Authentic Performance Activities facilitate a student's understanding of a lesson's usefulness in real life. They are also an Understanding by Design (UbD) assessment tool. Focus questions act as pre- and post-assessment indicators of the activity's effectiveness.
Focus Questions:
1. Why do we learn about the traits of animals?
2. Can you think of any jobs where knowing about animals would be helpful?
3. Why would knowing about where rodents sleep and when they are active be important to homeowners?
Authentic Performance
You are a naturalist contacted by a movie company to act as a consultant on a documentary film about rodents – chipmunks, red squirrels, gray squirrels, flying squirrels and woodchucks. They need to know where they can find their dens, when they are most active during the day and throughout the year. You must research these 5 rodents and give your report to the movie company to collect your consulting fee.
Use the following links to find your answers: Chipmunk Red Squirrel Gray Squirrel Flying Squirrel Woodchuck
