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 07 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Key an unknown specimen out to a name.
The student defends each couplet choice aloud (Page 4).
Group placement, couplet path, and final name 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 work the key and defend the plant biology behind it. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Groups & classification | ||
| Bryophyte | moss / liverwort / hornwort group | Non-vascular plant lineages; living representatives are not ancestors of later groups |
| Angiosperm | flowering plant | Seeds enclosed in a fruit; the most diverse group — not a gymnosperm |
| Monocot / eudicot | flowering-plant groups | Use trait combinations and exceptions; traditional dicots are not one clade |
| Binomial nomenclature | two-part Latin name | Genus (capitalized) + species, both italicized |
| Naming & keys | ||
| Taxonomy | classification | Ranks from domain down to species; a hierarchy, not a random list |
| Phylogeny | evolutionary tree | Groups plants by shared ancestry, not by looks alone |
| Cladistics | shared-derived-trait method | Reads a cladogram from shared innovations |
| Dichotomous key | paired-choice key | Each couplet offers two choices; follow them to a name |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major plant groups | Cannot relate groups to traits. | Lists groups but treats living representatives as ancestors of one another. | Compares bryophytes, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms, and angiosperms by traits and life cycles on a branching model. |
| Monocots & eudicots | Cannot use diagnostic character combinations. | Uses one trait as an exceptionless rule. | Uses cotyledon, venation, and floral evidence to compare monocots/eudicots and explains why traditional dicots are not one natural clade. |
| Taxonomy & binomial nomenclature | Cannot explain why a plant has a two-part scientific name. | Reads a binomial name but muddles genus, species, or the ranks. | Explains binomial nomenclature, writes a name correctly, and places a plant in the taxonomic hierarchy. |
| Phylogeny & cladistics | Treats classification as a random list. | Reads a simple tree but cannot infer relationships from it. | Uses shared derived traits to read a cladogram and explains how phylogeny reflects common ancestry. |
| Lab technique (dichotomous key) | Cannot follow a key’s paired choices. | Works a key but takes wrong branches or ignores the specimen’s traits. | Uses a dichotomous key to identify an unknown plant, justifying each couplet choice from the specimen in hand. |
| 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 justifying the couplet: it is not enough to reach a name — the student defends each branch from a trait on the specimen. Ask “why did you take that branch and not the other?”
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 | Major plant groups | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Monocots & eudicots | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Taxonomy & binomial nomenclature | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Phylogeny & cladistics | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (dichotomous key) | 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.