Task Description: This task asks students to recognize geometric patterns, visualize and extend the pattern, generate a non-linear sequence, develop and algebraic generalization that models the growth of a quadratic function and verify the inverse relationship of the quadratic relationship. The Aussie Fir Tree task is a culminating task for a 2-3 week unit on algebra that uses the investigation of growing patterns as a vehicle to teach students to visualize, identify and describe real world mathematical relationships. Students who demonstrate mastery of the unit are able to solve the Aussie Fir Tree task in one class period.

Task Description: Students are asked to demonstrate the different possible combinations when placing 6 books on 2 shelves. Books on Shelves is the culminating task in a multi-week unit focused on operations and algebraic thinking. Students demonstrate mastery by completing the Books on Shelves task in one class period.

Task Description: This task is embedded in a 3-4 week unit that uses the topic of animal cognition as a means to teach students how to analyze and navigate informational texts, as well as study the purposeful decisions an author makes to best convey his/her point of view in writing. This unit contains a series of 3 tasks that build in complexity. This task asks students to read an informational text and write an essay in which they use textual evidence to explain how the author develops his/her point of view on the question, "Can animals think?" Responses must adhere to standard English grammar and usage convention, focusing on standard capitalization.

Task Description: The mathematics of the task involves understanding the meaning of base ten and using that understanding to compare the magnitude of numbers. The number line is used as a tool to help articulate understanding of base ten. The mathematics of the unit involves understanding the meaning of base ten and using that understanding to solve number and real life problems. The number line is used as a tool to help articulate understanding of base ten and to solve problems using addition and subtraction of numbers less than one hundred. The focus is on the big idea of going around groups of ten. Strategies will involve applying number properties including distributive, associative, and commutative.

Task Description: This task asks students to visualize geometric shapes, identify plane figures and their attributes, prove triangles are congruent, determine the area of quadrilaterals, make geometric conjectures and justify geometric arguments. This 3-4 week unit uses an investigation of rigid motions and geometric theorems to teach students how to verify congruence of plane figures and use the implications of congruence to solve problems and create proofs about geometric relationships. Students will demonstrate mastery of the content by making sense of the Company Logo Performance Task and persevering in solving the task.

Task Description: The tasks in the unit access the full range of Depth of Knowledge, including Recalling and Recognizing, Using Procedures, Explaining, Concluding and Making Connections, Extensions and Justifying. This packet contains a curriculum-embedded CCLS aligned task and instructional supports. The task is embedded in a 4-5 week unit on interpreting and linking representations, modeling situations, solving non-routine problems and justifying arguments of multiplication and division.

This unit builds directly from prior work on proportional reasoning in 6th and 7th grades, and extends the ideas more formally into the realm of algebra. Task Description: This sequence of tasks ask students to demonstrate and effectively communicate their mathematical understanding of ratios and proportional relationships, with a focus on expressions and equations. Their strategies and executions should meet the content, thinking processes and qualitative demands of the tasks.

Task Description: Students use fractional parts of a whole, properties of shapes, congruency, and computation using fractions and money to determine the fair value and total worth of eight fields. This approximately 4-week unit centers around understanding fractional parts of a whole and using fractions and mixed numbers to solve problems.

Task Description: This task asks students to write an informative/explanatory essay, demonstrating knowledge they have gained about the science of forensic anthropology. Student must be able to determine the central idea of a text and analyze its development through the course of multiple texts and differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information. The Forensic Anthropology task is embedded in a 4-week curricular unit on informational texts in which students read four informational texts on the subject of forensic anthropology. The students complete three assessments tasks that build in complexity and are sequenced to scaffold student learning.

Task Description: This task asks students to write an information/explanatory report demonstrating what they learned from an informational text. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the main idea of the text - not all bugs are bad - by retelling key details. This task is embedded in a unit that introduces students to informational texts as sources of information, or ŇteachersÓ that we can learn from. After spending time exploring nonfiction texts, through read alouds as well as collaborative and independent research, students will demonstrate their understanding by writing a book about what theyŐve learned from a nonfiction read aloud. The unit length is approximately 3 weeks, depending on studentsŐ incoming familiarity with nonfiction, and can be extended with enrichment activities.

Task Description: Students explore the concept of addition and subtraction combining and dividing seeds in a pot. Students pretend to be busy gardeners, adding seeds to the pot to plant and grow, or hungry birds, swooping down from high above to subtract seeds from the pot to eat. Students will explore plants, including their attributes and growth cycle, over the course of one month or longer. This interdisciplinary unit on plants consists of 4 sequence learning plans. Each activity or learning plan works best with a small group of 4-5 students, in centers, over the course of one week. Duration of student engagement in tasks will vary, but the recommendation for each activity is 20 minutes or less. This Common Core-aligned task for mathematics is to be used in correlation with the Common Core-aligned task for literacy, Plants Are All Around Us.

Task Description: This task asks students to write an opinion on an informational text reading. Students must be able to use reasons and facts to support their opinions based on information provided in the informational text. This 2-3 week unit extends student understanding of informational texts, through having students use these texts as the basis for their writing.

Task Description: Students write an essay using key details from the text to explain why John Muir devoted his life to conservation efforts and describe the effect that his work had on preserving the beauty of nature. This task is embedded in a 2-3 week unit that uses the topic of human impact on environment as a means to teach students how to analyze and navigate informational texts. Students will write an essay at the end of the unit demonstrating their mastery of the content and their ability to make inferences within a specific text.

This packet contains pre-reading, pre-teaching vocabulary and background knowledge supports for English Language Learners for the John Muir: Conservationist on the Quarter task.

This packet provides instructional supports for students with disabilities and is for use with the John Muir: Conservationist on the Quarter task.

Common Core Task Description: This task asks students to write an informative text and use information/facts to write a report about what was learned. This 3-4 week unit leads students in an exploration of informational texts. Read alouds and structured conversations are used to guide students in the process of using an informational text as a learning tool (i.e., gathering facts from what an author has written). Students then use what they have learned from a mentor text to create their own teaching text. Extensions for continued learning around frogs are included.

Task Description: This task allows students to demonstrate their understanding of place value. Throughout the task they are required to use operations to solve problems, understand and apply properties of numbers, and compose and decompose numbers in flexible ways. This packet contains a curriculum-embedded CCLS aligned task and instructional supports. The task is embedded in a 2-3 week unit on Number and Operations in Base 10. The mathematics of the unit involves understanding the meaning of base ten and using that understanding to solve number and real life problems. Students will use a variety of tools to help articulate understanding of base ten and to solve problems using addition and subtraction of numbers less than 10, less than 20 and on to less than 100.

Task Description: This unit uses the topic of food choice as a means to teach students how to analyze and navigate informational texts. This 2-3 week unit contains a series of three tasks that build in complexity. This culminating task asks students to use textual evidence to write an essay analyzing how the author organized and developed his argument regarding the omnivoreŐs dilemma in his chapter, ŇThe OmnivoreŐs DilemmaÓ from Michael PollanŐs The OmnivoreŐs Dilemma (Young ReaderŐs Edition)

Task Description: This task asks students to write an essay in which they present and defend their beliefs about doing work Ňon behalf of othersÓ based on the texts they have explored throughout the unit. This packet contains a curriculum-embedded CCLS aligned task and instructional supports. The task is embedded in a 2-3 week unit on documentary work that focuses on creating records or accounts of events, people, and places that might otherwise go unnoticed.