8th Grade Performance Assessment: Unit 3

You are helping to edit a childrens book about ants. It is important

to the author that the information be accurate. Here are some facts
you will need to know about ants to help edit the book.

Ants weigh
approximately
4.0 103 grams

An ant can carry

between
15 and 25 times
its body weight

Im Andre the
ant.

Ingredients from a sandwich at

the picnic weigh:
Bread 56 grams
Peanut Butter 35 grams
Jelly 21 grams

1 kg=1000 grams

An elephant weighs
approximately
8 metric tons

1
An ant is 10 cm long

1 metric ton=1000 kg

1 m=100 cm

1 km=6.21371 101

1 km=1000 m

The following are excerpts from the book that need completion.
1) Andre, the ant, spies lunch for the whole colony, a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Andre must get ________ of his friends to help carry the sandwich.
2) The ground began to shake. Andre looks up see an elephant headed right for the colony.
Andre fires the alarm to warn the others. If that elephant were to step in just the wrong spot,
his weight could wipe out a total of _____________ ants. Thats a LOT of ants! In fact,
that many ants would form a line ___________ kilometers long. Thats the distance from
___________ to _____________.
(city)
(city)
What you need to do:
In a memo to the author, complete the excerpts above from the childrens book, followed by an
explanation to the author validating the accuracy of the information. Consider that the author may or

may not be using a calculator to verify your findings, so multiple representations (standard form,
scientific notation, calculator notation) should be used in your explanation.

nication Commu
atical Mathem

Product
Proble
Solving
m

Grading Rubric
Understanding/
Strategy
Representations:
Models, Numeric,
Algebraic, Graphic,
Tabular, etc.
Use of mathematical
vocabulary

Exceeding (4)

Meeting (3)

Developing (2)

Emerging (1)

Selects efficient,
sophisticated strategies
revealing a
comprehensive
Strategically
chooses
understanding
of
representation(s)
inherent to the task that
explicitly link the
Uses
sophisticated,
representation
with the
precise, and appropriate
mathematical vocabulary
throughout

Selects appropriate and

efficient strategies
revealing understanding
adequate to accomplish
Chooses
appropriate
task
representation(s)
inherent to the task
where linkages between
Appropriately
uses
the mathematical
mathematical vocabulary

Selects appropriate
strategy revealing lack of
understanding or
evidence of
Chooses
appropriate
misunderstanding
representation(s)
inherent to the task
although linkages
Limited
between use
the of
appropriate
mathematical vocabulary

Selects an inappropriate
strategy revealing some
mathematical effort
using fragments
Does
not use appropriate
implemented
w/little to
representation(s)
inherent to the task
Uses incorrect
mathematical vocabulary
or only vocabulary found
in the wording of the task