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Colored Drops
Rubric

4th Grade Performance Task
Contributed by: New York State Education Department (NYSED)
NYS Alternative Assessment in Science Project (1996)

Colored Drops - Scoring Rubric

Maximum Score - 8 points

1. Standard: The student appropriately describes 2 properties of the blue drop.

Criteria:

  • 1 point for each reasonable property

Sample of acceptable answers:

  • it's a liquid
  • it's "runny"
  • it's wet
  • it's sticky/tacky/gooey
  • appears flat
  • spreads out
  • it's thin
  • cannot be pushed easily
  • cannot be pulled easily
  • smells like soap
  • it sticks to the toothpick
  • cannot be dragged
  • goes through the wax paper

*** Blue drop will not exhibit strong properties of cohesion and surface tension since liquid detergent has been added.

2 points total

2. Standard: The student correctly described 2 properties of the yellow drop.

Criteria:

  • 1 point for each reasonable property

Sample of acceptable answers:

  • it's wet
  • it's a liquid
  • can be pushed
  • clings together
  • it moves
  • can be dragged
  • it stays in a round circle/drop
  • it's sticky/tacky/gooey
  • can be broken apart
  • can be put back together
  • follows the toothpick
  • makes a "dome"
  • has no smell
  • it's thin
  • sticks together

*** Yellow drop will exhibit strong properties of water, such as cohesion and surface tension.

2 points total

3. Standard: The student appropriately describes 2 properties of the drop mixture.

Criteria:

  • 1 point for each reasonable property

Sample of acceptable answers:

  • it's green
  • cannot be dragged
  • appears flat
  • it's sticky
  • it sticks to the toothpick
  • cannot be pushed easily
  • cannot be pulled easily
  • smells like soap
  • it's "runny"
2 points total

4. Standard: The student makes an observation about the combined drops.

Criteria:

  • 1 point if the student observes that the new drop of liquid acts more like the blue drop.
Total 1 point

5. Standard: The student provides a reasonable explanation of choice in question #4.

Criteria:

  • 1 point for a reasonable explanation

Sample of acceptable explanations:

  • There must have been something in the blue drop that did something to the yellow drop to change it.
  • Something in blue drop changed/broke the surface tension of yellow drop.
  • When the two drops were mixed together it changed the properties of yellow drop.
  • Blue drop seemed to have soap added which changed the way yellow drop behaved.
Total 1 point

Highest possible score - 8 points

Scoring Form - Colored Drops

Student ID _____________

Male / Female (circle one)

Circle the student's score for each question. Add the points for each question and write the total score at the bottom of the scoring form.

1. Properties of blue drop
0
1
2
2. Properties of yellow drop
0
1
2
3. Properties of the mixed drop
0
1
2
4. Observation of the mixed drop
0
1
 
5. Explanation observation in #4
0
1
 

Total Score __________

Total possible score - 8 points

 


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