PhD Science Texas - Level 3 - Benchmark 1

Name:

Date:

Food Waste

The parts of food that people do not eat are called food waste. People often put food waste in outdoor bins. The photograph shows a bin with food waste.

1. Read the investigation question.

Question: How does food waste become part of soil?

To investigate the question, which data should be collected? Circle one answer.

The colors of food waste added to a bin

The changes to food waste over time in a bin

The number of people who put food waste in a bin

Measurements of how quickly food grows in different bins

Earth Changes

Mount St. Helens is a volcano that erupted in 1980. Observe the photographs.

Before the eruption

After the eruption

Compare the eruption of Mount St. Helens to the events that formed the Grand Canyon.

2. Which explanation best describes the eruption of Mount St. Helens?

Circle one answer.

A fast event that changed the shape of the land

A slow event that changed the shape of the land

A fast event that did not change the shape of the land

A slow event that did not change the shape of the land

Observe the photograph of hot lava flowing into water.

3. What will happen to the liquid lava when it cools?

Circle one answer.

The lava will stay liquid.

The lava will become solid rock.

The lava will become gas in the air.

The lava will become ice in the water.

A landslide occurred near Big Sur, California, on May 20, 2017. Observe the table.

Materials That Make Up the Cliff

Soil and rocks

Before May 20, 2017

Soil and rocks

After May 20, 2017

4. Which claims does evidence from the table support?

Circle two claims.

The shape of the cliff did not change.

The shape of the cliff changed slowly.

The shape of the cliff changed quickly.

The materials that make up the cliff changed.

The materials that make up the cliff did not change.

Over time, rocks can become part of soil. Observe the model.

Rocks on a Shoreline over Time

5. Explain what caused the rocks to become part of soil. Use evidence from the model to support your answer.

Organism Changes

Dead organisms can be found on the ground. Observe the model.

Dead Organisms over Time

1 day after the mouse died

2 years after the mouse died

6. What happened to the materials that made up the dead organisms?

Circle the best description.

The materials became part of the soil.

The materials became part of the rock.

The materials became part of the clouds. The materials became part of the stream.

Objects in Water

The photographs show objects found in water.

7. Draw one check mark (ü) in each row to show whether the object sinks or floats.

Object

Coin Bottle Rock Tire

Sinks

Floats

Coin

Organisms in Their Environment

The diagram shows ducks in a pond environment.

8. Explain how feet and wings help ducks survive in a pond environment. Use information from the diagrams to support your answer.

Read the information about duck feathers.

Photographs

Uses for Duck Feathers

In cold environments, rats can use feathers to make their nests.

When it is cold outside, people wear jackets filled with feathers.

In cold weather, people use sleeping bags filled with feathers when they sleep outside.

9. How do feathers help ducks survive in cold weather?

Circle one answer.

Feathers help ducks walk.

Feathers help ducks eat food.

Feathers help ducks stay warm.

Feathers help ducks drink water.

Read the information about organisms in the tundra environment.

Short-Tailed Weasel

Sedge Grass

Arctic Ground Squirrel

Eats arctic ground squirrels

Makes its own food

Eats sedge grass

10. Which food chain shows the flow of energy in the tundra environment?

Circle one food chain.

Weasel sedge grass squirrel

Squirrel weasel sedge grass

Sedge grass weasel squirrel

Sedge grass squirrel weasel

11. The mass of an arctic ground squirrel is measured at the end of summer and at the end of winter.

End of summer End of winter

Part A: What is the squirrel’s mass at the end of summer?

Write the mass on the blank to complete the sentence.

At the end of summer, the squirrel’s mass is grams.

Part B: Compare the squirrel’s mass at the end of winter and at the end of summer. Circle one answer.

The squirrel has more mass at the end of winter.

The squirrel has less mass at the end of winter.

The squirrel has the same mass at the end of both seasons.

Orchard grass plants are sometimes dormant in summer. The table shows weather conditions for an environment where orchard grass grows.

12. Which weather condition causes orchard grass to go dormant in summer? Circle the most likely answer. ▪

precipitation

Investigating Snow

The photographs show two samples of snow. One sample was heated, and the other was not.

13. What is the state of matter of each sample?

Write solid, liquid, or gas on the blank to complete each sentence.

Sample 1 is a .

Sample 2 is a .

Sample 1

Sample 2

Level 3 Benchmark 1 Rubric

Score each student’s Benchmark. The rubric describes evidence of student work that meets expectations. Use the Score column to record the student’s points for each item.

