Interdisciplinary

Assessment Project
Science, English, Agricultural Education
Soil Importance
Agricultural Education
 Standards and
Outcomes
PLSC.11.13 Explain soil nutrient cycling
PLSC.11.14 Explain soil organic matter and
its impact on soil management
PLSC.11.16 Understand and apply soil
surveys
PLSC.11.18 Explain and manage soil erosion
Learning Targets & Evidence Outcomes:
Standard PLSC11.13 Explain soil nutrient
cycling
1. State the sources of N, P, and K in a soil
2. Diagram and explain the N, P, and K cycle
3. Describe how nutrients are "gained" and
"lost" in the soil nutrient cycle
Standard PLSC.11.18 Explain and manage
soil erosion
1. Identify types of erosion and predict when
they will occur
2. Identify prevention/control methods for
various types of soil erosion
Understandings and
Missconseptions
Essential Understandings:
1. How does the understanding soil
surveys help prevent soil erosion?
2. Depending on the climates of the
world, how would soil management
differ?
3. How does soil nutrient cycling relate
to the management of soil erosion?
4. How to relate soil nutrition to better
soil management.
Possible misconceptions:
+ Tillage is bad for soil erosion
+ Soil nutrition has nothing to do with
soil erosion
+ No matter the climate, soil
management is the same
+ Soil surveys are for only testing or
classifying textures and physical
appearances of soil
+ Farmers dont consider soil
management, just plant management
Formative
Assessments
Soil Testing Lab
Students will Follow Performance Assessment
Sheet to successfully map, and survey/sample a
field. They will be assessed on their ability to map
the field and prepare soil for further testing in a
profession lab such as CSU Extension. Not only will
students be asked to prepare soil for further testing,
but they will document soil horizons in a detailed
table, as well as taking photos when sampling cores
out of the field. Students will also be asked to reflect
the assessment based on the perspective of a
career of a professional Environmental Sampling
Technician. (PLSC.11.14, PLSC.11.16)
Analyzing Soil Tests
Students will be assessed on how they will be
able to read, analyze and explain results of a soil
survey and how they would recommend
management of the soil before the next crop being
planted. The students will create a visual diagram
on how they would improve the soil after receiving
the results. They will be graded on data analysis
of survey results, detail breakdown of
management plan, and quality. (PLSC.11.13,
PLSC.11.14, PLSC.11.16)
Science
 Standards and
Outcomes
Standard:
2. Life Sciences
1. Matter tends to be cycled
within an ecosystem, while
energy tends to transform
and eventually exit an
ecosystem.
Evidence Outcomes:
1. Analyze how energy flows
through trophic levels
2. Analyze and interpret data
from experiments on
ecosystems where matter
such as fertilizer has been
added or withdrawn such as
through drought
3. Describe how carbon,
nitrogen, phosphorus, and
water cycles work
Understandings Formative
and Assessments
1. In groups of 3-4, students will
Misconceptions
Understandings:
work together to create their own
ecosystem. This ecosystem can
Students are able to explain
either be based off of a real-life
how energy flows through an
biome, or they can create their
ecosystem
own. The relationships between
Students can apply what they
the organisms in the ecosystem
learn about nutrient cycling
will be clearly demonstrated in a
Misconceptions:
food web. Students will be
An ecosystem is solely made
required to create a trophic level
up of the biotic factors.
diagram demonstrating how
The path of energy through
energy flows through the
an ecosystem is linear, as
ecosystem.
opposed to cyclic.
2. Students will be presented with
The biotic factors within an
real-life situations in which
ecosystem are more
nutrient flow has been disrupted.
significant than the abiotic
They will analyze the ecosystem
factors.
and identify how the situation can
be prevented in the future. The
final report will be an informational
pamphlet about the issue.
English
 Formative
Standards and Understandings and
Assessments
Assessment One
Outcomes Misconceptions In groups of 3-4, students will
Standards create a poster explaining the
Essential Understandings difference between Nature
Standard 3.1.b. 1. Students will be able
Write literary texts Writing as a genre and
to define Nature Romanticism as a genre. It
using a range of poetic Writing as its own
techniques, figurative should include at least five
genre. characteristics for each genre
language, and graphic 2. Students will be able
elements. and an image that represents
to use information each genre.
Standard 3.3.a. from other classes to
Demonstrate command write a poem.
of the conventions of Assessment Two
standard English. Misconceptions Individually, students will write
1. Nature Writing is just part a poem that interprets the
Evidence Outcomes importance of soil. The poem
of the Romantic Genre.
1. I can compare nature can be in any perspective that
writing to Romanticism. 2. Writing poetry is only for they want. They will use
2. I can write a poem using those who read it. information from other classes
descriptive language. to accurately describe the
3. I can include research in 3. It is impossible to write importance of soil and how it
my writing. about science stuff. impacts their lives.
Summative
Assessment
Soil Importance
Directions Inquiry
Requirement 1: Student may choose to create one of the Questions
1. In regard to Agriculture, how
following projects
can nutrient cycling in an
a. Podcast ecosystem relate directly to soil
b. Interactive Journal (comp. notebook) management?
c. Website
2. What role does nature writing
Requirement 2: Each project must meet guidelines from
each content area play in communication of soil
management on the ecosystem?
Requirement 3: Create an element of project that will
showcase answering inquiry questions 3. What background knowledge
Requirement 4: Create a rough draft of project and have do nature writers need when
all content teachers sign off on it writing about agriculture or
scientific elements?
Requirement 5: Meet requirements entailed on rubric
 Agricultural Education English
Guidelines 1. Field guide to surveying a
Science

