As a teacher, I can’t think of anything worse than being told that my students won’t be able to complete their Scientist Research Project (focused on scientists 👩🏾🔬 that actually look like them!) so they can complete a standardized multiple-choice test.
I’m a ‘how can I fill the empty glass’ kind of teacher so I’d immediately start planning how to prepare my students. We went through the obvious, when all else fails, mark C! I also took the time to review their standards from earlier grades and the standards we hadn’t had time to hit yet. Enter the Inq-ITS unit! I have to admit that I did this a few different ways and the results were comparable as my students did well above the state average even though I was teaching at a Title 1 school.
One option is to create an Inq-ITS unit and let students choose a few labs from a list I’ve assigned. Say, I give them 10 choices and have them choose the top 3 they feel they need to review. I would tell them to choose the ones where they feel the least confident as this is the time to review, not the time to practice what you have already mastered.
Another option is to create a unit that is very controlled:
Hopefully, a few Inq-ITS virtual science labs can bring some sunshine even if Punxsutawney Phil isn’t helping the cause.