Nutrient Pollution and Its Effects on Chesapeake Bay
NGSS Performance Task
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Rubric
Name: Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Advanced: Student obtains and synthesizes quantitative and qualitative information across all provided sources, explicitly evaluates the reliability or limitations of each source (e.g., noting that satellite data shows spatial patterns but not nutrient concentrations, or that a single storm-event dataset may not represent long-term trends), and constructs a prioritized, evidence-based recommendation that ranks human activities by their relative contribution to nutrient loading using data comparisons; communication clearly distinguishes correlation from mechanism, anticipates a counterargument or uncertainty (e.g., natural nutrient sources, climate variability), and addresses it with specific evidence drawn from the sources.
Beginning: Student copies one or two facts from a single provided source (e.g., a data table or map) without connecting the information to nutrient pollution or dead zone formation; recommendation to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is absent or restates the phenomenon with no cause-and-effect reasoning linking land use to oxygen loss.
Dimension: SEP
Developing: Student extracts specific data points (e.g., nitrogen runoff levels from farm fields, dissolved oxygen readings near algae blooms) from at least two provided sources and identifies a general connection between nutrient pollution and dead zones, but does not evaluate whether sources are consistent or contradictory; written recommendation names at least one human activity responsible but does not use quantitative evidence or explain the mechanism by which nutrients reduce oxygen.
Proficient: Student obtains relevant quantitative information (e.g., seasonal nitrogen load data, satellite imagery showing bloom size, dissolved oxygen measurements) from three or more provided sources, explicitly notes where sources agree or conflict, and uses that information to trace the cause-and-effect chain from land-use practices to nutrient runoff to algae blooms to oxygen depletion to organism death; written recommendation to Foundation leaders identifies at least two specific human activities, cites data from multiple sources as evidence, and explains the mechanism connecting each activity to bay health outcomes.
Procedure
Phenomenon
Task Scenario
Teacher Notes
Ngss Alignment
Driving Question
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