1. Identify the positive and negative 1. Referencing poems discussed

field
2. Quick start on to how to fix
soil malnutrition for 3 soil
areas (field, garden,
greenhouse, lawn, ect)
NPK
3. Timeline history of how soil
management in the element
of erosion has evolved in
the past 200 years
effects that specific soil
management techniques may
have on the surrounding
ecosystem, specifically in
reference to nutrient cycling..
2.
2. Students give examples of how
nutrient cycling can affect energy
flow through an ecosystem
3. Students discuss the ways in
which people can mitigate the
3.
negative effects that soil
management techniques can
have on the surrounding
environment
a. Students discuss the
importance of minimizing
these effects. .
4.
in class, write one poem
addressing each Inquiry
Question, so three poems
total.
Each poem should be 10 lines
and contain scientific vocab.If
poems are shorter than 10
lines then more poems will be
needed.
Each poem should also
include three types of
figurative language
(personification, simile,
metaphor, allusion, etc.)in
each poem..
A MLA citation page will be
needed for any research done.
 Point Value 4 Excellent
Rubri The chosen project has an exceptionally
Ag Ed attractive and usable layout. It is easy to
locate all important elements. White
c - Layout space, graphic elements and/or alignment
are used effectively to organize material.
- Content
All information provided by the student on
- Quality the chosen project is accurate and all the
requirements of the assignment have
been met.
The project chosen represents full quality
of time and finished product.
-Student addresses each Inquiry
English Question
-There are 10 lines in each poem
-Three types of figurative language
used
-MLA work cited has no errors
-students identify 2 or more positive and 2
Science or more negative effects soil
management techniques can have on the
surrounding environment.
-students give 2 or more examples of how
adding or removing nutrients to/from an
ecosystem can affect the flow of energy
through the ecosystem
-student discusses how people can
mitigate the negative environmental
effects that agricultural techniques and
other human activity can have on an
ecosystem and discusses why it is
important to mitigate these negative
effects.
3 Emerging
The chosen project have an
attractive and usable layout. It is
easy to locate all important
elements.
Almost all the information provided
by the student on the chosen
project is accurate and all
requirements of the assignment
have been met.
The chosen project shows almost
full quality of work effort.
-Student addresses two of the
Inquiry Questions
-There are 9 lines in each poem
-Three types of figurative language
used
-MLA work cited has two to three
errors
-student identifies 1-2 positive and
negative effects that soil management
techniques have on an ecosystem.
-student gives 1-2 examples of how
disrupting nutrient cycling can affect the
flow of energy through an ecosystem.
-the student identifies the ways people
can mitigate negative effects agricultural
practices can have on an ecosystem,
and states its importance
2 Proficient
The chosen project have a usable layout,
but may appear busy or boring. It is easy
to locate most of the important elements.
Almost all of the information provided by
the student on the chosen project is
accurate and almost all of the
requirements have been met.
The chosen project shows some quality
elements within the finished product
-Student addresses two of the
Inquiry Questions
-There are 5-8 lines in each poem
-Two types of figurative language
used
-MLA work has more than four
errors
-student identifies one positive and one
negative effect that soil management
techniques can have on an ecosystem
-student connects nutrient cycling to
energy flow, but gives no examples
-student either does not identify the
ways in which people can mitigate the
negative effects, or does not state its
importance.
1 Partially Proficient
The the chosen project are cluttered
looking or confusing. It is often difficult to
locate important elements.
There are several inaccuracies in the
content provided by the students OR
many of the requirements were not met
The project does not show much quality
elements within the finished product .
-Student addresses one or none of
the Inquiry Questions
-There are four or less lines in
each poem
- One or no figurative language
used
-MLA work cited has more than five
errors or citation is not present
-student does not connect soil
management techniques to the health of
an ecosystem
-student provides no examples of how
disrupting nutrient cycling can affect an
ecosystem, and does not connect
nutrient cycling to energy flow.
-student does not discuss how people
can mitigate the negative effects that
human activity has on the environment
and gives no explanation of how/why its
important for us to attempt to limit these
negative effects.