NGSS SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data #2: Reading Tables and CER, set of 5

This is a set of 5 worksheets where students use data from a table or graph to infer the likely design of an experiment by identifying the manipulated and responding variables. Then they are asked to interpret the data to write a claim that can be supported using data from the graph or chart.

PACING

I usually assign each worksheet as an independent assignment, often as homework and then we discuss the claims as a class after they are completed. One collaborative technique I use is to have the students work as table teams (4-5 students) to share out their claims and evidence and to decide as a table which one is the best and put that on to a white board that they turn into me. Once I get all the submissions from the table groups, I read out the claims and evidence to the class and they vote if the answer is strong or weak and we sort the whiteboards into those categories. This helps my students practice how to evaluate the quality of the claims and evidence used.

NGSS DCI Connections for Teachers

Each data set in this series has a written short introduction that should help with the interpretation of the data for students. These are intended to go along with the NGSS standards and when I used them with my students they will have some background knowledge about the topics.

Contains

• Cover and TOU (3 pages)
• Teacher Notes (1 page)
• 5 Examples of Data Tables with Answer Keys (10 pages)
• Topics:

1. “Testing Thermal Insulators” supports NGSS MS PS3-3
2. “Measuring Magnetic Strength” supports NGSS MS PS2-3 and NGSS MS PS2-5
3. “Gravity and Objects in Our Solar System Facts” supports NGSS MS PS2-4
4. “Echoes and Air Temperature” supports students in making mental images of graphs. This data set, when graphed, shows a very clear, linear trend. Many students when faced with a data table will not consider making it into a graph to better visualize the data trends. In this task, they are asked to analyze the data and evaluate which format, table or graph, is more helpful for finding trends in the data.
5. “Notes and Frequency” supports NGSS MS PS4-1