Example Technology Performance Assessment Task

Task #2	A Flowchart
Grade Level	3
Content Area(s)	Science
Unit Title/Theme	Water Cycle
Task Developer/Author	Ceil Hunt

1. Setting the Context

This task will be part of a three week unit of study on the water cycle. In that unit, the students will perform scientific experiments to examine the three different forms water takes (solid, liquid, and gas). They will also do several experiments to investigate of the properties of water. The students will then discover how the water cycle works by “making rain”. We will discuss the importance of water, and how all living things need water to survive. We will also talk about the water cycle and its relationship to weather. Students will then use various computer programs (paint, visual organizer, and multimedia presentation) to communicate the information they have gathered.

2. Grade Expectations

Technology

IT1 – Launching a program from the network

IT3 – Productivity Tools

*Illustrating a simple concept using a paint application showing evidence of the following:

Paint brush

Line

Rectangle

Oval

Flood fill

Line thickness

Brush shapes

Colors
*Illustrating a simple concept (e.g., concept map, web, bubble etc.)

Content

S3-4:48 Students demonstrate their understanding of Processes and Change over Time within Earth Systems by…
describing water as it changes into vapor in the air and reappears as a liquid when it is cooled and explaining how this cycle of water relates to weather and the formation of clouds.

3. The Performance Task

Students will demonstrate the processes in the water cycle and then describe the relationship between the water cycle, weather, and the formation of clouds.

Goal(s): Students will demonstrate an understanding of the water cycle process through the use of a flowchart

Role: A molecule of water

Audience: Peers and instructor

Situation: Your students have been magically transformed into molecules of water. Using a paint program, they have been assigned to illustrate their travel through the water cycle. You will assign each student a different temperature and they will show how the temperature affects their travel through the precipitation portion of the process. Students will have to label each illustration with correct vocabulary and define each step in the process including evaporation, condensation and precipitation.

Product/Performance: Flowchart

4. Activities

Exercise One: Paint

The teacher will set the scenario for the students and then assign each student a different temperature card (3x5 card with a temperature in degrees Farenheit listed). Once students have their new assignment, the teacher will have them use a computer paint program to illustrate the water cycle process. The students will show how the temperature affects the process (i.e. -the type of precipitation that falls or a winter scene). The student will create three separate illustrations; precipitation, evaporation, and condensation.

Students will then save their illustrations in jpeg format into their own folders on the network.

Exercise Two: Visual Organizer

Have the students open a visual organizer, webbing, or mapping program. Students will import their three illustrations from exercise one to create a flowchart illustrating the water cycle. The students will then add text to each of the illustrations. They will need to use the correct terminology and then define each of the three processes (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation) in their own words. .

5. Materials and Resources

Computers
Paint program
Visual Organizer program
Water Cycle Websites and books for reference

6. Criteria/Rubric

Technology Performance Task # 2

Grade Expectation	Introduced	With Assistance	Met the Standard
Basic Operations
Launching a program from the desktop
Social, Ethical & Human Issues
Not Assessed
Productivity Tools
Illustrating a simple concept using a paint application showing evidence of the following: o paint brush o line o rectangle o oval  o flood fill o line thickness, o brush shapes o colors
· Illustrating a simple concept (e.g., concept map, web, bubble, etc.) Note: Students should demonstrate their ability to add text, change symbols (block to oval, etc.), change color of symbol backgrounds, increase/decrease font sizes, add symbols, change symbols to graphics, add connecting lines to symbols, and manipulate connecting lines between symbols, change their “map” to outline format (if available), add noted to their symbols (if available).
Communication
Not Assessed
Research, Problem Solving & Decision Making
Not Assessed

Content Rubric

	Exceeds	Meets	Doesn’t Meet
Describe water as it changes from vapor to liquid through illustrations	Student is able to clearly illustrate the water cycle completely including all three phases assigned	Student meets requirements	Student needs assistance with creating illustrations or does not understand how to illustrate steps in the process
Describe the water cycle verbally using proper terminology	Labels each step of the process and clearly defines those terms using their own words	Labels the process using correct terms.	Students need assistance in labeling or mislabel their illustration.
Explain how temperature determines the type of precipitation that falls	Shows the correct form of precipitation for the temperature assigned and includes comments about the effect of weather.	Correct form of precipitation is displayed.	Doesn’t understand the effect of temperature on form of precipitation

7. Checklist

None