Science Task Screener

Task Title: Ideal Gas Law Derivation (Scaffolded): Step-by-Step from Boyle and Charles to PV=nRT

Grade: High School

Date: 2024-06-01

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.

1. Is a phenomenon and/or problem present?

Students explore the familiar phenomenon of a sealed syringe changing temperature when compressed or expanded. The scaffolded version includes guiding questions that walk students through making predictions before interacting with the simulation.

1. Is information from the scenario necessary to respond successfully to the task?

Yes, students must interact with the simulation to collect pressure, volume, and temperature data. The scaffolded data tables are partially filled to help students identify patterns more easily.

ii. The task scenario is engaging, relevant, and accessible to a wide range of students.

The scaffolded format includes sentence starters, partially completed tables, and explicit step-by-step instructions, making it accessible to English learners and struggling students while maintaining three-dimensional rigor.

Criterion B. Tasks require students to use scientific practices to demonstrate understanding.

Students analyze and interpret data (with guided prompts), use mathematics (with equation templates), and construct explanations (with sentence frames).

Criterion C. Tasks require students to use Disciplinary Core Ideas to demonstrate understanding.

Students apply PS3.A (Definitions of Energy) to understand that gas properties at the macroscopic scale arise from particle-level kinetic energy and collisions.

Criterion D. Tasks require students to use Crosscutting Concepts to demonstrate understanding.

Students identify patterns in P-V and V-T data with explicit guidance (“What do you notice about the P×V values?”).

Overall Recommendation

• [x] Warrants use with minimal revision
• [ ] Warrants revision before use
• [ ] Should not be used

Summary: This scaffolded task provides structured support for students who need additional guidance to discover gas law relationships. The three dimensions remain integrated while the cognitive load is managed through intentional scaffolding strategies.