This packet is everything a parent or guide needs to assess Unit 01 at home — the 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 matter at the bench — mass, volume, density — and reasoning aloud from what the numbers show.
By the end of the Matter & Its Properties unit, a student should be able to:
Six criteria, each judged Not yet / Approaching / Mastered (Page 3).
Mass and volume measured at the bench, then density calculated — done live.
The student explains what each measurement tells them aloud (Page 4 anchors).
Contemporaneous record of measurements, calculations, and observations.
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 explain what the property tells you about the matter. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Measuring matter | ||
| Mass | how much matter; grams | Not the same as weight; measured on a balance |
| Volume | space it takes up | Ruler for a regular shape; water displacement for an odd one |
| Density | mass ÷ volume | A property of the material, not the size; predicts float or sink |
| States & changes of state | ||
| States of matter | solid, liquid, gas | Set by how tightly the particles are packed and how they move |
| Change of state | melting, freezing, boiling | A physical change — the substance is the same, just rearranged |
| Heating curve | temperature-vs-heat graph | Flat parts = a change of state; sloped parts = warming one state |
| Describing & sorting matter | ||
| Physical property | observable, measurable trait | Color, magnetism, solubility, melting point — no new substance made |
| Mixture | two or more substances mixed | Each part keeps its traits; a physical method separates it |
| Pure substance | one kind of matter | Same all the way through; a mixture is not |
| Criterion | Not yet | Approaching | Mastered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mass, volume & measurement | Confuses mass with volume or reads the balance and ruler incorrectly. | Measures mass and volume but mixes up their units. | Measures mass on a balance and volume by ruler or water displacement, with correct units every time. |
| Density | Thinks heavier objects always sink. | Knows density is mass over volume but cannot use it to predict floating or sinking. | Calculates density from measured mass and volume and uses it to predict whether an object floats or sinks. |
| States of matter & changes of state | Cannot describe how solids, liquids, and gases differ. | Names the three states but stumbles on melting and boiling. | Describes each state and explains melting, freezing, and boiling as changes of state on a heating curve. |
| Physical properties | Cannot name a property that describes matter. | Lists a property or two but cannot measure or compare them. | Identifies and compares physical properties — color, magnetism, solubility, melting point — to describe a sample. |
| Mixtures vs. pure substances | Treats every sample as “just one thing.” | Defines a mixture but cannot suggest how to separate it. | Tells a mixture from a pure substance and plans a simple separation using a physical property. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Treats the science as isolated facts. | Names a link to history, reading, or writing but cannot defend it. | Connects the unit across History · Reading · Writing and defends why it matters. |
Work down the criteria one at a time. Ask the student to reason from the measurement rather than guess — “why does the cork float?” The answer is density (mass compared to volume), not weight. Taking the measurement is Approaching; explaining what it means is Mastered.
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 | Mass, volume & measurement | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 2 | Density | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 3 | States of matter & changes of state | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 4 | Physical properties | NY / Appr / Mast | |
| 5 | Mixtures vs. pure substances | 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.