Practice 6

Constructing explanations and designing solutions

Next Generation Science Standards

Materials related to this Standard

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Graphing data sheet with questions (Data Analysis)

Graphing data sheet with questions (Data Analysis)

Details

Once the data have been graphed this is a very effective worksheet to state simply what the data say.

Grades:

Topics:

Analyzing and interpreting data, Constructing explanations, Using mathematics and computational thinking, Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Skills:

graphing data, representing data, analyzing data, interpreting data

Handout for:

Data Interpretation

Data Presentation

Outlining the project

Authoring a research poster

Hydrology-Nitrogen Link: Graph packet

Details

Graphs of stream stage data from 2008 to 2010

Topics:

Analyzing and interpreting data, Earth's Surface Systems, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Systems and System Models, Weather and Climate

Skills:

analyzing data, information gathering and interpreting, thinking about patterns

Handout for:

Linking Hydrology to Nitrogen in Streams

Hydrology-Nitrogen Link: Precipitation dataset

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet

Hydrology-Nitrogen Link: Precipitation dataset

Details

Dataset on precipitation (rain; snow; snow depth) from 2008 to 2010

Topics:

Analyzing and interpreting data, Earth's Surface Systems, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Systems and System Models, Weather and Climate

Skills:

analyzing data, information gathering and interpreting, thinking about patterns

Handout for:

Linking Hydrology to Nitrogen in Streams

Hydrology-Nitrogen Link: Question set

Details

Instructions for working with the Hydrology-Nitrogen Connection datasets and questions for interpreting those data.

Topics:

Analyzing and interpreting data, Earth's Surface Systems, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Systems and System Models, Weather and Climate

Skills:

analyzing data, information gathering and interpreting, thinking about patterns

Handout for:

Linking Hydrology to Nitrogen in Streams

Hypothesis, or Scientific Claim, worksheet

Details

A worksheet for students to use to clearly state their hypothesis, or claim, and the reasoning behind that claim (with space for hypothetical graphs).

Grades:

Topics:

Asking questions, Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Skills:

argument, asking questions, communicating, formulating hypotheses, thinking about patterns

Handout for:

Developing research questions and hypotheses

Hypothesis peer review

Mini Lesson 1 (PRAC) Acadia and Greenville Precipitation

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

Mini Lesson 1 (PRAC) Acadia and Greenville Precipitation

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Earth Science

Topics:

Earth's Surface Systems, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts:

Group comparison

Graph Types:

Dot plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice asking questions with precipitation data

Mini Lesson 3 (PRAC) Belfast Temperatures

Mini Lesson 3 (PRAC) Belfast Temperatures

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Earth Science

Topics:

Earth's Surface Systems, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts:

Group comparison, Variability

Skills:

Comparing groups, Describing variability

Graph Types:

Box plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice comparing groups with Belfast temperature data

Mini Lesson 3 (PRAC) Chromosome Number - Plants and Animals

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Life Science

Topics:

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Statistical Concepts:

Group comparison, Variability

Skills:

Comparing groups

Graph Types:

Dot plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice comparing groups: Chromosome Number data

Mini Lesson 3 (PRAC) House Insulation and Temperature

Details

Use the graph choice chart and make a graph comparing temperature measurements from inside and outside an old Maine house.

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Social Science

Topics:

Energy, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts:

Group comparison, Variability

Skills:

Comparing groups

Graph Types:

Box plot, Dot plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice comparing groups: House Insulation and Temperature data

Mini Lesson 3 (PRAC) Tide Heights AM and PM

Details

Interpret variability among box plots of tide height to determine if the tide is higher in the morning or the evening.

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Earth Science, Physical Science

Topics:

Earth's Surface Systems, Waves

Statistical Concepts:

Group comparison, Variability

Skills:

Comparing groups

Graph Types:

Box plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice comparing groups with AM and PM tide height data

Mini Lesson 4 (PRAC) House Insulation and Temperature

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Social Science

Topics:

Energy

Statistical Concepts:

Correlation, Variability

Skills:

Correlations

Graph Types:

Scatter plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice correlating: House Insulation and Temperature data

Mini Lesson 4 (PRAC) Pen Bay Buoy Air-Water Temperature

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Earth Science

Topics:

Earth's Surface Systems, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts:

Correlation, Variability

Skills:

Correlations

Graph Types:

Scatter plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice correlating: Pen Bay Buoy Air-Water Temperature data

Mini Lesson 4 (PRAC) US Milk Production

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Life Science, Social Science

Topics:

Economics

Statistical Concepts:

Correlation

Skills:

Correlations

Graph Types:

