“Engaging in argument from evidence” is one of eight practices described in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the NGSS. Teachers may be wondering what this might look like in a middle school classroom, where students seem to have a lot of experience in arguing over events in their social lives but not much in argumentation in science.
If you’re new to this type of activity in class, see how the editor of Science Scope (in the Editor’s Roundtable) describes her experiences in implementing argumentation. She suggests learning more about the practice, being patient and persistent with students (and yourself), helping and encouraging all students (not just the more vocal ones) to participate, providing frequent opportunities and modeling, and establishing a positive environment for students to learn. The featured articles address these with examples of real classroom activities as well as in-depth discussions of the process of argumentation.
Many of us provide opportunities for students to learn the difference between observations, opinions, and inferences. The article Helping Students Evaluate the Strength of Evidence in Scientific Arguments describes how to use the concept of inferential distance to examine the strength of an argument. The authors define this as the “size of the conceptual leap made in going from evidence to conclusion.” They use an example of an afterschool project in which students studied pond ecosystems to illustrate three types of inferential distances, and they include some instructional activities to teach about inferences. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to Aquatic Plants and Animals, Aquatic Ecosystems, Lakes and Ponds]
If you’re concerned about how to connect argumentation with the development of core ideas, A Negotiation Cycle to Promote Argumentation in Science Classrooms has some suggestions. The authors describe six phases of the cycle: identifying a research question, small group investigation, presenting group arguments, comparing arguments with published information, presenting revised arguments, and individual reflection. Using the human respiratory system as the content, the article describes and illustrates each phase with handouts and examples of student work. Guidelines and a rubric are included. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to the Respiratory System]

Assessing Students’ Arguments has tools for teachers and students to use to assess the strength of student arguments. The checklist is student-friendly and includes places to annotate the presence (or absence) of a claim, the appropriateness of the justifications, and the type of rebuttal. The authors include examples of what the use of the checklist looks like in a class in which students read about the construction of a dam in a remote part of the Amazon basin. They also provide examples of student work and a brief look at how the process was applied to an investigation of density. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to the Rainforest and Density]
Growing plants from seeds is a common activity in science classrooms. Let’s Talk Science shows how to kick this up a notch and incorporate argumentation about cells and plant growth. Three activities are described that focus on the question “Are seeds alive?” The author also provides a rubric, activity sheets with directions, and samples of student work. For assistance in modeling the process of argumentation, the author also includes some scenarios for role-playing and a list of prompts to scaffold the process. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to Seed Germination, Plant Growth]
The authors of Turning the Science Classroom Into a Courtroom describe a courtroom metaphor to help students understand argumentation. Most students are familiar with courtrooms through popular television programs, so this seems to be a good way to scaffold their understanding. The next step might be to “debate” topics that are more complex or controversial or about which students have misconceptions. A sample list of topics is provided, and they illustrate how scientific argumentation aligns with literacy standards in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
In many classrooms, discussions consist of the teacher asking questions and providing the structures for student interactions. The authors of The Practice of Critical Discourse in Science Classrooms differentiate between higher levels of communication, including conversation (“the dynamic exchange of ideas and reflection”), critical discourse (“accentuating connections between ideas and evidence”), and argumentation (“use of evidence to process and learn about ideas)”). The authors use a demonstration of the sublimation of dry ice in beakers of hot and cold water to illustrate what this could look like in a classroom. They then describe six elements to foster this level of thinking and communicating. The article also has suggestions for applying argumentation in a class in which the students have a diversity of background experiences. Students learn that science is not merely a set of established facts, but a process involving critical thinking and processing new ideas.
Show Me the Evidence describes several strategies that can be use to support teachers as they incorporate more evidence-based discourse in the classroom: analyzing the teacher-student and student-student conversations in video clips, role-playing, peer coaching, the use of wait time, and fostering a “safe” environment in the classroom for argumentation.
 

Further your STEM efforts with the Science of Golf video series from the partnership of NBC Learn, the United States Golf Association (USGA), Chevron, and NSTA. As the governing body for the sport, one aspect of the USGA’s role is to regulate and test all golf equipment for conformance to the Rules of Golf. In this installment, Science of Golf: Volume, Displacement & Buoyancy, students get a glimpse of how science practices transfer over to the working world of sports.

Try out the NSTA-developed lesson plan that provides you with ideas and guidance on how students might investigate associated questions. Worried about getting clubs for students to use as lab equipment? Look no further than a garage sale or your local used sporting goods resale shop. Used clubs and balls can be had for very low cost. Or check in with a nearby golf course. People leave behind clubs and balls on the course all the time and they might just have some unclaimed ones to give you. And, your students will likely have ideas of their own about how to build them!

Find the series—available cost-free—on www.NBCLearn.com. Check back often over the coming weeks as NSTA highlights each video in the series in this blog. We look forward to hearing from you about how you expect to use the videos as well as how the lesson plan works out in practice with your students. Once you try it out, please leave comments below each posting!

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Image of driver at the tee courtesy of Cliff Muller.

Video

SOG: Volume, Displacement & Buoyancy describes Archimedes’ principle and how it is applied to the problem of finding the volume of irregularly shaped club heads via the buoyancy force on them when submerged in water.

STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 7–12

The lesson plan—adaptable for grades 7 to 12—provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and as well as a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.

The SOG: Volume, Displacement & Buoyancy lesson plan guides students in the design an apparatus that determines the volume of a golf club or other irregularly-shaped object.

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

Welcome to the Science of Golf! NBC Learn has partnered with the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Chevron to bring you this video series highlighting the science, technology, engineering, and math behind the sport. And once again, NSTA has developed lesson plans to help you build on the videos as you carry out STEM initiatives in your middle- and high-school science courses.

