Science Notebooks in Grades 3–6 23
Teacher feedback. Students’ writing often exposes weaknesses in
students’ understanding—or so it appears. It is important to check
whether the fl aw results from poor understanding of the science or
from imprecise communication. You can use the notebook to provide
feedback, asking for clarifi cation or additional information. Attach
a self-stick note, which can be removed after the student has taken
appropriate action. The most eff ective forms of feedback relate to the
content of the work. Nonspecifi c feedback (such as stars, smiley faces,
and “good job!”) and ambiguous critiques (such as “try again,” “put
more thought into this,” and “not enough”) are less eff ective. Here are
a couple of examples.- You claim that water condensed on the glass of ice water. Where did
the water come from? - Tell me why you think Lightbulb A will light. Hint: Check the contact
points on the two illustrations.
Feedback that guides students to think about the content of their work
and gives suggestions for how to improve are productive instructional
strategies. Here are some examples of useful generic feedback.- Use the science vocabulary in your answer.
- Include an example to support your ideas.
- Include more detail about.
- Check your data to make sure this is right.
- Include units with your measurements.
When students return to their notebooks and respond to the feedback,
you will have additional information to help you discriminate between
knowledge and communication diffi culties.
Students can respond to feedback
using a diff erent-color pencil.