Farming and climate change
0
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about using and comparing different science texts.
Task administration:
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online.
Copyright:
Graphics: copyright NZCER.
Level:
5
Curriculum info:
Key Competencies:
Keywords:
Description of task:
Task: Use written text about farming's contribution to climate change to complete a flow chart, and answer questions about the two texts. Assessment focus: interpreting, using, and comparing different types of text.
Curriculum Links:
Science capabilities
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.
Capability: Interpret representations
Scientists represent their ideas in a variety of ways, including models, graphs, charts, diagrams and written texts.
This resource provides opportunities to discuss the relative benefits of using written or visual text to convey essentially the same set of ideas.
Science capabilities:
Answers/responses:
| Y10 (06/2008) | |||
| a) |
NOTE: Urine, faeces can be interchangeable. |
All correct - moderate | |
| b) |
Any 1 of:
|
moderate | |
| c) |
Any 1 of:
|
moderate | |
| d) |
Any 1 of:
|
moderate | |
Based on a representative sample of 184 students.
Teaching and learning:
Communicating in science
This item has a focus on how science ideas are communicated. Rather than taking text features for granted, they are put under the spotlight. Because this is likely to be an unfamiliar focus for students, the content of the item was deliberately kept very simple. Students were asked to compare the relative benefits of using written or visual text to convey essentially the same set of ideas, and to identify features that differentiate between more formal science text and everyday ways of communicating. Awareness of such differences could alert students to the likely authority of a text (or, in some cases, point to a need to be wary about the deliberate use of certain communication strategies to reinforce what is essentially pseudo-science). Either way, this is an important information skill that needs to be practised if students are going to develop a disposition to be more critical about the likely worth of texts rather than accepting them all at face value.
Understanding how science texts work can also be an important step in understanding how science itself works, e.g., words describing feelings are unusual, and this reflects science's focus on 'objective' measurable things.
This item has a focus on how science ideas are communicated. Rather than taking text features for granted, they are put under the spotlight. Because this is likely to be an unfamiliar focus for students, the content of the item was deliberately kept very simple. Students were asked to compare the relative benefits of using written or visual text to convey essentially the same set of ideas, and to identify features that differentiate between more formal science text and everyday ways of communicating. Awareness of such differences could alert students to the likely authority of a text (or, in some cases, point to a need to be wary about the deliberate use of certain communication strategies to reinforce what is essentially pseudo-science). Either way, this is an important information skill that needs to be practised if students are going to develop a disposition to be more critical about the likely worth of texts rather than accepting them all at face value.
Understanding how science texts work can also be an important step in understanding how science itself works, e.g., words describing feelings are unusual, and this reflects science's focus on 'objective' measurable things.
Communicating in science has close links to the key competency Using language, symbols, and texts.
Science understandings
This task asked students to draw together understandings from two different contextual strands – Living world and Planet Earth. This is an opportunity to show how science problems in the real world don't fit into clearly defined subject areas.
Diagnostic and formative information:
| Trial student responses | Percentage of trial students giving response | |
| b) |
The most commonly cited ideas present in the written text but not the visual one were:
|
32% |
| d) |
Most students who understood what was required contrasted poos and wees as everyday vocabulary with faeces and urine. Other responses we accepted included:
|
|
Based on a representative sample of 184 students.
Communicating in science
Many students struggled to respond to question d). A third left the question blank and another quarter did not identify an appropriate comparison. One student who did understand the nature of the task wrote the following:
Many students struggled to respond to question d). A third left the question blank and another quarter did not identify an appropriate comparison. One student who did understand the nature of the task wrote the following:
Scientists talk about soil microbes breaking down urine and faeces while normal people would say it is just broken down by the earth.
Is this student pinpointing the explanatory urge that causes scientists to look beyond seemingly obvious "causes"? If so, this is a poorly expressed but interesting germ of a nature of science conversation. Or is this a misconception about what constitutes the active agent in decomposition? There is no way to tell without further questioning of the student.
Science understandings
The explanations provided gave evidence that some students are still conflating climate change and ozone depletion. This is a commonly reported misconception.
Next steps:
Communicating in science
Discussing the means of communication of science ideas would appear to be unfamiliar to most students. Almost any idea you want to explore could be quickly converted to an activity such as this. Using any combination of paper or screen based diagrams, written text, flowcharts and animations could also work (the last of these screen-based obviously). Choose a topic where you are interested to see what ideas attract the students' attention, or where you want to check their familiarity with an aspect of text such as vocabulary. Go to Language of science.
Discussing the means of communication of science ideas would appear to be unfamiliar to most students. Almost any idea you want to explore could be quickly converted to an activity such as this. Using any combination of paper or screen based diagrams, written text, flowcharts and animations could also work (the last of these screen-based obviously). Choose a topic where you are interested to see what ideas attract the students' attention, or where you want to check their familiarity with an aspect of text such as vocabulary. Go to Language of science.
Science understandings
- To address the climate change/ozone depletion confusion, students could be given two pieces of text describing each phenomenon. Ask them to work in groups of two or three to complete a Venn diagram (or other graphic organiser) to identify similarities or differences. They can then share and discuss with another group, or develop a whole class summary of their understandings.
- It may also be useful for students to further investigate the issue of greenhouse gases that are produced from farming, and some of the research that is being carried out to try to address this. This topic provides a meaningful context for students (especially for students interested in farming) to explore a range of science concepts. There are many websites that provide information related to New Zealand, e.g., Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), Ministry for the Environment, and Landcare Research.
- See also Other resources.
This resource was developed as part of a set of related items that explore aspects of Communicating in science in the context of soils, soil microbes, and the recycling of nutrients.
Soils, farming, and the activities of living things is about interpreting a cartoon about recycling nutrients to improve soils.
A soil food web.is about interpreting a relevant food web.
A soil food web.is about interpreting a relevant food web.