Year 9 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 5
Challenge Worksheet
Learning Goals
Odd one out
Circle the item that does not belong in each group. Then explain why it doesn't fit in the answer column.
| # | Group | Your answer (odd one + reason) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claim Evidence Reasoning Overreaching | |
| 2 | "7 cm, then 11 cm" "took 38 s" "it grew well" "21°C recorded" | |
| 3 | always everyone in this test proves forever | |
| 4 | Repeated readings Fair test Clear pattern A single guess |
Critique and rewrite the conclusion
Someone concludes...
A student ran one fair-test investigation: they added different masses of fertiliser to identical tomato plants and measured each plant's height after three weeks. Their data is shown below. Their written conclusion was: "This proves that fertiliser always makes every plant grow taller, so the more fertiliser you add, the bigger the plant will be, with no limit."
| Fertiliser added (g) | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant height after 3 weeks (cm) | 14 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 17 |
(a) Identify at least two ways the student's conclusion overreaches or is not supported by the data. Refer to specific numbers from the table.
(b) Rewrite the conclusion as a supported CER statement. Include a claim, evidence (with numbers) and reasoning that stays inside what was tested.
(c) A news headline reads "Scientists prove fertiliser is the key to feeding the world." Using the three checks (evidence matches claim, reasoning explains the link, claim stays inside what was tested), explain which check this headline most clearly fails and why.
Wrap Up
In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?