Science Task Prescreen
Task Title: Gas Laws: Real Gas vs. Ideal Gas Sandbox Task Grade: High School Date: 2024-03-20 SEP: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking, Developing and Using Models, Constructing Explanations DCI: PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter CCC: Systems and System Models, Cause and Effect Task Purpose: Formative assessment to evaluate students’ understanding of the kinetic molecular theory, ideal vs. real gas behavior, and the factors causing deviations from ideal behavior.
Instructions
- Before you begin: Complete the task as a student would. Then, consider any support materials provided to teachers or students, such as contextual information about the task and answer keys/rubrics.
- Prescreen: Answer the following high-level questions to identify any major red flags (🚩) in your task. If you find one or more red flags, consider the purpose of the task and the evidence gathered to determine whether the task warrants a deeper dive.
Prescreen Questionnaire
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is there a phenomenon or problem driving the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 2. Can the majority of the task be answered without using information provided by the task scenario? | [ ] 🚩 | [x] |
| 3. Can significant portions of the task be answered successfully by using rote knowledge (e.g., definitions, prescriptive or memorized procedure)? | [ ] 🚩 | [x] |
| 4. Does the majority of the task require students to use reasoning to successfully complete the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 5. Does the task require students to use some understanding of disciplinary core ideas to successfully complete the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 6. Do students have to use at least one science and engineering practice to successfully complete the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 7. Are the dimensions assessed separately in the majority of the task? | [ ] 🚩 | [x] |
| 8. Is the task coherent and comprehensible from the student perspective? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
Recommendation
Based on your assessment needs and the task purpose recorded above, make a recommendation about this task moving forward (choose one):
- Warrants further review.
- Should not be used.
Summary
Summarize your evidence and reasoning:
The task is driven by the phenomenon of real-world gases deviating from the Ideal Gas Law under certain conditions (like in high-pressure cylinders). Students must actively use the simulation to gather data; they cannot answer the questions using only rote memory. The task requires them to construct explanations for why these deviations occur based on the kinetic molecular theory (intermolecular forces and particle volume), thus integrating the DCI (Structure and Properties of Matter) with the SEPs (Using Computational Models, Constructing Explanations) and CCCs (Cause and Effect). The dimensions are integrated, and the task flows logically from simple ideal behavior to complex real behavior and concludes with an open-ended investigation. No red flags are present.