Introduction

This collection of tasks provides schools with an optional resource which may be used to support teacher assessment for pupils at key stage 3 who are working towards level 1 or at levels 1 and 2. Schools may wish to use the tasks as part of internal standardisation or moderation arrangements for teacher assessment.

The tasks

This collection of tasks consists of 12 tasks. These relate to the programme of study for key stage 1, 2 and 3.

The 12 tasks relate to the following aspects of the programmes of study for key stages 1, 2 and 3.

Making special arrangements for the tasks

Any appropriate special arrangements which are used as part of normal teacher assessment may be made for the optional tasks.

Resources

A number of real materials are required to support each assessment task. These materials are indicated below and should be relatively easy to obtain. Real materials help orientate pupil’s thinking to the area of assessment. There are resource sheets with some of the tasks. These are clearly signalled in the introduction. Where resource sheets are used the teacher will need to photocopy these and cut out the pictures before beginning the assessment.

In addition to the pupil sheets and photograph sheets, the following are required for each activity:

Using the tasks to support teacher assessment

It should be possible to cover a task in one session but it may be more appropriate, to spread each task over a number of separate occasions.

The tasks are designed to be carried out on a one-to-one basis or with small groups of pupils. Ideally, groups should consist of no more than four pupils.

The activities which make up a task are designed to support teacher assessment. The performance criteria for each activity will help to indicate which level description best fits a pupil's performance. When each task is completed, achievement can be reviewed in terms of performance criteria and recorded on the individual pupil record sheets provided with each task.

It is not necessary for pupils to complete each of the tasks within this collection of tasks. Judgements can be made on the basis of achievement on one task or a number of tasks depending on the amount and kind of information collected.

Using the tasks

For each task, the left-hand column on each page is headed What to do; this gives a step-by-step guide to each activity, with reference to any related Pupil Sheet. The essential instructions are printed in bold. The notes in the right-hand column provide additional guidance for teachers.

The Resources section in each activity lists the resources required for each pupil, or group of pupils, and for the teacher.

The section headed What to look for at the end of each activity provides guidance on anticipated responses to the questions.

Recording pupils' responses

The Pupil Sheets are provided for those pupils able to record their own responses. These might also be used by the teachers to record the ideas of individual pupils. In some instances opportunities for pupils to respond orally are made explicit in the 'What to do' and 'What to say' columns. Teachers should decide when oral responses are most appropriate.

Task 1: Animals

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Resource Sheet with drawings of four stages in the life cycle of a frog; these four drawings should be cut out
• Photograph Sheets 1, 2 and 3

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Task 2: Plants

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1, 2 and 3
• Photograph Sheets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
• Additional real materials:
• A limited number of relatively easily available real materials may be used to support this assessment task. Real materials help orientate pupils' thinking to the area of assessment. The use of the following real materials is optional: shears or spade with non-rusting blade, clay plant pot, plastic watering can, access to a window.

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Task 3: Tools

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Photograph Sheet 1
• Additional real materials:
• A limited number of relatively easily available real materials may be used to support this assessment task. Real materials help orientate pupils' thinking to the area of assessment. The use of the following real materials is optional: wooden lolly stick, plastic straw, metal key, rubber band.

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Task 4: Wheelbarrow

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheet 1
• Photograph Sheet 1

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Task 5: Investigating soil

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1 and 2
• Additional real materials:
• A limited number of relatively easily available real materials may be used to support this assessment task. Real materials help orientate pupils' thinking to the area of assessment. The use of the following real materials is optional: four funnels, four beakers, four samples of soil, water.

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Task 6: Seeds and fruit

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
• Photograph Sheet 1
• Additional real materials:
• A limited number of relatively easily available real materials may be used to support this assessment task. Real materials help orientate pupils' thinking to the area of assessment. The use of the following real materials is optional: seeds from different kinds of trees, for example, the horse chestnut, sycamore, oak, fir.

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Task 7: Threads

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1, 2 and 3
• Additional real materials:
• A limited number of relatively easily available real materials may be used to support this assessment task. Real materials help orientate pupils' thinking to the area of assessment. The use of the following real materials is optional: forcemeter, four different kinds of threads of different thicknesses.

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Task 8: Materials

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1 and 2
• Additional real materials:
• A limited number of relatively easily available real materials may be used to support this assessment task. Real materials help orientate pupils' thinking to the area of assessment. The use of the following real materials is optional: familiar objects made from wood and metal, eg. coins, paperclips, ruler, table, chairs.

