Sample Assessment Items
This is not meant to be printed off and given as a test…this document is to give you ideas of how this standard might be assessed. Please use these as an example when you are developing your own formative assessments. Remember formative assessment is to be given throughout the teaching of a standard to help you guide your instruction based on students needs. A good formative assessment should have a mix of multiple choice as well as open ended.
S3L1 Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitat.
c. Identify features of animals that allow them to live and thrive in different regions of Georgia.
Multiple Choice:
The gopher tortoise lives underground in the Georgia coastal plain.
Which of these BEST helps the gopher tortoise live in the coastal plain?
a. long legs for climbing steep cliffs
b. sharp claws for digging in loamy soil
c. long neck for finding food in tall grasses
d. flipper-shaped front legs for digging in sand
Answer: d
Birds flying south for the winter and bats hibernating are examples of ______.
a. learned behaviors
b. adaptations for winter
c. adaptations for summer
d. animals protecting the environment
Answer: b
Which of these help worms survive in their habitat?
a. birds
b. dead plants
c. fish
d. snails
Answer: b
A bobcat’s large paws that act like snowshoes and squirrels storing food inside holes are examples of ______.
a. learned behaviors
b. adaptations for winter
c. adaptations for summer
d. animals protecting the environment
Answer: b
Which statement BEST explains how webbed feet help the ducks of Georgia to survive?
a. They help ducks to swim.
b. They help ducks fly faster.
c. They help ducks shred their food.
d. They help ducks to walk long distances.
Answer: a
This animal is hard to see in its habitat. It has special stinging cells that help it catch food as it swims along.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer: c
Look at the picture of the blue heron.
The great blue heron is a wading bird that lives in Georgia. It has long legs which help it move through the water to look for food. Which habitat is the great blue heron BEST adapted to live in?
a. cave
b. coast
c. forest
d. mountain
Answer: b
Open ended:
How do an animal’s features and/or characteristics allow it to live and thrive in its habitat?
Why do animals that live in Georgia have different body parts?
How does camouflage help an animal?
Different birds have different beaks. Their beaks are an adaptation they use to help them capture prey or eat their food. Describe 2 birds with different beaks and tell how each bird uses its beak to capture prey and/or eat their food.
Some animals live deep inside caves, where there is never any light. Many cave animals do not have eyes. What can you infer about how these cave animals are able to survive in their environment?
Some small animals have skin that has very bright colors. Why might a tiny animal, such as a frog, have these bright warning colors?