Science Assessment. Extended Response and Check Understanding SCIENCE GRADE 3. FOCUScurriculum

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1 SCIENCE GRADE 3 Science Assessment Extended Response and Check Understanding FOCUScurriculum Curriculum materials for your content standards 33 Milford Drive, Suite 1, Hudson, OH (330)

2 Introduction Published by FOCUScurriculum 33 Milford Drive, Suite 1 Hudson, OH (330) Copyright 2008 FOCUScurriculum Order Number: OHSC-ASMT3 Created by Kent Publishing Services, Inc. Designed by Signature Design Group, Inc. No part of the book may be reproduced without purchasing a license from the publisher. To purchase a license to reproduce this book, contact FOCUScurriculum. The publisher takes no responsibility for the use of any of the materials or methods described in this book, nor for the products thereof. Extended Response Assessments The following assessments are designed to assist you in evaluating your students knowledge of Ohio s Science Content Standards. The Extended Response assessments are intended to evaluate your students ability to synthesize and apply the content and concepts identified in the Ohio Academic Content Standards Benchmarks and Grade-Level Indicators. In addition, students will obtain valuable practice in answering 2-point and 4-point response questions they will encounter on the Ohio Achievement Test. They are designed to be used after a major unit of study, or as an end-of-year assessment. Check Understanding Assessments Check Understanding assesses the content of each Focus on Ohio Standards book. You will find multiple choice and short answer questions that assess literal and interpretive comprehension of each book s content. They are designed to be used after completing each book. Ohio Achievement Practice Test Half-length practice tests that mirror the Ohio Achievement Test for science are available for each grade level. Visit our Web site at for purchasing information.

3 Life Sciences: Diversity and Interdependence of Life 2 Extended Response 1 Predators are animals that hunt and eat other animals in order to stay alive. Hawks are one example. They have curved, sharp beaks for feeding. They also have strong legs with talons for swooping down, capturing, and killing small animals. Consider the whip-poor-will, a predator that catches insects while in flight. Describe two body characteristics, other than its beak type, that would help it to hunt and capture prey. Explain how each of these adaptations helps the whip-poor-will get food. (4 points)

4 Life Sciences: Diversity and Interdependence of Life 2, 3 Extended Response 2 Arctic Hares are rabbit-like animals that live in the far North. During warm months, they grow brown fur which blends into the plants and rocks of their habitat. Before the weather turns cold and the snow begins to fall, the hare s brown fur molts and is replaced with white fur. This white fur blends into the snowy background. The hares are hunted by several predators, especially the arctic fox and certain predatory birds. Many scientists believe that global warming may cause the snow to begin falling later and melt much earlier in the year than it has for thousands of years. Describe how this climate change might affect the Arctic Hare population. Explain the reason for your answer. (2 points)

5 Earth and Space Sciences: Earth Systems 2, 3 Extended Response 3 James family moves to a new home with a large backyard. James decides to grow a vegetable garden in the backyard. As he digs into the soil he finds lots of small rocks and sand. The vegetables he plants do poorly. James decides to start a compost area next to the garden where he puts mown grass clippings, leaves that came down in the fall, and vegetable waste from the kitchen. The next spring, James mixes the material from the compost area into the garden soil. Predict how the vegetables will grow and explain your reasons. (2 points)

6 Science and Technology: Abilities To Do Technological Design 4 Extended Response 4 Ms. O Reilly s class went on a field trip to a rock quarry in northwest Ohio. The students collected rock samples from the base of the tall cliffs. The students noticed that the walls of the quarry were made up of layers of rock that had different colors. Ms. O Reilly took some photographs of the layers. Back in the classroom the following day, she showed the class the photos of the rock layers and asked them to organize the rocks they collected according to their age. Describe a plan that could be used to do this. Explain why your plan would work. (4 points)

7 Physical Sciences: Forces and Motion 2, 3, 4 Extended Response 5 Dwight places one end of a ramp on two books on the floor. He then releases a rubber ball at rest at the top of the ramp. He then measures how far the ball rolls on the level floor until it stops. Describe one way that Dwight could cause the ball to roll farther before it comes to rest. Explain why this would work. (2 points)

