Test James

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to formulate testable questions about local organisms and habitat conditions to investigate biodiversity and humans.

Students will be able to design small-scale field and classroom investigations to compare habitat conditions in a schoolyard, trail, or stream.

Students will be able to collect and organize repeated site data using annotated sketches, maps, samples, species identification, and simple survey tools.

Students will be able to analyze habitat data to identify patterns, anomalies, and changes over time in local ecosystems.

Students will be able to interpret evidence about how natural events and human activities affect survival, reproduction, and biodiversity.

Students will be able to justify evidence-based conclusions and recommendations for protecting or improving a local habitat.

Students will be able to evaluate limitations of their investigation methods and revise their work based on peer, teacher, and community feedback.

Products

individual

Habitat Investigation Notebook

A research notebook documenting the student’s question, method choices, repeated observations, raw data, source notes, and personal analysis from field and classroom investigations. It must show how the student used evidence to revise thinking about one local organism or habitat condition.

team

Habitat Detective Expo Investigation Report and Presentation

A formal team report and short presentation that synthesizes each member’s evidence into shared findings, visualizations, conclusions, limitations, and habitat recommendations. The team must explain why their method fit the question and address conflicting or anomalous findings rather than smoothing them over.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
New York Portrait of a Graduate	Academically Prepared	I can describe how local habitat conditions and human actions affect biodiversity using examples from our schoolyard/trail/stream observations.	I can ask a testable question about a local organism’s needs and match predictions to specific habitat conditions and possible human impacts that we can observe or measure.	I can design and carry out a simple habitat/organism survey that collects repeated site data (e.g., sketches, maps, counts, notes) and I can explain patterns in my evidence to support a claim about what changes mean for survival and biodiversity.	I can independently refine my investigation plan and data collection to improve reliability, then I can use my evidence (before/after comparisons and survey results) to make a clear, scientifically reasoned recommendation for protecting or improving a local habitat.
New York Portrait of a Graduate	Global Citizen	I can describe how my local actions (like littering, trampling plants, or water use) and natural changes (like storms or seasonal shifts) can affect living things in the schoolyard, trail, or stream and biodiversity there.	I can use evidence from my repeated observations and simple surveys to explain how habitat conditions influence what local organisms need to survive and thrive, and I can identify specific human choices that support or harm those needs.	I can collaborate responsibly to plan and carry out fair habitat/organism investigations, follow safety and ethical field practices, and communicate my findings respectfully during discussions and the Habitat Detective Expo.	I can apply my evidence-based conclusions to make actionable, community-ready recommendations for protecting or improving a local habitat, and I can revise my ideas after feedback from peers and community partners (like a nature center educator or watershed organization) while demonstrating responsible, sustainable thinking.
New York Portrait of a Graduate	Reflective and Future Focused	I can describe what I noticed during field observations and explain one way natural changes or human actions might affect the organism I studied, using my own words and evidence from my field journal (e.g., sketches, site notes, survey notes).	I can reflect on patterns across my repeated observations and compare classroom data to outdoor results, and I can revise my predictions about what those organisms need to survive based on the evidence I collected.	I can set a specific goal for improving my investigation (methods, accuracy, or communication) and I can choose strategies to meet that goal, using feedback from teammates and my teacher to improve my Habitat Detective Expo materials.	I can independently evaluate how my learning connects to real-world habitat protection by making a reasoned recommendation and reflecting on my impact and responsibilities (as a student and community member), including how I would carry these habits forward in future investigations.
New York Portrait of a Graduate	Critical Thinker	I can describe patterns I notice in repeated observations of local organisms and explain (with evidence from my field journal) how habitat conditions and human actions may affect what those organisms need to survive.	I can compare observation data from different times/locations (schoolyard, trail, or stream) and use multiple pieces of evidence—such as sketches, maps, and survey notes—to make supported claims about how biodiversity and habitat change are connected.	I can evaluate the quality of my evidence and testable methods, identify sources of error or bias in my survey/observation approach, and revise my explanation using results and comparisons to natural and human-caused changes.	I can synthesize patterns across my investigations to construct a clear, evidence-based explanation of how specific natural and human-caused habitat changes affect organism survival and biodiversity, and I can justify recommendations by linking findings to LS.4.D concepts with reasoning that goes beyond a single dataset.