Science Task Prescreen
Task Title: Boyle’s Law: The Squeeze on Gas Particles
Grade: High School
Date: 2024-05-20
SEP: Developing and Using Models
DCI: PS3.A (Definitions of Energy)
CCC: Energy and Matter
Task Purpose: Provide an inquiry-based investigation where students collect pressure-volume data using an interactive gas simulation and develop a multi-scale model connecting macroscopic gas behavior to particle-level energy transfers, aligned to HS-PS3-2.
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):
- [x] Warrants further review.
- [ ] Should not be used.
Summary
Summarize your evidence and reasoning:
This task effectively uses a compelling anchoring phenomenon (the increasing resistance felt when squeezing a balloon) to drive an inquiry into the pressure-volume relationship of gases. Students must actively engage with the simulation to generate their own data and develop a multi-scale model of gas behavior, rather than relying on rote recall. The three dimensions are tightly integrated throughout: students develop and use models (SEP) to trace energy and matter (CCC) in order to demonstrate that macroscopic pressure is the result of particle-level kinetic energy (DCI).