Potential Task Formats: Analyzing and Interpreting Data (SEP4)
Relevant definitions:
- A pattern of evidence from data is what the data say (“The population of white-colored moths disappeared in cities,” or “The birds’ tail feathers are whiter in the mountains than in the city”)
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1
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Present students with recorded observations of the natural world, then
- Ask them to describe a pattern or relationship they can infer from the observations.
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2
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Describe an investigation, the phenomenon under investigation, and one or more recorded observations from the investigation, then
- Ask students to organize, represent, and analyze the data in at least two different ways, and
- Ask students to compare how the representations and analyses help them to identify patterns in the data.
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3
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Describe an investigation, the phenomenon under investigation, and one or more recorded observations from the investigation, then
- Ask students to use grade-level appropriate mathematics and/or statistics to analyze patterns the data, and
- Ask students to draw conclusions supported by their mathematical analysis.
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4
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Describe an investigation, the phenomenon under investigation, and recorded observations from the investigation that are directly relevant to explaining the phenomenon, then
- Ask students to organize the data and describe how this organization helps them to analyze the data, and
- Ask students to identify and describe the patterns they see in the organized data, and/or
- Ask students to student to describe how the patterns of evidence in the data help to explain the phenomenon.
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5
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Describe an investigation, the phenomenon under investigation, a hypothesis about the phenomenon that the investigation was intended to test, and multiple recorded observations from the investigation, then
- Ask students to organize the data and describe how this organization helps them to see whether the evidence supports the hypothesis, and
- Draw a conclusion about whether the data are consistent with the hypothesis.
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6
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Describe an investigation, the phenomenon under investigation, and recorded observations from the investigation from multiple groups of investigators, then
- Ask students to organize (e.g., tabulate, graph, or statistically summarize) the data, and
- Ask students to identify outliers in the different data sets, and
- Develop hypotheses about what sources of error might have caused the outliers.
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7
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Present a causal explanation of a phenomenon developed from either an experiment or from a simulation, empirical data from the experiment or simulation, then
- Ask students to decide whether the data presented provide causal or correlational evidence, and
- Ask students to assess whether the data are consistent with the causal explanation presented.
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8
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Describe an investigation, the phenomenon under investigation, one or more recorded observations from the investigation, the results of analyses, and an interpretation of the data, then
- Ask students to assess whether the interpretation is consistent with the data and the analysis, or
- Ask students to evaluate how the interpretation is affected by variation or uncertainty in the data.
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Potential Task Formats: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking (SEP5)
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1
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Present students with multiple objects, then
- Ask students to construct quantitative attributes (e.g., measurements of heights) of the objects, and
- Display the data using simple graphs.
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2
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Present students with a dataset from an investigation, the question the investigation is intended to answer, then
- Ask students to identify features of the dataset (e.g., range, average) that should be analyzed in order to answer the question.
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3
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Present students with a textual description and measured quantities of an observable scientific phenomenon, then
- Ask students to develop a grade-level appropriate equation or algorithm that corresponds to the textual description, and
- Explain how the equation or algorithm represents the textual description.
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4
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Present students with a textual description, measured quantities of data, and a grade-level appropriate mathematical equation of an observable scientific phenomenon, then
- Ask students to make a prediction about the state of the phenomenon in the future that the equation can be used to support, and
- Ask students to write an explanation for the prediction, using the mathematical model as supporting evidence.
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5
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Engage students in using a simulation of an observable scientific phenomenon, then
- Ask students to compare the simulation results with real-world data, and
- Write an argument for whether or not the simulation makes sense using the comparison as supporting evidence.
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6
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Present students with a large data set from an investigation, the question the data are intended to answer, and computer tools (e.g., a spreadsheet) for analyzing the data set, then
- Ask students to develop statistical summaries of the data set that help them answer the question about the dataset.
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