Can students use data to support a claim about what changes and what stays the same when you crush some shells and provide a possible explanation?

Look at students’ predictions and reasoning in the Crushing Shells notebook page for evidence. Then look at their data, claims, and explanations.

Enlarge (2) Notebook Pages

To interpret the work, ask yourself:

• Are claims backed up by recorded data?
• Are the results the same or different from the prediction?
• Does the explanation include the idea that the material (shell) was the same after crushing and that no new material was added or taken away?

A next step could be to ask, “Do you think the result would be the same if we used a different material, such as rocks, leaves, wood, etc.?”