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 public practice answers (not assessment keys): Unit 03 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Use the instructor-approved specimen and preparation procedure; supplied images assess interpretation only.
The student explains why each step keeps the field clear (Page 4).
Specimen, steps taken, and what a re-do fixed 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 build the mount and justify why each step keeps the field clear. 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.
| Term | Accepted explanation | Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Wet mount | Temporary slide with liquid under a coverslip | Only approved specimens and procedure; not an improvised collection. |
| Preparation artifact | Feature introduced by handling or imaging | Do not score it as a real structure without supporting evidence. |
| Specimen variation | Real difference among cells or tissues | Must be separated from bubbles, folds and thickness. |
| Approved alternative | Supplied image or virtual microscopy | Can assess concepts; hands-on technique requires observation. |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean slide handling | Grabs the slide by its faces, leaving fingerprints and smears across the viewing area. | Holds the slide by the edges when reminded but forgets to check it is clean and dry first. | Handles the slide by its edges only, checks it is clean and dry, and keeps the viewing area free of prints and dust. |
| Placing a thin specimen | Piles on a chunk of specimen too thick for light to pass through. | Chooses a thin piece but centers it poorly or lets it fold over. | Selects or peels a thin specimen, lays it flat and centered (observed), and separates specimen variation from artifacts. |
| Sizing the water drop | Floods the slide or adds no water at all. | Adds water but consistently too much or too little for the coverslip. | Places a single drop sized so it spreads just under the coverslip without overflowing or leaving dry gaps. |
| Lowering the coverslip | Drops the coverslip flat, trapping a field full of air bubbles. | Lowers it at an angle sometimes but still leaves stray bubbles. | Rests one edge of the coverslip in the water and lowers it slowly at a shallow angle so the water spreads bubble-free. |
| Wicking & fixing a bad mount | Leaves excess water pooling or gives up when the mount goes wrong. | Wicks excess water but cannot diagnose why a mount looks bad. | Wicks excess and remakes a bad mount (observed), recording what changed without treating artifacts as organisms. |
| 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 technique over luck: a clear field from a sloppy method won’t repeat. Watch the hands — slide held by the edges, one sized drop, coverslip eased down at a shallow angle, excess wicked clean.
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: _________________________
| # | Criterion | Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clean slide handling | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Placing a thin specimen | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Sizing the water drop | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Lowering the coverslip | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Wicking & fixing a bad mount | 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.