Scatter plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice correlating with US milk production data

Mini Lesson 5 (PRAC) Bald Eagles

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Life Science

Topics:

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Statistical Concepts:

Time series

Skills:

Time series

Graph Types:

Line graph, Time series

Data Activity File for:

Practice time series with Bald Eagle data

Mini Lesson 5 (PRAC) Earthquakes

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Earth Science

Topics:

Earth's Interior Systems

Statistical Concepts:

Time series

Skills:

Time series

Graph Types:

Scatter plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice time series with earthquake data

Mini Lesson 5 (PRAC) Gas Prices

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Social Science

Topics:

Economics, Energy

Statistical Concepts:

Time series

Skills:

Time series

Graph Types:

Line graph

Data Activity File for:

Practice time series with Gas Price data

Mini Lesson 5 (PRAC) House Insulation and Temperature

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Physical Science, Social Science

Topics:

Energy, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts:

Time series

Skills:

Time series

Graph Types:

Line graph, Time series

Data Activity File for:

Practice time series: House Insulation and Temperature data

Mini Lesson 5 (PRAC) Pen Bay Buoy Air-Water Temperature

Details

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8

Subjects:

Earth Science

Topics:

Energy, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts:

Time series

Skills:

Time series

Graph Types:

Line graph

Data Activity File for:

Practice time series: Pen Bay Buoy Air-Water Temperature data

Mini Lesson 5 (PRAC) Penobscot River Flow

Details

Interpret river flow graphical data from 2013

Types of Instruction:

Data Interpretation, Data Practice

Grades:

6, 7, 8, 9+

Subjects:

Earth Science

Topics:

Analyzing and interpreting data, Earth's Surface Systems, Earth's Systems, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts:

Time series

Skills:

analyzing data, information gathering and interpreting, interpreting data, Time series

Graph Types:

Line graph, Time series

Data Activity File for:

Practice time series with Penobscot River Flow data

Practice correlating: Chlorophyll and phosphorus in lakes

Details

Given lake water quality data students make a graph and explain how the graph supports or refutes a given hypothesis.

Types of Instruction:

Data Practice

Grades:

8, 9+

Subjects:

Earth Science, Life Science

Topics:

Analyzing and interpreting data, Earth's Systems, Energy and Matter in Systems, Engaging in argument from evidence, Human Impacts, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems, Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems, Stability and Change of Systems

Statistical Concepts:

Correlation

Skills:

analyzing data, argument, Correlations, Graph choice, graphing data, interpreting data, representing data, using math in science

Graph Types:

Scatter plot

Data Activity File for:

Practice correlating: Chlorophyll and phosphorus in lakes

Presenting data worksheet

Details

A guidance document for presenting and understanding the data.

Topics:

Planning and carrying out investigations, Analyzing and interpreting data, Using mathematics and computational thinking

Skills:

collecting data, organizing data

Handout for:

Data Presentation

Data Organization

Data Interpretation

Proposed claim video: between-class video review

Details

If sharing hypotheses, or claims, via video use this worksheet to review the videos produced by students in another classroom.

Grades:

Topics:

Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Skills:

reviewing

Handout for:

Developing research questions and hypotheses

Hypothesis peer review

Reviewing proposed hypothesis videos

Creating a video of your proposed hypothesis

Proposed claim video: in class video review

Details

A worksheet to peer review students' hypotheses or claims.

Grades:

Topics:

Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Skills:

asking questions, formulating hypotheses, reviewing, thinking about patterns

Handout for:

Developing research questions and hypotheses

Hypothesis peer review

Reviewing proposed hypothesis videos

Creating a video of your proposed hypothesis

Table of Field Variables: culvert project

Details

A handout to help understand how different environmental factors might influence the study; and how to sample for those factors.

Grades:

Topics:

Cause and Effect, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems, Planning and carrying out investigations, Systems and System Models

Skills:

collecting data, experimental design, thinking about patterns

Handout for:

An Introduction to Stream Ecology

Experimental Design--Culvert Project

The stream environment

Stream invertebrates

Habitat Connectivity

Culvert Activity

Preparing for sampling - Culvert Project

Table of Field Variables: nitrogen project

Details

Use the Table to help your students understand what factors they can samples for; and what may affect nitrogen in their study site.

Topics:

Cause and Effect, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems, Planning and carrying out investigations, Systems and System Models

Skills:

collecting data, experimental design, thinking about patterns

Handout for:

A watershed for all seasons

An Introduction to the Nitrogen Cycle

Outlining the project

Environmental Sampling - Nitrogen Project

Experimental Design - Nitrogen Project