Science Task Screener
Task Title: Cellular Respiration: The Energy Release in Every Cell
Grade: High School (9-12)
Date: 2026-05-17
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.
What was in the task, where was it, and why is this evidence?
- Is a phenomenon and/or problem present?
Yes. The phenomenon of increased breathing rate and muscle burn during hard exercise is the anchor for the entire task. The task opens with the relatable scenario of sprinting or heavy exercise and poses the driving question: “Why does your breathing rate increase when you run?”
- Is information from the scenario necessary to respond successfully to the task?
Yes. Students must explain why breathing rate increases (oxygen demand) and why muscles burn (lactic acid accumulation), which requires relating simulation data (ATP yield differences, lactic acid production) back to the specific exercise scenario.
ii. The task scenario is engaging, relevant, and accessible to a wide range of students.
Features of engaging, relevant, and accessible tasks:
| Features of scenarios | Yes | Somewhat | No | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario presents real-world observations | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Heavy breathing and muscle burn during exercise are universal human experiences. |
| Scenarios are based around at least one specific instance, not a topic or generally observed occurrence | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Focused on the specific experience of breathing hard and feeling muscle burn during intense physical activity. |
| Scenarios are presented as puzzling/intriguing | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Why do we breathe harder? Why do muscles burn? What is happening inside our cells? |
| Scenarios create a “need to know” | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Students need to understand cellular respiration to explain their own bodily responses to exercise. |
| Scenarios are explainable using grade-appropriate SEPs, CCCs, DCIs | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Aligns perfectly with HS-LS1-7 logic of bond breaking/forming, matter rearrangement, and energy transfer. |
| Scenarios effectively use at least 2 modalities (e.g., images, diagrams, video, simulations, textual descriptions) | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Uses textual scenario + interactive simulation with mitochondrion model, atom counts, and ATP readout. |
| If data are used, scenarios present real/well-crafted data | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Simulation provides stoichiometrically accurate data for both aerobic (~36 ATP) and anaerobic (~2 ATP) pathways. |
| The local, global, or universal relevance of the scenario is made clear to students | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Relates to athletics, health, fitness, and basic human biology. |
| Scenarios are comprehensible to a wide range of students at grade-level | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Language is accessible and the phenomenon is intuitive to anyone who has exercised. |
| Scenarios use as many words as needed, no more | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Concise and focused with clear step-by-step investigation instructions. |
| Scenarios are sufficiently rich to drive the task | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | The aerobic vs. anaerobic comparison provides ample inquiry opportunity across four investigations. |
| Evidence of quality for Criterion A: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [ ] Adequate | [x] Extensive |
Suggestions for improvement of the task for Criterion A:
None. The phenomenon is strong, universally relevant, and well-integrated throughout all phases of the task.
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.
Consider in what ways the task requires students to use reasoning to engage in sense-making and/or problem solving.
Students must reason that the presence or absence of oxygen changes the chemical pathway, leading to different products (CO2 and H2O vs. lactic acid) and vastly different energy yields (36 ATP vs. 2 ATP). They then apply this understanding of chemical rearrangement to explain both the macro-level phenomenon (increased breathing for oxygen delivery) and the physiological response (muscle burn from lactic acid).
ii. The task requires students to demonstrate grade-appropriate dimensions:
Evidence of SEPs (which element[s], and how does the task require students to demonstrate this element in use?)
Developing and Using Models: Students use the cellular respiration simulation as a model to “illustrate the relationships between components” (C6H12O6, O2, CO2, H2O, ATP, lactic acid) and “predict/show relationships” (the effect of varying glucose and oxygen on energy yield and product formation). Students manipulate inputs, observe outputs, and track atomic-level changes.
Evidence of CCCs (which element[s], and how does the task require students to demonstrate this element in use?)
Energy and Matter: Students track carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms through the reaction (Conservation of Matter panel) and measure energy output (ATP readout) to demonstrate that “matter is conserved” and “energy is transferred” rather than created or destroyed. The chemical equation panel reinforces the stoichiometric balance.
Evidence of DCIs (which element[s], and how does the task require students to demonstrate this element in use?)
LS1.C: Students demonstrate understanding that “chemical elements are recombined in different ways to form different products” (C6H12O6 + O2 → CO2 + H2O or C3H6O3) and that “energy is transferred from one system of interacting molecules to another” (from glucose bonds to ATP).
iii. The task requires students to integrate multiple dimensions in service of sense-making and/or problem-solving.
