What's Your Evidence?: Engaging K-5 Children in Constructing Explanations in Science, 1st edition

Chapter 1: Importance of Engaging K-5 Students in Scientific Explanation

Introduction to engaging K-5 students in scientific explanation

Why teach children to construct scientific explanations?

Scientific explanations in the classroom

Connecting science and literacy through scientific explanation

Benefits of engaging students in scientific explanations

Understanding science concepts

Participating in scientific practices

Using evidence to communicate convincingly

Learning about the nature of science

Benefits of scientific explanation for teachers

What to expect in elementary grades

Check Point

Study Group Questions

Chapter 2: Framework for Explanation-Driven Science

Framework for explanation-driven science

Claim

Evidence

Reasoning

Rebuttal

Video Example – Introducing the instructional framework

Examples of scientific explanations

Life science example

Earth science example

Physical science example

Increasing the complexity of the framework over time

Variation #1: Claim and evidence

Variation #2: Using multiple pieces evidence

Variation #3: Providing reasoning

Variation #4: Including a rebuttal

Check Point

Study Group Questions

Chapter 3: Planning for Explanation-Driven Science

Coherent Science content storyline

Essential features for constructing scientific explanations

Scientific data

Scientific principles

Learning performances and examples

First grade: Sound

Second grade: State of matter

Third and Fourth grade: Day/night and shadows

Fifth grade: Water cycle

Complexity of the learning task

Openness of the question

Characteristics of the data (type and amount)

Check Point

Study Group Questions

Chapter 4: Integrating Scientific Explanation into Classroom Instruction

Instruction sequence for constructing scientific explanations

Assessing prior knowledge

Framing the question

Making predictions

Collecting, recording and interpreting data

Constructing scientific explanations

Instructional strategies for supporting the explanation building process

Introducing the framework for explanation

Using real world examples to introduce the framework

KLEW(S) chart

Critique a teacher example

Debate a peer example

Talk moves for scaffolding the construction of scientific explanations

Check Point

Study Group Questions

Chapter 5: Designing Assessment Tasks and Rubrics

Overview of the development process

Step 1: Identify and unpack the content standard

Fourth grade writing case – Unpacking

Third grade podcast case – Unpacking

Step 2: Selecting scientific explanation level of complexity

Fourth grade writing case – Level of complexity

Third grade podcast case – Level of complexity

Step 3: Create learning performances

Fourth grade writing case – Learning performance

Third grade podcast case – Learning performance

Step 4: Write the assessment task

Fourth grade writing case – Assessment task

Third grade podcast case – Assessment task

Step 5: Develop specific rubric

Fourth grade writing case – Rubric

Third grade podcast case – Rubric

Using assessment data to inform instruction

Fourth grade writing case – Examples

Incomplete evidence and incomplete reasoning

Incomplete evidence and complete reasoning

Third grade podcast case – Example

Assessing informal science talk

Check Point

Study Group Questions

Chapter 6: Creating a Classroom Community of Young Scientists

Norms of participation in science learning

Active listening and patterns of talk

The role of the scientific explanation framework

A culture of constructive criticism

Check Point

Study Group Questions