Assessing Students
Every instructor has his or her own approach and system for evaluating student work and assigning grades. The suggested homework and other sample assignments provided, as well as grading rubrics and the point system suggested in the course syllabus are available for you to use or adapt as you choose.
As you will see, the suggested homework assignments (based on session readings), group activities, midterm project, reflective essay assignment, and take-home final all use an applied focus, asking students to reflect on course readings and experiences in terms of using them with young children. The suggested assessment opportunities are described below.
Weekly reading assignments from the Course Reader and Big Ideas of Early Mathematics textbook usually follow the in-class experience. In this way, the students have hands-on, concrete experiences with subject matter before reading about the topic so the class experience provides a context for the reading. Homework asks students to reflect on the reading, sometimes identifying key concepts in their own words or offering application ideas for their own work with children. Brief class discussion and reflection on homework assignments are built in to class sessions, allowing students to share perspectives and ideas from their individual work.
General Course Doc_Homework Assignments (DOCX, 178KB)
This assignment is completed in class. Students work together in small groups to make a mixture, then present about their activity to the rest of the class. The focus is on child-directed explorations of transformations.
Reader Session 6 Making Mixtures Recipe booklet (PDF, 225K)
Session 6 Making Mixtures Group Activity Assignment Sheet (PDF, 114K)
Session 7 Making Mixtures Group Activity Grading Sheet (PDF, 88K)
Each group is assigned a different type of material to bring to class for building structures. After groups introduce their activity to the rest of the class, the rotate through the different stations to explore how attributes such as shape, size, texture, and weight affect the design and stability of their constructions.
Session 14_printable_Structures Group Activity assignment sheet (PDF, 293K)
The midterm project requires students to conduct one of the science exemplar activities with a group of children. In their written report, they are required to give a description of planning, analysis of adaptations with rationale, and evaluation of the learning for children and for themselves.
Midterm Assignment (DOCX, 29K)
Midterm Assignment Grading Rubric (DOCX, 59K)
The purpose of this assignment is for students to reflect on how the course has impacted them personally.
Reflective Essay Assignment (DOCX, 119K)
The take-home final requires a synthesis of ideas around teaching math and science concepts to young children. Students are required to write their final as an informational newsletter/handout to share with parents. They are given several weeks to work on this culminating assignment, drawing on experiences, readings, and other resources throughout the course to inform their work.
Final Assignment (DOCX, 23K)
Final Assignment Grading Rubric (DOCX, 86K)
