This packet is everything a parent or guide needs to assess Unit 03 at home — learning targets, the answers that count as correct, the mastery rubric, calibration examples, and a clipboard score sheet. No multiple-choice test: the student shows mastery by tracing food through digestion, working a calorie and energy-balance calculation, and explaining what the numbers mean as science — not a diet.
By the end of the Digestion, Metabolism & Energy Balance unit, a student should be able to:
Six criteria, each judged Not yet / Approaching / Mastered (Page 3).
Trace the energy in food and work the numbers as evidence.
The student explains energy balance as science out loud (Page 4).
Digestion notes, the calorie calculation, and the reasoning kept distinct.
You are making a decision, not adding up points. For each criterion, decide whether the work is Not yet, Approaching, or Mastered — the column language tells you which. A criterion counts as mastered only when the student can both work the calculation and explain energy balance as neutral science. A student carries three tokens per term; one token buys a re-do of one criterion on another day, so a single bad afternoon never sinks the unit.
Accept any answer in the synonyms column — they are pre-approved as equivalent. The third column flags the confusions that look close but are not yet, so you can coach precisely.
| Canonical answer | Accepted synonyms | Common confusion / discriminator |
|---|---|---|
| Digestion & the body | ||
| Digestion | breaking food down | The physical and chemical breakdown of food into absorbable nutrients |
| Metabolism | energy metabolism | All the processes that release and use the energy stored in food |
| Absorption | nutrient uptake | Where broken-down nutrients pass into the blood — mostly the small intestine |
| Energy & the calorie | ||
| Calorie | kilocalorie; Cal; kcal | A unit of energy the body needs — not something “bad” |
| Energy density | energy per gram | Carbs and protein about 4 Cal/g, fat about 9 Cal/g; denser fuel, not “bad” food |
| Basal metabolic rate | BMR; resting energy | The energy the body uses at rest just to keep running |
| Energy in | energy consumed | The food energy taken in; one side of the balance, not a target |
| Energy balance | energy in versus energy out | Neutral science about how the body uses fuel, not a diet rule |
| Criterion | Not yet | Approaching | Mastered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracing digestion | Cannot describe what happens to food after it’s eaten. | Names a digestive organ or two but cannot trace food through the system. | Traces food through the digestive system and explains where it is broken down into nutrients the body can absorb. |
| Metabolism & extracting energy | Thinks the body uses food without changing it. | Knows the body gets energy from food but cannot say how. | Explains metabolism as the process that breaks nutrients down and releases the energy stored in them for the body to use. |
| The calorie as a unit of energy | Calls calories “bad” or something to be avoided. | Knows a calorie measures energy but still treats it as harmful. | Explains the calorie as a unit of energy the body needs to function — neither good nor bad, simply a measure of the fuel food provides. |
| Energy balance as neutral science | Treats energy balance as a rule for losing weight. | Describes energy in versus energy out but frames it as a diet prescription. | Describes energy balance — energy in versus energy out — as a neutral scientific concept about how the body uses fuel, not as a diet or weight-loss prescription. |
| Anchor lab (calorie & energy-balance calculation) | Cannot set up a calorie or energy-balance calculation. | Sets up the calculation but slips on the units or the arithmetic. | Completes a calorie and energy-balance calculation correctly and explains what the numbers describe about energy, using them as evidence rather than a verdict. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Treats the science as isolated facts; makes no cross-domain connection. | Names a link to history, reading, or writing but cannot defend why it matters. | Connects the unit across History · Reading · Writing — including how careful measurement turned digestion and energy into an evidence-based science — and defends why the connection matters. |
The split between Approaching and Mastered is reasoning over arithmetic: a right calorie total means little if the student still calls calories “bad.” Ask them to label the energy units and explain energy balance as science, not a diet.
Read these before you grade. They show what Mastered and Not yet actually sound like, plus the edge cases where you should coach rather than decide on the spot.
Student: ______________________________________ Date: _______________ Guide: _________________________
| # | Criterion | Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tracing digestion | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 2 | Metabolism & extracting energy | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 3 | The calorie as a unit of energy | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 4 | Energy balance as neutral science | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 5 | Anchor lab (calorie & energy-balance calculation) | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 6 | Integration (cross-domain) | NY / Appr / Mast |
☐ No ☐ Yes — for criterion: __________ Tokens remaining: ☐ 3 ☐ 2 ☐ 1 ☐ 0
NY = Not yet · Appr = Approaching · Mast = Mastered · Unsure between two levels? Circle the lower one and note what a re-do would need.