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In an interview with students, MIT鈥檚 Kerry Emmanuel said, 鈥淎t the end of the day, it鈥檚 just raw curiosity. I think almost everybody that gets seriously into science is driven by curiosity.鈥� Curiosity鈥攖he desire to explain how the world works鈥攄rives the questions we ask and the investigations we conduct.

Let鈥檚 say we鈥檙e planning a unit on matter. By having students observe solids and liquids, we have helped them define matter as something that has mass (or weight鈥攄on鈥檛 worry about the difference with elementary kids) and takes up space. The next step is to start thinking about air: 鈥淚鈥檓 curious, is it matter? Or something else?鈥� The students are now driven by a need to explain whether air is or is not matter. The question is clear:聽Is air matter?

Next, we can ask our students what data they need to answer the question, and how they can collect that data鈥攈ow they can investigate. Students will need to determine if air has mass and/or takes up space. Perhaps they鈥檒l suggest that they weigh a basketball multiple times as they use a pump to add more air. Once students conduct the investigation and have data, they can create an explanation. But what does a good explanation look like?

According to the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) model, an explanation consists of:

• A claim that answers the question
• Evidence from students鈥� data
• Reasoning that involves a rule聽or scientific principle that describes why the evidence supports the claim

Your students might suggest this explanation:聽Air is matter (claim). We found that the weight of the ball increased each time we pumped more air into it (evidence). This shows that air has weight, one of the characteristics of matter (reasoning).

The explanation could be made more complete by including evidence and reasoning related to air taking up space.

Introducing CER to your Students

The CER format to writing explanations is not a trivial thing for your students. You will need to explicitly introduce and model it for them. They will need support throughout the year as they get better at writing explanations.

The idea that explanations drive science can be illustrated for students by using NASA鈥檚 aptly named . After watching the video about the mission鈥檚 science goals, ask your students:

1. What are these scientists curious about鈥攚hat do they want to know?
2. What data will the rover collect?
3. How will this data help scientists answer鈥攎ake claims about鈥攖heir questions?

Jeff Rohr, a fifth-grade teacher in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, suggests using to introduce students to the components of an explanation by asking them to identify the claim, the evidence, and the reasoning鈥攐r rule鈥攖hat connects the evidence to the little girl鈥檚 claim that her dad is a space alien.

Let the Inquiry Begin

As you work with your students on CER throughout the year, do the following:

• Introduce CER as the goal聽of science
• Use concrete (non-science) situations, like mysteries, images, artwork, etc. ()
• Create an
• Use a rubric with students to critique examples
• Provide examples from science or scientists
• Create CER worksheets with data provided by the teacher ()
• Connect to other content areas (e.g., argumentation in social studies)
• Feedback
• Peer critique