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 01 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Calculate rates or circle solutions at the agreed readiness level.
The student reasons from the plate-tectonic evidence aloud (Page 4 anchors).
Retain source, units, model assumptions and changed-rate transfer.
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 calculate and justify the model's limits. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Earth's interior | ||
| Crust | outermost solid layer; oceanic / continental | Thin; part of the lithosphere, not the same thing as it |
| Mantle | layer below the crust; solid rock | Flows plastically over time (asthenosphere) — not liquid |
| Core | solid inner + liquid outer iron-nickel | Source of Earth's magnetic field; not molten all the way up |
| Lithosphere | rigid crust + uppermost mantle | A mechanical layer (behavior), not a compositional one |
| Plate boundaries & motion | ||
| Asthenosphere | weak, slowly flowing upper mantle | Plates ride on it; “plastic,” not molten |
| Divergent boundary | plates move apart; new crust forms | Mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys — building, not destroying |
| Convergent boundary | plates collide; subduction or uplift | Trenches, mountains, deep quakes, volcanic arcs |
| Transform boundary | plates slide past each other | Crust neither made nor destroyed; shallow quakes (San Andreas) |
| Evidence & hazards | ||
| Seafloor spreading | new ocean floor forms at ridges | The mechanism Wegener lacked; makes symmetric magnetic stripes |
| Paleomagnetism | fossil magnetism frozen into rock | Records past pole positions; stripes mirror across a ridge |
| Epicenter | surface point above the focus | Not the focus — that is underground at the actual rupture |
| P-wave / S-wave | primary (fast) / secondary (slower) | Arrival gap gives distance; S-waves cannot cross the liquid outer core |
Work down the criteria one at a time. Ask the student to reason it out rather than recall — “why is there a line of volcanoes behind the Andes?” The cause (an oceanic plate subducting) is where Proficient and Mastery separate. Reading the map is Proficient; explaining why the geology behaves that way is Mastery.
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earth's internal structure | Confuses the layers or thinks the whole interior is molten. | Names crust, mantle, and core but blurs composition layers with mechanical ones. | Distinguishes crust/mantle/core by composition and lithosphere/asthenosphere by behavior, and explains how we know (seismic waves). |
| Plate boundaries and rates | Confuses separation, time, or units. | Computes a rate with help but omits its reference frame or limits. | At the agreed level, calculates relative plate rate and defends the boundary model, units and constant-rate limits. |
| Evidence for plate tectonics | Treats plate tectonics as something to accept on authority. | Lists one line of evidence but cannot connect it to a mechanism. | Marshals matching coastlines/fossils, seafloor spreading, and paleomagnetism into the case that vindicated Wegener. |
| Earthquakes & volcanoes | Cannot relate their distribution to plates. | Names a boundary association without explaining it. | Explains broad earthquake and volcanic patterns without turning a plate-motion rate into a hazard forecast. |
| Seismic map reasoning | Confuses arrival delay with distance. | Calculates radii but needs help interpreting their intersections. | At the agreed level, defends the supplied S-P circle solution or bounds, coordinates and zero-depth assumption. |
| 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 | Earth's internal structure | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Plate boundaries and rates | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Evidence for plate tectonics | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Earthquakes & volcanoes | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Seismic map reasoning | 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.