Science teaching is very much made up of little things. Remembering student names, knowing your timetable, making sure you have organised the multiple little activities for class and keeping track of where you are on your list of the many little things to do that day. All this can make us very focused on the details without looking at the big picture as to how our students are progressing . So when the call came for presentations at the VCE STAV conference I could see this would be a great opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of skills based rubrics across the science faculty. And what an opportunity it has been. The process encouraged me to review my data on student progress which in turn changed some of my focus in the classroom. It also prompted further collaboration between staff, leading to new strategies of how to administer the area of study 3 with my students. So next time the email comes calling for conference presentations, take the plunge and submit an abstract. Because sometimes a little effort can bring some very worthwhile and unexpected rewards.