Megan Wills

Ariana Villegas
Caroline Brown
Teacher -Created Assessment Item Pool

Our overarching topic for our unit is flooding. The unit is broken up into four
different sections that each address a different subtopic within flooding. The first
section address what specifically floods are and historic floods that have occurred.
The second section address all the different possible causes of floods, specifically
looking at what causes floods in their local communities. The third section discusses
flood safely and evacuation. This sections more specifically looks at the process
students should go through to evacuate for a flood and different precautions you
need to think about for flood safety. The fourth section of the unit addresses all
different types of technology that are used to prevent and help during floods. This
section not only looks at technology used to help during a flood but also prevention
technology used in your community. The unit is primarily centered around the
building of a public service announcement video at the completion of the unit study.

Science TEKS:
(1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and
outdoor investigations, following home and school safety procedures and
environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment as described
in the Texas Safety Standards during classroom and outdoor investigations; and
(2) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses scientific inquiry
methods during laboratory and outdoor investigations. The student is expected to:
(A) plan and implement descriptive investigations, including asking well-
defined questions, making inferences, and selecting and using appropriate
equipment or technology to answer his/her questions;
(B) collect and record data by observing and measuring, using the metric
system, and using descriptive words and numerals such as labeled drawings,
writing, and concept maps;
(D) analyze data and interpret patterns to construct reasonable explanations
from data that can be observed and measured;
(F) communicate valid, oral, and written results supported by data.
(7) Earth and space. The students know that Earth consists of useful resources and
its surface is constantly changing. The student is expected to:
(A) examine properties of soils, including color and texture, capacity to retain
water, and ability to support the growth of plants;
(B) observe and identify slow changes to Earth's surface caused by
weathering, erosion, and deposition from water, wind, and ice; and
(8) Earth and space. The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the
natural world and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. The student is expected
to:
 (A) measure and record changes in weather and make predictions using
weather maps, weather symbols, and a map key;
(20) Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of
science and technology on life in Texas. The student is expected to:
(B) describe how scientific discoveries and innovations such as in aerospace,
agriculture, energy, and technology have benefited individuals, businesses, and
society in Texas; and
(C) predict how future scientific discoveries and technological innovations
might affect life in Texas.

Social Studies TEKS:

(9) Geography. The student understands how people adapt to and modify their
environment. The student is expected to:
(A) describe ways people have adapted to and modified their environment in
Texas, past and present, such as timber clearing, agricultural production, wetlands
drainage, energy production, and construction of dams;
(C) compare the positive and negative consequences of human modification
of the environment in Texas, past and present, both governmental and private, such
as economic development and the impact on habitats and wildlife as well as air and
water quality.

* As a group we meet and each wrote two-three questions for every section. We
worked together as a group to edit or change certain questions and add to others.
Overall, it was really simply a group effort and no one did just one section/
particular questions. We also worked as a group to fill in answers for all the
questions.

Flood Unit Test

Fill-in the Blank Questions:
1. Two factors that contribute to flooding are_____________ and ___________. ( rainfall
intensity and rainfall duration). Blooms Level: Comprehension
2. Floods are a(n) _______ of a large amount of water beyond its normal levels.
(overflowing) Blooms Level: Knowledge
3. A sudden local flood, typically due to heavy rain is often called a ______ _______.
(Flash flood) Blooms Level: Knowledge
4. A storm that brings violent winds, heavy rainfall, and develops over the ocean is
known as a(an) ____________, which is a major cause of flooding in coastal regions.
(hurricane) Blooms Level: Knowledge
5. In Spike Lees documentary on Hurricane Katrina, the man-made structure that
caused the majority of the flooding were the ________________________. (levees)
Blooms Level: Knowledge
6. The most common type of flood event is _____________ _______________. (river
flooding) Blooms Level: Comprehension
 Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Which of the following is NOT a major cause of flooding? Blooms Level:
Comprehension
A. Severe thunderstorms
B. River overflows
C. Blizzards
D. Ocean currents

2. What type of technology orbits the earth and transmit data and images from
outer space to help scientists see how cloud systems, ocean currents and storms
are moving? Blooms Level: Knowledge
A. Helicopters
B. Satellites
C. Cell Phones
D. Weather reflection device

