In science, it is important that we communicate our findings clearly. To do this, we make sure we do the following three things:
We provide a CLAIM: in many cases our claim is the answer to a specific prompt.
We support our claim with solid scientific EVIDENCE
We use solid, logical REASONING to explain to the reader how our evidence supports our claim.
We call this the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) format.
All the following information will be placed on the CER pages of your Science Notebook.
First, add the following definitions to the top of the page.
Claim: One complete sentence that answers the question or summarizes data trends.
Evidence: Scientific data, numbers, observations from an experiment, investigation, graph, data table, etc.
Reasoning: Explains HOW the evidence supports your claim. It links claim and evidence together. It explains scientific principles, or concepts you learned in science.
Add the following CER sentence starters to your notebook. Place this below your definitions.
Claim:
This graph/data/(other) shows that…
The claim can be made that…
The trend/pattern seen here is that…
Evidence:
Evidence to support this claim includes …
Data to support this claim includes…
On the graph it can be seen that…
According to the graph, …
We observed that…
Reasoning:
The one logical conclusion from this evidence is that…
This is significant because…
The fact that ___(re-tell evidence)_____ indicates that…
This evidence, taken together, means that…
This ___(evidence/graph/data)____ is evidence that… because…
All of this indicates that… because…
A scientific principle/concept to support this claim is that…
We think this because…
Based on this, we can predict that…
CER Transition Words and CER Graphic Organizer
Bookmark the following link for future reference: CER Graphic Organizer and Transition Words. It will help you craft well-written CER responses. Feel free to print out this page if you think it will help you.
Bookmark the following link for CER examples that you can review when you are trying to create your CER responses. Feel free to print up hard copies if that will be easier for you.
Add these questions to the CER section of your Science Notebook.
You should ALWAYS review these questions after you think you have finished your response to make certain your have properly answered your prompt. Do this BEFORE you submit your work.
Did you answer the prompt? Nothing else matters unless you do this. Don't get distracted by any unnecessary information. Answer the question that is being asked.
Did you provide context for your explanation? You are providing an explanation about something. Did you just answer the prompt or did you also include context so that the reader knows what you are talking about? Context can be provided before your claim statement or be incorporated into your claim statement, but it should happen at or very near the beginning of your explanation.
Do you have EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR CLAIM? There's all kinds of evidence you can use in your explanations. However, any piece of evidence is meaningless UNLESS it directly supports your claim.
Did you properly cite all your (re)sources? Your evidence must have come from somewhere, you must cite it. ALL OF IT. No exceptions.
Does your REASONING support your claim? Again, you can have all kinds of reasons in your explanation. The best reasoning "connects the dots" of your evidence and explains how that evidence led you to your claim. The reasoning is the heart of your explanation. And, in most cases, your reasoning will revolve around one or more of the SEVEN CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS.
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If you have not completed steps 1 - 5 of the Cabin on the Mountain activity from Conducting Investigations page, go back and complete those steps now.
Once you have finished with the 5 steps of the Cabin on the Mountain activity, you will need to write up a proper CER response.
Use this form to submit your work:
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