Science Task Prescreen
Task Title: Origins of the Elements: We Are Stardust
Grade: High School (9-12)
Date: April 16, 2026
SEP: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
DCI: ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars
CCC: Energy and Matter
Task Purpose: To assess students’ ability to communicate the complex lifecycle of elements and the conservation of mass (nucleons) during stellar evolution and death using an interactive simulation.
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
- Warrants further review.
- Should not be used.
Summary
Summarize your evidence and reasoning:
The task is anchored in the engaging phenomenon of human elements originating in stars (“stardust”). It requires the simulation to gather evidence (temperatures, element sequences, supernova products) that cannot be answered via rote memorization alone (e.g., identifying why iron is the fusion ‘wall’). It explicitly uses the CCC of Energy and Matter by requiring students to perform nucleon accounting, which is a key part of the HS-ESS1-3 assessment boundary. The final step requires synthesis (communicating information) rather than simple recall.