Handouts are available below.

Big Idea

Learning how to graph data and write arguments using CER (claim, evidence and reasoning) are skills that I teach at the beginning of the school year. But, how do I assess students on these skills after that initial work? Here, I share the first quiz I give students to assess both their graphing and argument writing skills.

Episode Notes

Here are some key points from the episode:

• the quiz has students produce graphs and write an argument using the same data – which models what we want students to do in labs going forward.

• Part 1 requires students to graph the following monthly temperature data. I ask them to choose the correct type – line or bar graph – to represent the data. I also expect students to label the axes correctly and to maximize the graph space. From a marks perspective, I use a 4 level proficiency scale. There is no opportunity for extending and that’s ok because I just want students to get the basics.

• Part 2 assesses argument writing skills using the CER template. I ask students which one of the cities on this map corresponds to the data they just graphed. For their response, they need to provide a claim – which is a direct answer to the question; evidence – which is summary of parts of the data that support the claim; and reasoning – which would be an explanation of the data and the claim. From a marks perspective, I use a 4 level proficiency scale once again. Like last time, there is no opportunity for extending in this exercise because I just want students to master the basics.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep106 Handouts – First CER and Graphs Test

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!