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Scale Model of the Solar System
Administration Procedures
Grades 5-8 Performance Task
Contributed by: Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)

General Teacher Instructions:

Students will be working in groups of 4 - 6 for the experiment/activity part of this exercise. The following suggestions are offered to facilitate administration of the exercise.
  • Students need to be ready to work as soon as the period begins.

  • Group assignments should be made in advance.

  • The materials should be set out at each lab station, if possible.

  • A central supply area, if needed, should be easily accessible.

  • The supply area should have any supplies from the kit that were prepared by the teacher as well as all of the school-supplied materials necessary for the experiment.

  • All the supplies should be clearly labeled.

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. Student 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 standard requires a subject matter 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.

1.8 Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry. Mathematics is essential to asking and answering questions about the natural world. Mathematics can be used to ask questions; to gather, organize, and present data; and to structure convincing explanations.

8 DE SS 3: Earth in the Solar System: Grades 5-8
3.1   The earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets. The sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system.

3.2 Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses.

(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:

NO1: Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems:
Grades 6-8 q. understand and use ratios and proportions to represent quantitative relationships

NO3: Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates:
Grades 6-8 m. develop, analyze, and explain methods for solving problems involving proportions, such as scaling and finding equivalent ratios.

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

AL3: Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships:
Grades 6-8 c. model and solve contextualized problems using various representations, such as graphs, tables, and equations

GEO4: Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems:
Grades 6-8 o. recognize and apply geometric ideas and relationships in areas outside the mathematics classroom, such as art, science, and everyday life

PS2: Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts:
Grades 6-8

COM4: Use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely:
Grades 6-8

REP3: Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena:
Grades 6-8

Materials in Kits:

  • 5 stick-on dots

Materials Supplied by School or Students:

  • 1 pen or pencil per student

Special Directions for Teacher Setup:

The teacher should verify that students can make measurements in metric units. Figure 1 on page 5 of the test booklet is a representation of a metric ruler.

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.

 


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