Performance Task.

Basic Calculus
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Performance Task 1
The Story of the Mountain Climber
Goal 21st-Century Skills
Your task is to determine whether a mountain climber
can reach the peak of a mountain given a scenario using
the concept of limits.

Role
Your job is a mathematician.

Audience
Your audience includes fellow mathematicians, which are the other groups.

Situation
You are with a group of mathematicians and you are given a puzzling scenario:

A mountain climber wants to climb up a mountain that is 1 000 meters high. In the first hour, he
climbed half the height of the mountain. In the second hour, he climbed half the distance he
climbed in the first hour. In the third hour, he climbed half the distance he climbed in the second
hour.

You are tasked to determine whether the mountain climber will eventually be able to reach
the peak of the mountain or not. If so, determine how many hours will he need to reach the
peak. If not, you must explain why. As a mathematician, you must be able to relate this to
the concept of limits.

Performance Task 1. The Story of the Mountain Climber 1

Performance Task.
Basic Calculus
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Product, Performance, and Purpose

Form a group with four members each. You will create a report showing your mathematical
solution explaining the concept of the story. Your report should contain the following:
• Explanation on whether the mountain climber can reach the peak or not, including
mathematical computations.
• A table or an illustration showing the distance that the mountain climber traveled.

This report will be shown to the other mathematicians for review.

Standards and Criteria

A successful output must have an illustration of the scenario, a table or chart showing the
distances, correct computations, and your explanation and answer. You must also be able to
relate your explanation to the concept of limits.

Table 1.1. Learning outcome or task description for the output-based rubric.

Below Needs Meets Exceeds

Criteria expectations improvement expectations expectations
1 2 3 4

Use of a table The report does The report uses The report uses The report uses
or a chart not use any tables or charts tables or charts tables or charts
(30%). table or chart. but with major but with minor effectively with
Data is presented errors or errors or some complete data.
effectively using a missing missing data.
table or a chart. necessary data.

Accuracy of A lot of the Some of the A few All the

computations computations computations computations computations
(30%). are incorrect. show errors. show errors. are correct.
The report There are
correctly answers misconceptions.

Performance Task 1. The Story of the Mountain Climber 2

Performance Task.
Basic Calculus
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

the problem and

shows correct
computations.

Connection to There is no The concept of The concept of The concept of

the concept of connection to limits is limits is limits is
limits (20%). the concept of mentioned but mentioned and connected to
The report shows limits. not connected connected to the situation
understanding of to the situation. the situation, with clarity and
the concept of but the accuracy.
limits and how it explanation
can be applied to lacks clarity
the situation. and/or accuracy.

Neatness and The report is not The report is not The report is not The report is
coherence neat and has very neat and very neat and neat and free
(10%). many erasures. has many has minor from erasures,
The illustrations Ideas and erasures, or has erasures, or has has a coherent
and writing are illustrations are a lot of a few incoherent flow, and can be
neat and free not coherent. incoherent ideas ideas or easily
from erasures. or illustrations. illustrations. understood.
The report has a
coherent flow and
can be easily
understood.

Punctuality The report is The report is The report is The report is

(10%). submitted more submitted one submitted on submitted
The report is than one day day late. time. ahead of time.
submitted on late.
time.

Performance Task 1. The Story of the Mountain Climber 3

Performance Task.
Basic Calculus
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Table 1.2. Rubric for the integration of 21st-century skills.

Below Needs Meets Exceeds

Criteria expectations improvement expectations expectations
1 2 3 4

Critical Not successful Provides Effectively Effectively

Thinking and in providing a solutions for the provides logical provides logical
Problem logical solution task but the yet common and creative
Solving (40%). for the task. report lacks solutions for the solutions for the
Effectively solves coherence and task and can task and can
the problem by reason. articulate them articulate them
thinking logically effectively. with coherence
and creatively. and reason.

Communication Fails to provide Articulates ideas Effectively Effectively

(30%). clear through articulates ideas articulates ideas
Articulates ideas illustrations, illustrations, through clarity through the
effectively using graphs, or graphs, and and unity of clarity and unity
written written written illustrations, of illustrations,
communication. explanations. explanations, graphs, and graphs, and
but there are written written
major explanations, explanations.
inconsistencies. but there are
minor
inconsistencies.

Initiative and Does not Does not use Uses the time Uses the time
Self-Direction complete the the time effectively effectively and
(30%). task on time. effectively, and though there completes the
Efficiently uses there are major are minor task on or
time and unnecessary unnecessary before the
resources to delays. delays. deadline.
discuss and work Completes the Completes the
on the task. task on time. task on time.

Performance Task 1. The Story of the Mountain Climber 4