Science Task Screener
Task Title: Martian Sports: Investigating Newton’s Second Law
Grade: High School
Date: 2026-04-16
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/scoring guidance.
- Using the Task Screener: Use this tool to evaluate tasks designed for three-dimensional standards. For each criterion, record your evidence for the presence or absence of the associated indicators. After you have decided to what degree the indicators are present within the task, revisit the purpose of your task and decide whether the evidence supports using it.
Criterion A. Tasks are driven by high-quality scenarios that are grounded in phenomena or problems.
i. Making sense of a phenomenon or addressing a problem is necessary to accomplish the task.
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Is a phenomenon and/or problem present? The “Martian Sports” championship provides a specific real-world (or plausible future) phenomenon that requires explanation.
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Is information from the scenario necessary to respond successfully to the task? Yes. Students must use the Martian gravity setting (3.7 m/s²) and the simulation’s data recording tool to explain why the ball behaves differently than on Earth.
ii. The task scenario is engaging, relevant, and accessible to a wide range of students.
| Features of scenarios | Yes | Somewhat | No | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario presents real-world observations | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Uses actual gravity values for Earth and Mars. |
| Scenarios are based around at least one specific instance, not a topic or generally observed occurrence | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Focused on a specific field goal kick during a practice. |
| Scenarios are presented as puzzling/intriguing | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Asks why the same force results in different motion on another planet. |
| Scenarios create a “need to know” | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Students need to know how to adjust their aim/force for the new environment. |
| Scenarios are explainable using grade-appropriate SEPs, CCCs, DCIs | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Aligned with HS-PS2-1. |
| Scenarios effectively use at least 2 modalities (e.g., images, diagrams, video, simulations, textual descriptions) | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Uses text and simulation. |
| If data are used, scenarios present real/well-crafted data | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Simulation generates precise kinematic data. |
| The local, global, or universal relevance of the scenario is made clear to students | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Relevant to space exploration and physics. |
| Scenarios are comprehensible to a wide range of students at grade-level | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Language is high-school appropriate. |
| Scenarios use as many words as needed, no more | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Concise introduction. |
| Scenarios are sufficiently rich to drive the task | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | The discrepancy in gravity drives the entire inquiry. |
| Evidence of quality for Criterion A: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [ ] Adequate | [x] Extensive |
Criterion B. Tasks require sense-making using the three dimensions.
i. Completing the task requires students to use reasoning to sense-make about phenomena or problems.
Students must compare the vertical acceleration they calculate to the gravity setting they chose, and then reason why the horizontal velocity remains constant.
ii. The task requires students to demonstrate grade-appropriate dimensions:
Evidence of SEPs: Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Students record $v_y$ and $t$, then calculate $a_y$ to identify patterns.
Evidence of CCCs: Cause and Effect. Students attribute the “floaty” motion on Mars to the specific “cause” (lower force of gravity).
Evidence of DCIs: PS2.A. Students apply Newton’s Second Law to predict and explain the changes in motion.
iii. The task requires students to integrate multiple dimensions in service of sense-making and/or problem-solving.
The CER synthesis in Part 5 requires students to connect their data (SEP) to the concept of net force causing acceleration (DCI) through a causal explanation (CCC).
iv. The task requires students to make their thinking visible.
The final CER statement and the predictive sandbox questions explicitly surface student reasoning.
| Evidence of quality for Criterion B: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [x] Adequate | [ ] Extensive |
Criterion C. Tasks are fair and equitable.
i. The task provides ways for students to make connections of local, global, or universal relevance.
Mars exploration is a highly relevant “universal” topic that captures wide interest.
ii. The task includes multiple modes for students to respond to the task.
Written responses, mathematical calculations, and interactive simulation manipulation.
iii. The task is accessible, appropriate, and cognitively demanding for all learners.
| Features | Yes | Somewhat | No | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task includes appropriate scaffolds | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Table provided for data. |
| Tasks are coherent from a student perspective | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Steps flow logically. |
| Tasks respect and advantage students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Neutral, science-focused context. |
| Tasks provide both low- and high-achieving students with an opportunity to show what they know | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Range from observations to calculations. |
| Tasks use accessible language | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Clear instructions. |
| Evidence of quality for Criterion C: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [x] Adequate | [ ] Extensive |
Criterion D. Tasks support their intended targets and purpose.
i. The task assesses what it is intended to assess and supports the purpose for which it is intended.
Assesses HS-PS2-1 by requiring students to demonstrate the relationship between $F_{net}$ and $a$.
ii. The task elicits artifacts from students as direct, observable evidence of how well students can use the targeted dimensions together.
The data table and the CER statement are direct artifacts of 3D learning.
iii. Supporting materials include clear answer keys, rubrics, and/or scoring guidelines.
(Note: Answer keys are typically in a separate teacher guide, but the task structure implies a clear scoring path).
| Evidence of quality for Criterion D: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [x] Adequate | [ ] Extensive |
Overall Summary
The task is a high-quality inquiry-based investigation that leverages a digital simulation to allow students to “discover” physical laws across different planetary environments. It successfully integrates the three dimensions of NGSS to explain a specific phenomenon.
Final recommendation (choose one):
- [x] Use this task (all criteria had at least an “adequate” rating)
- [ ] Modify and use this task
- [ ] Do not use this task