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Task 9: People moving

Resources

• Teacher's guide
• Pupil Sheets 1, 2 and 3

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Task 10: Ice and water

Resources

For the teacher:

• Teacher’s guide (including pupil sheets)
• Ice cube
• Crushed ice
• Beaker of water
• Test tube
• Thermometer
• N.B. If pupils are not required to write an answer on a Pupil Sheet, either question each child individually to elicit an answer or, alternatively, ask each child to write their answer on a piece of paper and then look at what they have written.

For each child:

• Ice cube
• Crushed ice
• Beaker of water
• Test tube
• Thermometer
• Pupil Sheets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (required).

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Task 11: Moving things

Resources

For the teacher:

• Teacher’s guide (including pupil and resource sheets)
• Ramp
• Objects which do/do not roll down ramp eg Coin Pebble Ball Marble Key Eraser
• N.B. Before administering the task, cut out the set of pictures from Resource Sheets 1 and 2.
  If pupils are not required to write an answer on a Pupil Sheet, either question each child individually, or elicit an answer, or alternatively ask each child to write their answer on a piece of paper and then look at what they have written.

For each child:

• Resource Sheet 1 (optional, if pupils are handling real objects they will not require Resource sheet 1)
• Resource Sheet 2 (required)
• Pupil Sheet 1 (required)
• Ramp
• Objects which do / do not roll down ramp eg Coin Pebble Ball Marble Key Eraser

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Task 12: Animals 2

Resources

For the teacher:

• Teacher’s guide (including pupil and resource sheets).
• N.B. If pupils are not required to write an answer on a Pupil Sheet, either question each child individually to elicit an answer or alternatively, ask each child to write their answer on a piece of paper and then look at what they have written.
• N.B. Before administering the task, cut out the set of pictures from Resource Sheet 1.

For each child:

• Resource Sheet 1 (optional)
• Pupil Sheets 1 and 2 (required)
• Scissors

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Task 13: Branches

Assessing scientific enquiry

The task assess pupil’s understanding of the following areas of scientific enquiry:

• describing events or objects they observe
• sorting and ordering instances or events
• planning and carrying out an investigation
• recording and presenting results
• considering whether or not findings were in line with what was expected.

Information about pupil’s understanding of these areas provides a basis for helping pupils understand the different ways in which scientific evidence might be gathered, the way variables might be handled in an investigation and how results can be used to provide evidence to support or challenge ideas.

Groupings

Pupils might be assessed individually or in small groups. It is recommended that groups of no more than four pupils be assessed at any one time.

Judging pupils’ performance

The ‘What to look for’ column provides an indication of the criterion that should be used to assess a pupil’s achievement. When each task is completed achievement can be reviewed in terms of performance criteria and recorded. It is not necessary for pupils to complete both tasks in this package of tasks. Judgements can be made on the basis of one task or on both tasks depending on the amount and kind of information collected.

Resources

For the teacher:

• Teacher’s guide (including pupil and resource sheets).
• This task requires the teacher to take pupils outdoors to investigate a tree.
• Resource sheet 1 – a sheet that the teacher can use to record the pupils’ planning suggestions.
• Resource sheet 2 – drawing of a calliper that can be made from card. This can be used to measure the width (diameter) of branches at different distances from the trunk. Teachers will need to make the callipers before administering the task.

For each pupil:

• Pupil sheet 1 – a sheet that pupils can use to record their plans for the investigation.
• Pupil sheet 2 – a sheet that pupils can use to record their results.
• Calliper gauge and ruler.

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Task 14: People

Assessing scientific enquiry

The task assess pupil’s understanding of the following areas of scientific enquiry:

• describing events or objects they observe
• sorting and ordering instances or events
• planning and carrying out an investigation
• recording and presenting results
• onsidering whether or not findings were in line with what was expected.

Information about pupil’s understanding of these areas provides a basis for helping pupils understand the different ways in which scientific evidence might be gathered, the way variables might be handled in an investigation and how results can be used to provide evidence to support or challenge ideas.

Groupings

Pupils might be assessed individually or in small groups. It is recommended that groups of no more than four pupils be assessed at any one time.

Judging pupils’ performance

The ‘What to look for’ column provides an indication of the criterion that should be used to assess a pupil’s achievement. When each task is completed achievement can be reviewed in terms of performance criteria and recorded. It is not necessary for pupils to complete both tasks in this package of tasks. Judgements can be made on the basis of one task or on both tasks depending on the amount and kind of information collected.

Resources

For the teacher:

• Teacher’s guide (including pupil and resource sheets).

For each pupil:

• Pupil sheet 1 – an ideas sheet that pupils can use to record how they will collect information.
• Pupil sheet 2 – a recording sheet that pupils can use to record their results.

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