Test and Essay items

Test and Essay Items
First thing the class will do is to visit a zoo (or aquarium) to learn about differences and similarities between the classifications of animals. They will learn about habitats, types of reproduction, mode of transportation, what they eat, how they breathe, etc. The students will fill out a chart and use drawings or words to explain the similarities and differences. These charts will serve as study guides.
Three test items that support learning outcomes:
True/False: snakes are ectothermic (cold-blooded); (True)
multiple choice: fish breathe by skin, lungs, gills; (gills)
completion questions: besides fish __________ and __________ live in water; (amphibians and mammals)
OR: I would make up a simple crossword puzzle instead of completion questions.
Essay—write about 1 group (fish OR amphibians. OR birds, OR reptiles, OR mammals) and include information about where they live, what they eat, how they move around, are they warm-blooded or cold-blooded, give the other terms for warm-blooded and cold-blooded.
OR: Explain how whales, seals, and sea lions are the same as land mammals (live birth, breathe air through lungs); explain how they are different than land mammals (live in ocean or water, have fins or flippers, not legs/arms).
My rationale for these questions is that I want the students to know that not all mammals live on land, the relationship between species, the differences and diversity among species in addition to their role in the environment.