Resources · Mastery
Mastery rubrics.
One rubric per unit, plus the three demonstration rubrics. Every rubric uses the same three levels — Not yet, Approaching, Mastered — so the bar is identical for every student.
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How the rubrics work
The grading philosophy behind every rubric — decisions not points, a vocabulary published in advance, three tokens that absorb a bad day, and how unit mastery becomes a letter grade.
Unit rubrics
A mastery rubric for each of the eight units. Each one names exactly what a student must be able to do — not how many points they earned — to reach Mastered.
Unit 01
Earth's Structure & Plate Tectonics
The layers of the Earth, plate boundaries and motion, the evidence for plate tectonics, and earthquakes and volcanoes.
Unit 02
Minerals & Rocks (the rock cycle)
Mineral properties, the three rock families, and the rock cycle.
Unit 03
Weathering, Erosion & Soil
Physical and chemical weathering, erosion, deposition, and soil horizons.
Unit 04
Earth's History & Geologic Time
Relative and absolute dating, the geologic column, fossils, and half-life.
Unit 05
The Atmosphere & Weather
Atmospheric structure, air masses and fronts, pressure, humidity, and storms.
Unit 06
Climate & Climate Change
Climate drivers, the carbon cycle, evidence of change, and feedback loops.
Unit 07
The Hydrosphere
The water cycle, oceans and currents, groundwater, and freshwater resources.
Unit 08
Astronomy & Earth in Space
Earth–Sun–Moon motions, the solar system, stars, and the scale of the universe.
Demonstration rubrics
The three live demonstrations a student defends in person. These are the AI-proof assessments — you can't paste your way through any of them.
Demonstration
Mineral & rock ID defense
Defending your identification of an unknown mineral or rock — streak, hardness, luster, acid test — at the bench.
Demonstration
Timed map interpretation
Reading a topographic or geologic map under time — landforms, structures, and history.
Demonstration
Oral lab-notebook defense
Standing behind your recorded methods, data, and reasoning out loud.