After diving into the new guide for MYP Science I was a bit dismayed to find that criteria A MUST be assessed on tests and exams. I had high hopes for being able to design some great projects where students would i. explain their knowledge; ii. use that knowledge to solve a problem; and iii. evaluate their own and others products based upon evidence and observations. It was going to be awesome, at least in my mind.
Now, I'm disappointed to find that there is no place for product creation of any kind, unless we are going to subject them to rigorous testing with variables. Gone are the window farms to show your knowledge of plant life cycle and nutrient requirements. Gone are the arduino circuits with schematics to show your knowledge of circuits and resistance. Gone are the musical instruments to show your knowledge of waves, pitch, and frequency. Back are the tests.
After my initial disappointment, I have bounced back with the best solution I can come up with. The product creation stays, but it will be formative and a learning experience. The product can be the familiar situation and set context for many test questions. Students can explain their own product on the test while under test conditions. I think I can salvage it!
After my initial desperate trawling around the OCC trying to find a loophole in the forums, I stumbled upon the new criteria A examples in the Teacher Support Material section. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the layout of the test provided. I loved how it broke the test into three sections to match each of the strands. I really loved how the questions started at the lowest band descriptors and built up. Having two separate questions that gave a band range was great for making best fit judgements.
So I decided to make blank templates to jump start my test writing next year. I hate tests in MYP 1-2, but I have to give them now, so I might as well make sure they are appropriate to the objectives. I have created three separate templates that are matched to the interim objectives and rubrics set out in the guide. The MYP 4-5 template range of questions are great! The MYP 1 bands are a bit hard to distinguish so the template isn't as amazing of a tool. I honestly don't know how recall is different than state, especially when select is below recall. How can a student show that they have recalled something without stating what was recalled?!?!?! Guess that's another blog post waiting to happen.
If you'd like to download the templates please head to the Science Resource Page
Now, I'm disappointed to find that there is no place for product creation of any kind, unless we are going to subject them to rigorous testing with variables. Gone are the window farms to show your knowledge of plant life cycle and nutrient requirements. Gone are the arduino circuits with schematics to show your knowledge of circuits and resistance. Gone are the musical instruments to show your knowledge of waves, pitch, and frequency. Back are the tests.
After my initial disappointment, I have bounced back with the best solution I can come up with. The product creation stays, but it will be formative and a learning experience. The product can be the familiar situation and set context for many test questions. Students can explain their own product on the test while under test conditions. I think I can salvage it!
After my initial desperate trawling around the OCC trying to find a loophole in the forums, I stumbled upon the new criteria A examples in the Teacher Support Material section. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the layout of the test provided. I loved how it broke the test into three sections to match each of the strands. I really loved how the questions started at the lowest band descriptors and built up. Having two separate questions that gave a band range was great for making best fit judgements.
So I decided to make blank templates to jump start my test writing next year. I hate tests in MYP 1-2, but I have to give them now, so I might as well make sure they are appropriate to the objectives. I have created three separate templates that are matched to the interim objectives and rubrics set out in the guide. The MYP 4-5 template range of questions are great! The MYP 1 bands are a bit hard to distinguish so the template isn't as amazing of a tool. I honestly don't know how recall is different than state, especially when select is below recall. How can a student show that they have recalled something without stating what was recalled?!?!?! Guess that's another blog post waiting to happen.
If you'd like to download the templates please head to the Science Resource Page
So I decided to make blank templates to jump start my test writing next year. I hate tests in MYP 1-2, but I have to give them now, so I might as well make sure they are appropriate to the objectives. I have created three separate templates that are matched to the interim objectives and rubrics set out in the guide. The MYP 4-5 template range of questions are great! The MYP 1 bands are a bit hard to distinguish so the template isn't as amazing of a tool. I honestly don't know how recall is different than state, especially when select is below recall. How can a student show that they have recalled something without stating what was recalled?!?!?! Guess that's another blog post waiting to happen.
If you'd like to download the templates please head to the Science Resource Page and grab the .zip file that has both PAGES and DOCX files. Please share back any tests you create, as I'd love to build up a resource bank!
If you'd like to download the templates please head to the Science Resource Page and grab the .zip file that has both PAGES and DOCX files. Please share back any tests you create, as I'd love to build up a resource bank!