3. Which of the following is a manmade cause of flooding? Blooms Level:

Comprehension
A. Urbanization
B. Tornados
C. Hurricanes
D. Planting trees

4. PSA stands for Blooms Level: Knowledge

A. Prepared, Safe, and Accurate
B. Public Service Announcement
C. Probably Stop Ahead
D. Postpone Silly Activities

5. Based on this image, people living in Florida should most likely

prepare for what? Blooms Level: Analysis
A. A severe drought
B. To go on a boat ride
C. Sunny skies
D. Stormy weather

6. Why do people sometimes build near flood plains? Blooms Level: Analysis
A. Because they think living by a river is beautiful
B. the river can be used for transportation
C. The Land is good for growing crops
D. All of the above
 7. While driving down the coast Jack notices the houses are all built on stilts. What
could he infer about why this is? Blooms Level: Synthesis
A. The area is prone to flooding
B. The homeowners like to have a view of the ocean from up high
C. The homeowners are scared of snakes getting into their homes
D. The area is prone to tornados

7.What is a flood? Blooms Level: Application

A. Excess water
B. Heavy rainfall
C. An overflow of water that submerges land
D. An excessive depth of water

True/False Questions:
1. Before evacuating your home during a flood, turn on gas, power, and water. FALSE
Blooms Level: Application
2. Different types of soil have different capacities for retaining water. TRUE Blooms
Level: Comprehension
3. Jim Miller Dam was named after the Austin mayor, atop the remains of two earlier
structures. FALSE Blooms Level: Knowledge
4. Floods only occur in rural areas. FALSE Blooms Level: Comprehension
5. Floods occur in all 50 states. TRUE Blooms Level: Knowledge

Essay Questions:
1. Make a 5 step flood evacuation plan for your family and explain why you think those
are the best steps to take. Blooms Level: Synthesis

Possible plan choices:

Make a plan to evacuate
Pack clothes, first aid kit, food, and water
Check news travel reports
Unplug all appliances
Identify a safe place to go
(Looking to see if students can apply their research and knowledge to
develop a plan of action they think will work best)
2. Explain in two to three sentences how a river might flood if there was no recent
rainfall. Blooms Level: Evaluation

Here we are looking for evidence that the student knows causes of flooding
aside from just heavy rainfall. For example, man-made structures failing,
runoff from upstream, etc.

3. Name and explain two characteristics of soil that determine how much water it can
hold? Blooms Level: Analysis

We want to students to be able to name and explain how soil texture and soil
content affect how much water is absorbed or transported. Optimally the
students should be able to explain how the soil texture refers to the
composition of the soil in terms of the proportion of small, medium, and large
particles, which either allows greater water to be retained or released. We
would also like the students to be able to explain that each type of soil has a
unique content such as nutrients, rocks, or other minerals which gives soil
additional abilities to hold and release different amounts of water.

4. Explain in at least 3 sentences what a public service announcement is and describe

its purpose. Blooms Level: Application

Here we are looking for the students to be able to explain that public service
announcements are messages to the public to raise awareness, change
public attitude, or behavior in some way. We want students to understand
that they can be created by government institutions, corporation, or
community members in the objective of raising awareness. This questions
goal is to allow the teacher to see if the students not only understand the
mode of the a psa but their impact on the community.

5. Justify in a 3 to 4 sentence paragraph why public service announcements might be

a useful tool to share information about floods.Blooms Level: Application

Public service announcements can help prepare people for floods who might
not already have a plan in place
Public service announcements can be a preventative tool in the case of future
flooding
(Looking to see if students understand the concept of a public service
announcement/ its purpose)
 Matching Questions:

1. ______ Monitors rainfall, water levels, and low water crossings in austin 24 hours a
day. Blooms Level: Knowledge (B)
2. ______ Often dry, nutrient deficient, and fast draining. It has little ability to transport
water. Blooms Level: Knowledge (A)
3. ______ Good ability to transport water, darker in color, and can hold large amounts
of water. Blooms Level: Knowledge (C)
4. _______ Even textured and soaks up water quickly. It releases water as the soil dries
out. Blooms Level: Knowledge (E)
5. _______ It was built to provide hydroelectricity and store water, it creates Lake
Austin. Blooms Level: Knowledge (D)

A. Sandy soil
B. Flood Early Warning System
C. Clay Soil
D. Top Soil
E. Tom Miller Dam
F. Agricultural soil
G. Hoover Dam
H. Satellites