CER Brain Break: Plants and Sunlight

Good morning, class! It's time for our bell ringer activity. Today, we're going to focus on a topic that will help us become better scientists: Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning, also known as CER. 

Now, let's quickly review what each component of CER means. 

• A claim is a statement that answers a scientific question or problem. It's like making a hypothesis or an educated guess. 

• Evidence is the data or information that supports your claim. It can be observations, measurements, or even results from experiments. Finally...

• Reasoning is the explanation that connects your evidence to your claim. It's where you explain why your evidence supports your claim and how it all fits together.

Now, let's dive into our bell ringer activity. I'm going to give you a statement, and your task is to create a CER response. Remember to use complete sentences and be as specific as possible. Ready? Here's your statement:

"Plants need sunlight to grow."

• First, write down your claim, which should be a statement that answers the question: Do plants need sunlight to grow? Take a moment to think about it and write down your claim.

• Next, let's move on to evidence. What observations or facts support your claim? Think about what you have learned about plants and sunlight. Write down at least two pieces of evidence that support your claim.

• Lastly, we need to connect the evidence to the claim through reasoning. Explain why your evidence supports your claim. How does sunlight help plants grow? Write down your reasoning using clear and logical explanations.

Remember, when constructing your CER response, use proper grammar and punctuation. Take your time to think through your answers and make sure they are well-supported and logical.

You will have five minutes to complete this activity. Once you are finished, we will go over your responses together as a class. Ready, set, go!

Great question! Connecting evidence to a claim through reasoning is an important part of the CER response. Here are a few tips to help students make those connections:

1. Identify the relationship: Students should first identify how the evidence they've gathered relates to their claim. They need to ask themselves, "How does the evidence support or prove my claim?" Encourage them to think about cause and effect, patterns, or any logical connections between the evidence and the claim.

2. Explain the mechanism: Students should explain the scientific mechanism or process that links the evidence to the claim. For example, if their evidence shows that plants grow taller when exposed to sunlight, they can reason that sunlight provides energy for photosynthesis, which is a process that helps plants produce food and grow.

3. Use scientific vocabulary: Encourage students to use appropriate scientific vocabulary to explain the relationship between the evidence and the claim. This helps strengthen their reasoning and shows their understanding of key scientific concepts. For example, they can use terms like photosynthesis, chlorophyll, or nutrients to explain how sunlight enables plants to grow.

4. Consider alternative explanations: Students should also address any potential counterarguments or alternative explanations. This demonstrates critical thinking skills. They can explain why other factors, such as water or soil nutrients, are not the main reasons for plant growth, reinforcing the importance of sunlight as the key factor.

5. Draw logical conclusions: Finally, students should draw logical conclusions based on the evidence and reasoning presented. They should summarize their CER response by restating their claim, acknowledging the evidence that supports it, and explaining the reasoning that connects the evidence to the claim.

By following these steps, students will be able to effectively connect their evidence to their claim through reasoning in their CER responses. It helps them build a solid scientific argument and communicate their understanding of the topic.