Phases of the Moon - Assessment of Learning

To assess student learning during this lesson, each group photographed the eight phases of the moon they created with models during their experimental project.  They then downloaded the photos to their computers and put them in order from new moon to full moon and back to new moon.  Most importantly, the students explained each phase of the moon either verbally or in writing, in terms of the position of the sun, moon and earth.  They were also required to include a description and graphic depiction of some kind that explained the difference between the rotation and revolution of the moon.

Two students worked together to create the movie above.  They successfully ordered their photographs and explained the first photo, the new moon.  At this point, they ran out of time.  I am certain they would have been able to successfully complete the project if they had an additional 30 minutes.

I used the above rubric to assess each team of students' documentary.  I do not feel like the score I gave the project above is fair because I know they did not have enough time to finish the project.  However, in an effort to practice using this type of rubric, I scored their project as they turned it in. For "Conclusions and Explanations" I gave their project a 2 because all of the explanations were missing except the first one. For "Understanding of Science Content" I gave them a score of 2 as well.  They showed evidence for their understanding of the process of the lunar cycle by putting their photos in the correct order in their documentary.  I could also tell by observing them at work that they understood the position of the sun, moon and earth in each phase of the moon.  Had they had time to finish their explanations, they would have received a 4 for their understanding of the science content. Finally, for "Collaboration" I would give them a score of 4.  The final score for their documentary was an 8/12.