2 3.2B 3.5C 3.10C

Choice 1 is incorrect. Data about the color of food waste would not explain how food waste becomes soil.

Choice 2 is correct.

Choice 3 is incorrect. Food decomposes and becomes part of the soil regardless of the number of people who put food into compost bins.

Choice 4 is incorrect. Food waste becomes part of soil through decomposition, not growth.

Choice 1 is correct.

Choice 2 is incorrect. The volcanic eruption was a fast event.

Choice 3 is incorrect. The volcanic eruption changed the shape of the land. Choice 4 is incorrect. The volcanic eruption was a fast event that changed the shape of the land.

3 3.5B 3.6C

Choice 1 is incorrect. The lava will not remain liquid when cooled.

Choice 2 is correct.

Choice 3 is incorrect. Cooling will not cause the lava to become a gas. Choice 4 is incorrect. The lava will not become ice because lava is not made of water

4 3.1E 3.5G

3.10C

Choice 1 is incorrect. Rocks and soil on the cliff moved during the landslide, which changed the shape of the cliff.

Choice 2 is incorrect. The landslide was a fast event that took place in one day. Choice 3 is correct.

Choice 4 is incorrect. The landslide caused the materials that make up the cliff to move, but the materials did not change.

Choice 5 is correct.

5 3.3A 3.5G 3.10B

3 points: The student identifies that (1) the waves crashed into the rocks on the shoreline repeatedly, (2) the action of the waves caused the rocks to break into smaller pieces over time, and (3) the pieces of rock became part of the soil.

2 points: The student identifies two of the three criteria required for 3 points.

1 point: The student identifies one of the three criteria required for 3 points.

6 3.3A 3.5D 3.10B

Choice 1 is correct.

Choice 2 is incorrect. Rocks are made of minerals, not plant and animal remains. Choice 3 is incorrect. Clouds are made of water droplets, not plant and animal remains Choice 4 is incorrect. Water is not made of plant and animal remains

7 3.1E 3.6A Row 1: Sinks Row 2: Floats Row 3: Sinks Row 4: Sinks

8 3.1E 3.5F 3.13A

3 points: The student identifies that (1) ducks use their feet to swim in water and walk on land, (2)ducks use their wings to fly, and (3) moving from place to place helps ducks get what they need to survive.

2 points: The student identifies two of the three criteria required for 3 points.

1 point: The student identifies one of the three criteria required for 3 points.

9 3.1E 3.5A 3.13A

Choice 1 is incorrect. Ducks use their feet to walk, not their feathers. Choice 2 is incorrect. Ducks use their beaks to eat food, not their feathers. Choice 3 is correct.

Choice 4 is incorrect. Ducks use their beaks to drink water, not their feathers.

10 3.1G 3.5E 3.12B

Choice 1 is incorrect. Sedge grass does not obtain energy from the weasel. Choice 2 is incorrect. Sedge grass does not obtain energy from the weasel. Choice 3 is incorrect. The weasel does not obtain energy from sedge grass. Choice 4 is correct.

11B 3.1E 3.5C

3.6A

Choice 1 is incorrect. The squirrel has less mass at the end of winter than it does at the end of summer.

Choice 2 is correct.

Choice 3 is incorrect. The mass is not the same at the end of both seasons

12 3.3A

3.5B

3.12A

Choice 1 is incorrect. The average temperature is the same in summer and fall and is not much higher than in spring and winter.

Choice 2 is incorrect. The average temperature in summer is higher than in spring and winter and the same as in fall

Choice 3 is incorrect. Summer has the lowest precipitation of all the seasons. Choice 4 is correct.

Total

Line 1: Solid Line 2: Liquid PhD SCIENCE® TEXAS Level 3 ▸ Benchmark 1 3 © 2024 Great Minds PBC

Benchmark 1 Alignment Map

For teacher reference, this alignment map lists the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills assessed by each item in the Benchmark.

Item Integration of Standards

1 The student selects that data on how food waste changes over time should be collected to investigate (3.1B) how the decomposition of plant and animal materials (3.5E) helps form soil (3.10B).

2 The student analyzes data (3.2B) on the eruption of Mount St. Helens and the formation of the Grand Canyon (3.5C) to describe the eruption as a fast event that changed the shape of the land (3.10C).

