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 Communicating & Defending Findings unit, a student should be able to:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
A written report plus a graph or table that backs the claim.
The student defends the findings out loud and takes questions (Page 4).
Question, data, and 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 back the claim with data and defend it out loud. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| The report | ||
| Written report | write-up / lab report | Question, method, data, conclusion — in an order a reader can follow |
| Claim | conclusion / the answer | What the data shows; never stated without evidence behind it |
| Evidence | the data / the numbers | The specific measurements that support the claim |
| Supporting visual | table or graph | The right type, labeled, with the pattern easy to see — not decoration |
| Defending it | ||
| Reasoning | the “because” | Why the evidence supports the claim — the link between the two |
| Oral defense | explaining it aloud | In their own words, not reading the report back word for word |
| Critique | a challenge / a question | A fair push-back to answer; tell a fair point from an unfair one |
| Concede & defend | give ground / hold ground | Grant a fair point honestly; defend a sound one with evidence |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear written report | Report is missing pieces — no question stated, or data and conclusion jumbled together. | Includes most parts, but the order is muddled or the method is too thin for a reader to follow. | Lays out the question, method, data, and conclusion plainly, so a reader can follow the whole investigation. |
| Visuals support the claim | Uses no table or graph, or picks one that does not fit the data. | Includes a graph but it is mislabeled, or it does not clearly connect to the point being made. | Chooses a table or graph that actually backs the claim — the right type, labeled, with the pattern easy to see. |
| Oral defense | Cannot explain the work aloud, or just reads the report back word for word. | Explains the gist but stumbles when asked to go past what is written down. | Explains the investigation aloud in their own words and answers questions about any part of it. |
| Claim–evidence–reasoning | States a conclusion with no data behind it, or lists data with no claim. | Connects a claim to data but skips the reasoning that links the two. | Ties every claim to specific data and to the reason that data supports it. |
| Responding to critique | Ignores a challenge, gets defensive, or swaps in whatever answer is suggested. | Hears the critique but cannot tell a fair point from an unfair one. | Handles a challenge to the results calmly and honestly — concedes a fair point, defends a sound one with evidence. |
| 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 claim, evidence, reason: a student who ties each claim to a number and a “because” has it. Ask “what’s your evidence, and why does it support the claim?”
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 | Clear written report | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Visuals support the claim | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Oral defense | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Claim–evidence–reasoning | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Responding to critique | 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.