Please note that many tasks were constructed prior to Common Core and the task alignments to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were not identified in the task materials. To search for the performance tasks explicitly aligned to the CCSS, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), or College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, please go to CCSS, NGSS, and C3 tabs.
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Environmental Issues The Environmental Issues task allows students to judge the relative importance of seven environmental threats and justify these decisions. Students will complete this task working one on one with a teacher-administrator. Resources required for this task include seven pictures showing environmental disasters. This task is a part of the Planet Earth and Beyond task series from 1999. This task is classified as a trend task by NEMP. Trend tasks are used to examine trends in student performance: whether they have improved, stayed constant or declined over the four-year period since the previous assessments. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Erosion In this task, students will design and conduct and experiment to investigate the question: How does the erosion of sand compare with the erosion of gravel? This task includes: |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Estimating In this task (in PALM and in PALS), students must estimate the mass, volume, and density of various object to assess their ability to make observations. This task includes: |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Estimations The Estimation task allows students to practice making estimations of length, weight, temperature, volume, and time of things they visually observe. Students will complete this task working one on one with a teacher-administrator. Resources required for this task include a 6mm x 16cm wooden rod, a small bottle containing 30ml water, a 15cm diameter wire circle (year 8 only), and a video showing a swimmer swimming 25m. This task is a part of the Physical World task series from 1995 by NEMP. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Estuary Ecology In the Estuary Ecology task students will watch a short video about an estuary and answer five questions. Students will complete this task working one on one with a teacher-administrator. The resource required for this task is a video showing two children looking at an estuary, featuring wildlife and some evidence of pollution. This task is a part of the Living World task series from 1995. This task is classified as a trend task by NEMP. Trend tasks are used to examine trends in student performance: whether they have improved, stayed constant or declined over the four-year period since the previous assessments. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Experimenting with Air and Water The Experimenting with Air and Water task allows students to investigate the properties of air. Students will watch a short video and do a simple experiment. Students will complete this task working one on one with a teacher-administrator. Resources required for this task include a video recording on laptop computer, a water bottle, a plastic glass, a small sample cup, a small “post-it” paper, a tray, and paper towels. This task is a part of the Material World task series from 2003. This task is classified as a trend task by NEMP. Trend tasks are used to examine trends in student performance: whether they have improved, stayed constant or declined over the four-year period since the previous assessments. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Fault Line In this task, students will use a cardboard model covered in sand to explore what happens with techtonic plates during an earthquake. This task includes: |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Finding Solutions to Hunger, Poverty and Inequality In the Finding Solutions to Hunger, Poverty and Inequality task, students will research and discuss the root causes of hunger and poverty in the world and take meaningful actions to help create a more just and sustainable world. This task includes several possible classroom activities. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Finger Games The Finger Games task allows students to interpret how their finger responds to heat and cold, and relate this to the use of a thermometer for more objective data . Students will complete this task working one on one with a teacher-administrator. Resources required for this task include four cups labelled A, B, C and D, cold water and hot water, and a thermometer. This task is a part of the Living World task series from 1999. This task is classified as a trend task by NEMP. Trend tasks are used to examine trends in student performance: whether they have improved, stayed constant or declined over the four-year period since the previous assessments. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Float or Sink The Float or Sink task allows students to experiment and determine which materials float and which sink. Students will complete this task working one on one with a teacher-administrator. Resources required for this task include three equally sized cubes (softwood, hardwood, aluminum), three equally weighted cuboids (brass, hardwood, aluminum), a laminated card labelled "sink" and "float", plasticine, water in a container, and paper towels. This task is a part of the Material World task series from 1995 by NEMP. |
If you would like to recommend additional open-sourced performance task banks to be included in the database, or if you would like to report a broken link, please email Pai-rou Chen.
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