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 06 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Time many swings; find what sets the period.
The student says what the period does and does not depend on (Page 4).
Parameter varied, timings, and plotted relationship 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 timing and explain what sets the period. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Restoring force & oscillation | ||
| Simple harmonic motion | SHM | Needs a restoring force proportional to displacement — not any back-and-forth |
| Restoring force | spring-back force | Points toward the middle; larger the farther you go |
| Amplitude | maximum displacement | How far it swings; in SHM it does not set the period |
| Displacement | distance from the middle | Measured from the rest position; positive or negative |
| Period & energy | ||
| Period (T) | time for one cycle | Seconds per cycle; the reciprocal of frequency |
| Frequency (f) | cycles per second | Measured in hertz; f = 1/T |
| Kinetic energy | energy of motion | Greatest at the middle, where speed is highest |
| Potential energy | stored energy | Greatest at the turning points, where speed is zero |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restoring force & the SHM condition | Does not connect oscillation to any force. | Knows a spring pulls back but not that force is proportional to displacement. | Identifies the restoring-force condition (force opposite and proportional to displacement) and recognizes it in springs and pendulums. |
| Period & frequency | Uses period and frequency interchangeably. | Relates them but cannot say what changes each. | Predicts how period depends on mass and spring stiffness (and on length for a pendulum) and what it is independent of. |
| Energy in oscillation | Thinks energy disappears at the turning points. | Knows energy converts but misplaces where each type peaks. | Tracks the kinetic–potential exchange and identifies where each is maximum and where speed is greatest. |
| Graphs of SHM | Cannot sketch displacement against time. | Sketches displacement but not velocity or acceleration. | Sketches and relates displacement, velocity, and acceleration versus time, including their phase relationships. |
| Lab technique (period measurement) | Times a single swing; large timing error. | Times multiple swings but does not vary a parameter systematically. | Times many oscillations, varies length or mass systematically, and plots the relationship with uncertainty. |
| 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 independence: a mastered student names what the period is independent of, not just what changes it. Ask “what does not affect the period, and how do you know?”
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: ______ Work/graph: ______ Assumptions/uncertainty: ______ Transfer: ______. Attach the independent attempt; practical observation is separate.
Student: ______________________________________ Date: _______________ Guide: _________________________
| # | Criterion | Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restoring force & the SHM condition | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Period & frequency | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Energy in oscillation | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Graphs of SHM | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (period measurement) | 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.