1. What is a CER?
A Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (or CER) is a scientific explanation. It is a way that we explain our evidence-based claims.
It has 3 parts:
Claim
Answers the question
Evidence
Has at least 2 pieces of evidence that support the claim
Reasoning
Explains how the evidence supports the claim

2. Which of these are claims?
What is a claim?
Which of these are claims?
The teacher asked the class to answer the question using a Scientific Explanation. Below are some statements from their explanations.
Question: Are soap and fat the same substance?
Which of the following statements are CLAIMS?
What feedback would you give each student to make the statement a claim or to improve the claim?
Yes they are.
I think soap and fat are different substances.
Fat and soap are the same thing.
No.
Soap is different.
Fat is not the same thing.
Fat is yellowish but soap is white.

3. Which of these are claims?
What is a claim?
Which of these are claims?
The teacher asked the class to answer the question using a Scientific Explanation. Below are some statements from their explanations.
Question: Are soap and fat the same substance?
Which of the following statements are CLAIMS?
What feedback would you give each student to make the statement a claim or to improve the claim?
Yes they are.
I think soap and fat are different substances.
Fat and soap are the same thing.
No.
Soap is different.
Fat is not the same thing.
Fat is yellowish but soap is white.

4. What is evidence? What counts as evidence? Personal opinions
Something you saw in a movie
Text from a science article
An interview with an expert
Background knowledge
A hypothesis
Personal experiences
A chart or graph
Data from a data table
A photograph
A drawing
Measurements
An observation you wrote in a notebook
A prediction
A model
Notes you took during class
Results from an investigation you conducted

5. What is evidence? What counts as evidence? Personal opinions
Something you saw in a movie
Text from a science article
An interview with an expert
Background knowledge
A hypothesis
Personal experiences
A chart or graph
Data from a data table
A photograph
A drawing
Measurements
An observation you wrote in a notebook
A prediction
A model
Notes you took during class
Results from an investigation you conducted

6. What is reasoning?
Which of the following are examples of REASONING that you might use when making a Scientific Explanation?
Question: What color are birch tree leaves?
Claim: Birch tree leaves are green
Reasoning:
The evidence supports my claim that leaves are green.
Based on this evidence we know that all leaves have organelles called chloroplast, which have a green pigment called chlorophyll that makes the leaves appear green, therefore since birch tree leaves have chloroplast, the leaves are green in color.
The leaves are green because of pigment chlorophyll.

7. What is reasoning?
Which of the following are examples of REASONING that you might use when making a Scientific Explanation?
Question: What color are birch tree leaves?
Claim: Birch tree leaves are green
Reasoning:
The evidence supports my claim that leaves are green.
Based on this evidence we know that all leaves have organelles called chloroplast, which have a green pigment called chlorophyll that makes the leaves appear green, therefore since birch tree leaves have chloroplast, the leaves are green in color.
The leaves are green because of pigment chlorophyll.

8. Your Resources For writing CERs Rubric (in notebook)
Green “Scientific Explanation” guide (in notebooks)
Graphic organizer (this handout, & Ms. Ealey has copies)
Sentence Starters (this handout, & Ms. Ealey has copies)
Model CER: “who ate the birthday cake?” (in notebook)