3 The student predicts that cooling will cause (3.5B) the liquid lava to become solid rock (3.6C).

▪

Content Standards

3.10B Investigate and explain how soils such as sand and clay are formed by weathering of rock and by decomposition of plant and animal remains.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

▪ 3.1B Use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems.

Recurring Themes and Concepts

▪ 3.5E Investigate the flow of energy and cycling of matter through systems.

4 The student uses observations from the table (3.1E) to describe the landslide as a rapid event (3.10C) that changed the shape of the cliff but not the materials that make up the cliff (3.5G).

▪ 3.10C Model and describe rapid changes in Earth’s surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides.

▪ 3.2B Analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error.

▪ 3.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

▪ 3.6C Predict, observe, and record changes in the state of matter caused by heating or cooling in a variety of substances such as ice becoming liquid water, condensation forming on the outside of a glass, or liquid water being heated to the point of becoming water vapor (gas).

▪ 3.10C Model and describe rapid changes in Earth’s surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides.

N/A

▪ 3.5B Identify and investigate cause-and-effect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems.

▪ 3.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

▪ 3.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

ItemIntegration of Standards Content Standards

5 The student uses a model to explain (3.3A) that the waves caused the rocks to break into pieces (3.5G) to form soil (3.10B).

6 The student uses the model of a dead mouse and leaves in the environment (3.5D) to explain (3.3A) that decomposing plants and animals become part of the soil (3.10B).

7 The student uses photographs of objects in water to measure (3.1E) and record each object’s ability to float or sink in water (3.6A).

8 The student uses observations (3.1E) to explain that a duck’s feet and wings help it move (3.5F) in its environment (3.13A).

▪ 3.10B Investigate and explain how soils such as sand and clay are formed by weathering of rock and by decomposition of plant and animal remains.

▪ 3.10B Investigate and explain how soils such as sand and clay are formed by weathering of rock and by decomposition of plant and animal remains.

Scientific and Engineering Practices Recurring Themes and Concepts

▪ 3.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

▪ 3.5G Explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

▪ 3.6A Measure, test, and record physical properties of matter, including temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float in water.

▪ 3.13A Explore and explain how external structures and functions of animals such as the neck of a giraffe or webbed feet on a duck enable them to survive in their environment.

9 The student uses observations of photographs (3.1E) to identify the pattern (3.5A) that ducks use feathers to stay warm (3.13A).

10 The student develops a model (3.1G) to identify that energy flows (3.5E) from the sedge grass to the squirrel and then to the weasel in the food chain (3.12B).

▪ 3.13A Explore and explain how external structures and functions of animals such as the neck of a giraffe or webbed feet on a duck enable them to survive in their environment.

▪ 3.12B Identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field affect the ecosystem.

▪ 3.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

▪ 3.5D Examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system.

▪ 3.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

N/A

▪ 3.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

▪ 3.5F Explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems.

▪ 3.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

▪ 3.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

▪ 3.1G Develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or to design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

▪ 3.5E Investigate the flow of energy and cycling of matter through systems.

ItemIntegration of Standards Content Standards

11A The student measures (3.1E) and describes (3.5C) the mass of the arctic ground squirrel (3.6A).

11B The student compares the measurements (3.1E) of the squirrel’s mass (3.6A) to determine that the mass is lower at the end of winter (3.5C).

12 The student uses observations from the table to explain (3.3A) that low precipitation could cause (3.5B) orchard grass to go dormant in summer (3.12A).

▪ 3.6A Measure, test, and record physical properties of matter, including temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float in water.

▪

Scientific and Engineering Practices Recurring Themes and Concepts

▪ 3.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

▪ 3.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

3.6A Measure, test, and record physical properties of matter, including temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float in water.

▪ 3.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

▪ 3.5C Use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems.

13 The student uses observations (3.1E) to identify (3.5A) snow as solid and water as a liquid (3.6C).

▪ 3.12A Explain how temperature and precipitation affect animal growth and behavior through migration and hibernation and plant responses through dormancy.

▪ 3.6C Predict, observe, and record changes in the state of matter caused by heating or cooling in a variety of substances such as ice becoming liquid water, condensation forming on the outside of a glass, or liquid water being heated to the point of becoming water vapor (gas).

▪ 3.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models.

▪ 3.5B Identify and investigate cause-and-effect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems.

▪ 3.1E Collect observations and measurements as evidence.

▪ 3.5A Identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions.

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