Cattle
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Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about noticing things, and thinking about what you notice.
Look carefully at the picture.
Tell your teacher your answers.
Task administration:
Equipment
Digital recorder (optional); OHT, data show, interactive whiteboard or other IT tools to present photograph (optional).
Digital recorder (optional); OHT, data show, interactive whiteboard or other IT tools to present photograph (optional).
Carrying out the task
This task is intended to be an oral assessment. The intention is to encourage discussion between students so they can interact with and build on others' ideas.
The task can be carried out in small groups or as a class. Opportunity for all students to contribute should be provided.
The teacher asks students the questions on the task sheet and records the responses. The responses can be recorded directly on-line, recorded digitally, or hand-written.
The photograph should be presented in colour and in such a way that all students can see it easily.
The teacher may prompt students to encourage them to further explain their ideas, e.g.:
- Tell me more about that.
- What else do you notice?
- Why do you say that?
Refer also to the prompts for Question c).
Teacher prompt (Question c)
The purpose of Question c) is to investigate students' concept of risk. To what extent do they weigh up the notion of balancing severity with likelihood?
During their discussion, prompt students to think about the big picture, long term impact of a particular event. Encourage them to think about a chain of events set off by one event.
Some prompting questions might be:
- How likely is that to happen?
- What would happen next?
- What effect would that have on the cattle that live there?
Copyright:
D. Johnson, 2011, www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand
Level:
2
Curriculum info:
Keywords:
Description of task:
Task: Make observations from a photograph, identify potential environmental problems giving reasons, decide which problem is the most important, and give reasons for the choice. Assessment focus: (1) observation, and (2) identifying and prioritising cause and effect relationships.
Curriculum Links:
Science capabilities
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.
Capability: Gather and interpret data
This resource provides opportunities to discuss gathering data from careful observations and the meaning made from these observations.
Science capability: Gather and interpret data (TKI)
Capability: Engage with science
This resource provides opportunities to discuss making predictions about the seriousness of potential issues/problems in a real life situation.
Science capability: Engage with science
Science capabilities:
Answers/responses:
| What to look for | |
| a) | Students notice the main features, e.g., details of the cattle, the surroundings, (immediate and further away) and the weather. |
| b) | Students predict a problem or problems that being in this paddock might have on the cattle, e.g., problems caused by limited amount of grass,cold, etc. |
| c) |
Students recognise the danger to cattle of lack of access to sufficient food, and the cold. See Diagnostic and formative information for more details.
Students can assess how severe and how likely the risk they suggest is.
|
Teaching and learning:
The key ideas that are covered in this task are:
| Nature of science: Participating and contributing | Science knowledge |
| When making decisions about environmental issues, it is important to ask questions such as, “What could happen if …..” | Any event affects the environment and what lives there. |
Why are the ideas in this assessment task important for students to learn?
In making sound decisions about the environment and what lives in it, we need to be aware that all changes have a flow on effect to the environment itself and what lives there. Considering what effects an event might have, and deciding how likely and how serious the effects might be, assists decision-making about managing risk.
Noticing is an important prerequisite for making decisions. Students need to be aware of the different elements within any environment before they can think about how these things impact on each other. Noticing what is missing is also important.
Diagnostic and formative information:
Based on a sample of 8 Year 5 students.
Question a): Noticing
Trial students noticed:
Trial students noticed:
- features of the cattle (e.g., their colour)
- actions of the cattle (e.g., eating)
- features of the landscape (e.g., snow, "cracks" in the snow, mountains/hills, trees)
- the weather (white sky, clouds).
All the students called the animals cows, either not noticing that they are male, or not knowing the difference.
Some of the things they noticed were in fact inferences. For example, they said that the "cows" were eating grass, which is a valid assumption, although you cannot really see this. One student thought that the white sky might mean that it was about to snow again.
Question b): Identifying problems
The trial students identified a range of possible problems.
Question b): Identifying problems
The trial students identified a range of possible problems.
Problems to do with access to food
- The snow covering the grass is a problem because they could get hungry.
- They might eat snow and starve to death.
Problems to do with coping with snowy conditions
- The cows could slip over, so they might hurt themselves.
- They might get too cold because their coats are quite thin, and die.
Two students showed some misconceptions about warm blooded animals when they suggested that their milk might freeze, so their calves might die.
Problems to do with visibility.
- If the calves have not yet developed black spots the mothers might lose them, and they might starve.
- One student thought it would be easy for hunters to dress up in white, be invisible to the cows, and therefore it would be easy to shoot them. (Does this student recognise that these are farmed rather than wild animals?)
Question c): Which is the worst problem?
Some trial students were beginning to assess risk, but not all. They were split three ways about the worst scenario, between freezing to death, starving to death, and hunters shooting them. They were able to justify their choice for the first two. Those who opted for the hunting scenario did not justify their choice beyond saying that they thought it could happen (but not how likely).
