eaRTh sCIenCe earth in the solar system Conceptual ...nces.ed.gov/timss/pdf/TIMSS4_Science_ConceptsItems_3.pdfTIMSS 2003 4th-Grade Science Concepts and Science Items Country average

Correct Response:

108

Main TopicContent Domain Cognitive Domain

Overall Percent Correct

TIMSS 2003 4th-Grade Science Concepts and Science Items

Country average vs. International average:

Higher pNotdifferent OLower q

eaRTh sCIenCeearthinthesolarsystem

andUniverseConceptualUnderstanding

Whichdiagramshowsshadow

Item Number: S011027

C

S011027

At different times during a sunny day a tree was seen to cast a shadow ofdifferent length as shown in the diagrams below. Which diagram shows theshadow at mid-day (12 noon)?

A. B. C. D. E.a b c d e

Chinese Taipei 88 pHong Kong, SAR 86 pJapan 86 pHungary 83 pEngland 83 pLithuania 78 pSingapore 78 pItaly 77 pAustralia 75 pLatvia 75 pMoldova, Republic of 75 pNew Zealand 75 pBelgium (Flemish) 75 pNorway 72 ONetherlands 70 OSlovenia 70 OUnited States 70 OInternational average 70 ORussian Federation 69 OScotland 69 OArmenia 60 qPhilippines 57 qCyprus 52 qIran, Islamic Republic of 47 qTunisia 42 qMorocco 35 q

Correct Response:

109







andUniverseFactualKnowledge

Whichishottest


D

S011018

Which of these is hottest?

a The Earth

b Mars

c The Moon

d The Sun

Norway 99 pLatvia 98 pLithuania 98 pMoldova, Republic of 98 pRussian Federation 98 pScotland 98 pBelgium (Flemish) 98 pNew Zealand 97 pSlovenia 97 pUnited States 97 pEngland 97 pAustralia 96 pHungary 96 pNetherlands 96 pSingapore 96 pArmenia 92 OItaly 92 OInternational average 91 OJapan 90 OHong Kong, SAR 85 qIran, Islamic Republic of 85 qCyprus 83 qTunisia 82 qChinese Taipei 81 qMorocco 68 qPhilippines 68 q

Correct Response:

110








earth’smovement


B

S011022

Each year the Earth moves once around

a Mars

b the Sun

c the Moon

d all of the other planets

Russian Federation 87 pLatvia 86 pHungary 84 pIran, Islamic Republic of 84 pArmenia 82 pLithuania 80 pNorway 80 pEngland 79 pMoldova, Republic of 78 pUnited States 74 pHong Kong, SAR 70 OAustralia 69 OBelgium (Flemish) 69 OItaly 68 OInternational average 67 ONew Zealand 66 OScotland 66 OChinese Taipei 63 qNetherlands 62 qSingapore 62 qSlovenia 60 qJapan 58 qCyprus 55 qPhilippines 46 qMorocco 30 qTunisia 29 q

Correct Response:

111








Howmuchtimetonextfullmoon


C

S031060

Kate sees a full moon. About how much time will go by beforethe next full moon?

a one week

b two weeks

c one month

d one year

Chinese Taipei 62 pLatvia 47 pMoldova, Republic of 46 pNew Zealand 45 pSlovenia 45 pUnited States 43 pNorway 40 OAustralia 39 OJapan 38 ORussian Federation 38 OEngland 38 OHong Kong, SAR 37 ONetherlands 37 OInternational average 37 OSingapore 36 OScotland 36 OIran, Islamic Republic of 34 OItaly 34 OBelgium (Flemish) 34 OPhilippines 33 OLithuania 32 qArmenia 30 qTunisia 27 qCyprus 26 qHungary 26 qMorocco 24 q

112






sCORInGCorrect Response

• easTwithexplanationstatingthatthesunrisesintheeast(orsimilar).Examples: East. The Sun comes up on the East side. East.TheSuntravelsfromEasttoWest. East.Whenthesuncomesuponthatsideitmakesashadowonthewestside. East. Area 4 is shaded in the morning because the Sun in on the East side.

• Othercorrect

Incorrect Response

• easT with no explanation or incorrect explanation. [May include a true statement that does not answer the question.]Examples: East. Because it is closest to the pond. East. Because it’s on the East side. East. Because the Sun travels across the sky.

• WesTwithanexplanationstatingthatthesunrisesintheWest(orsimilar).Examples:West.Whenthesunrisesinthemorningit’sonthewest.

