Crafting Effective Scientific Explanations with Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning

What is the purpose of a scientific explanation?

• To create a story about a phenomenon

• To explain a phenomenon using observations, measurements, and logical reasoning

• To guess the outcome of an experiment

• To describe a phenomenon using opinions

What does the 'claim' represent in the claim-evidence-reasoning format?

• A hypothesis

• An observation

• The answer to the question

• A question

What should you do after formulating a question about a phenomenon?

• Perform experiments or research to gather data

• Ignore the question

• Write the conclusion

• Make a guess

What is an example of a claim for the question: 'Why does a soccer ball travel faster on synthetic turf than natural grass?'

• Synthetic turf is green

• Natural grass is softer

• Soccer balls are round

• Synthetic turf has less friction than natural grass, allowing the soccer ball to travel faster

Why is it important to include specific data in your evidence?

• To make the explanation longer

• To avoid using numbers

• To confuse the reader

• To provide validity and clarity to your statement

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.8

CCSS.RI.7.8

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.7.1

Which evidence statement is better: 'During the friction investigation, the book moved faster on a smooth table surface than on a rough sandpaper surface' or 'During the friction investigation, when the book was pulled with a force of five newtons, it moved at a speed of five centimeters per second over the smooth table and a speed of three centimeters per second over the rougher sandpaper'?

• Both are equally good

• The second statement

• The first statement

• Neither is good

What does the 'reasoning' part of the claim-evidence-reasoning format do?

• Asks a new question

• Restates the claim

• Connects the evidence to the claim using scientific principles

• Provides more data

What scientific principle is used to explain why a soccer ball travels faster on synthetic turf than on natural grass?

• Gravity

• Magnetism

• Buoyancy

• Friction

What should you check after writing all three sections of your explanation?

• All of the above

• That the reasoning links the evidence to the claim using the correct scientific principle

• That the evidence includes actual numbers from the data table

• That the claim uses the same words as the question

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.8

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

What is the final step after writing the claim, evidence, and reasoning?

• Perform another experiment

• Write a new question

• Put it all together in one paragraph

• Ignore the reasoning