Science Assessment Map – Sample at 2.5
Design an animal
Context
Students were asked to draw components of an animal from descriptions, then draw a composite animal with those features. Students were then asked to describe where the animal would live and give an explanation as to why the animal would live there.
Students were given 20–30 minutes to complete the task. They were expected to work independently, but were able to seek help if they could not read the questions or understand what to do.
This task required that students had been involved in activities exploring the needs of living things and the environments in which they live.
The elements of the Science knowledge and understanding Level 3 standard addressed by this task are:
Students identify … the structural features of living things, including … animals.
(Students) identify how these features operate together to form systems which support living things to survive in their environments.
Sample
The following work sample, and the related Science 2.5 progression point examples, illustrate the kinds of responses that students produce as they progress towards the Level 3 standard.
1. In each box draw the part of the animal that you are told about.
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Its feet help it swim.
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Its body protects it from its enemies.
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It can eat from the top of trees.
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It can only see things that are in front of it.
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It can hear things a long way away.
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It likes to smell flowers.
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It has strong legs.
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2. Put all the parts together: draw the animal here. (If you like, add any parts you are not told about: How many legs? Hair? Wings? Tail?)
3a. Describe the place where this special animal would live.
3b. Explain why you think this is where it would live.
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Annotation
Science knowledge and understanding – 2.5
- Matches the features of the animal to their functions and assembles these into an animal.
- Identifies a place where the animal would live, including some survival requirements (water and trees).
- Gives reasons based on diet and behaviour as to why the animal would live on the island and survive.
- Does not identify how the features of the animal would help it to swim, or why the animal needs to swim.
- It is not clear how the animal’s body structure and shape protect it from it’s enemies.
- No connections are made between different features that operate together to form systems.
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