Use these targets, vocabulary, rubrics, examples, and score sheet with the instructor's approved lesson and procedure. This is an assessment companion, not a complete lesson or safety authorization.
Student lessons, data, and worked answers: Unit 08 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Pull a real transit from a public archive; detect the planet and size it.
The student gives an honest account of what we've found and haven't (Page 4).
Light-curve work, habitability reasoning, and dated observations kept distinct.
You are making a decision, not adding up points. For each criterion, decide whether the work is Developing, Proficient, or Mastery — the column language tells you which. A criterion counts as mastered only when the student can both explain how we actually reach and study space and give an honest account of what we have and haven't found. Each student has three tokens per term; each token retries one rubric criterion. Approved accommodations, equipment failures, and approved absences are handled separately and do not consume these tokens.
Accept listed synonyms; use the distinction column to resolve near-matches.
| Canonical answer | Accepted synonyms | Common confusion / discriminator |
|---|---|---|
| Reaching & exploring space | ||
| Orbital mechanics | orbit; free fall | Reaching orbit means going sideways fast, not just straight up |
| Robotic probe | space probe; flyby/orbiter/lander | Does the far exploring where crews can't go |
| Space telescope | orbiting observatory | Observes above the atmosphere for a clearer view |
| Human spaceflight limits | crewed spaceflight | No crew has left the solar system; interstellar travel is out of reach |
| Exoplanets & the search for life | ||
| Transit method | candidate light-curve dip | Depth constrains a radius ratio under a stellar/geometry model; test false positives |
| Exoplanet | planet beyond the Sun | Detected indirectly — mostly by transits, not direct images |
| Habitable zone | “Goldilocks” zone | Orbit range where liquid water could exist — not a guarantee of life |
| Biosignature | sign of life | Would-be evidence (e.g. certain gases); none confirmed on an exoplanet yet |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reaching & exploring space | Thinks reaching orbit is simply going straight up. | Names rockets but not the orbital motion that keeps a craft up. | Explains how rockets and orbital mechanics reach space and how robotic probes and space telescopes explore it. |
| Human spaceflight & its honest limits | Believes humans have traveled to other stars. | Knows about astronauts but overstates how far crews have gone. | Describes human spaceflight accurately — no crew has left the solar system, and interstellar travel remains out of reach. |
| Exoplanet detection | Cannot interpret a light-curve dip. | Calculates a dip but assumes it proves a planet. | Interprets a transit candidate, estimates size using the assigned stellar model, and identifies false positives and useful follow-up evidence. |
| Habitable zone & biosignatures | Thinks any planet could host life. | Names the habitable zone but not what makes it habitable. | Explains the habitable zone and what biosignatures would — and would not — count as evidence for life. |
| Working from real data & the journal | Accepts sensational claims and leaves the journal blank. | Browses images but keeps thin, undated notes. | Pulls real data from public image and light-curve archives, logs dated exoplanet or sky observations, and reasons from evidence. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Makes no supported connection between the source and the science. | Uses the source but needs help connecting evidence, writing, or limitations to the science. | Independently connects History, Reading, and Writing using a cited source, appropriate evidence, a limitation, and a scientific explanation. |
The split between Proficient and Mastery is reasoning from real evidence: a claim from a public light curve beats a claim from a headline. Ask “show me the data — what does this light curve tell you, and what would a biosignature actually prove?”
Read these before you grade. They show what Mastery and Developing actually sound like, plus the edge cases where you should coach rather than decide on the spot.
Student: ______________________________________ Date: _______________ Guide: _________________________
| # | Criterion | Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reaching & exploring space | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Human spaceflight & its honest limits | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Exoplanet detection | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Habitable zone & biosignatures | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Working from real data & the journal | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 6 | Integration (cross-domain) | Dev / Prof / Mast |
☐ No ☐ Yes — for criterion: __________
Tokens left this term after this session (choose one): ☐ 3 ☐ 2 ☐ 1 ☐ None left
Dev = Developing · Prof = Proficient · Mast = Mastery · Unsure between two levels? Circle the lower one and note what a re-do would need.