Evaluation

As the teacher, your guidance makes a difference in student performance.  You will need to be knowledgeable and available throughout the entire project, particularly because this information is new to the students.  You will also need to be moving from group to group even in the very beginning to make notes for the final evaluation.

Students should find that the culprit is the human race, the cause of the loss of coral color (coral bleaching) is a loss of zooxanthellae, which eventually causes coral death.  Zooxanthellae loss is caused by stressful conditions, including global warming (sea water warming), increased exposure to UV light and more.  The biggest problem with losing corals and therefore coral reefs is that coral reefs house the largest known marine biocommunity which also produce a great deal of phytoplankton.  Phytoplankton (a photosynthetic plankton) is one of the world's greatest producers of oxygen.  Final idea:  humans cause stress, stress causes coral reefs to lose zooxanthellae, loss of zooxanthellae causes coral reef death, fewer coral reefs means fewer habitats for phytoplankton, less phytoplankton means less oxygen produced, lack of oxygen could kill most aerobic organisms!

Each student will be graded individually, although a majority of the grade is based on teamwork.  The following rubric is designed to assign a group grade and requires each student to supply his/her individually completed components.

  

Beginning

1

Developing

2

Accomplished

3

Exemplary

4

Score

 

Teacher evaluation of individual student's contribution to
Group Work

 
Student exhibits little enthusiasm, cooperation and involvement in team discussion and group research. Demonstrates no leadership and does not seem to have a drive to solve the coral reef problem.

Student pays attention, but contributes little to discussion and presents research that is unorganized or somewhat irrelevant.

Student contributes valid, organized and helpful information to discussions and is helpful to teammates. Student is very concerned with helping team solve the coral reef dilemma, but could demonstrate more leadership skills.
Student is eager to lead discussion and research. Student helps group and participates actively with team members. Shares organized information in discussion in a professional, organized and helpful way.

 

Teacher evaluation of group's written Police Report (PDF)

 

 
Questions are left unanswered, are incorrect or are only partially answered. No proof of team research.
Questions are answered but there is room for elaboration. Proof of extensive research is lacking in the answers or answers may contain some incorrect information.
Questions are answered well and are mostly correct, but there is room for elaboration and more support from research.
Questions are answered fully and correctly. Answers are explained well with excellent support from from research.