Example Technology Performance Assessment Task

Task# 2	Multimedia Model of an Ecosystem
Grade	6
Content Area (s)	Science
Unit Title/Theme	Interdependence within Ecosystems
Task developer	Robin Bebo-Long

1. Setting the Context

After an extensive unit of study on the interdependence of a pond or forest ecosystem, students will be creating an electronic multimedia model to demonstrate their knowledge. Students will be given the opportunity to use their science notebook. In this notebook they have created notes, collected data, drawn pictures, and made personal observations, including inferences and reflections of their investigations. Students will extend this knowledge by determining whether the ecosystems they investigated were healthy based on web-research.

2. Grade Expectations

Technology

IT2 - Social, Ethical & Human Issues

• demonstrating an understanding of copyright and fair use guidelines for educational purposes.

• Articulating and providing examples of relevant, reliable and unreliable Internet resources.

IT3 - Productivity Tools

• Illustrating a concept with topic and sub-topics, selecting different shapes and colors to differentiate various levels or processes ( e.g., concept map, web, bubble, flow chart).

IT4 – Communication

• Creating a linear or non-linear presentation including title slide, graphics, text, voice, sound related to topic, scanned or digital photo, animation, bibliography and table of contents.

IT5 - Research, Problem Solving & Decision Making

• Locating information that is accurate, relevant and appropriate, using a variety of electronic resources including digital encyclopedias, specialized CDs and the Internet.

• Preparing a search off-line without using a teacher-prepared form/strategy.

• Implementing a search strategy using Boolean logic (e.g., and, or, not).

• Bookmarking sites relevant to their research and organizing sites into categories.

• Identifying and justifying decisions made, (e.g. representing data, formatting, setting up formula, selecting criteria for search, visual organizer) Example: What key words did you make and why? Are there other words that might have worked better?

Content

Science: Interdependence within Ecosystems

S5-6:34 Students demonstrate their understanding of Energy Flow in an Ecosystem by...

• Developing a model that shows how the flow of energy from the sun is transferred to organisms as food in order to sustain life. Science Concept: a. Energy within an ecosystem originates from the sun. Plants use energy from the sun, carbon dioxide, and water, to make energy rich food and oxygen. Plants are producers. b. Animals eat food that plants make combined with oxygen to produce energy, carbon dioxide, and water. . Animals are consumers.

S5-6:35 Students demonstrate their understanding of Food Webs in an Ecosystem by..

• Developing a model for a food web of a local aquatic and local terrestrial environment.

3. The Performance Task

Students will use data and information they have collected and analyzed in their science notebooks to create a formal model of the ecosystem’s interdependence and health.

Goal(s): To clearly demonstrate understanding of the interdependence of an ecosystem using a multi-media format.

Role: Scientist, Presenter

Audience: Teacher, Science community

Situation: To the Teacher - Your class has spent the past several weeks investigating forest and pond ecosystems. They have collected data, created sketches, logged wildlife and constructed tests. They will present their work at a science camp over the summer. It’s time to assess their findings.

Product/Performance: Multimedia presentation that includes a self created graph, flow charts and digital images showing the interdependence of a given ecosystem.

4. Activities:

This is a summative assessment concluding an extensive unit. Three to four (45-60 minute) class periods should be given to complete the entire task. Students will be expected to use their investigative research to create the first part of their multimedia model, which should include the flow of energy from the sun, water and carbon cycles, producers and consumers. The slides must include all the relevant aspects of an ecosystem with explanations of how each component affects another. In the last session students will present their findings. Using multimedia software students will create an electronic model that clearly shows the interdependence of this ecosystem. Students should include the pictures we have taken (don’t forget to crop or resize them first), submit the data in a graph. Students also need to include flow charts of the relevant cycles and embed it into their presentation. When they have completed the first part you will check your findings against research that states the health or viability of that ecosystem.

Session one: Students will create a desktop folder. Students will transfer their notebook information into text, a spreadsheet and create necessary graphs. Students will use a visual organizer to create flow charts of carbon and water cycles. Students will download and scan images and resize them to 2”x2”. All of this should be organized in their desktop folder.

Session two: Students will begin to transfer their work into multimedia software and check that they have included all elements of an interdependent ecosystem. This can be checked against the rubric. All images in the presentation should be sized to 2X2.

Session three: Students will use an electronic encyclopedia and research online to determine the fitness of the ecosystem. Students will create at least two slides to convey their conclusions. They need to bookmark their sites in their browser in a file marked science and cite them appropriately in their presentation. Teacher should assess the use of Boolean logic at this time.

Session four (20 minutes): Students should add a title slide and a table of contents slide.

• Students share their presentations with the class.

5. Materials and Resources

Science notebooks that includes student’s work that had been collected during various investigations, field trips and lessons.

Visual Organizer Software

Computers

Multimedia software

Database software

Digital camera, scanner

Electronic encyclopedia

6. Criteria/Rubric

Grade Expectation	Introduced	With Assistance	Met the Standard
Basic Operations
Not Assessed
Social, Ethical & Human Issues
Demonstrating an understanding of copyright and fair use guidelines for educational purposes.
Articulating and providing examples of relevant, reliable and unreliable Internet resources.
Productivity Tools
Illustrating a concept with topic and sub-topics, selecting different shapes and colors to differentiate various levels or processes ( e.g., concept map, web, bubble, flow chart).
Modifying a digital image using flip; rotate, resize, crop
Communication
Creating a linear or non-linear presentation including title slide, graphics, text, voice, sound related to topic, scanned or digital photo, animation, bibliography and table of contents.
Research, Problem Solving & Decision Making
Locating information that is accurate, relevant and appropriate, using a variety of electronic resources including digital encyclopedias, specialized CDs and the Internet.
Preparing a search off-line without using a teacher-prepared form/strategy.
Implementing a search strategy using Boolean logic (e.g., and, or, not).
Bookmarking sites relevant to their research and organizing sites into categories.
Identifying and justifying decisions made, (e.g. representing data, formatting, setting up formula, selecting criteria for search, visual organizer)

Concept Demonstrated	Little Effort	Almost	Got It	Superior
Shows energy flow from the sun	No sun or shows sun with no mention of its importance	Shows some connection to the sun, but leaves out important elements	Multi media model clearly shows how the ecosystem is dependent from energy from the sun	Shows everything in “Got it” and proceeds to mention what would happen if the sun was not present.
Includes water and carbon cycles	No mention of cycles.	Cycles are included but without their connection to the entire ecosystem	Cycles are clearly connected to the ecosystem and backed by evidence.	Went beyond “Got it”
Plants are producers	Shows plants	Shows plants but only offers limited connections	Shows an interconnectedness of plants within the entire ecosystem	Went beyond “Got it”
Animals are consumers	Shows animals	Shows animals and labels them as consumers	Primary, secondary and tertiary consumers are identified	Went beyond “Got it”
Research connection.	Research is not evident	Student made an attempt at the research, but did not check the validity of the site they used or the information they gathered.	Student found relevant, reliable sites, and used them to gather accurate information to use and compare to their findings.	Went beyond “Got it”