This simple but effective investigation can be used when assessing Year 3 Science Understanding, Science Inquiry and Science as a Human Endeavour Australian Curriculum content descriptions.

The assessment pack includes a short PowerPoint presentation, accompanying student worksheets and assessment rubrics. Start by showing your students the first two slides of the presentation which feature some basic instructions. The resource has been designed to scaffold your students in showcasing their own scientific skills therefore the general outline of the investigation is provided but the rest is up to them. Your students will then need to complete the investigation planning sheet. Two versions of the planning sheet are provided, one includes a word bank at the bottom of the page that could be a useful prompt for students who require some support.

After planning the investigation, your students will then need to set it up. If your carrot tops have any green foliage, trim it down to the base beforehand. Observations and measurements will need to be carried out daily and recorded on the observing sheet. One version of the sheet includes a table, whereas the more challenging version has a blank space for students to construct their own table.

Following about four weeks of observations, show your students the third and final PowerPoint slide. Provide them with the graphing sheet or a digital device to create their own. Two versions of the graphing sheet are provided, one includes a title, key and labelled axis and can be used to support students. The other version is blank and requires the students to construct the graph from scratch.

Your students will then need to complete the final part of the assessment which is the evaluating sheet. Again, one version features a word bank for support.

A set of comprehensive rubrics are provided to allow you to confidently assess your students’ work.