This packet is everything a parent or guide needs to assess Unit 04 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 measuring lung volumes on a spirometer and explaining gas exchange from the anatomy.
By the end of the Respiratory System unit, a student should be able to:
Six criteria, each judged Not yet / Approaching / Mastered (Page 3).
Measure lung volumes; read tidal volume and vital capacity off the trace.
The student explains gas exchange from the anatomy (Page 4).
Trace, volumes, and interpretation 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 take the measurement and justify it from the anatomy. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Airways & lungs | ||
| Trachea | windpipe | C-shaped cartilage rings hold it open |
| Bronchiole | bronchus / bronchi | Narrowing airways; cartilage fades and smooth muscle takes over |
| Alveolus | alveoli; air sac | Site of gas exchange; thin wall keeps the diffusion distance short |
| Breathing & gas exchange | ||
| Diaphragm | (none) | Primary breathing muscle; flattens to pull air in |
| Pleura | pleural membrane | Double layer around the lung; fluid lets it slide friction-free |
| Gas exchange | external respiration | Oxygen in, carbon dioxide out across the alveolar wall |
| Partial pressure | (none) | Each gas diffuses from higher to lower partial pressure |
| Lung volumes | tidal volume; vital capacity | Read off the spirometer; vital capacity is the biggest breath out after a full inhale |
| Criterion | Not yet | Approaching | Mastered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airways & the bronchial tree | Cannot name the major airways or order them from the trachea to the alveoli. | Names the airways but cannot trace the path air takes or say where cartilage gives way to smooth muscle. | Traces air from the trachea through bronchi and bronchioles to the alveoli on a model, and explains how each airway's structure fits its job. |
| Mechanics of breathing | Describes breathing as air being “sucked in” with no reference to muscles or pressure. | Names the diaphragm but cannot connect its movement to the pressure change that drives airflow. | Explains how the diaphragm and rib cage change thoracic volume and pressure, and predicts airflow direction from that pressure change. |
| Gas exchange & gas transport | Cannot say where or why oxygen and carbon dioxide move between air and blood. | Knows gas exchange happens at the alveoli but cannot explain diffusion by partial pressure, or how the blood carries each gas. | Explains gas exchange across the alveolar wall by partial-pressure differences and describes how oxygen and carbon dioxide are carried in the blood. |
| Lung volumes & control of breathing | Cannot distinguish tidal volume from vital capacity, or name what sets the breathing rate. | Defines the common lung volumes but cannot read them off a trace, or names the brainstem control only loosely. | Identifies tidal volume, vital capacity, and the reserve volumes on a spirogram, and explains how carbon-dioxide levels drive the control of breathing. |
| Lab technique (spirometry) | Cannot set up the spirometer or produce a usable trace. | Records a trace but mishandles the mouthpiece seal, reset, or reading of a volume. | Runs a clean spirometry trial, reads tidal volume and vital capacity off the trace, and interprets what the numbers mean. |
| 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 to its anchor across History · Reading · Writing (plus chosen electives) and defends why the connection matters. |
The split between Approaching and Mastered is the physiology behind the structure: not just naming the alveolus, but explaining why oxygen crosses into the blood there. Listen for “higher partial pressure in the air, so it diffuses in.”
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 | Airways & the bronchial tree | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 2 | Mechanics of breathing | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 3 | Gas exchange & gas transport | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 4 | Lung volumes & control of breathing | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (spirometry) | 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.