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 worked answers: Unit 01 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Use approved images/models and a supplied key; no animal handling.
Check selection before adaptation; require an independent changed-background response.
Contemporaneous record of observations, sketches, and the unknown ID.
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 run the technique and justify the animal biology behind it. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| What defines an animal | ||
| Multicellular | made of many cells | A single-celled amoeba is a protist, not an animal |
| Heterotroph | uses organic matter for carbon and energy | Not an animal-only trait; fungi are heterotrophs too |
| No cell wall | animal cells lack a wall | Plants, fungi, and many protists have cell walls; animals never do |
| Blastula | early multicellular embryonic stage | Developmental evidence; its form is not identical in every animal |
| Classification & symmetry | ||
| Classification ranks | domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species | Each rank is broader than the one below it |
| Species | one kind of organism | The narrowest rank; members breed and produce fertile young |
| Radial symmetry | body parts arranged around a center | No left/right and no head end — a jellyfish or anemone |
| Bilateral symmetry | mirror-image left and right halves | Comes with a head end (cephalization) and a front and back |
| Grouping animals | ||
| Vertebrate | animal with a backbone | Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals — the minority |
| Invertebrate | animal without a backbone | The vast majority of animals; not a formal group, just “no backbone” |
| Arthropod | jointed-limb invertebrate with an exoskeleton | Insects, arachnids, crustaceans — a spider is one, not an insect |
| Dichotomous key | paired either/or questions leading to a name | Each step splits the choices in two until one name is left |
Work down the criteria one at a time. Ask the student to reason it out rather than recall — “why is a spider not an insect?” The defining traits (leg count, body parts, antennae) are where Proficient and Mastery separate. Naming an animal is Proficient; explaining which traits place it is Mastery.
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| What defines an animal | Uses movement alone to identify an animal. | Names several characteristics but confuses a visible feature with a supplied biological fact. | Uses multicellularity, heterotrophy, cells without walls and developmental evidence together; distinguishes observations from source information rather than relying on movement alone. |
| Levels of classification | Thinks “animal” is one flat group with no inner structure. | Knows there are ranks but scrambles their order or which is broader. | Places an animal in the nested ranks from domain to species and explains why each level is broader than the one below it. |
| Sorting by traits & symmetry | Groups animals by size or color alone. | Uses some traits but confuses symmetry or backbone evidence. | Distinguishes radial/bilateral body plans and vertebrate/invertebrate examples using several characters and life-stage context, not a universal one-trait rule. |
| Selection prerequisite | Explains change by need, effort or a ladder of progress. | Calculates frequencies but needs a prompt for inheritance or reproductive contribution. | Independently links inherited variation, differential reproduction and populations across generations; calculates frequencies on a fresh record and distinguishes present function from evolutionary history. |
| Lab technique (dichotomous key & observation) | Guesses a name or invents an unseen character. | Uses an approved image/model and key but misses an uncertain character. | Independently annotates an approved image/model, follows the supplied key, records unknown features honestly and distinguishes sourced facts from direct observations. |
| 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. |
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 | What defines an animal | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Levels of classification | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Sorting by traits & symmetry | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Selection prerequisite | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Lab technique (dichotomous key & observation) | 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.