Do your students get bogged down with the complex thinking required for data analysis in Science? For years, I’ve searched for a resource that provides daily practice with analyzing a data set within the context of Elementary Science. There are tons of great resources for this skill in Math, but I needed something directly tied to the Next Generation Science Standards.
Introducing-“Data Analysis in Elementary Science”! I created a series of scaffolded mini lessons that can be taught in 15 minutes each day. Each topic will center around a Disciplinary Core Idea and embed multiple Science and Engineering Practices. My first topic supports the 4th grade standard 4-LS1-2. In this activity, students will examine a data set generated by an experiment with mealworms. This is real data that was collected by my own students as they investigated “What environmental conditions do mealworms seek out?” They tested combinations of 2 variables-damp vs. dry and light vs. dark! They placed mealworms into “choice chambers” (2-sided petri dishes) and waited to see which side the mealworms chose. They recorded their results which can be examined to find patterns in the data.
This activity is broken down into 4 days-each one building upon the last. On Day 1, students read background information about the data set and create a bar graph. There are multiple ways students could make a bar graph, with this data so I left it open for them to decide which way will best help them understand what the data is showing.
On Day 2, students use the I2 strategy (Identify & Interpret) to look for patterns in the data and make sense of what it means.
On Day 3, they are ready to write a their Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER). The Claim is a single sentence that attempts to answer the investigation questions based on the information they have. Evidence and Reasoning are put together in their own section for writing. I find it helpful for elementary students to not think of the evidence and reasoning as separate things, but rather to explain (reasoning) their thought processes in how they used the data (evidence) to come up with their claims.
Day 4 is a very important part of the process! In this step, students will share their Claim/Evidence/Reasoning with small groups or in the larger group. I provided a guide to help with the discussion which includes asking questions to clarify someone’s opinion, providing feedback to peers, and sharing reasons for why they may disagree. The purpose of this discussion is to identify any weaknesses or fallacies in the argument and to find ways to strengthen them! After the discussion, students revise their arguments and re-write them.
The “Animal Behaviors” activity is the first in a new series that I am creating, so be sure to follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers for the new releases!