8 Physical Sciences: Forces and Motion 1, 2 Extended Response 6 The graph below shows the results of two people who raced against each other. Use it to answer question Which person made it to the finish line first? person B person A both made it at the same time neither made it to the finish line Using the graph, describe how Person A ran the race. Then describe how Person B ran the race. (2 points) Finish Line Distance Person B Person A Time

9 Scientific Inquiry: Doing Scientific Inquiry 6 Extended Response 7 Mary read in her science book that bar magnets have two distinct poles called north and south. Her teacher asked Mary to make some observations using two bar magnets and some metal paper clips as well as some plastic paper clips. Describe two observations that Mary might make by moving the magnets near each other and near the paper clips. What conclusions about magnets could Mary list for her teacher due to the two observations? (4 points)

10 How Animals Survive Check Understanding Shade the circle next to each correct answer. 1. You are experimenting with mosquitoes. Your results show that mosquitoes bite people who wear yellow colored clothing. However, you read that mosquitoes bite people who wear green colored clothing. What should your next step be? Throw away your results. Change your results to match the new data on green clothing. Repeat your tests. Try an experiment with fruit flies. 2. Why do animals migrate? to avoid their predators to avoid bad weather that would limit their food supply to save energy for reproductive behavior to meet their need for space 3. Why do some animals have body coverings that help them blend in with their surroundings? to keep them warm in cold weather to help them meet their need for shelter to help them meet their need for food to help them meet their need for space 4. A scientist is studying the migration of monarch butterflies. She follows the path of some monarchs into Canada. Then she writes a ten-page report based on what she remembers. What is the problem with her report? It should be longer than ten pages. It should be shorter than ten pages. It should include photographs. It should be based on written records. Write your answer on the lines provided. 5. Describe one physical and one behavioral adaptation of animals. Describe how they are different.

11 Comparing Life Cycles of Animals Check Understanding Write the answer to each question in complete sentences. 1. Why don t people molt? 2. You find the larva of an insect. What are two ways that you could find out what kind of insect it is? 3. Is the three-stage or four-stage metamorphosis closer to the way humans develop into adults? Explain your answer. 4. A tadpole and a caterpillar change forms as they develop into adults. How is a frog s life cycle different from a butterfly s?

12 What Are Habitats? Check Understanding Shade the circle next to each correct answer. 1. How do grasslands compare with deciduous forests? Grasslands receive more rain. Grasslands have no seasons, but the forests do. Grasslands have fewer types of plants. Grasslands are found only in Africa. 2. Why are oceans salty, while rivers have freshwater? Oceans are bigger. Oceans are filled by rainstorms. Salt and minerals float to the surface of the ocean. Salt and minerals build up in ocean water. 3. A new animal in a habitat becomes a problem when it cannot find enough food to eat. eats too much of the available food. becomes food for other animals there. cannot find a mate. 4. Which of these is a helpful change in a habitat? building a road across it using chemicals to kill the weeds there getting rid of the insects there adding a pond 5. Why would plants in a desert have needles? to increase the evaporation of water into the air to keep animals from eating them to keep them green all year round to store water 6. How does the taiga compare with grasslands? The taiga receives more rain. The taiga has fewer trees. The taiga has warmer winters. The taiga has warmer summers.

13 What Happens When Habitats Change? Check Understanding Shade the circle next to each correct answer. 1. Why are modern alligator species nearly unchanged from their 200 million year old fossil ancestors? People make shoes and purses from their hides. They hide in tall grass near the water. The species were always able to find the right habitat. Laws protect them from hunters. 2. The number of a particular type of animal in a certain place at a certain time is called a fossil. an ecosystem. a habitat. a population. Write your answers on the lines provided. 3. Why don t we have photographs of the dinosaurs? 4. Why aren t there more plant fossils? 5. What are three things we can learn from trace fossils? 6. Explain some effects of a habitat changing.

