Rubric Criteria

	Below Expectations (1)	Basic (2)	Proficient (3)	Outstanding (4)
Identify the key factors that influence water quality.	Student unable to identify any key factors that influence water quality.	Student provides indefinite key factors	Student provides a limited amount of key factors	Student provides a significant amount of key factors
Students ability to explain how human activities alter the balance of a water ecosystem and affect the survival of organisms	Student unable to explain how human activities alter the balance of a water ecosystem and affect the survival of organisms	Student provides indefinite theories of how human activities alter the balance of water ecosystem and affect the survival of organisms	Student explains vague theories human activities that alter the balance of water ecosystem and affect the survival of organisms	Student provides well thought out theories of human activities that alter the balance of water ecosystem and affect the survival of organisms
Ability to Identify the relationships among factors affecting water quality	Student unable to identify the relationships among factors affecting water quality	Student provides incomplete relationships among factors affecting water quality	Student provides vague examples of relationship factors affecting water quality	Student identifies clear examples of relationships among factors affecting water quality
Analysis of how a factor affects the living Organisms in water ecosystems	Student provides no analysis of how a factor affects the living organisms in water ecosystems	Student provides an incomplete analysis of how a factor affects the living organisms in water ecosystems	Student provides a vague analysis of how a factor affects the living organisms in water ecosystems	Student provides a thorough analysis of how a factor affects the living organisms in water ecosystems
Use of Credible Sources for Data Collection	Student provides no  sources	Student provides a source with questionable credibility	Student provides limited credible sources	Student provides significant amount of credible sources
Use of ICTs to Facilitate the process of identifying scientifically testable questions and locate valuable and accurate information	Student did not use an ICT to facilitate the process of identifying scientifically testable questions and locate valuable and accurate information	Student use one ICT to facilitate the process of identifying scientifically testable questions and locate valuable and accurate information	Student uses a few ICT to facilitate the process of identifying scientifically testable questions and locate valuable and accurate information	Student used several ICTs to facilitate the process of identifying scientifically testable questions and locate valuable and accurate information
Use of ICTs to support data organization, data analysis, and data representation and draw conclusions	Student did not use an ICT to support data organization, data analysis, and data representations and draw conclusions	Student used one ICT to support data organization, data analysis, and data representation and draw conclusions	Student used a few ICTs to support data organization, data representation and draw conclusions	Student used several ICTs to support data organization, data analysis and data representation and draw conclusions
Use of ICTs to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats	Student did not used an ICT to communicate finding to the learning community using various media formats	Student used one ICT to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats	Student used a few ICTs to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats	Student used several ICTs to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats
Use of ICTs to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats	Student did not used an ICT to communicate finding to the learning community using various media formats	Student used one ICT to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats	Student used a few ICTs to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats	Student used several ICTs to communicate findings to the learning community using various media formats
				Total Points

  

 

Week 5: Assignment 2

Human Impact on Water Quality

Learning Outcomes:

1      Students will identify the key factors that influence water quality.

2      Ability to explain how human activities can alter the balance of a water ecosystem and affect the survival of organisms.

3      Students will identify the relationships among factors affecting water quality.

4      Ability to explain how a factor affects the living organisms in a water ecosystem.

5      Students can use credible cyber resources for data collection.

6      Students will be able to use ICTs to facilitate the process of identifying scientifically testable questions and locating valuable and accurate.

7      Students will use ICTs to support data organization, data analysis, and data presentation, and draw conclusions.

8      Students will know how to use ICTs to support data organization, data analysis, and data presentation, and draw conclusions.

Acceptable Evidence:

1.    Analyzed data that shows the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

2.    An explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

3.    An argument that argument supports empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Learning Activities

Day 1:

1.    Students will break into small groups for 10 to 15 minutes to discuss factor affecting water quality and human activities that change the balance of water ecosystems.

2.    Each group will use the Google News search engine (ICT) to find an article about water quality and its effects on a living organism.

3.    Students will research direct and indirect impact of human behaviors on the water ecosystem.

4.    Students will cite sources used and become familiar with credible sources.

Day 2:

1.    Student will learn how to collect data to answer scientifically testable questions.

2.    Students will provide what data are needed to answer “How do changes in the water temperature affect dissolved oxygen levels?

3.    Students will collect data from Water Quality Watch and use a spreadsheet to enter dissolved oxygen and water temperature data collected.

4.    Students split into small groups to figure out the correlations between the dissolved-oxygen and water temperature data.

Day 3:

1.    A guided inquiry that allows students to develop researchable questions that can be answered using data from cyber databases.

2.    Students use a spreadsheet to enter data, analyze data, create charts, examine their hypothesis and draw conclusions.

3.    Students complete a lab report that documents the research questions, hypothesis, research procedure, data analysis and conclusion.

4.    Students discuss research findings and compare notes.

Day 4:

1.    Students work independently to identify scientifically testable questions by formulating a hypothesis, develop a research plan, collect and analyze data, evaluate data and draw conclusions.

2.    Students use data from several databases to conduct their own investigations.

3.    students discuss the various stages of the project.