Unit 6 Subconcept 1 - A Child's Place in the Environment (ACPE)

Lessons 3 through 8 in Achieving a Sustainable Community address the following science
content standards for California schools for grade six:
5a – Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight transfers into chemical energy through
photosynthesis; passes from organism to organism in food webs.
5b – Matter transfers from one organism to another in the food web; also between organisms
and physical environment.
5c – Organisms can be categorized by functions served in ecosystem.
5d – Different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in similar biomes.
5e – Number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depend on resources
available.
7a – Develop a hypothesis.
7b – Select, use appropriate tools, technology to perform tests, collect and display data.
7c – Construct appropriate graphs from data and interpret data.
7d – Communicate in writing and orally the steps, results from an investigation.
7f – Read topographic, geologic maps.
Other Types of Assessments
This assessment should not be viewed as the only way to assess students. Using the constructive
response method that has students write explanations, rationale, predictions, and experimental
design is an effective way to determine what students are learning. Not only should questions be
used to prompt learners to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding, but also a variety of
tasks could show what skills students have learned. For example, performance-based tasks allow
students to show what they understand by applying their knowledge to various situations. For
information on various types of assessments, guidelines for using assessments, etc. visit the
following websites:
• “Assessment for Learning” from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in London
(“Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by
learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need
to go and how best to get there.”)
http://www.qca.org.uk/ca/5-14/afl/
• “Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles” from The Assessment Reform Group Institute of
Education University of London (“The aim of the Assessment Reform Group is to ensure
that public policy at all levels takes account of relevant research in assessment practice.”)
http://www.assessment-reform-group.org.uk/principles.html
• “Assessment” from WestEd in San Francisco (“Specialists at WestEd create resource
materials in assessment design and provide services in the development, implementation,
and evaluation of state and local assessments — tests that measure the performance of
teachers as well as students.”)
http://www.wested.org/