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 04 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Use Pp x Pp and the stated assumptions, not family traits.
The student explains where a trait comes from aloud (Page 4).
Trait data, Punnett squares, and predictions 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 make the prediction and explain the genetics 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Traits, genes & DNA | ||
| Trait | feature; characteristic | For example, pea flower color; phenotype can also depend on environment |
| Gene | DNA sequence | Alleles are versions; a trait need not depend on just one gene |
| DNA | the code of life | Holds the genes; passed from parents to offspring |
| Heredity | inheritance | How traits pass from parents to their offspring |
| Dominant, recessive & prediction | ||
| Inherited allele | gene version passed in a gamete | For example P or p in this defined pea cross |
| Learned behavior | skill acquired through experience | Teaching can transmit a skill, but not as that learned skill in a gamete |
| Dominant & recessive | P expressed in Pp; white expressed in pp | Complete dominance here; not stronger, better or necessarily more common |
| Punnett square | prediction grid | Predicts the chances for offspring; not a guarantee |
Tongue rolling and earlobe shape are not reliable single-gene examples. Do not infer family genotypes from them.
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traits, genes & DNA | Thinks traits appear at random with no cause. | Says genes carry traits but can’t explain DNA’s role. | Explains that genes are instructions carried by DNA and passed from parents to offspring. |
| Inherited vs. learned traits | Calls every trait, even a learned skill, genetically inherited. | Sorts simple examples but overlooks environmental effects. | Distinguishes inherited alleles, environmental effects and learned behavior without inferring human genotypes. |
| Dominant & recessive traits | Treats dominant as stronger or more common. | Reads P/p but omits the complete-dominance condition. | Explains purple and white phenotypes for PP, Pp and pp in the defined one-locus, complete-dominance pea model. |
| Punnett squares & prediction | Cannot set up the stated cross. | Fills the square but treats expected counts as guarantees. | Uses Pp x Pp to predict probabilities, compare counts and state independence and equal-survival assumptions. |
| Lab technique (pea-cross model) | Omits parent alleles or a record of the modeled outcomes. | Builds a model but needs help separating supplied counts from trials actually run. | Constructs and explains a defined pea-cross model, retaining an honest record and comparing outcomes with predictions. |
| 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. |
The split between Proficient and Mastery is evidence behind the prediction: not just filling the grid, but explaining why the trait shows up. Ask the student “so where did that trait come from?”
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 | Traits, genes & DNA | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Inherited vs. learned traits | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Dominant & recessive traits | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Punnett squares & prediction | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (pea-cross model) | 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.