maryland college and career readiness conference summer 2015

Maryland College and Career Readiness Conference

Summer 2015

• Identify the role of explanation in building science literacy in the classroom.

• Define the elements of an explanation.

• Review student work to identify level of student response in constructing explanations.

• Identify the challenges and scaffolding to support student construction of explanations in the classroom.

• Ask questions and define solutions• Develop and use models• Plan and carry out investigations• Analyze and interpret data• Use math and computational thinking• Construct explanations and design

solutions• Engage in argument from evidence• Obtaining, evaluating, and

communicating information

Why would explanation be referred to as the Building Blocks of Science?

In science, the production of knowledge is dependent on a process of reasoning from evidence that requires a scientist to justify a claim about the world. (explanation)

In response, other scientists attempt to identify the claim’s weaknesses and limitations to obtain the best possible explanation. (argument)

Asking students to demonstrate their own understanding of the implications of a scientific ideas by developing their own explanations of phenomena, whether based on observations they have made or models and designs they have developed, engages them in an essential part of the process by which conceptual change can occur.

NGSS Appendix F

“An explanation includes a claim that relates how a variable(s) relates to another variable or set of variables. A claim is often made in response to a question and in the process of answering the question, scientists often design investigations to generate data.” Explanations rely on evidence and provide the “how” or “why” phenomena occur (reasoning) .

NGSS Appendix F

Reasoning

Claim Evidence

Claim - Evidence - ReasoningFramework

Claim A conclusion that answers the question

about a phenomena or a solution to a problem.

A statement of what you understand or a conclusion that you have reached from an investigation(s) or text(s) you have read.

Evidence Scientific data that supports the student’s claim.Must be appropriate and sufficient Can come from an investigation or other source

that may include

Observations Information found in texts Archived data Information from an expert

Scientific Reasoning Justification that links the claim

and evidence.Shows why the data counts as

evidence to support the claim, using appropriate scientific principles.

Why did so many finches die on Daphne Major?

How did the finch population change?

Analyze the evidence

Construct a claim

Identify the reasoning that links the evidence

to the claim.

Investigation of Phenomena

Numerical data Patterns in data Observations Models

Investigation of Text

Facts Definitions Concrete details Quotations Examples

valid and valid and reliablereliable

Number of FinchesOn Daphne Major

1973-1978


Evidence:

There was a significant decrease in the finch population.

Reasoning:

Claim:

Question:

The finch population decreased because they could not survive when the land was dry.

Graph: Finch Population• Finch population during dry season is less than finch

population during wet season for each year. • Highest finch population was 60 during the 1976 wet

season • Lowest finch population was 10 in 1977 dry season.

There was a significant decrease in the finch population. The highest number of finches was 60 during the 1976 wet season and dropped to 10 in 1977 dry season. The birds could not survive when the land was dry and died.

Take a look at the Performance Expectation.

What would students have to do to develop the deep understanding in

this performance expectation?

Sources of evidence may include data sets/charts/graphs, articles, simulations, videos, laboratory observations, and/or models/representations.

Evidence 2

Evidence 3

Did the finch population change?Did the finch population change?

How did environmental conditions impact the How did environmental conditions impact the finch population?finch population?

How did environmental conditions impact finch How did environmental conditions impact finch resources?resources?

How were the finches that lived different than the How were the finches that lived different than the finches that died?finches that died?

How/why were the finches that lived able to How/why were the finches that lived able to survive?survive?

What happened to the finches on What happened to the finches on Daphne Major?Daphne Major?

Writing Task: Using evidence from multiple Writing Task: Using evidence from multiple texts, explain how different traits affected the texts, explain how different traits affected the survival of finches when environmental survival of finches when environmental conditions changed. conditions changed.


Writing Task: Using evidence from Writing Task: Using evidence from multiple texts, explain how different multiple texts, explain how different traits affected the survival of finches traits affected the survival of finches when environmental conditions when environmental conditions changed. changed.

Writing Task: Using evidence from Writing Task: Using evidence from multiple texts, explain how different multiple texts, explain how different traits affected the survival of finches traits affected the survival of finches when environmental conditions when environmental conditions changed. changed.

smallest population of finches on Daphne Major was 10 (in 1977) which was greatly reduced from the largest population of 60 during the 1976 wet season

There was a significant decrease in the finch population from 1976 (dry season) to 1977 (dry season).

Students discusspatterns in data before recording information in graphic organizer.

Students write first claim based on population data.

Students record patterns in data in lab book before discussion.

Ask Questions

Explanations

Analyze Data

Investigations

Argument Revised Explanation

Sense – Making of Phenomena

Source: population data

by revising and building our

thinking with new

information.

Let’s continue to develop the explanation . . .

How did the environmental conditions impact the finch population?

smallest population of finches on Daphne Major was 10 (in 1977) which was greatly reduced from the largest population of 60 during the 1976 wet season

There was a significant decrease in the finch population from 1976 (dry season) to 1977 (dry season).

Students begin to demonstrate a deeper understanding in Claim 2. “The more rainfall there is the more resources available to finches which increases the population.”

Ask Questions

Explanations

Analyze Data

Investigations



Claim Evidence

Reasoning

NewEvidence

Revised Reasoning

New Claim Evidence

Source: rainfall data

Multiple evidence points from a single source.

Evidence Evidence

Evaluate Student Sample

Evaluate examples of student work using an Explanation Framework Checklist. Does the explanation state a claim that answers the question?How well did the evidence support the claim?Is the scientific reasoning relevant to the claim and use appropriate scientific principles for support?

….one challenge across all the science investigations was students’ ability to make sense of data and construct scientific explanations in which they justified their claims. Students were engaged in the investigations, but is was the meaning-making piece after the investigations that was challenging.

Supporting Grade 5-8 Students in Constructing Explanations in Science, McNeill and Krajcik

Using evidence to support ideas Relies on own opinion Difficulty using sufficient evidence or appropriate evidenceExplaining why the evidence supports their ideas (reasoning)Difficulty articulating link between evidence and claim Difficulty articulating link between ideas, evidence and scientific principalsConsidering multiple explanations or solutionsStruggle with revising explanations and solutions based on evidence or scientific knowledgeConstructing an explanation that shows a deep understanding of the questionFocus on one piece of information or point rather than build an explanation based on all the evidence gathered from multiple sources

Explicitly define the elements of the C-E-R Framework

Engage students in self and peer critique using the criteria questions.

Writing Task: Using evidence from multiple texts, explain how different traits affected the survival of finches when environmental conditions changed.

Ask Questions

Explanation Analyze Data

Plan and conduct investigation

ArgumentRevised and Robust Student Explanation

Ask Questions

Explanations

Analyze Data

Investigations



Sense-makingSense-making ArticulationArticulation Consensus-buildingConsensus-building

Beginning idea Better idea Best idea

Beginning idea after•observing /testing models,•collecting/analyzing data •obtaining information

• communicate ideas• evaluate strengths

and weakness of explanation

• build a shared understanding

Review competing ideas to convince others of mostrobust explanation

Constructing Robust Explanations

Supports deep understanding of scientific content

Supports 21st Century skills

Requires evidence to support claims

Involves logical reasoning

Models key practices of scientists and engineers

Supports the understanding of the Nature of Science

Taking Science to SchoolSupporting Grades 5-8 Students in Constructing Explanation.

Write 3 – 5 “power words” to summarize your understanding of

Explanation

maryland college and career readiness conference summer 2015

Documents

finch population change

highest finch population

evidence scientific

explanations of phenomena

process of reasoning

role of explanation

dry season

level of student response