Preparing for Assessment

Overview

Today you will prepare for the upcoming unit assessment in “Unraveling Our Changing Earth” by unpacking assessment expectations, reviewing key ideas and skills, and practising how to demonstrate your learning in science.

Learning intentions

• Students will understand what the upcoming assessment tasks require and how marks are awarded.
• Students will review core Earth science concepts and scientific inquiry skills from the unit.
• Students will plan an effective study approach and set specific goals for improvement.
• Students will practise communicating scientific thinking using evidence-based explanations.

Success criteria

• I can explain the assessment criteria in my own words.
• I can identify what evidence (data, observations, reasoning) I need to include in my responses.
• I can use scientific language to link claims to evidence about Earth systems.
• I can complete a short practice task and use feedback to improve my work.

Curriculum links

• Students explain relationships within Earth systems and how processes change environments over time.
• Students use scientific understanding to construct evidence-based explanations.
• Students plan and conduct investigations, then interpret data to justify conclusions.
• Students evaluate data and claims, using appropriate scientific representations.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. (0–5 min) Welcome and WALT

• Display the WALT statement: “We are learning to prepare for the assessment by understanding expectations, reviewing key unit ideas, and planning study.”
• Quick check-in: students turn and talk—“What part of the assessment worries you most?”

2. (5–15 min) Assessment briefing and criteria walkthrough

• Teacher explains the assessment task formats (e.g., short response, data interpretation, explanation, or inquiry reflection) and what strong work includes.
• Use a simple “evidence–reasoning–scientific language” structure and show how to earn marks: accurate science + clear connection to evidence + explanation.
• Students highlight in provided task sheets: key words (describe, explain, compare, justify, interpret).

3. (15–30 min) Unit concept review ‘stations’

• Set up 3–4 stations around the major unit themes (examples to match your earlier lessons): plate movement and landforms, Earth materials and cycles, causes and effects of change, interpreting graphs/maps/diagrams.
• Each station includes:
• a short prompt
• one example of the kind of evidence students may need
• a model sentence starter (e.g., “The data shows… therefore… because…”)
• Students rotate in groups, recording one key takeaway per station.

4. (30–43 min) Practice task: one question, time-boxed

• Students complete a short, assessment-style practice item (choose the same skill type as the real assessment: interpret a diagram or write an explanation with evidence).
• Provide a “success checklist” that mirrors the assessment criteria (not the marks—just the behaviours).
• Allow 2 minutes at the end for students to self-check against the checklist.

5. (43–52 min) Feedback and goal setting

• Teacher conducts rapid feedback rounds: look for whether students link claims to evidence, use correct Earth science terms, and organise responses logically.
• Students write one “next step” goal in their books (e.g., “I will name the process and explain cause-effect using evidence.”).

6. (52–58 min) Study plan and support access

• Students create a 3-step study plan for the next few days:
• what to review
• what to practise
• where to ask for help
• Provide clear deadlines and how to submit drafts (if applicable).

7. (58–60 min) Exit ticket

• Exit ticket prompt: “One thing I understand better about the assessment is… One thing I will practise next is…”
• Collect for teacher planning of revision/support.

Resources

• Assessment task sheet(s) and a criteria checklist (student-friendly language)
• Station prompts, diagrams/graphs/map excerpts, and model response sentence starters
• Short practice item (assessment-style) plus self-check checklist
• Coloured highlighters or sticky notes for identifying task requirements
• Student study plan template (3-step format)
• Teacher exemplar response (or annotated model) for one item
• Timers and rotation cards for stations

Assessment

• Formative: observation during stations and practice task completion using the checklist.
• Formative: teacher reviews self-check evidence–reasoning links in the practice response.
• Summative-prep: exit ticket shows readiness and identifies common misunderstandings to address next lesson.

Differentiation

• Support (literacy needs): provide dyslexia-friendly options including:
• audio reading of instructions/prompts (teacher reads or recorded audio)
• large-font task sheets and reduced text versions
• sentence starters and word banks for Earth science processes (e.g., erosion, deposition, plate boundary, heat, pressure)
• Support (conceptual): pre-teach station vocabulary using brief visuals; allow students to draw or use arrows before writing.
• Extension (advanced learners): add a challenge station prompt requiring comparison and judgement (e.g., “Which explanation is most supported by the evidence, and why?”) or a “best improvement” rewrite of the practice answer.
• Mixed achievement grouping: at stations, group students so that each group has a mix of abilities; use role cards (Reader, Evidence finder, Explainer, Checker).
• EAL learners: allow use of key terms in first language during planning, then require final responses in English using sentence frames.

Extension (optional)

• Peer-teach concept: in pairs, students choose one unit concept (e.g., a process causing Earth change) and prepare a 2-minute mini-explanation using the evidence–reasoning structure. One or two pairs present during the last minutes if time allows.