• WesTwithnoexplanationorotherincorrectexplanation.Examples:West.Theoaktreesarethere.

• Otherincorrect(includingcrossedout/erased,straymarks,illegibleorofftask)


S031440

A plan of Rebecca’s house and garden is shown below. There are four areasin the garden where she would like to grow some plants(Areas 1, 2, 3, and 4).

Which side of Rebecca’s house will receive the most sun in the morning?

(Check one box.)

C East side (Area 3)

C West side (Area 4)

Explain your answer.

Area 4

Area 3

Area 2

Area 1 SouthHouse

oak trees

Pond

North

EastWest

Questions for Garden continue.

Garden: which side of the house gets most sun


andUniverseReasoningandAnalysis

Chinese Taipei 55 pHong Kong, SAR 51 pJapan 45 pSingapore 42 pHungary 41 pLatvia 34 pNetherlands 33 pItaly 30 OSlovenia 30 OUnited States 29 OAustralia 28 OCyprus 28 ONew Zealand 27 OInternational average 26 OLithuania 23 OBelgium (Flemish) 22 ORussian Federation 21 qEngland 21 OMoldova, Republic of 16 qNorway 14 qIran, Islamic Republic of 13 qScotland 11 qMorocco 10 qPhilippines 7 qTunisia 7 qArmenia 4 q

113

Student Responses


Correct Response:

Garden: which side of the house gets most sun (continued)Item Number: S031440

114


Incorrect Response:

Student Responses (continued)

Garden: which side of the house gets most sun (continued)Item Number: S031440

115






eaRTh sCIenCeearthProcesses,

Cycles,andHistoryConceptualUnderstanding

Directionofwater



• DrawsanarrowonthediagramthatisonriveroralongtheriverbelowthefeederriversandstreamswithanarrowheadpointingtowardstheGreatOcean.

• Othercorrect

Incorrect Response

• Drawsanarrowpointingtheoppositewayoraprosedescriptionofthisdirection.

• Drawsanarrowthatpointsinanyotherdirection.

• Otherincorrect(includingcrossedout/erased,straymarks,illegible,orofftask)

S011032

Draw an arrow on the Old River to show the direction that the water flows.

Snow Covered Mountains

MountainPond

SmallStreams

Great Ocean

OldRiver

Chinese Taipei 64 pRussian Federation 64 pMoldova, Republic of 62 pJapan 58 pLatvia 56 pNetherlands 54 pEngland 52 pItaly 51 pSingapore 51 pSlovenia 50 pNew Zealand 49 pAustralia 48 OScotland 48 OCyprus 47 OHong Kong, SAR 47 ONorway 45 OHungary 44 OInternational average 44 OArmenia 42 OBelgium (Flemish) 40 qUnited States 37 qLithuania 30 qIran, Islamic Republic of 18 qMorocco 14 qTunisia 13 qPhilippines 12 q

116

Student Responses


Directionofwater(continued)Item Number: S011032

Correct Response:

Incorrect Response:

117







Cycles,andHistoryConceptualUnderstanding

Watervaporwhenitgetscold



• Referstocondensationorfreezing(orequivalent).Examples: It freezes. It condenses. Condensation. It condenses and turns into rain.

• Mentionscloudformationoraformofprecipitation(e.g.,rain,snow,fog,etc.)Examples: The water vapor changes to rain. It changes to snow. Watervaporturnsintoclouds. It rises into the clouds and becomes rain droplets. It turns foggy. It rains.

• OthercorrectExamples: It falls to the ground.

Incorrect Response

• Mentions only that the water becomes cold. [No mention of a change of state or precipitation.]Examples: The water vapor becomes cold. Its temperature drops.

• Mentions only that water vapor rises (or similar). [No mention of condensation or precipitation.]Examples: The water vapor will rise on a hot day.

• Otherincorrect(includingcrossedout/erased,straymarks,illegible,orofftask)Examples: It disappears.

S031382

On a hot, humid day the air contains a lot of water vapor. What happens tothe water vapor in the air when the air becomes very cold?

