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).
Run a change, watch for the evidence, weigh before and after.
The student defends physical or chemical from the evidence (Page 4).
Observations, the mass check, and the conclusion 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 read the evidence and justify the physical science 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.
| Term | Accepted explanation | Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Physical change | Change without a new substance identity | Boiling or tearing can change appearance without a chemical reaction. |
| Chemical change | Atoms regroup into new substances | Bubbles, color or temperature alone are not unique proof. |
| Reactant / product | Before / after substances in a reaction model | Given symbols are labels; middle-school token work need not balance a new equation. |
| System boundary | What the measurement includes | Escaped gas can leave a container without destroying atoms. |
| Conservation of matter | Each atom type remains accounted for | A small measured difference needs an uncertainty check. |
| Energy transfer | Energy entering or leaving a defined account | A thermal sign alone does not identify a chemical product. |
| Design requirement | A measurable condition for success | Compare uncertainty as well as the central reading. |
| Revision | A change tested against the same requirements | An improved fictional result is not a real device approval. |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical vs. chemical change | Calls every change the same kind — all physical or all chemical. | Defines each kind but cannot sort real examples. | Classifies changes by whether substance identity changes, explaining physical examples such as melting, tearing, and dissolving sugar. |
| Signs of a chemical change | Cannot name a clue that a new substance formed. | Names a sign but does not yet check it with property evidence. | Uses observations and property checks as evidence of a new substance; a color change or bubbles alone are not proof. |
| Conservation of mass | Thinks matter disappears when something burns or dissolves. | States that mass is conserved but cannot show it. | Predicts and checks mass conservation within measurement uncertainty, accounting for gas that enters or leaves the measured system. |
| Evidence & explanation | Guesses without pointing to what was observed. | Describes what happened but cannot tie it to a new substance. | Uses identity evidence, particle and energy records to explain a change or design decision, with system boundaries and uncertainty. |
| Lab technique (change investigation) | Mixes samples with no plan and no measurement. | Runs the change but records observations loosely. | Runs a controlled change, measures mass before and after, and records every clue carefully. |
| 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 over guessing. A sign alone — color, gas, heat, a new solid — is not proof. Ask “which property checks show a new substance, and what else could explain the sign?”
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.
Evidence for the score sheet: Level: ______ Case/data: ______ Criterion: ______ Source/date: ______ First attempt and work: ______ Assumptions/uncertainty: ______ Fresh variation: ______. Practical observation is recorded separately.
Student: ______________________________________ Date: _______________ Guide: _________________________
| # | Criterion | Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physical vs. chemical change | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Signs of a chemical change | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Conservation of mass | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Evidence & explanation | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (change investigation) | 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.