CWA Vocab Practice

Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning.. In a scientific paper, we use a process that is similar to the scientific method. That is, we make a claim (similar to a hypothesis,) make an observation (similar to an observation,) and draw conclusions (say how our evidence supports or does not support our claim)

Examples of Claims Claim: People who die in horror movies are always doing something stupid. If this is the claim that I chose, what are three pieces of evidence that I can use to back up the claim?

Evidence 1. 2. 3.

Reasoning (a little tougher) Reasoning says why the evidence supports the claim. 1. 2. 3.

Relate to the C.W.A. The question is: What shape is planet Earth? Your claim should answer the question. I believe that the Earth is a ______________.

Evidence What is the evidence? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Reasoning: Why does the evidence support the claim? How does the evidence support the claim?

Put it all together… The Earth is a sphere because people who travel either East or West arrive back at the same longitude. For example, when Ferdinand Magellan sailed West from Europe, his crew arrived back in Europe about two years later. This is possible because if you travel in one direction you travel in a circle around a sphere- this is called circumnavigation. Many people wrongly believed that the Earth was flat. This is incorrect because if the Earth was flat, people attempting to travel around the Earth would fall off of the edge.