CER for NGSS Thermal Energy, MS-PS-3-4

This product contains three different Constructing Explanations or CER prompts for NGSS standard MS-PS3-4. Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample. All the prompts give students a short passage and a graph to use to help them construct an argument from evidence. These can be used as formative assessments, summative assessments, or as practice.

The three prompts are about

•Thermal Energy, Mass, and Changes in Temperature.

•Thermal Energy, Type of Matter. and Changes in Temperature

•Different Amounts of Thermal Energy and Changes in Temperature

Each prompt has three versions.

The first version is the version I use for the majority of my students. The prompt is usually given towards the middle or end of the unit so students have background knowledge and personal observations from labs and discussions that they can also use as sources of evidence and in their reasoning.

MOD A I use for SPED students.

MOD B I use for ELL and any student who I feel needs additional support when writing.

Two examples of student answers are included for each prompt along with a general CER grading rubric

Contains

• Cover, TOU (3 pages)
• Teacher Notes with suggestions for using the modifications (1 page)
• Prompt 1 "“How does the mass of the sample affect the change in the temperature of an object?” Three versions (regular, SPED and ELL/writing support) and ANSWER KEY (4 pages)
• Prompt 2 “How does the type of matter affect the change in the temperature of an object?” Three versions (regular, SPED and ELL/writing support) and ANSWER KEY (4 pages)
• Prompt 3 question “How does the amount of added thermal energy affect the change in the temperature of an object?” Three versions (regular, SPED and ELL/writing support) and ANSWER KEY (4 pages)
• General Rubric for grading Constructing Scientific Explanations (1 page)