Writing a Good Conclusion During a Scientific Investigation

Gather Evidence from an Investigation Follow the procedures on the lab investigation sheet Record your data in the table: Make observations before the investigation Make observations after the investigation Clean up your area

INVESTIGATION: What Happens to Properties When I Combine Substances? Purpose: In this investigation, you will make observations when you combine two substances. Procedure: Read through the procedure first before beginning. As a group, write your observations of the two substances in the table below Put both cups of Substance A and Substance B into the baggie, in an UPRIGHT positions. Be careful not to tip it over. Zip the bag closed Tip over the containers to combine the substances. Write your observations in the table below.

Investigation (cont’d) SUBSTANCES OBSERVATIONS A B Four Substances Combined CONCLUSION: Write a scientific explanation that states whether or not you think new substances were formed after combining the two substances.

CONCLUSION As a group: - Write your conclusion on the butcher paper. - Stick the paper on the wall near your group. - Present you group’s conclusion to class. Introduce CER to class right before having groups present.

CER METHOD – FORMING SCIENTIFIC CONCLUSIONS This is the framework we will use to form conclusions after doing an investigation: Make a Claim – A statement about the solution to a problem Look for Evidence – Scientific data that supports the claim Base your Reasoning on the evidence – Justification that shows why the data counts as evidence to support the claim and includes appropriate scientific principles   Ask Groups: Did your conclusion do all three of the above?

WHY USE CER? As students write about what they know, teachers can identify misconceptions and guide students to reconstruct concepts correctly.

Example of CER Method

PEER CRITIQUES Go stand near your group’s conclusion Move to the right to another group’s conclusion; get a marker that is not the same color as the conclusion. Read the conclusion and mark any of the following: - Circle the claim - Number the pieces of evidence - Underline any scientific reasoning Write on the conclusion what the group needs to do to improve their conclusion. Students rewrite, on notebook paper, their corrected conclusion after the critique.

CER CONCLUSION Using what you have learned of the CER Method and the critiques from your peers, as a group, re-write your conclusion using the following sentence stems. Our claim is ________. Our pieces of evidence were ________. Our claim is reasonable because _______. OR My reasoning is ________.

REFLECTION Complete the following sentence stem: One difference between our original conclusion and our CER conclusion is _______.

FEEDBACK RUBRIC Scan rubric here