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).
Comparing living and non-living things and what organisms need.
The student explains their reasoning aloud (Page 4 anchors).
A real record of observations, labeled sketches, and evidence.
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 make the observation and explain the biology behind it. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Living, non-living & once-living | ||
| Living thing | organism; alive | Does all the life processes — one clue like “it moves” is not enough |
| Non-living | never alive | A rock or water was never alive — not the same as once-living |
| Once-living | dead; formerly alive | A fallen log or dry leaf was alive; still not “non-living” |
| Organism | a living thing | One complete living thing, from a bacterium to a bear |
| Traits all living things share | ||
| Uses energy | needs food or energy | Every living thing takes in energy — even a still seed |
| Grows | develops; gets bigger | Growth is part of being alive, not just getting taller |
| Responds | reacts | A reaction to the surroundings, not random movement |
| Reproduces | makes more of its kind | Making offspring, not just growing larger |
| Needs & response | ||
| Basic needs | food/energy, water, air, space | What a thing must have to live — not the same as wants |
| Stimulus | a change nearby | The trigger from the surroundings, not the reaction |
| Response | the reaction | How the organism reacts — and it usually helps it survive |
| Life processes | the jobs of living things | Using energy, growing, responding, reproducing — together, not one alone |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living, non-living & once-living | Sorts things as living or not by a single clue, like “it moves.” | Sorts most things correctly but is stumped by tricky cases like seeds or a fallen log. | Sorts living, once-living, and never-living things and backs up each call with more than one trait. |
| The traits all living things share | Can name one or two traits but leaves out most. | Lists traits but treats every property as visible in one short observation. | Connects cells, energy use, growth, response and reproduction across a life cycle; distinguishes observed properties from unobserved ones. |
| What living things need to survive | Thinks living things only need food. | Lists needs but assumes every organism needs the same conditions. | Explains needs for the named organism and makes a bounded prediction when a condition changes. |
| Stimulus & response | Doesn’t connect a change in the surroundings to how a living thing reacts. | Gives one example of a response but can’t explain why it helps the organism. | Identifies a stimulus and the response, and explains how reacting helps the living thing survive. |
| Lab technique (observing & recording) | Rushes the observation or writes down guesses instead of what is seen. | Observes carefully but records vaguely or skips the hand lens. | Uses a hand lens well, records clear observations in words and labeled sketches, and separates what they saw from what they think. |
| 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. |
Work down the criteria one at a time. Ask the student to give evidence rather than a guess — “how do you know the seed is alive?” The evidence (it uses energy, grows, responds, reproduces) is where Developing and Mastery separate. A guess is Developing; evidence you can point to is Mastery.
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 | Living, non-living & once-living | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | The traits all living things share | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | What living things need to survive | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Stimulus & response | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (observing & recording) | 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.