OpenSciEd Unit 6.3 · Lesson 06 · 6.B
Explaining the Movement
Assessment guide
How to read student work on this assessment — standards alignment, what strong understanding looks like, and common gaps.
Learning progression
Target understanding
6.B Develop and use a model to describe how thermal energy from the Sun causes movement of parcels of air via conduction to cause the formation of clouds.
Standards alignment
6.B Develop and use a model to describe how thermal energy from the Sun causes movement of parcels of air via conduction to cause the formation of clouds.
What understanding looks like
Strong
- See Explaining the Movement of Air in a Hailstorm Cloud for guidance on what to look for student responses on Explaining the Movement of Air in a Hailstorm Cloud.
From Teacher Edition
View assessment opportunity →Facilitation guidance from the lesson plan — what to notice in student thinking and how to respond while teaching.
Building towards
6.B Develop and use a model to describe how thermal energy from the Sun causes movement of parcels of air via conduction to cause the formation of clouds.
What to look / listen for
See Explaining the Movement of Air in a Hailstorm Cloud for guidance on what to look for student responses on Explaining the Movement of Air in a Hailstorm Cloud.
What to do
Provide written feedback to students on their responses. Feedback can be particularly powerful when phrased in the form of questions. You can invite students to respond to these questions on their own as a way to demonstrate their understanding of thinking they did not make visible in their first set of responses.
Universal Design for Learning
This assessment encourages students to demonstrate their understanding of key skills and concepts from the unit so far by scaffolding the construction of a written explanation. Allowing students to use different modalities will provide more access for students to present their understandings. Some students may benefit from using other modalities, such as drawing, to show their thinking for any or all of the questions on this assessment. Consider allowing some students to present their answers verbally as another student scribes their thinking on paper; this would allow students to also use gestures to help articulate their understanding about how the air behaves and rises in a cloud. Encouraging students to use other modalities to show their thinking creates an equitable pathway for all students to demonstrate proficiency.
Materials
Last updated from official OpenSciEd on 7/1/2026
Student handout
6.3 Lesson 6 Assessment Explaining the Movement.docx
Google Form
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Teacher guide
6.3 Lesson 6 Teacher Edition.docx
Answer key (recommended)
6.3 Lesson 6 Answer Key Explaining the Movement.docx