Consider in what ways the task requires students to use multiple dimensions together.
Students use the model (SEP) to track atoms and energy (CCC) to explain the biological requirement for oxygen and the role of alternative metabolic pathways (DCI) in the context of exercise (Phenomenon). The final CER prompt explicitly requires integration of all three dimensions.
iv. The task requires students to make their thinking visible.
Consider in what ways the task explicitly prompts students to make their thinking visible (surfaces current understanding, abilities, gaps, problematic ideas).
The Final Task (Part 4) requires a structured CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) explanation, which makes student reasoning explicit. Data tables from four investigations serve as visible records of student observations. The Explain section questions probe understanding of matter conservation and energy transfer.
| Evidence of quality for Criterion B: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [ ] Adequate | [x] Extensive |
Suggestions for improvement of the task for Criterion B:
Consider adding a “Model Revision” component where students update their initial mental model of cellular respiration based on simulation findings before completing the CER.
Criterion C. Tasks are fair and equitable.
i. The task provides ways for students to make connections of local, global, or universal relevance.
The task relates to universal human physical experiences (exercise, breathing, muscle fatigue). No specialized cultural knowledge is required.
ii. The task includes multiple modes for students to respond to the task.
Students respond via simulation interaction (manipulating sliders and toggles), written data logging (four structured data tables), guided written responses (Explain questions), and constructed scientific explanation (CER in Part 4).
iii. The task is accessible, appropriate, and cognitively demanding for all learners (including English learners or students working below/above grade level).
| Features | Yes | Somewhat | No | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task includes appropriate scaffolds | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Guided step-by-step investigations with structured data tables. |
| Tasks are coherent from a student perspective | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Logical 5E flow from Engage to Evaluate. |
| Tasks respect and advantage students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Relates to common human activity accessible to all students. |
| Tasks provide both low- and high-achieving students with an opportunity to show what they know | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Simulation results are easy to observe and record; CER allows for deep reasoning. |
| Tasks use accessible language | [x] | [ ] | [ ] | Scientific terms (aerobic, anaerobic, ATP, lactic acid) are introduced in context with clear explanations. |
iv. The task cultivates students’ interest in and confidence with science and engineering.
By allowing students to use an interactive model to explain a common personal experience (exercise-induced breathing and burn), it builds confidence in the explanatory power of scientific models.
v. The task focuses on performances for which students’ learning experiences have prepared them (opportunity to learn considerations).
The task assumes prior knowledge of basic atoms (C, H, O), the concept of chemical reactions, and the idea that food provides energy. These are standard biological precursors.
vi. The task presents information that is scientifically accurate.
The stoichiometric energy yields (~36 ATP for aerobic, ~2 ATP for anaerobic) and the anaerobic product (lactic acid) are simplified for high school but scientifically accurate for the model’s instructional level. The atom conservation data correctly reflects the balanced equation: C6H12O6 + 6 O2 → 6 CO2 + 6 H2O.
| Evidence of quality for Criterion C: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [ ] Adequate | [x] Extensive |
Criterion D. Tasks support their intended targets and purpose.
Before you begin:
- Describe what is being assessed. Include any targets provided, such as dimensions, elements, or PEs:
HS-LS1-7: Using a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby bonds are broken and formed, resulting in a net transfer of energy. Students must demonstrate understanding of matter rearrangement, bond energy, and conservation laws.
- What is the purpose of the assessment? (check all that apply)
- Formative (including peer and self-reflection)
- Summative
- Determining whether students learned what they just experienced
- Determining whether students can apply what they have learned to a similar but new context
| Evidence of quality for Criterion D: [ ] No | [ ] Inadequate | [ ] Adequate | [x] Extensive |
Overall Summary
The task “Cellular Respiration: The Energy Release in Every Cell” is a well-designed NGSS-aligned inquiry task. It anchors deep biochemical concepts in the universally relatable phenomenon of breathing heavily and feeling muscle burn during exercise. The four-part investigation structure (baseline aerobic, varying glucose, varying oxygen, anaerobic) allows students to systematically explore the relationships between reactants, products, and energy transfer. The interactive simulation with sliders, atom counts, ATP readout, and lactic acid toggle provides rich data for sensemaking. The final CER task requires integrated three-dimensional thinking, asking students to use model-based evidence (SEP), atomic tracking (CCC), and understanding of metabolic pathways (DCI) to construct a scientific explanation.
Final recommendation (choose one):
- Use this task (all criteria had at least an “adequate” rating)
- Modify and use this task
- Do not use this task