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 Waves, Sound & Light unit, a student should be able to:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Make waves in a spring; measure wavelength and frequency, plus sound and light demos.
The student explains what a wave’s numbers mean (Page 4).
Measurements, the sound-and-light link, 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 make and measure the wave and explain what its numbers mean. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Describing a wave | ||
| Wavelength | length of one wave | Crest to crest; shorter wavelength goes with higher frequency |
| Frequency | waves per second | Controls pitch of sound; measured in hertz — not the same as amplitude |
| Amplitude | height of the wave | Controls loudness or brightness — not the pitch |
| Medium | stuff the wave moves through | The wave carries energy; the medium itself stays in place |
| Sound & light | ||
| Sound wave | vibration you hear | Higher frequency → higher pitch; bigger amplitude → louder |
| Light wave | visible light | Part of the electromagnetic spectrum; needs no medium |
| Electromagnetic spectrum | radio to gamma | Visible light is one small band; order by wavelength |
| Reflection | a wave bouncing back | Bounces off a surface; the angle in matches the angle out |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave parts: wavelength, frequency & amplitude | Cannot label the parts of a wave. | Names the parts but measures them wrong. | Measures wavelength, frequency, and amplitude and says what each one controls. |
| Waves carry energy | Thinks a wave carries matter along with it. | Says waves carry energy but cannot show it. | Explains that a wave moves energy through a medium while the medium itself stays in place. |
| Sound & light as waves | Treats sound and light as unrelated. | Calls both waves but cannot compare them. | Describes sound and light as waves and links pitch to frequency and loudness or brightness to amplitude. |
| The electromagnetic spectrum & reflection | Cannot place visible light among the other waves. | Names parts of the spectrum but not their order. | Orders the electromagnetic spectrum simply and predicts how a wave reflects off a surface. |
| Lab technique (waves in a spring) | Cannot make a steady wave in the spring. | Makes waves but cannot measure them consistently. | Produces steady waves in a spring, measures wavelength and frequency, and shows how they change together. |
| 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 frequency is not amplitude: shaking the spring faster changes the pitch idea, not the loudness idea. Ask “which number did you change — how fast, or how big — and what did you hear or see?”
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 | Wave parts: wavelength, frequency & amplitude | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Waves carry energy | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Sound & light as waves | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | The electromagnetic spectrum & reflection | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (waves in a spring) | 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.