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 Observation & Asking Questions unit, a student should be able to:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Watch an everyday event, then raise a testable question — observed live.
The student separates what they saw from what they guessed (Page 4 anchors).
Contemporaneous record of observations, kept distinct from inferences.
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 the observation and justify why their question is testable. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Observing & recording | ||
| Observation | what you notice with senses or tools | Record what happened, not what it means |
| Qualitative observation | described in words | Colors, textures, shapes — no numbers |
| Quantitative observation | measured with numbers | Uses a ruler or stopwatch; carries a unit |
| Inference | interpretation; explanation | A reasoned guess, not a fact — label it |
| Questions & hypotheses | ||
| Testable question | investigable question | An experiment could answer it; not “which is prettier?” |
| Hypothesis | proposed explanation; if/then | Must be able to be proven wrong |
| Falsifiable | can be shown false | If nothing could disprove it, it is not a hypothesis |
| Prediction | what you expect to happen | Follows from the hypothesis; stated before the test |
| Variables | ||
| Independent variable | what you change | The one thing changed on purpose (ramp height) |
| Dependent variable | what you measure | The result you record (distance rolled) |
| Controlled variable | what you keep the same | Held steady so one change can explain a difference |
| Data | recorded observations | The evidence; keep it separate from conclusions |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Careful observation (qualitative & quantitative) | Writes vague notes (“it changed”) or records conclusions instead of what was seen. | Describes what happened but mixes in guesses, or skips the numbers a ruler or stopwatch would give. | Records precise, separated observations — “4 cm taller, leaning toward the window” — with no conclusions mixed in. |
| Asking testable questions | Asks questions no experiment could answer, or asks none at all. | Raises a real curiosity but leaves it too broad to test. | Turns a curiosity into a sharp, investigable question an experiment could answer. |
| Forming a hypothesis | Offers a vague guess or restates the question; nothing could prove it wrong. | States a prediction but leaves out the if/then or a clear way it could fail. | States a testable, falsifiable if/then: “if the ramp is steeper, then the toy car rolls farther.” |
| Identifying variables | Cannot say what is being changed or what is being measured. | Names one variable but confuses changed with measured, or misses what to hold steady. | Names what is changed, what is measured, and what to keep the same — clearly and out loud. |
| Observation vs. inference | Reports opinions or interpretations as if they were facts. | Usually separates them but slips an interpretation into the observation list. | Labels each note: “observation — the tablet fizzed faster in warm water; inference — heat likely speeds it up.” |
| 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. |
Work down the criteria one at a time. Ask the student to separate what they saw from what they guessed, then turn it into a question a test could answer. Reporting an observation is Proficient; asking a question an experiment could settle is Mastery.
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 | Careful observation (qualitative & quantitative) | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Asking testable questions | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Forming a hypothesis | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Identifying variables | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Observation vs. inference | 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.