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 05 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Test DO, nitrate, turbidity, and pH; read the water’s health.
The student reads the test results as a diagnosis (Page 4).
Sample source, readings, and diagnosis 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 take the measurement and defend the diagnosis it supports. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water & where it goes | ||
| Watershed | drainage basin | Land that drains to one water body; distinct from an aquifer |
| Aquifer | groundwater store | Underground water-bearing rock; recharged from the surface |
| Point source pollution | pipe / outfall source | A single, identifiable source you can name and locate |
| Nonpoint source pollution | runoff pollution | Diffuse runoff with no single origin — harder to control |
| Reading a stream’s health | ||
| Eutrophication | nutrient over-enrichment | Nutrients feed an algal bloom whose decay crashes the oxygen |
| Dissolved oxygen (DO) | O₂ in water | The oxygen aquatic life breathes; low DO means a stressed stream |
| Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) | measured oxygen demand | Oxygen used under a stated test protocol; not the same quantity as a DO snapshot |
| Turbidity | water cloudiness | Suspended sediment; distinct from color or dissolved pollutants |
| Concentration / load | mg/L / kg/day | Mass load needs concentration, flow and conversions |
| Hazard / exposure | potential harm / contact | Contact route, amount and duration matter; neither alone quantifies risk |
| Risk characterization | integrated risk assessment | Combines hazard, dose-response, exposure and uncertainty; the fictional quotient is not a probability |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watersheds and groundwater budgets | Treats groundwater as unlimited. | Names recharge and withdrawal. | Traces watershed/groundwater flows and compares recharge, withdrawal and ecosystem needs within a stated boundary. |
| Pollution sources and loads | Treats concentration as mass load. | Classifies sources with help. | Distinguishes point/nonpoint inputs, calculates concentration × flow, and states limits on source attribution. |
| Nutrients, oxygen and aquatic effects | Equates low oxygen with one cause. | Describes enrichment incompletely. | Explains nutrient/oxygen pathways and thermal discharge; balances heat while distinguishing BOD, solubility, actual oxygen and ecological inference. |
| Treatment, exposure and health risk | Calls clear water safe. | Names treatment or risk steps. | Explains treatment limits; separates hazard, dose-response and exposure; calculates normalized intake without a health verdict. |
| Water-measurement technique | Contaminates or misreads samples. | Records tests with reminders. | Demonstrates approved DO/nitrate/turbidity/pH measurement or an approved alternative, with calibration, units and no potability claim. |
| 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. |
Ask for mass-load units, exposure route and time assumptions. A causal claim needs more than a pair of river snapshots.
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: _________________________
Integration is reported separately and cannot lower the science grade or block a science demonstration pass. Science and practical criteria determine that pass.
| # | Criterion | Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watersheds and groundwater budgets | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Pollution sources and loads | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Nutrients, oxygen and aquatic effects | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Treatment, exposure and health risk | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Water-measurement technique | 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.