PALS - Administration Procedures

Rain Drops

Administration Procedures

Contributed by: Assessment of Performance Unit (APU)

Description:

Students examine drops of water on several materials used on the outside of buildings.

Questions in the observation category assess pupils' ability to use a variety of senses to observe data in a certain way- a scientific way. All observing is selective and guided by a purpose. The general purpose in this test is that shared by scientists: discerning regularities, similarities and differences, patterns of various kinds and significant or systematic changes with time.

The assessment reflects a view of observation as the collection and interpretation of real data where little or no initial filtering out of detail has been made. For this reason observation is tested by a variety of practical tasks.

This task is designed to take students approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Overall Task Content Area:

Physical Science

Specific Knowledge Areas:

Properties and changes of properties in matter

Performance Expectations:

conducting investigations
using equipment
gathering, organizing, and representing data
applying scientific principles to develop explanations and solve new problems

National Science Education Standards:

8 A SI 1: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry: Grades 5-8
1.4 Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence. Students should base their explanation on what they observed, and as they develop cognitive skills, they should be able to differentiate explanation from description providing causes for effects and establishing relationships based on evidence and logical argument. This standards requires a subject knowledge base so the students can effectively conduct investigations, because developing explanations establishes connections between the content of science and the contexts within which students develop new knowledge.

8 B PS 1: Properties and changes of properties in matter: Grades 5-8
1.1 A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, a boiling point, and solubility, all of which are independent of the amount of the sample. A mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substances using one or more of the characteristic properties.

(Use the "hot" link on the PALS home page to check the full text of related National Science Education Standards, if desired.)

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:

AL1: Understand patterns, relations and functions:
Grades 6-8 f. represent, analyze, and generalize a variety of patterns with tables, graphs, words, and, when possible, symbolic rules

REP2: Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena:
Grades 6-8

General Instructions to the Teacher:

This task is designed to take students approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Students will be working individually during this exercise.

Students should be ready to work as soon as the period begins.

Materials for "Rain Drops":

1 dropping bottle labeled and containing water
1 hand lens
Labeled building materials:
- Plastic
- Wood
- Brick
- Metal
- Roof tile
- Glass
1 piece of chimney pot in a labeled bag

Advance Preparation:

Prepare building materials in appropriate sizes (e.g. cut small pieces of wood if necessary, etc.)
Label materials accordingly
Put a piece of chimney pot into a plastic bag and label.

Safety:

Be careful.
Teachers and students should always exercise appropriate safety precautions and utilize appropriate laboratory safety procedures and equipment when working on science performance tasks.