14 Rocks and Minerals Check Understanding Shade the circle next to each correct answer. 1. What are rocks made of? water minerals plants air 2. What does the Mohs Scale measure? color luster hardness weight 3. What makes igneous rocks form? sand coming together weathered particles pressing down erosion and layering heat deep in Earth 4. Which kind of rock can have fossils in it? sedimentary igneous metamorphic quartz 5. What do metamorphic rocks look like? layered pocked, spongy, or soft bubbly striped, solid, or dotted 6. What is the rock cycle? how rocks turn into minerals and minerals turn into rocks how rocks are cleaned and used for rings how one type of rock turns into another type of rock how rocks interact with water Write your answer on the lines provided. 7. Explain the difference between rocks and minerals.

15 What Is Soil? Check Understanding Shade the circle next to each correct answer. 1. What is weathering? a special kind of dirt or soil a process that wears away rock a way mountains are formed a tornado or hurricane 5. Create a diagram that explains the layers of soil and what soil rests on. Be sure to include a title and labels for the diagram. 2. What is decomposition? mud dirt rot inorganic 3. Where would you be likely to find silt? a desert a river bank a forest a mountain top Write your answer on the lines provided. 4. Explain why different types of soil exist.

16 How Things Move Check Understanding Shade the circle next to each correct answer. 1. What is it called when objects bump into each other and either slow down, change direction, or stop? gravity pull collision magnetism 2. Friction turns the energy of movement into gravity. magnets. electricity. heat. 3. Which is NOT a law of motion? Objects only move when something pushes or pulls them. The harder an object is pushed or pulled, the slower it will go. The more massive an object is, the harder it is to move. Objects tend to keep moving until something stops them. Write your answers on the lines provided. 4. Describe the effect that friction has on the movement of a rolling marble on a level surface. 5. Describe the forces that affect the motion of a ball thrown in the air.

17 Extended Response 1 Scoring Guidelines Points 4 pts The answer includes at least two characteristics that help the predator capture prey and explains how each of the two adaptations help. Exemplar Response Student Response Following is a list of characteristics and / how each helps the predator feed. Each item is worth two points: Strong wings / so that they can fly fast in order to catch flying insects. Streamlined body / so that they can fly fast in order to catch flying insects. The predator s muscle structure and wings / allow it to maneuver easily in order to catch flying insects. The predator has great eyesight / so it can see prey easier. Other answers that are logical. 3 pts The answer includes at least two characteristics that help the predator capture prey and explains how one of the two adaptations help. 2 pts The answer includes at least two characteristics that help the predator capture prey but does not explain how either help. OR The answer includes one characteristic that helps the predator capture prey and explains how that adaptation helps. 1 pt The answer includes one characteristic that helps the predator capture prey but does not explain how that adaptation helps. OR The answer includes one valid explanation with no identified characteristic. (For example: The bird can maneuver easily in the air to capture flying insects.) 0 pts The answer demonstrates no understanding or is left blank or the student states, I don t know.

18 Extended Response 2 Scoring Guidelines Points 2 pts The answer describes the lack of camouflage making them easier to capture (1) and the resulting drop in the hare population (1). OR The advanced student might provide the natural selection possibility: The hares that molt from brown to white more slowly and/or molt from white to brown more quickly will have a better chance of surviving since they will stay camouflaged longer due to variation in the gene pool (1). Those will produce more offspring and the resulting hare population will likely adjust its molting cycle to the environment over a few generations through natural selection (1). Exemplar Response Student Response A change in the climate would mean that the Arctic Hare would have white fur when the background of its habitat was still snow free and brown or green. This would allow the hare s predators to locate and capture the hares a lot easier. A decrease in the hare population would likely result. So a correct answer would include a correct description of the hare s changed situation and / the reason for the change: A drop in the hare population / because they are easier for predators to see and capture. OR The hares that keep their brown fur longer and/or get their brown fur faster at the end of the snowy season will be more likely to survive and reproduce and thus pass that trait on to their offspring and so, by natural selection, the Arctic Hare population will adjust its molting cycle in a rather short time. 1 pt The answer covers 1 of the 2 points in either of the two possible correct answers. 0 pts The answer demonstrates no understanding or is left blank or the student states, I don t know.

