Science Assessment

Student selects answer choice A

• A.

1. Student makes a valid prediction

• The amount of food available to the sea turtles will decrease. [direct effects]

Note: If the student says that the sea turtles will die of starvation, this implies that they don't have food available to them and the student should receive the point. If the student just says the turtles would die, they should not receive the point.

2. Student supports their prediction using the model and/or evidence

• Seaweed is food for sea turtles

Note: The students must be explicit about the seaweed being food for sea turtles. Just saying "if the seaweed dies, the turtles will have no food" is not enough.

1. Student makes a valid prediction

• The amount of food available to the stingrays will decrease. [indirect effects]

Note: If the student says that the stingrays will die of starvation, this implies that they don't have food available to them and the student should receive the point. If the student just says the stingrays would die, they should not receive the point.

2. Student supports their prediction using the model and/or evidence

• Seaweed is food for shrimp.
• Shrimp are food for stingrays.

Note: Students must be explicit about the seaweed being food for shrimp and shrimp being food for stingrays. Just saying that "if the seaweed dies, the stingrays and shrimp will have no food" is not enough.

3. Student either states or uses a general science idea

• Organisms can only survive in environments in which their particular needs are met (i.e., if the shrimp's food source is reduced, they will die). [links needs and survival]

Note: It is acceptable to write that the shrimp will leave the ecosystem and that's why there is less food for the stingrays.

4. Student supports their prediction with reasoning

• The decrease in seaweed will reduce the food source for shrimp, which means some shrimp will die and there will be less food for stingrays. [describing a mechanism]

1. Student makes a valid claim

• The dying seaweed caused the sharks to not have enough energy to move

Note: An implied claim or a claim that doesn't explicitly mention energy are acceptable. For example, students could write "yes, ..."

2. Student supports their prediction using the model and/or evidence

• The sharks' food supply is affected by the seaweed. Examples of this include listing what each animal in the ecosystem eats to demonstrate sharks are linked to seaweed or citing the correct flow chart model showing how sharks are linked to seaweed in the food web.
  • Sharks eat stingrays, stingrays eat shrimp, shrimp eat seaweed.
  • The animals that the sharks eat eat seaweed.
  • The model shows that sharks can trace their food source back to seaweed.

Note: Implying these relationships is acceptable and students do not have to list all.

3. Student either states or uses a general science idea

• Food is a source of energy (i.e., the turtles and stingrays are sources of energy for the sharks or the sharks have less food and therefore less energy). [links food and energy]
• Organisms can only survive in environments in which their particular needs are met (i.e., if the shrimp's food source is reduced, they will die). [links needs and survival]

4. Student supports their claim with reasoning

• The food for sharks can be traced back to seaweed, so when the seaweed dies sharks will end up having less food and, therefore, won't have energy to move.

Note: Students may indicate that the shark's food can be traced back to the seaweed by listing the connections in the food chain/web that link the shark and seaweed, noting that they are connected through the food web/chain, or making a statement that indicates the sharks' food source is linked to the seaweed.

Note: The students must use the word energy in their response to get this point.