The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs III: FREE SCIENCE LESSON - “Data Analysis Reading Graphs Sample”

by Ratelis Science
6th - 8th Grade

Product Description

This is a sample of the data analysis organizer I use for helping students analyze data and use that data to create a scientific explanation (claim, evidence and reasoning).

I use this organizer with data from labs done by my classes. I collect the data in a spreadsheet and use it to make a larger data set for students to analyze as a weekly graphing practice. This also gives us the opportunity to talk about experimental design, trends in data and to work with larger data sets.

I usually assign each worksheet as an independent assignment, often as homework and then we discuss the claims as a class after they are completed. One collaborative technique I use is to have the students work as table teams (4-5 students) to share out their claims and evidence and to decide as a table which one is the best and put that on to a white board that they turn into me. Once I get all the submissions from the table groups, I read out the claims and evidence to the class and they vote if the answer is strong or weak and we sort the whiteboards into those categories. This helps my students practice how to evaluate the quality of the claims and evidence used.

In all of my Analyzing and Interpreting Data Sets, students have to use the data table or graph to make inferences about the likely design of the experiment and then interpret the data, “what does it say?” by writing a response in the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) that can be supported using the information from the graph/chart.

•NGSS SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Set #1 : Reading Graphs and CER

•NGSS SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Set #2: Reading Tables and CER

•NGSS SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Set #3: Interpreting Graphs

For each data set I have written a short description of the experiment for your background. My students were familiar with the experiments used in all of the sets I have created because these were all based on topics and investigations we do as part of my science classes.

This Sample is “Number of Wire Wraps and Magnetic Strength” is class data from a lab in which students built an electromagnet by wrapping an iron nail with copper wire. Students changed the number of coils and counted the number of paperclips the electromagnet could pick up.. They all used a 6V lantern battery and the same sized nail for the cores. Students worked together to create a procedure for testing the strength of the magnet, determining that they will all use the same size, paper clips, same batteries style and that students will dip the head of the nail into a pile of paperclips and count how many are lifted up after 10 seconds. Data from several students’ experiments were collected and are presented in the organizer. Note that the students did multiple trials for the different number of wire wraps and if they got the same results, the graph only looks like there is one “dot” but it might represent several observations.

The full sets of data tables and graphs can be found in

Sample Contains

Cover. TOU and Credits (3 pages)

Teacher Notes (2 pages)

Example of Graph Based on Class Lab Data in organizer with Answer Key (5 pages total)

Four different versions of organizer: with and without lines for writing, and choice of manipulated/responding or independent/dependent variables.

Number of Wire Wraps and Magnetic Strength (Magnetic Force Investigation NGSS MS-PS2-3) * This is the One Included in Free Sample

TOPICS IN FULL PRODUCTS

NGSS SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Set #1 Reading Graphs and CER

Wing Length and Falling Speed of a Paper Copter (Motion Investigation, NGSS MS-PS2-2)
Air, Water, Sand and Metal Samples of the Same Mass, Sitting In the Sun (Specific Heat Investigation, NGSS MS-PS3-4)
Shoe Size and Height (Data Analysis Activity NGSS SEP Analyzing and Interpreting data)
Temperature of Hot Water in a Cup with Different Wraps (Thermal Insulators Investigation, NGSS MS-PS3-3)
Mass and Force of Impact (Motion Investigation, NGSS MS-PS2-2)
EDITABLE TEMPLATE
Number of Wire Wraps and Magnetic Strength (Magnetic Force Investigation NGSS MS-PS2-3) * This is the One Included in Free Sample

NGSS SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Set #2: Reading Tables and CER

“Testing Thermal Insulators” supports NGSS MS PS3-3
“Measuring Magnetic Strength” supports NGSS MS PS2-5
“Gravity and Objects in Our Solar System Facts” supports NGSS MS PS2-4
“Echoes and Air Temperature” supports students in making mental images of graphs. This data set, when graphed, shows a very clear, linear trend. Many students when faced with a data table will not consider making it into a graph to between visualize the data trends. In this task, they are asked to analyze the data and evaluate which format, table or graph, is more helpful for finding trends in the data.
“Notes and Frequency” supports NGSS MS PS4-1

NGSS SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Set #3: Interpreting Graphs

Roller Coasters and Energy: Supports NGSS MS-PS-3-2 A graph of maximum hill height and top roller coaster speed
Roller Coasters and Construction Materials: Supports NGSS MS-PS-3-2 and NGSS MS-PS-3-5. A graph of different materials used to build roller coasters and the year they were built along with the top speed. Students can be challenged to find multiple research questions that can be answered using the data presented in this graph.
Sound and Hearing: Supports NGSS MS-PS- 4 when used along with a discussion about wave amplitude and sound volume. This is based on data collected by students as part of a research project into hearing safety and school settings .
Properties of Thermal Energy Storage Materials: Supports NGSS MS-PS-3-4. Students are given a graph that displays the relationship between density and specific heat for selected solids and liquids that are being considered for thermal energy storage. This graph can be challenging because if you look at the general trend of density compared to specific heat there is a negative relationship, however if you also consider the state of matter you might notice a clustering of the liquids on the graph.
Thermal Conductivity and Temperature: Supports NGSS MS-PS-3-4. Students can identify a negative linear trend in the thermal conductivity of the materials as they heat up. Students can be challenged to brainstorm reasons for this trend as an extension to the lesson.
Very Low Temperature and Thermal Conductivity: Supports NGSS MS-PS-3-4 This data has a non-linear trend with a definite optimal zone. This data set is good for discussion of optimization of conditions and that not all trends are linear/non-linear lines of best fit.

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