19 Extended Response 3 Scoring Guidelines Points 2 pts The answer provides a prediction that the garden will improve (1) because of the compost material providing additional nutrients (1) OR moisture retention (1). OR The answer provides no prediction (1) due to at least one of the many other variables (1) that may be involved. Exemplar Response Student Response The vegetables will grow much better because of the compost material added to the garden soil. The compost provides nutrients to the original soil. OR The vegetables will grow much better because of the compost material added to the garden soil. The material helps the soil retain moisture better than the original soil. I cannot make a prediction without knowing other variables such as rainfall (or whether the garden was regularly watered). If the garden does not get enough water it will do poorly no matter what is added to the soil. Other reasonable answers will be accepted. 1 pt The prediction is made without an explanation. OR The explanation is given without the prediction. (For example: The soil will have more nutrients.) 0 pts The answer demonstrates no understanding or is left blank or the student states, I don t know.

20 Extended Response 4 Scoring Guidelines Points 4 pts The answer correctly describes a plan for classifying the rocks according to their age as seen in the rock layers and explains the logic behind the plan. Exemplar Response The layers would be formed over time and the oldest would be closest to the bottom (1). The colors of the layers are the same as the colors of the samples collected at the bottom of the quarry (2) because small pieces of the layers are broken loose during the quarrying process. The rocks are then separated according to their color into different groups (3). The groups are arranged by age using the photograph as a guide (4). Additional Information: Student Response 1. The collected rocks were samples from the various layers in the cliff and so had the different colors seen in the photographs. 2. The layers of rock were formed over a long period of time through sedimentation. The oldest layers would be the deepest or in this case the layers at the base of the cliff were oldest and the layers were younger as you moved upward. 3. Quarrying breaks loose small pieces of the layers which fall to the base. These are the rocks the students would have collected. In this instance the weathering process was human activity. 4. The colors of the layers can be used to organize the rocks in the same way as the layers. 3 pts 2 pts 1 pt 0 pts The answer correctly describes 3 of the 4 points in the plan or explanation. The answer correctly describes 2 of the 4 points in the plan or explanation. The answer correctly describes 1 of the 4 points in the plan or explanation. The answer demonstrates no understanding or is left blank or the student states, I don t know.

21 Extended Response 5 Scoring Guidelines Points 2 pts The answer describes a way of increasing the speed of the ball when it gets to the bottom of the ramp, and explains that the increased speed would cause the ball to roll farther. Exemplar Response Student Response Dwight could cause the ball to roll farther a couple ways as listed below with an explanation of why it would work. He could add one or more books under the raised end of the ramp. This would increase the incline and the ball would be rolling faster when it got to the level floor and go farther. He could push the ball at the outset rather than simply letting it go. The added push would increase the speed of the ball and it would roll farther. Other reasonable answers. 1 pt The answer describes a way of increasing the speed of the ball when it gets to the bottom of the ramp but does not explain that the increased speed would cause the ball to roll farther, OR states that increasing the speed of the ball would cause it to roll further without describing how the speed would be increased. 0 pts The answer demonstrates no understanding or is left blank or the student states, I don t know.

22 Extended Response 6 Scoring Guidelines Points 2 pts The answer correctly states that A started out slower than B but ran faster toward the end of the race and B ran the same speed throughout the race. Exemplar Response Student Response Person A started out slower than Person B, but ran faster towards the end of the race (1 pt), Person B ran the same speed from start to finish (1 pt). 1 pt The answer correctly describes the way either A or B ran the race but not both. 0 pts The answer demonstrates no understanding or is left blank or the student states, I don t know.

