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.
By the end of the Heat & Thermal Energy unit, a student should be able to:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Measure temperature over time as heat moves through a setup.
The student tells heat apart from temperature aloud (Page 4).
Readings over time, the path of the heat, 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 reading and tell heat apart from temperature. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat vs temperature | ||
| Temperature | how hot something is | A measure of average particle energy, not the amount of heat |
| Heat | thermal energy on the move | Energy flowing from warmer to cooler — not the same as temperature |
| Thermal energy | energy of jiggling particles | Stored in the motion of particles; more of it at higher temperature |
| Thermal equilibrium | same temperature | When two things stop exchanging heat — their temperatures match |
| Ways heat travels | ||
| Conduction | heat through touch | Through a solid, particle to particle — a metal spoon warming |
| Convection | heat by moving fluid | Warm water or air rises and carries heat with it |
| Radiation | heat by rays | Travels through empty space — warmth from a lamp or the Sun |
| Insulator | poor heat conductor | Slows heat flow — wood or foam, unlike metal |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature vs. heat | Uses “heat” and “temperature” to mean the same thing. | Defines each but confuses them in an example. | Explains that temperature measures how hot something is while heat is energy on the move, and keeps the two straight. |
| Conduction, convection & radiation | Cannot name a way that heat travels. | Names the three ways but cannot match them to real cases. | Identifies conduction, convection, and radiation in everyday situations and explains each one. |
| Thermal energy & heat flow | Thinks cold moves into warm things. | Knows heat flows but not which direction. | Shows that heat always flows from the warmer thing to the cooler one until their temperatures even out. |
| Predicting heat transfer | Cannot say what will warm up or cool down. | Predicts a direction but not a reason. | Predicts how heat will move through a setup and explains the path it takes. |
| Lab technique (heat transfer) | Misreads the thermometer or ignores the reading. | Records temperatures but at uneven times. | Measures temperature change over time cleanly and links it to how the heat traveled. |
| 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 heat is not temperature: a warm hand losing energy to a cool spoon is heat flow, not “cold” moving in. Ask “which way did the energy go, and by conduction, convection, or radiation?”
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 | Temperature vs. heat | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Conduction, convection & radiation | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Thermal energy & heat flow | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Predicting heat transfer | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (heat transfer) | 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.