Heinemann Science Links 4 VELS Edition Investigationassessment

Heinemann Science Links 4 VELS Edition—InvestigationAssessment

Chapter 1—Chemical interactions

Introduction

Investigations are a range of tasks at the start of the chapter, suitable to assist with student learningand assessment. Students choose one of theseInvestigations and work on it throughout the chapter. They need to clearly state their goals and plan the steps needed to achieve their purpose.

Students can choose from a variety of reporting formats. Assistance with presentation formats is provided on thestudent CD, including electronic templates. Extensive ICT support is provided in the ICT Toolkit. Alternativelythe Mission Log included in the Skills Links section of thestudent CD provides a template for students planning, tracking and evaluating their investigation. The KWLH chart should also be used in the same manner.

The Mission Log includes sections on:

statement
goals
resources needed
research and/or data needed
action plan steps

audience
format of final presentation
self-evaluation
peer evaluation
teacher evaluation

Students should start the Investigation at the start of the chapter and complete sections as they gain the necessary skills and understandings as they work through the chapter.Where appropriate they should present their final report or presentation to their peers first and include appropriate changes beforemaking their final presentation.

In most cases theInvestigation, along with the KWLH chart, can be used as a major assessment item for the chapter but it is not anticipated that students will complete an investigation for all chapters. The work program included on an extensive outline of further assessment opportunities throughout the chapter. Information about assessment in general is also provided on this website.

Students should include copies of their Investigation Report and other documents, e.g. Mission Log or KWLH charts, in their portfolio. A suggested electronic portfolio template is provided on the student CD.

This unit provides opportunities for students to demonstrate achievement against the standards in:

Science
Interpersonal Development
Personal Learning
Communication
Design, Creativity and Technology (DCT)
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Thinking Processes
Civics and Citizenship

Safety and Risk Assessment

In carrying out practical investigations and designing their own experiments students need to

develop skills in the safe use of scientific apparatus
be made aware of safe practices
be encouraged to act responsibly
be made aware of the principles of green chemistry
be made aware of the correct use and disposal of chemicals
know and understand the school’s laboratory safety policy
develop ideas about the responsible use and disposal of materials using Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Identify risks and control measures to eliminate or minimise these risks

A Risk Assessment Sheet template is provided on the Student CD.

Victorian Essential Learning Standards—ScienceLearning Focus statements

The table below covers the Level 6Science Learning focus statements addressed by the Investigations in Chapter 1.

Learning Focus / Investigations
As students work towards the achievement of Level 6 standards in Science, they:

extend their concept of science as a way of knowing to include an understanding of how scientific theories and models drawn from traditional and emerging sciences are based on evidence that may initially be tentative and limited.

/ 1, 2, 3

understand that the features of science as a way of knowing lead to it being: empirical and non-empirical, creative and methodical, and speculative and logical.

/ 1, 2, 3

investigate sources of waste generated within the community and consider waste treatment and management options

/ 3

learn how wastes are generated in the processing of natural materials (for example, oil, water, brown coal and ores), and how the procedures used to manage these wastes contribute to environmental sustainability.

/ 3

investigate, create and produce a range of strategies and products that explore, encourage and communicate the responsible use and management of natural and processed resources.

/ 3

make links across related areas of science; for example, biotechnology (biology and chemistry); communication satellites (physics and astronomy); neuroscience (psychology, biology and chemistry); synchrotron science (biology, chemistry and physics); resource management and green chemistry (chemistry and earth and environmental science); and habitat renewal (earth and environmental sciences and biology).

/ 3

use Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) when appropriate.

/ 1, 2

using a variety of formats, prepare investigation reports learning to use symbols and diagrams extensively to illustrate procedures and data analysis, and support the conclusions drawn and presented.

/ 1, 2, 3

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Heinemann Science Links 4 VELS edition

Assessment

Information about assessment in general is provided in the Assessment Advice document on the work program, also included on the website, provides an extensive outline of assessment opportunities throughout the chapter. When assessing student achievement, assessment criteria can be developed from relevant VELS standards and associated tasks or activities.

Chapter outcomes

The table below provides a rubric for assessing the chapter outcomes addressed by the Investigations (as numbered) and includes suggested evidence of learning.

Relevant chapter outcomes and investigations / Not shown / Shown to some degree / Sufficient detail / Shown to a high degree or exceeds the expected level of detail
identify how ionic and molecular compounds are formed by transferringor sharing electrons
1, 2 / does not mention electrons / mentions ionic and molecular compounds but does not identify how they are formed / explains the difference between ionic and molecular compounds / explains the difference between ionic and molecular compounds by talking about the sharing or transferring of electrons
express chemical changes by balanced equations that show that thenumber of atoms of each element is conserved
1, 2 / does nor use balanced equations / uses equations but they are not correctly balanced / uses correctly balanced equations / uses correctly balanced equations to explain chemical reactions occurring between substances in their investigation
use symbols to represent the physical states of reactants and products
1, 2, 3 / does not use chemical symbols / uses chemical equations but does not include the symbols for physical states of reactants and products / includes the symbols for physical states in chemical equations / correctly balances equations and includes the correct symbols for the physical states of reactants and products
classify chemical reactions into types according to the changes thattake place as reactants are converted into products
1, 2 / does not classify chemical reactions / mentions the types of chemical reaction but does not correctly classify the reactions in their investigation / correctly classifies any chemical reactions / correctly classifies any chemical reactions; includes an explanation of the types of changes occurring as reactants are converted into products
describe chemical reactions according to energy changes that takeplace.
1, 2, 3 / does not mention energy changes / talks about energy changes but does not relate these to reactions in their investigation / describes chemical reactions occurring according to energy changes / includes a summary of the energy changes that can occur during chemical reactions; uses these descriptions to explain any chemical reactions occurring

Science—Science knowledge and understanding

The table below provides a rubric for assessing the Science knowledge and understanding standards addressed by the Investigations (as numbered) and includes suggested evidence of learning.

