written assignments / Students are required to complete a consequential task to apply what they have learned by communicating & defending their findings to their peers / Teacher & students have discussion about new knowledge but do not have the opportunity to defend their findings to their peers / Lesson does not allow for student’s new knowledge to be shown through communication & defending their findings
Use of Technology / Skip this section if no technology is used during inquiry. Technology should be included during at least one activity this school year
Use information from a variety of sources – students locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize information / Inquiry activity requires students to locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize information from a variety of sources / Inquiry activity allows students limited information from sources, but allows them to organize, analyze, evaluate, &/or synthesize the information / Inquiry activity provides the information to the students from one source,
Use appropriate IT tools for the specific task / Inquiry activity requires students to choose the appropriate technology for their scientific investigation / Inquiry activity provides a choice of technology for the students to use for their scientific investigation / Inquiry activity provides the technology required to complete the scientific investigation
Process data & report results / Students use IT to process, analyze, and display their data from their investigation / Students use IT to only complete one of the following: process, analyze, display data / Students do not use IT to process, analyze, or display their data

References:

Chinn, C.A. & Malhotra, B.A. (2002). Epistemologically authentic inquiry in schools: a theoretical framework for evaluating inquiry tasks. Science Education 86:175-218.

Etheredge, S. and Rudnitsky, A. (2003). Guidelines for Developing Inquiry Units. Allyn and Bacon (Eds.) Introducing Students to Scientific Inquiry: How do we know what we know. (27-50). Boston, MA.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

6 Key Features of Scientific Inquiry, From pp 175-176 of the National Science Education Standards; see