Authentic+Assessments

 The purpose of this assignment is for you to create an authentic assessment for use in a high school biology class. Your assessment should include both a student handout and a rubric by which you will grade the students. The posted assignment sheet describes the requirements in further detail. This assignment does not require a formal lesson plan. [|BSC 307 Authentic Assessment Grade Sheet.doc]

Student Work:
SWETHA SINGARI- DNA Authentic Assessment. This assessment is created to help students put their knowledge about DNA into everyday context and how it is used. Students should research and describe an example of a process that knowledge about DNA is accomplishing these days. I have attached a rubric they will use t help them guide their work.

[[file:Authentic Instruction Edison project.docx]]
== Tim Edison - Biosphere Authentic Assessment. I created an authentic assessment for a biosphere unit. The task that was given to students was to create a bug collection and a corresponding notebook describing some of the insects they found. I have attached a rubric that the students will use as they create their collections and complete their notebooks. ==

Jennifer Nichols This assessment goes along with my human genome chapter. Students will be required to create a pedigree poster that goes back at least 3 generations. They will also be asked to research their families heritable trait that they choose and have learned about in the chapter. Students will complete a poster, binder with research as well as a resource list. the rubric is attached.

This authentic assessment is for an evolution unit, and covers the topic of speciation, more specifically, how isolation of a group of organisms of the same species can lead to speciation. The project can be either a comic strip, mini book, or flipbook, student's choice. Rubric and assignment intro included.
 * Matt Tunno**

Jennifer Olin This authentic assessment goes with my ecosystems and communities unit. Students will be required to create a poster travel brochure for one of the world’s major biomes. Their brochure should be creative and should promote their biome by showing accurate research information for the abiotic and biotic factors making up their biome. They will then present their brochure and information to the class. The handout, rubric, objectives, and resources are attached. 

This authentic Assignment matches up with my unit plan for populations. This project has the students doing some activities online and finding information in order to write a short research paper. They analyze graphs and use it to make conclusions about the human population growth. This is meant to help students find reliable sources on-line and how to incorporate random facts and data into a organized research paper.
 * Curt Dedic**

Ashley Morgan: This authentic assessment is targeted to allow students to better understand the regulation of the cell cycle. Students will be making up their own analogies of how everyday tasks require a series of steps that must be completed successfully in order for the whole task to be completed successfully. Students will also be explaining what will happen if these steps are not regulated. Students will tie their analogy in with the regulation of the cell cycle by explaining what will happen if steps to regulating the cell cycle are disturbed. Student handouts and rubric are attached together in one document.

This assessment is for the chapter on Biospheres, in this chapter understanding energy flow in an ecosystem, and what organisms does the energy come from it important. The reason for this is energy make life possible so I feel it is important for students to understand the concept of energy flow. For this assignment I want the students to work in groups and create their own food web poster or PowerPoint slide from a location they select from a hat. Besides the food web I will have them make a write-up telling me about the organisms that make up the food web, but also answer some discussion questions. Finally I will have them present their projects and answer some questions as a group, so I know they fully understand the concept if energy flow.
 * Alexander Chapman:**

Joe Armour This assessment is for the Cell Biology Unit. This project asks students to work in groups to create a poster in which they will compare a cell to an organization such as an airport, restauraunt, etc. For example, if I was comparing my cell to a Farm then the nucleus would be the Farmer, because the farmer controls everything that goes on in the farm. The Rubric is attached the handout. Students are to create a Poster and gve a 5-10 minute presentation explaining each organelle and its analogy. Completing this activity will help students to come up with concrete examples and analogies of the ell parts and their functions.

Mitch Staroscik This assessment is for my Genetics Unit. This project will make students create a poster after doing research on common genetic disorder. They are to find what causes the disease, how it is inherited, what are risk factors, how it can be cured, and how it relates to the genetics unit. They will learn the real world application of some of the exceptions to mendel's laws. They also will give a short presentation on what they found. The objectives, worksheet and rubric are all included in the one file.

Alexander Weiss: This authentic assessment directs students to to compile information on a North American invasive species, then alert and energize the public through development and dissemination of a timely, effective media campaign. The campaign includes a statement of threat, a flyer/brochure, a billboard, 4 news ads, a public service announcement and a final group presentation lasting 12 minutes using a PowerPoint. Completing this activity will build group skills, research skills, biodiversity knowledge and knowledge about specific problem species in their homeland.



Sam Boyer This assessment goes along with a Cell Structure & Function unit. Students are assigned a specialized cell and are asked to construct a model of it using common household items. They are required to include specific organelles, and they are asked to include structures that are specific to their assigned cell. Students are graded on the organelles found on their model, labeling, creativity, and a presentation.



Dave Blackburn This assesment that goes along with the Human Genome Unit. Students will be assigned chromosomes in a cell, and they are then to organize them into a karyotype. Once they finish that, they will see what disorder they have and will create a brochure for a doctors office describe the certain disorder.

Lori Livas - This assessment should be used during a DNA/RNA unit. The project is creating a mini picture story/book. The steps of transcription and translation are the main focus. Drawing, coloring, labeling, and writing are all put together in this assessment. The great thing about this is that it creates a study tool for the students for their unit test.

Jenny Richardson This is an authentic assessment called "Is Addiction Genetic???". It is designed to assess objectives from the "principles of genetics" chapter I was assigned earlier in the semester. The students will be assigned a side of the argument, write a 3-5 page research paper, and then participate in a formal debate with their fellow classmates. The objectives assessed are listed on the student handout below, as are the rubrics for both the paper and the debate.

Dipti Hattangady: This authentic assessment is designed to assess objectives from the Mitosis chapter (but can also be adapted for Meiosis chapter) and used during cell division and growth unit. The student groups are assessed on a model they built of a mitotic cell in a particular phase and on the arguments they provide petitioning their mitotic phase to stay in the M-phase. Assignment and rubric are included. 