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 public practice answers (not assessment keys): Unit 07 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Open the pig in layers; locate and name each structure on the specimen.
The student names each structure and its homologous human structure on sight (Page 4).
Specimen, structures found, and a labeled sketch 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. Technique criteria are mastered only when an educator observes them; identification and explanation criteria can be mastered on the approved specimen, image, model, or virtual route without penalty. 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.
| Term | Accepted explanation | Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Umbilical cord | navel cord | Connected the fetus to the placenta; carries umbilical vessels |
| Mammary papillae | teats | Rows of nipples along the belly; present in both sexes |
| Anatomical planes | sagittal / frontal / transverse | Reference planes for describing where a structure sits |
| Directional terms | dorsal/ventral, anterior/posterior | Words for top/bottom and front/back on a four-legged body |
| Four-chambered heart | mammalian heart | Two atria and two ventricles; fetal shunts limit adult-function claims |
| Diaphragm | muscular sheet | Divides chest from abdomen; in the fetus it is not driving breathing |
| Great vessels | aorta / venae cavae | Large vessels carrying blood to and from the heart |
| Reproductive organs | gonads | Testes or ovaries; identify the specimen sex |
| Fetal model | developmental specimen | Shows developmental structures and proportions, not adult physiology. |
| Umbilical structures | fetal vessels and cord features | Evidence of developmental context; do not treat as adult anatomy. |
| Model specimen | representative learning specimen | One specimen is not a universal body. |
The split between Proficient and Mastery is the structure on the specimen, not the guess: a mastered student traces the great vessels from the heart and names each organ. Ask “show me the diaphragm and tell me what it separates.”
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instrument handling & safe technique | Grips the scalpel, scissors, forceps, or probe awkwardly; cuts too hard or too deep into the large specimen; puts hands or specimen at risk. | Holds the instruments correctly with reminders and cuts more carefully, but still presses too hard or steadies the specimen poorly. | Holds each instrument the right way and makes shallow, controlled cuts on a large, multi-layer specimen; this technique criterion requires educator observation. |
| Careful, layered exposure & observation | Cuts straight through skin, muscle, and organs at once, destroying deeper structures. | Opens the layers in roughly the right order but rushes and disturbs structures before observing them. | Opens skin, muscle, and body cavity in sequence, exposing each layer cleanly without destroying what lies beneath; this exposure criterion requires observation. |
| Locating & naming external structures & orientation | Cannot point to the umbilical cord or mammary papillae, or use directional terms. | Finds a few external landmarks with prompting but confuses the anatomical planes or directional terms. | Locates and names umbilical cord, mammary papillae, external anatomy, and orientation terms on the approved specimen, image, model, or virtual route. |
| Locating & naming internal organ systems | Guesses at the organs or names the wrong ones once the cavity is open. | Finds the larger organs but cannot reliably trace the great vessels or distinguish the small from the large intestine. | Locates and names heart, great vessels, lungs, diaphragm, liver, stomach, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive organs on the approved route, naming fetal and preservation limits. |
| Explaining structure & function (and mammalian homology & specimen care) | Cannot say what a structure does, and lets the specimen dry out or handles it carelessly or disrespectfully. | Explains one or two structures' functions but not how the pig compares with human anatomy with fetal and species limits, and keeps the specimen moist only when reminded. | Explains mammalian homologies, fetal shunts, diaphragm position, and pig-specific differences using the checked proportion; the fetal diaphragm does not drive breathing. |
| 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. |
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 | Instrument handling & safe technique | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Careful, layered exposure & observation | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Locating & naming external structures & orientation | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Locating & naming internal organ systems | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Explaining structure & function (and mammalian homology & specimen care) | 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
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.
Dev = Developing · Prof = Proficient · Mast = Mastery · Unsure between two levels? Circle the lower one and note what a re-do would need.