No students talked about the role of the farmer in ensuring the cattle were safe, or how this could be managed.
This group of students were quite focused on their own ideas, showing little inclination to consider and build on others' ideas.
Next steps:
Science Capability 1: Gather and interpret data
Close observation is an important skill to develop in science and is an aspect of Capability 1: Gather and interpret data. Noticing what is there is an important first step that may help students think about likely impacts of particular actions or events.
Close observation is an important skill to develop in science and is an aspect of Capability 1: Gather and interpret data. Noticing what is there is an important first step that may help students think about likely impacts of particular actions or events.
- In this activity, students should be able to observe the photograph closely and give detailed descriptions of what they see. Students may need practice with this. Encourage students to carefully describe what they see, rather than just label it. For example, if students say they can see cattle, ask, “What do they look like? What colour are they? What are they doing?”
- Some students may think of the cattle being in the wild, rather than on a farm. Get students to notice details that would support one or other viewpoint, and then ask,"What do you think now? Why?".
Science knowledge.
If students are to make accurate predictions of likely consequences they also need knowledge about the particular context. In this context, finding out such things as what adaptations cattle have for surviving cold weather, and a farmer's role in managing their safety, helps students to better assess risks.
Vocabulary
Students need the language to explain cause and effect relationships. Asking “Why do you think that?” can encourage students to form better explanations.
If students are to make accurate predictions of likely consequences they also need knowledge about the particular context. In this context, finding out such things as what adaptations cattle have for surviving cold weather, and a farmer's role in managing their safety, helps students to better assess risks.
Vocabulary
Students need the language to explain cause and effect relationships. Asking “Why do you think that?” can encourage students to form better explanations.
Capability 5: Engage with science
To be able to make informed decisions about environmental issues, students need to develop a sense of probability and risk. One strategy could be to get students to brainstorm all possible consequences, encouraging students to be as creative as they can, and then get the class to debate which are the most likely scenarios and explain why. The class could also debate which would be the most damaging scenarios. Are there any scenarios that appear near the top of both lists? A scenario that is both likely and damaging is serious. Science in the real world is rarely “black and white” and the ability to weigh up and consider various alternatives is an important skill for students to develop.
To be able to make informed decisions about environmental issues, students need to develop a sense of probability and risk. One strategy could be to get students to brainstorm all possible consequences, encouraging students to be as creative as they can, and then get the class to debate which are the most likely scenarios and explain why. The class could also debate which would be the most damaging scenarios. Are there any scenarios that appear near the top of both lists? A scenario that is both likely and damaging is serious. Science in the real world is rarely “black and white” and the ability to weigh up and consider various alternatives is an important skill for students to develop.
Key Competency: Thinking
This task provides opportunities for students to think at a “systems level”, an important skill to science and the environment. Before they can begin to consider how a particular action or event will affect a system they need some understanding of the individual parts of that system. The cattle, the landscape, weather and the farmer could be regarded as parts of a system in this context.
Discussing "what might happen if" particular scenarios are played out can support students to start developing systems thinking.. Students need to think about the scenarios both immediately and into the future, Some examples of "what if" questions in this context are:
This task provides opportunities for students to think at a “systems level”, an important skill to science and the environment. Before they can begin to consider how a particular action or event will affect a system they need some understanding of the individual parts of that system. The cattle, the landscape, weather and the farmer could be regarded as parts of a system in this context.
Discussing "what might happen if" particular scenarios are played out can support students to start developing systems thinking.. Students need to think about the scenarios both immediately and into the future, Some examples of "what if" questions in this context are:
- What might happen if there are more snowstorms?
- What might happen to the grass if the snow sits for a week?
- What might happen if the sun comes out?
Provide opportunities to discuss "what if" questions in a variety of contexts.
Cause and effect relationships can be explored in many different contexts.
The following table shows Building Science Concepts books that have a focus on cause and effect.
The following table shows Building Science Concepts books that have a focus on cause and effect.
| Living World | Environment | Other |
|
3 Birds 6 Soil animals 21 Life between the tides 22 Tidal communities 53 Moulds and fungi |
1 Waterways 2 Weathering and erosion 12 Volcanoes 40 Earthquakes 43 Spring 44 Spring is a season 50 Storms 52 The land changes |
8 The Moon 9 Shadows 16 Sand, salt and jelly crystals 23 Fresh food 24 Preserving food 32 Introducing metals 33 Working with metals 34 Parachutes 37 Floating and sinking 38 Understanding buoyancy 42 Marbles 46 Keeping warm 47 Insulation 56 Bread 57 Eggs 58 Ice 59 Bikes |
Similar ARB resources using different contexts are: