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 04 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Motion timed on a ramp and force read on a spring scale — measured live.
The student explains the motion from the forces at work (Page 4).
Times, the speed calculation, 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 take the measurement and justify it from the forces at work. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Location relative to a chosen reference | Can be positive or negative. |
| Distance | Accumulated path length | Not the same as signed displacement. |
| Speed / velocity | Distance rate / signed motion rate | A position-time slope carries direction. |
| Net force | Sum of forces on the chosen object | Zero net force permits rest or constant velocity. |
| Interaction pair | Equal/opposite forces on different bodies | They do not cancel on one object’s diagram. |
| Field model | Description of interaction across space | Not a material thread between objects. |
| Average force | Momentum change divided by duration in the given model | Does not alone establish a peak force. |
| Controlled comparison | Change a specified factor while checking others | A reference table is not an observed investigation. |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed & distance–time | Confuses speed with distance or with time. | Measures speed but mixes up the units. | Uses measured distance and time to calculate speed; distinguishes signed position changes and graph slopes in a stated reference frame. |
| Forces: pushes & pulls | Cannot say what a force does. | Calls a force a push or pull but cannot spot one acting. | Identifies contact/noncontact forces, directions and field models; separately measures an approved force with a spring scale or equivalent and correct units. |
| Balanced vs. unbalanced forces | Thinks a still object has no forces on it. | Defines balanced forces but cannot predict the motion. | Predicts changing motion from a net force; explains that balanced forces allow rest or constant velocity. |
| Newton's three laws | Cannot state a law of motion; thinks a moving thing needs a constant push to keep going. | Recites a law but cannot give a real example. | Explains each of Newton's three laws with a real example from the ramp or the bench. |
| Lab technique (motion on a ramp) | Releases the cart carelessly or mistimes the run. | Collects times but with inconsistent starts. | Rolls a cart down a ramp, times it cleanly, and links the measured motion to the force behind it. |
| 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 prediction backed by measurement: not just timing the cart, but predicting what the ramp will do and explaining the result from the forces. Ask “why did it speed up going down?” Listen for the unbalanced force pulling it along.
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 | Speed & distance–time | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Forces: pushes & pulls | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Balanced vs. unbalanced forces | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Newton's three laws | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (motion on a ramp) | 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.