Claim/Evidence/Reasoning get-to-know-you
This is a great first-week activity, where students look at artefacts from the teacher's world and explore the language of Claim/Evidence/Reasoning.
C/E/R Activity Instructions
C/E/R Activity Instructions
Kent Lui, another Burnaby teacher, has a whole collection of C/E/R activities on his website, REAL Science Challenge
Another CER activity is to provide groups of students with a photograph of the contents of someone's purse. (I gave different images to each group). They had to make as many claims as possible, and back them up with evidence and reasoning. I was surprised and amused by some of the connections they made! I used images from this collection.
The Mechanics of Lab Reports
Over time, it is important to have students identify which data will help them answer a question, and design labs to get the desired data. If students don't already know how to record, organize, and communicate data, this process can get overwhelming in a hurry! They'll be so focused on answering the question that they will forget to show their process or record important details!
At the start of the term, I'll spend time with this "lab format" handout, and give detailed feedback about structure and clarity. Over the year I'll ease off, and let students organize their data more independently (but they always have to follow the format!)
Lab Report Format
At the start of the term, I'll spend time with this "lab format" handout, and give detailed feedback about structure and clarity. Over the year I'll ease off, and let students organize their data more independently (but they always have to follow the format!)
Lab Report Format