Netherlands 72 pSingapore 68 pBelgium (Flemish) 67 pHungary 65 pLatvia 60 pUnited States 58 pChinese Taipei 57 pRussian Federation 55 pEngland 54 pAustralia 53 pItaly 49 ONorway 49 OMoldova, Republic of 48 ONew Zealand 48 OLithuania 47 OScotland 47 OInternational average 47 OCyprus 45 OJapan 45 OSlovenia 43 OArmenia 37 qHong Kong, SAR 34 qIran, Islamic Republic of 28 qPhilippines 20 qTunisia 18 qMorocco 12 q

118

Student Responses


Correct Response:

Incorrect Response:

Watervaporwhenitgetscold(continued)Item Number: S031382

Correct Response:

119







Cycles,andHistoryFactualKnowledge

Wherearefossilsfound


D

S011005

The fossils of dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago can be found in

a the water of oceans.

b the ice on ponds.

c the trunks of trees.

d rocks in the ground.

Chinese Taipei 93 pJapan 90 pAustralia 89 pHong Kong, SAR 89 pUnited States 89 pLatvia 88 pLithuania 88 pSlovenia 88 pNetherlands 87 pNew Zealand 87 pEngland 87 pSingapore 86 pBelgium (Flemish) 86 pHungary 85 pRussian Federation 85 pScotland 85 pItaly 79 OInternational average 76 OCyprus 75 ONorway 75 OMoldova, Republic of 64 qArmenia 59 qIran, Islamic Republic of 43 qPhilippines 34 qTunisia 34 qMorocco 28 q

Correct Response:

120







Cycles,andHistoryReasoningandAnalysis

Townwhereitismostlikelytosnow


D

S031383

Clouds Lowest Highestin the Sky Temperature Temperature

Town A no 10oC 25oC

Town B yes 20oC 30oC

Town C no -10oC -1oC

Town D yes -15oC 5oC

The table above shows some weather information for four different townsduring a 24-hour period. In which town did it most likely snow?

a Town A

b Town B

c Town C

d Town D

Belgium (Flemish) 57 pJapan 56 pHungary 54 pNetherlands 54 pEngland 49 pSlovenia 43 pCyprus 40 pLatvia 40 OUnited States 40 pItaly 39 OLithuania 38 ONorway 37 ORussian Federation 37 OAustralia 36 ONew Zealand 36 OInternational average 36 OSingapore 35 OChinese Taipei 34 OScotland 34 OMoldova, Republic of 32 OHong Kong, SAR 31 qArmenia 19 qIran, Islamic Republic of 16 qTunisia 13 qPhilippines 12 qMorocco 9 q

Correct Response:

121







saltiestwater

eaRTh sCIenCeearth’sstructure

andPhysicalFeaturesConceptualUnderstanding

S011007

Look at this diagram.

The saltiest water is in the

a Great Ocean

b Mountain Pond

c Old River

d Small Streams

Snow Covered Mountains

MountainPond

SmallStreams

Great Ocean

Old River

Italy 95 pChinese Taipei 94 pJapan 91 pCyprus 87 pSlovenia 85 pHungary 82 pLatvia 82 pUnited States 82 pRussian Federation 81 pEngland 81 pNorway 80 pBelgium (Flemish) 80 pScotland 79 pMoldova, Republic of 76 ONetherlands 76 OAustralia 74 ONew Zealand 73 OInternational average 73 OHong Kong, SAR 71 OArmenia 65 qLithuania 65 qSingapore 63 qIran, Islamic Republic of 47 qPhilippines 43 qMorocco 37 qTunisia 23 q

a

Correct Response:

122






C


Layersofearth

eaRTh sCIenCeearth’sstructure

andPhysicalFeaturesConceptualUnderstanding

S012007

The picture shows the three main layers of the Earth.

Where is it the hottest?

a Layer A

b Layer B

c Layer C

d All three layers are the same temperature.

B

C

A

United States 90 pItaly 89 pNetherlands 88 pNew Zealand 87 pHong Kong, SAR 86 pEngland 86 pMoldova, Republic of 84 pScotland 84 pNorway 83 pHungary 81 pSlovenia 81 pBelgium (Flemish) 81 pAustralia 80 pLatvia 80 pJapan 79 pChinese Taipei 78 OSingapore 76 OInternational average 76 OLithuania 75 OCyprus 73 ORussian Federation 70 qArmenia 65 qMorocco 52 qIran, Islamic Republic of 51 qPhilippines 48 qTunisia 47 q

Documents

eaRTh sCIenCe earth in the solar system Conceptual ...nces.ed.gov/timss/pdf/TIMSS4_Science_ConceptsItems_3.pdfTIMSS 2003 4th-Grade Science Concepts and Science Items Country average