Facilitating Scientific ArgumentOctober 10, 2016STILTS Project

Bryan Rebar & Peggy Marconi

Welcome Please say hello in chat to “sign in” for

our attendance records Warm-Up Exercise

Share ideas in chat

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Today’s Session Warm-Up Explore Facilitation Strategies

Example – dive deeper with ice melting Discuss how to move students toward

strong arguments based on evidence using claim-evidence-reasoning

Supporting students’ written arguments 2 Break Outs: Elem/Middle and High

groups

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Steps to Planning with Anchor Phenomena1. Choose a topic (look at NGSS)2. Select standards3. Consider relevant phenomena using

the criteria4. Draft a storyline5. Plan for students to create initial

models

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Next Steps: Considerations How could you (your students)

investigate this phenomenon? Where or how can they gather

additional data? What supporting lessons might you

plan? What do you do if any students are set

on incorrect explanations?

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Steps to Facilitation1. Introduce phenomenon2. Students generate/gather data3. Students make tentative arguments4. Share ideas (poster session, e.g.)5. Students compose written argument

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NGSS Standard MS-PS1-4 Matter and its Interaction

s Develop a model that predicts and

describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

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STILTS Project

Step 1: Introduce Phenomenon

Step 1: Introduce Phenomenon (continued) May provide additional prompts, such

as: Handout with overview of phenomenon Research question 3+ alternative explanations (if using

evaluate-alternatives instructional model)

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Step 2: Students Gather Data Provide students with materials such as:

Ice, timers, balances, temperature probes Data table (formatted to scaffold as

needed) Additional relevant information, such as

(1) a handout with thermal conductivities of materials and (2) details about the kinetic theory of matter

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Step 3: Students Make Tentative Arguments

Use the claim-evidence-reasoning approach, for example:

I believe that ice melted faster on block A because____________

We noticed in the data that_______________ We think this evidence supports our claim

because_____________

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STILTS Project

Step 4: Share Ideas

Step 5: Students compose written arguments Use prompts such as: What is your argument? Support the

explanation that you think is best. What is your counterargument?

Challenge the validity of the other explanations.

Let students know how their argument will be evaluated

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Supporting Written Arguments

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Guidance from English/language arts perspective

Break Out with Mentors Enter door to go to meet your grade level

group: Elementary/Middle or High School Continue this conversation (and get

feedback): Share your phenomenon How will you follow these steps? How will your students gather data? Make

arguments? Share? Walk around and refer to the claim-

evidence-reasoning table

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