Key elements of the standards / 5.25 / 5.50 / 5.75 / Level 6
explain the behaviour and properties of materials interms of their constituent particles and the forces holding them together.
2 / mentions particles have bonds between them / lists the behaviour and properties of materials but does not relate these to particles and the bonds between them / explains the properties and behaviour of materials based on the forces between particles / explains the properties and behaviour of materials based on the forces between particles; includes a description of the constituent particles
use the periodic table to write electronicconfigurations for a range of elements representative of the major groupsand periods in the periodic table
1 / is aware of electronic configurations but does not create any / writes electronic configurations but these are incorrect or incomplete / writes correct electronic configurations for chemicals / writes correct electronic configurations for chemicals and relates these to the placement of constituent elements in the periodic table
use atomic symbols and balancedchemical equations to summarise chemical reactions, including neutralisation,precipitation and combustion
1, 2, 3 / is aware of atomic symbols but does not use any / uses atomic symbols and chemical equations but these are not balanced / correctly uses atomic symbols and balanced equations / correctly uses atomic symbols and balanced equations for a range of processes
identify and classify the sources of wastesgenerated, and describe their management, within the community and inindustry
1, 2, 3 / is aware of some sources of waste does not identify any / identifies source of waste but does not suggest any management strategy / identifies sources of waste and suggests methods for management of these / classifies the types of waste and their management; identifies sources of waste in their investigation and suggests methods for management of these
use a specific example to explain the sustainable managementof a resource
1, 2, 3 / is aware of the concept of sustainability but does not write about it / mentions sustainability but does not assess this for their investigation / assesses the sustainability of any materials and/or methods in their investigation / explains the concept of sustainability; assesses the sustainability of any materials and/or methods in their investigation

Science—Scienceat work

The table below provides a rubric for assessing the Science at work standards addressed by the Investigations (as numbered) and includes suggested evidence of learning.

Key elements of the standards / 5.25 / 5.50 / 5.75 / Level 6
use the relevant science concepts andrelationships as one dimension of debating contentious and/or ethically basedscience-related issues of broad community concern.
1, 2, 3 / is aware of the scientific basis of safety and/or waste management but does not explore it / identifies safety and/or waste management as science-related concepts but not discuss or attempt to explain these / includes discussion and explanation of safety issues and waste management based on the underling scientific concepts / debates safety issues and waste management based on the underling scientific concepts
demonstrate anawareness of the ways in which scientific vocabulary is used incorrectly in themass media, distinguishing between the intended meaning of such termsand their meaning in non-scientific contexts
1, 2, 3 / is aware of the importance of scientific vocabulary but does not use it / identifies incorrect use of scientific vocabulary but does not offer solutions / identifies the incorrect use of scientific vocabulary in the promotion of materials in their investigation / identifies the incorrect use of scientific vocabulary in the promotion of materials in their investigation; includes a glossary of correct terms and their usage
provide two examples ofthe work of scientists that demonstrate different approaches to developingscientific knowledge or solving a scientific problem.
1, 2, 3 / understand the important work of scientists but does not provide examples / mentions scientists that work with the materials in their investigation but does not describe their work / provides examples of ways in which scientists try to improve safety and/or reduce waste and pollution for materials in their investigation / identifies any safety, waste or pollution problems associated any materials in their investigation; includes examples of scientists working to solve these problems
formulate their own hypotheses and plan and conduct investigationsin order to prove or disprove them.
1, 2, 3 / understands the purpose of the investigation but does not state a clear aim / states aim but investigation poorly planned and/or conducted / investigation has clear aim and is well planned and conducted; includes conclusion related to aim / investigation has clear aim and is well planned and conducted; includes conclusion and evaluation related to aim
construct working models and visualaids that demonstrate scientific ideas.
1, 2, 3 / understands the importance of modelsand visual aids but does not include any / includes irrelevant model and/or visual aids / model and/or visual aids included within investigation / model and/or visual aids included as explanation of scientific ideas within investigation
use Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) andrisk assessment to evaluate the safety of their investigations.
1, 2 / understands the need for safety but does not include risk assessment or refer to MSDS / risk assessment does not include reference to MSDS / materials under investigation include risk assessment and safety evaluation, based on reference to MSDS / materials under investigation include risk assessment and safety evaluation; copies of relevant MSDS included

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Heinemann Science Links 4 VELS edition

Victorian Essential Learning Standards—other Strands

The Investigations can be used to assess a range of Progression Points and Level 6 Learning standards across a broad range of domains and dimensions. These are summarised in the table below.

Strand / Domains / Dimensions / 5.25 / 5.50 / 5.75 / 6
Interdisciplinary Learning / Communication / Listening, viewing and responding / 2,3 / 1
Presenting / 1,2,3
Design, Creativity and Technology
(DCT) / Investigating and designing / 1,2,3
Producing / 1.2.3
Analysing and evaluating / 1,2 / 3
Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) / ICT for visualising thinking / 1,2,3
ICT for creating / 1,2,3
ICT for communicating / 1,2,3
Thinking Processes / Reasoning, processing and inquiry / 1,2,3
Creativity / 1,2,3
Reflection, evaluation and metacognition / 1,2,3
Physical, Personal and Social Learning / Interpersonal development / Working in teams / 1,2,3
Personal Learning / The individual learner / 1,2,3
Managing personal learning / 1,2,3
Civics and citizenship / Community engagement. / 1,2 / 3

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Heinemann Science Links 4 VELS edition