Whether you’re a fan who follows Rory, Phil, Paula, and Suzann, a player yourself, or someone like my farmer father who says that hitting a little white ball around a pasture just doesn’t make much sense, the sport can bring STEM concepts to life for your students. Use the video Science of Golf: Work, Power, and Energy as a springboard for student investigations into these concepts. The lesson plan provides you with ideas and guidance on how to get started.

The videos are available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com. NSTA will also highlight each video in the series in this blog over the next weeks, within the Videos and Lessons category, and we hope you will try them out in the classroom. When you do, please leave comments below each posting about how well the information worked in real-world classrooms. And if you had to make significant changes to a lesson, we’d love to see what you did differently, as well as why you made the changes. Leave a comment, and we’ll get in touch with you with submission information.

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Image of putt courtesy of Michelle Hofstrand.

Video

SOG: Work, Power, and Energy features professional golfer Suzann Pettersen and her putting prowess to show how work done on the ball changes energy from its potential to kinetic form.

STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 7–12

The lesson plan provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and as well as a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.

SOG: Work, Energy, and Power describes how students might investigate a question about how one might putt a golf ball and calculate energy gain or less and power delivered.

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

I’ve been reading NSTA’s K-12 journals for many years. This is the first time I can remember that all three have the same theme at the same time. The summer issue for each—Science & Children, Science Scope, and The Science Teacher have featured articles on scientific argumentation. Teachers at all grade levels can find articles with suggestions for incorporating scientific discourse and argumentation into lessons.
Unfortunately, many students (and adults) have misconceptions about the word argument. They see TV shows where arguing is the most common activity. People shout at and interrupt each other, spout ideas that may have little or no truth to them, ignore facts and evidence, and have little tolerance for different points of view or experiences.
But argumentation in science has a different meaning. “Engaging in argument from evidence” is one of the Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS. As students engage in investigations, they develop claims and support them with evidence. They critique ideas, propose alternate explanations, and communicate their understandings.
The skills involved in argumentation have to be taught and modeled. I’m looking forward to reading articles in these issues with suggestions and real-life examples of what this kind of activity looks like and sounds like in K-12 classrooms.
As part of an NSTA membership, we have access to all three of these journals. With a common theme, teachers can see what the process looks like from kindergarten through grade 12. I’d encourage teachers to skim the contents of all three. Secondary teachers can see what younger students are capable of doing and find ideas that can be kicked up a notch or two for their own students, Elementary teachers can see how what they’re doing can fit with what older students do and identify activities to challenge their students.
As I head to the beach for the holiday week, I’ve packed my iPad with all three journals.
See also: Who Doesn’t Like a Good Argument?
 

I’m trying to incorporate more inquiry activities into my fourth and fifth grade science classes. The students seem to enjoy them, and I can tell from talking to them and reviewing their notebook entries that they are learning content and skills. However , my principal has noted to me that students were off-task during his 10-minute walkthroughs.  How should I respond? How can I tell if students are really on-task and engaged in the activities?
–Michael, Orlando, FL
You could ask your principal how he determined in a 10-minute visit that elementary students were off-task! In a busy science classroom, there will be many levels of activity that ebb and flow with the task itself, the time of day, the combinations of students, and other factors. The bottom line is that you have evidence they are learning from the activities. But before you approach him with your evidence, here are a few points to consider.
The writer Alfie Kohn suggests “When students are off task, our first response should be to ask, ‘What’s the task?’” It’s hard for fourth and fifth graders—or students at any other grade level—to sit still through class after class of worksheets, silent reading, death-by-PowerPoint lectures, or copying notes from the board without getting restless (just as it’s hard for their teachers to sit through similar activities at a meeting or workshop). Even videos or multimedia can become distracting or lose their ability to engage if students perceive them as time-fillers and don’t know how they relate to the learning goals. I could tell my seventh graders were not engaged when, after a few minutes at an assignment, the requests to use the restroom or get a drink or water began, along with “What time is this class over?” But when I structured the same activities as cooperative learning, provided a choice of activities, or when the activities required more student involvement, questioning, or creativity, the requests seldom appeared. Other positive signs were  “Is the class over already? Can we continue tomorrow?” comment sat the end of the period.
However, with all due respect to Mr. Kohn, I think the first response to a student that appears to be off-task should be for you or your principal to ask the student “Hmm…What are you doing?” You might find out that what appeared to be an off-task behavior was very much on-task for that student.

I learned this from the experiences my siblings and I had in elementary school (and I can only imagine the phone calls my parents received). For example, during seatwork or a class discussion, I would gaze out of the window or stare into space. I wish teachers would have asked me what I was thinking about instead of telling me to stop daydreaming and pay attention or get back to work. I could have told them I was thinking about what was being said or visualizing the connections between the new information and what I already knew (and yes, once in a while I was lost in space and just needed a gentle reminder to come back to Earth). My brother was a socializer in school. He loved to talk and listen to people. Perhaps he and his friends were talking about unrelated topics, but some of their sidebar conversations may have been relevant to the class topic or consisted of more in-depth discussions. The teachers could have discovered this with a simple question instead of giving detentions or sending them to the office for talking in class. If teachers would have looked at or asked about my sister’s doodles instead of telling her to put her pencil down, they would have seen an artist at work, taking in the information and reformatting it graphically. (By the way, all three of us applied our dreaming, talking, and drawing to successful careers in science, business, teaching, and the arts.)
Your principal may even find that asking students to explain what is happening or what they’re doing can be helpful in other situations, including discipline referrals, as described in a recent blog.
Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/fontplaydotcom/504443770/