23 Extended Response 7 Scoring Guidelines Points Student Response 4 pts The answer correctly describes two observations and correctly explains two possible conclusions. Exemplar Response Mary may have observed any two of the following: 1. One bar magnet attracts another when one magnet s north pole is near the other magnet s south pole; OR 2. Two magnets repel or push away from each other when the same poles are brought near one another; OR 3. Either pole of both magnets attract the metal paper clips; OR 4. Either pole of both magnets do not attract the plastic paper clips. Mary could tell her teacher two of the following conclusions about the bar magnets: 1. The magnets poles that are not alike attract each other; OR 2. The magnets poles that are not alike stick to each other when allowed to touch; OR 3. The magnets poles that are alike repel each other; OR 4. The magnets poles that are alike will not stick to each other when allowed to touch; OR 5. Magnets will attract metal (paper clips); OR 6. Magnets will not attract plastic (paper clips). In order to validate her data, Mary should repeat her experiment at least once more. 3 pts 2 pts 1 pt 0 pts The answer correctly describes one observation and correctly explains two possible conclusions (as above). OR The answer correctly describes two observations and correctly explains one possible conclusion (as above). The answer correctly describes one observation and correctly explains one possible conclusion (as above). OR The answer correctly describes two observations. OR The answer correctly explains two possible conclusions (as above). The answer correctly describes one observation, OR correctly explains one possible conclusion (as above). The answer demonstrates no understanding or is left blank or the student states, I don t know.

24 Check Understanding Answer Key How Animals Survive 1. C 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. Physical adaptation are special body parts of animals such as coloration, body covering, types of teeth, feet, and beaks, camouflage, etc. that help them meet basic needs of survival. Behavioral adaptations are activities of animals that help them survive such as migration, hibernation, hiding, mimicry, fighting, etc. Both adaptations help animals meet the basic needs of food, water, oxygen, space, and shelter. Comparing Life Cycles of Animals 1. People have a skeleton that grows with the rest of their bodies. Insects molt because their outside covering does not grow and has to be replaced. 2. Possible ways include letting the larva complete its life cycle, looking up the larva in a reference book, or asking a knowledgeable person. 3. Our development is more like a three-stage metamorphosis because young humans look much like adults, only smaller. Also, we have no larva or pupa stage. 4. A tadpole is a little like a larva, but frogs have no pupa stage. What Are Habitats? 1. C 4. D 2. D 5. B 3. B 6. A What Happens When Habitats Change? 1. C 2. D 3. No people were alive back then to take pictures of them. 4. Plants are soft, so most of them decayed before they could form fossils. 5. Any three of these: when and where the organism lived, what size it was, how many toes/claws it had, whether it dragged its tail, whether it lived in a burrow, where it looked for food 6. When habitats change, plants and animals are affected. For example if the climate changes, certain plants may not be able to adjust to the new weather conditions. They may not survive. Animals who eat those plants have to move to another area to find food. Other animals may not be able to adjust to the new climate and may become extinct.

25 Check Understanding Answer Key Rocks and Minerals 1. B 2. C 3. D 4. A 5. D 6. C 7. Minerals are composed of only one substance and are the same in all samples of the mineral. Minerals are also inorganic. Rocks are a combination of different minerals. Rocks may contain some organic material. What Is Soil? 1. B 2. C 3. C 4. Soil is formed based on the environment it comes from. For example, soils are different based on the various rocks and minerals present in an area. Different types of plant and animal remains also make soil different in various areas. Different weather and climate also affect the types of soil found. 5. Diagrams should clearly show the layering of soil and what soil rests on including topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock. How Things Move 1. C 2. D 3. B 4. As the marble rolls on the surface, friction exists between the marble and the surface and the friction will cause the marble to slow and eventually stop. 5. A push (throw or toss) causes the ball to go upward. Air resistance and gravity oppose the upward motion and eventually the ball stops and begins to move downward due to the pull of gravity. Air resistance slows the ball but gravity is greater than the air resistance so it falls and collides with the ground. Friction between the ball and the ground causes the ball to slow and eventually stop.